I heard the bells on Christmas day...

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Merry Christmas

Hi guys, I hope you had a wonderful & joy-filled Christmas & did all those special things that Christmas time brings....


The Christmas photo collection was a bit shocking, but i managed to find a few that were mildly tolerable.

Arwen was feeling especially mischievous

manage your environment: go first class

Your mind is an amazing mechanism. When your mind works one way, it can carry you forward to outstanding success. But the same mind operating in a different manner can produce a total failure.
The mind is the most delicate, most sensitive instrument in all creation.
The mind reflects what it's environment feeds it just as surely as the body reflects the food you feed it.
You are a product of your environment.
Environment shapes us, makes us think the way we do. Try to name just one habit or one mannerism you have that you did not pick up from other people. Relatively minor things, like the way we walk, cough, hold a cup; our preferences for music, literature, entertainment, clothing - all stem in a very large part from our environment.
Prolonged association with negative people makes us think negatively; close contact with petty individuals develops petty habits in us. On the bright side, companionship with people with big ideas raises the level of our thinking; close contact with ambitious people gives us ambition.
Experts agree that the person you are today, your personality, ambitions, present status in life, are largely the result of your psychological environment. And experts agree also that the person you will be one, five, ten, twenty years from now depends almost entirely on your future environment.
You will change over the months and years. This we know. But how you wll change depends on your uture environment, the mind food you feed yourself.

Recondition yourself for success
The majority of people are convinced deep down inside that they haven't got what it takes, that real success, real accomplishment, is for others who are lucky or fortunate in some special respect.
Rationalizing yourself in to a rut, which incidentally has been described as a grave with both ends open, can be as bad as wandering aimlessly, hoping opportunity will somehow, someday hit you in the face.
Many talented, intelligent people who elect to crawl through life because they are afraid to stand up and run.
People who tell you it cannot be done almost always are unsucessful people, are strictly average or mediocre at best in terms of accomplishment. The opinions of these people can be poison.
Develop a defense against people who want to convince you that you can't do it. Accept negative advice only as a challenge to prove that you can do it.
Be extra, extra cautious about this: don't let negative-thinking people-"negators"- destroy your plan to think yourself to success. Negators are everywhere, and they seem to delight in sabotaging the positive progress of others.
Negators are everywhere. Some negators, are well-meaning folks. But others are jealous people who, not moving ahead themselves, want you to stumble too. They feel inadequate themselves, so the want to make a mediocre person out of you.
Be extra careful. Study negators. Don't let them destroy your plans for success.
Birds of a feather DO flock together. How we think is directly affected by the group we're in. Be sure you're in the flock that thinks right.
In every group there are persons who, secretly aware of their own inadequacies, want to stand in your way and prevent you from making progress. Many ambitious fellows have been laughed at, even threatened, because they tried more efficient and produce more. Let's face it. Some folks, being jealous , want to make you feel embarrassed because you want to move upward.
Ignore such negative thinkers in your midst.
For often the remarks made in your direction aren't so personal as you might at first think. They are merely a projection of the speaker's own feeling of failure and discouragement.
Don't let negative thinkers pull you down to their level. Let them slide by, like the water from the proverbial duck's back. Cling to people who think progressively. Move upward with them.
You can do it, simply by thinking right.

Make it a rule to seek advice from people who know
Thinking must be given additional nourishment if we want to get better results.

Here are a few simple "do's" to help make your social environment first class:
1) Do circulate in new groups. Restricting your social environment to the same small group produces boredom, dullness, dissatisfaction; equally important, remember that your success-building program requires that you become an expert in understanding people.
Make new friends, join new organizations, enlarge your social orbit. Then too, variety in people, like variety in anything else, adds spice to life and gives it a broader dimension. It's good mind food.
2) Do select friends who have views different from your own. In this modern age, the narrow individual hasn't much future. Responsibility and positions of importance gravitate to the person who is able to see both sides. Get to know people of different religious faiths. Associate with opposites. But just be sure they are persons with real potential.
3) Do select friends who stand above petty, unimportant things. Guard your psychological environment. Select friends who are interested in positive things, friends who really do want to see you succeed. Find friends who breathe encouragement into your plans and ideals. If you don't, if you select petty thinkers as your close friends, you'll gradually develop into a petty thinker yourself.

Conversation is a big part of our psychological environment. Some conversation is healthy. It encourages you. It makes you feel like you're taking a walk in the warm sunshine of a spring day. Some conversation makes you feel like a winner.
But other conversation is more like walking through a poisonous, radioactve cloud. It chokes you. It make s you feel ill. It turns you into a loser.
Go first class: that is an excellent rule to follow in everything you do.

scorpio

okay, i realise we are out of scorpio already, but honestly i just didn't give it it's due....i think these guys are very fascinating....and, i get them. scorpios are generally very cool people & i love them to bits. hey you guys, rock on....



How to Recognize SCORPIO

"The question is . . . which is to be master- that's all."



An encyclopedia describes a scorpion as a nocturnal arachnid that attacks and paralyzes its prey with a poison injected by the long, curved tail, used for both defense and destruction. Its sting is sometimes fatal.
You'd better learn how to recognize the sign. In self-defense perhaps-or because you seek a really superior human being. Scorpio likes to travel incognito. Thanks to his well-controlled nature he usually succeeds, but there are a couple of short cuts which will make it easier to penetrate his disguise at midnight or at noon.
Look at the eyes. They can be green, blue, brown or black, but they'll be piercing with hypnotic intensity. Most people feel nervous and ill at ease under Scorpio's steady gaze. You'll have to break the spell and look away first. He'll outstare you every time. It's a foolproof identification
of the Pluto personality. Scorpio eyes bore deeply into you, mercilessly, as if they're penetrating your very soul. They are.
Next, listen to him speak. The tone can be velvety soft, husky or sharply cutting, the speech slow and measured or clipped and staccato, but what he says will never be self-effacing. Scorpio has total ego. He knows what he is and he knows what he is not, and nothing anyone else thinks will change this knowledge. Insults roll right off his back, and compliments don't move him a fraction of an inch. He needs bo one to tell him his vices or his virtues. At best, he'll calmly agree with your appraisal; at worst, he'll suspect your motives.
Such mastery of the personality has to be envied. No matter how his emotions are stirred, you'll rarely see them reflected on Scorpio's frozen, immobile face. These people proudly and consciously practice a blank expression. They command their features to remain firm, and their
features obey. (They wouldn't dare disobey a Scorpio.) You'll seldom see Scorpio give himself away by blushing or flushing, frowning or grinning. Smiles are rare, but genuine. The body follows the same orders as the face. There will rarely be any jumping, sudden starts or nervous
mannerisms.
He'll never flinch with embarrassment or swell up with pride. Reaction is always kept at a bare minimum, because Scorpio's art is to probe your nature and motives relentlessly, while remaining inscrutable himself, and he's an expert at it.
It's important to remember that there is a particular type of Scorpio who moves and speaks rather quickly, and appears to have an open, friendly manner. Look deeply into his eyes and really think about some of his past actions, his true behavior. He's really just playing a game with all his happy talk. Inside, he's as tough and determined as the more typical, poised Pluto people. Perhaps he's even a shade more dangerous because his disguise is better, and he fools you more easily. Start treating him as Charlie-nice-guy, who's completely harmless, and you may be courting some trouble. Be on guard with all Scorpios. I don't mean they're wicked.
They're just not soft or naive. Some Scorpios, realizing that their eyes expose their inner intensity, wear sunglasses frequently, even at night.
If you're sensitive, don't ask his opinion or advice. You'll get the naked, brutal truth. You asked him, hell tell you. Scorpio will not pay a false compliment to gain a point or win an ally. It's beneath him to flatter. When he says something nice to you, treasure it. You can be sure it's
sincere and unvarnished. If he says you have a good voice, stop singing in the shower and grab a microphone. If he says you have a great voice, you can safely audition for the Met. He may even effortlessly move a few mountains out of your way to help you along. Don't believe everything
you hear about Scorpio selfishness. Instead, listen to some of the grateful people who have been on the receiving end of his wise counsel and generosity. Scorpio naturally attracts either fiercely loyal and dedicated admirers, or envious and spiteful enemies. But even the latter give him
grudging respect, and you'll notice they're careful not to challenge him openly. The examples of the few who did are vivid and painful reminders that caution is required in an attack against Scorpio and his planet, Pluto.
Remember that Pluto rules nuclear power.
Yet, there's a haunting sweetness about these people, and often a gentle sympathy with the sick or despairing. Scorpio's touch can be cool and tender, as well as hot. His Sun position gives him several paths to follow.
He can imitate the nocturnal scorpion, who will sting others and even gong himself to death for the pure pleasure of stinging- or he can imitate the glorious, soaring path of his symbolic eagle, who rises above earthly limitations, and uses his strength wisely and justly. Great generals like
MacArthur, presidents like Theodore Roosevelt and scientists like Madame Curie and Jonas Salk are eagles. More United States presidents have been born under this sign than any other.
As for the nocturnal scorpions, you may have been stung by a few yourself. Ancient astrology refers to them as serpents. It's not hard to guess which category the ones you meet belong to. A few Pluto people fall somewhere between the eagle and the stinging scorpion, victims of their own black magic. These are the gray lizards. With them, supreme self sacrifice becomes neurotic concern about the self, and psychic abilities become fearful apprehensions of the lurking evils which may strike at any moment. Forceful courage twists itself around, and instead of seeking the ruthless revenge of the stinger scorpions-or rising above such bitterness like the eagles-they bitterly withdraw in tangled hatreds at each minor injury, hoping fate will punish their enemies, almost unconsciously willing destruction without direct action.
The gray lizards fail to draw on the power of Pluto in their natures-power that could lift them high above all the unfortunate circumstances that surround them. In the very teeth of tragedy, this awesome inner strength could give them a new life in the sunlight. But they seek the dark
shadows and lie dormant, a pathetic waste of the brilliant potential of their birthright. Still, Scorpio can never slide deep enough into the slime of bitter depression to completely lose the power of Pluto. It's never too late for the gray lizard to transform himself into an eagle. That kind of deep magic belongs exclusively to every person born under the Sun sign of Scorpio. All they need do is to call on it. Typical eagles have no fear. In battle they'll lead their men into the very face of death without a tremor. Even the average Pluto man or woman bravely faces anything from physical pain and poverty to ridicule and failure with a proud contempt and complete confidence in an inner ability to overcome any blow.
Scorpio is intensely loyal to friends. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Some of them do this literally, for friends, relatives or loved ones-in battle or in a civilian crisis. The Scorpio soldier leaps instantly, instinctively, to brave the
bullets and drag his buddy to safety. The Scorpio fireman gives his life to rescue the child in the burning building. Sometimes it seems Pluto people unconsciously seek violence deliberately, as a challenge to their strength.
Scorpio never forgets a gift or a kindness, and it's richly rewarded. Conversely, he also remembers an injury or an injustice, but there are different ways of reacting. The eagle will crush the enemy so the enemy leams never to hurt him again, win the fight, and leave the defeated to go his own way. The deadly nocturnal scorpion will first sting, then plan
destruction, then sting again. He's not content with merely evening the score. He must totally destroy the enemy, or at least top him. The typical scorpion stinger will lie awake nights figuring how to get even. If a neighbor deliberately scrapes his fender, he'll scrape two fenders on the
neighbor's car the next day, and maybe drive over his carefully pruned hedges for good measure. These scorpions are seldom content with forcing the shoe on the other foot to teach enemies how it feels. They glue the sandal on with cement. However, with the gray lizards, Pluto
revenge takes the form of bitterness held inside for years, which inevitably causes deep melancholy or actual, lingering physical illness.
Seething Scorpio resentment, turned inward and never expressed, poisons with deadly certainty. Turned outward, it can create guilt, because the stinger scorpion is ashamed to harm the defense-less, when all is said and done. Therefore, it should be turned neither way-inward nor outward. It should be conquered by looking up and forgetting, like the eagle- never by looking back in anger and retaliation.
The Scorpio health picture is typical of his nature. He can destroy his body with excesses, melancholy or hard work. But he can also built it back at will from a critical illness. Pluto's power is that strong. Scorpios are seldom sick, but when they are, it's usually serious. A long rest and a
change of attitude, with peaceful acceptance replacing burning resentment, are the best cures. They can't let well enough alone, and of course, they know more than the doctor and all the nurses.
Scorpio is deeply interested in religion, intensely curious about all phases of life and death, passionately concerned with sex and violently drawn by a desire to reform. Yet he's also heroic, dedicated to ties of family and love, and gently protective of children and weaker souls. He can be a saint or a sinner. He can experiment with the darkest mysteries this side of Hades, or he can scathingly revile sin and decadence. Whether he emotes from a pulpit, at a business meeting, or from a stage, his hypnotic appeal pierces through his audience, literally transfixing or transfiguring them. It's really rather frightening. Even if the Scorpio has temporarily allowed bitterness, drink or melancholy to drag him into the Bowery, you can bet your old copy of Dante's Inferno that the other bums will clear a path when they see him coming.
He's fiercely possessive of what he believes to be his, including success, but his ambition is never obvious. He quietly waits for the chance to move ahead all the while he serves, knowing he is qualified for the position above him. He takes control slowly, but very surely. Scorpio can
do just about anything he wants to do. If he really wants it, it's most definitely no longer a dream. The dark, magical and mysterious power of Pluto turns desire into reality with cool, careful, fixed intent.
Although a morbid desire to know the worst of sick and depraved humanity can create a gray lizard who dabbles in drugs and cruelty, he can reverse the path to a life of medicine, where drastic treatments with the same symbols have a deep fascination for him. Although many of the
rumored sadistic surgeons are Scorpios, it's equally true that many of the finest medical men in the entire world are inspired by Pluto to heal both the mind and the body, diagnosing and treating with strange, inscrutable knowledge.
Scorpio was born knowing the secrets of life and death, and with the ability to conquer both if he chooses. But astrology constantly advises him that "he must know that he knows." The ancient mysteries fascinate his brilliant mind. Out of his powerful empathy with human nature grows
the outstanding detective, the composer of great musical works, literature of depth and permanence, or the actor who projects with unusual dramatic intensity. Sometimes
he lives alone, near the sea, as strong and as silent as the tides. Sometimes he faces the public, wearing a mask of calm reserve and control, to hide his intense desire to win. He can be a
politician or a television star, an undertaker or a bartender, but he'll manage to top all his competitors.
And hell do it so effortlessly it will seem like an act of fate rather than his own powerful will.
November's thistle is dangerous, yet it grows entwined with the heavy, languid beauty of the Scorpio honeysuckle. Have you ever inhaled that sweet, overwhelming fragrance on a still midsummer's night? Then you will know why there are those who brave the thistles to seek the gentleness of Scorpio-exquisite gentleness. The explosive passion of Pluto has the rich, dark red wine color of the bloodstone. But Scorpio steel is tempered in a furnace of unbearable heat until it emerges cool, satiny smooth-and strong enough to control the nine spiritual fires of Scorpio's
wisdom.
(article taken from linda goodman's sunsigns.)

do you know....

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you
Where are you going to?
Do you know...?

Do you get
What you're hoping for
When you look behind you
There's no open door
What are you hoping for?
Do you know...?

Once we were standing still in time
Chasing the fantasies
That filled our minds
You knew how I loved you
But my spirit was free
Laughin' at the questions
That you once asked of me

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you
Where are you going to?
Do you know...?

Now looking back at all we've planned
We let so many dreams
Just slip through our hands
Why must we wait so long
Before we'll see
How sad the answers
To those questions can be

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you
Where are you going to?
Do you know...?

Do you get
What you're hoping for
When you look behind you
There's no open door
What are you hoping for?
Do you know...?

reading

I love to read, once i open a book I'm interested in, it's near impossible to get me to put it down, & my eyes have to actually be physically unopenable to make me stop at night. Reading is an irreplaceable form of self-development & once you discover the joy of reading, you'll never want to stop. I found some really good quotes on reading which I liked, maybe they'll appeal to the reader in you as well...


I have often reflected upon the new vistas that reading opened to me. I knew right there in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life. As I see it today, the ability to read awoke in me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive. ~ Malcolm X ~

It is with books as with men - a very small number play a great part, the rest are lost in the multitude. ~ Voltaire ~

I've traveled the world twice over, Met the famous; saints and sinners, Poets and artists, kings and queens, Old stars and hopeful beginners, I've been where no-one's been before, Learned secrets from writers and cooks All with one library ticket To the wonderful world of books. ~ Unknown ~

Show me the books he loves and I shall know the man far better than through mortal friends.
~ Dawn Adams ~

Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind, which are delivered down from generation to generation as presents to the posterity of those who are yet unborn,
~ Joseph Addison ~

Of all the diversions of life, there is none so proper to fill up its empty spaces as the reading of useful and entertaining authors. ~ Joseph Addison ~

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. ~ Joseph Addison ~

Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life. ~ Mortimer J. Adler ~

That is a good book which is opened with expectation and closed in profit.
~ Amos Bronson Alcott ~

Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man. ~ Francis Bacon ~

Books are men of higher stature; the only men that speak aloud for future times to hear.
~ E.S. Barrett ~

He that loves a book will never want a faithful friend, a wholesome counselor, a cheerful companion, an effectual comforter. By study, by reading, by thinking, one may innocently divert and pleasantly entertain himself, as in all weathers, as in all fortunes. ~ Barrow ~

A book is good company. It is full of conversation without loquacity. It comes to your longing with full instruction, but pursues you never. ~ Henry Ward Beecher ~

The power of a text is different when it is read from when it is copied out. Only the copied text thus commands the soul of him who is occupied with it, whereas the mere reader never discovers the new aspects of his inner self that are opened by the text, that road cut through the interior jungle forever closing behind it: because the reader follows the movement of his mind in the free flight of day-dreaming, whereas the copier submits it to command. ~ Walter Benjamin ~

There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them. ~ Joseph Brodsky ~

Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.(1994) ~ Emilie Buchwald ~

Books are masters who instruct us without rods or ferules, without words or anger, without bread or money. If you approach them, they are not asleep; if you seek them, they do not hide; if you blunder, they do not scold; if you are ignorant, they do not laugh at you. ~ Richard De Bury ~

All that Mankind has done, thought, gained or been-- it is lying as in magic preservation in the pages of Books. ~ Thomas Carlyle ~

Happy is he who has laid up in his youth, and held fast in all fortune, a genuine and passionate love of reading. ~ Rufus Choate ~

The world of books is the most remarkable creation of man: nothing else that he builds ever lasts monuments fall; nations perish; civilization grow old and die out; new races build others. But in the world of books are volumes that have seen this happen again and again and yet live on. Still young, still as fresh as the day they were written, still telling men's hearts, of the hearts of men centuries dead. ~ Clarence Day ~

If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Our high respect for a well read person is praise enough for literature. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

To read is to empower To empower is to write To write is to influence To Influence is to change To change is to live. ~ Jane Evershed ~

If the riches of the Indies, or the crowns of all the kingdom of Europe, were laid at my feet in exchange for my love of reading, I would spurn them all. ~ Francois FéNelon ~

When I discovered libraries, it was like having Christmas every day. ~ Jean Fritz ~

The greatest gift is the passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind. It is a moral illumination.
~ Elizabeth Hardwick ~

To use books rightly, is to go to them for help; to appeal to them when our own knowledge and power fail; to be led by them into wider sight and purer conception than our own, and to receive from them the united sentence of the judges and councils of all time, against our solitary and unstable opinions. ~ John Ruskin ~

Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations.
~ Henry David Thoreau ~

No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance. ~ Atwood H. Townsend ~

arwen

Hey, it's been a while since i posted any pictures, heres a few of Arwen from the last few weeks...

be remembered...

“I maybe here for a shortwhile, gone tomorrow into oblivion or until the days come to take me away. But, in whatever part you play, be remembered as part of a legacy...of sharing dreams and changing humanity for the better. It's that legacy that never dies”

my sleeping child...

Oh my sleeping child the world's so wild

but you've build your own paradise
That's one reason why I'll cover you sleeping child
If all the people around the world
they had a mind like yours
we'd have no fighting and no wars
there would be lasting peace on Earth
If all the kings and all the leaders
could see you here this way
they would hold the Earth in their arms
they would learn to watch you play

Oh my sleeping child the world's so wild
but you've build your own paradise
That's one reason why I'll cover you sleeping child
I'm gonna cover my sleeping child

Keep you away from the world so wild

edification

Edification is, simply put, the practice of exalting & promoting someone else instead of yourself. The concept is that anybody can promote anybody. Meaning that while it's hard to promote yourself, it's easy to promote another person no matter who you are. An illustration that I've heard on this topic pointed out that whenever you see a review written for either a movie or a book or even a shop, maybe you'll notice that the comments are put in very big print, while the peoples names who made the statements are in much smaller print. Plus most of the time we have no notion of who the person is, but for some reason we take notice of what they are saying anyway. i mean think about it-it's true. So then no matter who said it, right away we have this impression that the thing they are trying to promote is GREAT!
Another analogy is in business, like in mine-when i try to promote it to people, they may question it. However, if i promote a colleague as being very smart, or successful or highly influential, - right away, all that person has to do is say a few words about why what i have to offer is a good idea & it holds way more credibility. do you see what i mean?
I suppose this also falls in line with just simply speaking constructively of others. In fact, it says a lot about you when you talk about someone else & in what manner. AND if you're always speaking constructively of other people, others will start speaking that way of you & will be promoting YOU.
So, if you want to promote yourself, promote others.

You are what you think you are

It's obvious, much human behavior is puzzling. Watch. You'll observe that some people command confidence, loyalty, and admiration while others do not.
Look closer still, & you'll also observe that those persons who command the most respect are also the most successful.
Other's see in us what we see in ourselves We receive the kind of treatment we think we deserve. Thinking does make it so. The fellow who thinks he is inferior, regardless of what his real qualifications may be. is inferior. For thinking regulates actions. The person who feels he isn't important, isn't.
Ont the other side, a fellow who really thinks he is equal to the task, is.
To be important, we mist think we are important, really think so; then others will think so too.
How you think determines how you act.
How you act in turn determines:
How others react to you.

LOOK IMPORTANT-IT HELPS YOU THINK IMPORTANT.
Remember, your appearance "talks." Be sure it says positive things about you. Never leave home without feeling certain you look like the kind of person you want to be.
Use clothing as a tool to lift your spirits, build confidence. Look sharp because it will help you think sharp.
Your physical exterior affects your mental interior. How you look on the outside affects how you think and feel on the inside.
We look at some people and respond with the "Hey, Mac" attitude. We look at others and respond with the "Yes, sir" feeling.
A person's appearance definitely talks. The well-dressed person's appearance says positive things. It tells people, "Here is an important person: Intelligent, prosperous, and dependable. This man can be looked up to, admired, trusted. He respects himself, and I respect him."
Pay twice as much & buy half as many. Commit this answer to memory. Then practice it. Apply it to hats, suits, shoes, socks, coats-everything you wear. Insofar as appearance is concerned, quality is far more important than quantity. When you practice this principle, you'll find that both your respect for yourself and the respect of others for you will zoom upward.
You owe it to others-but more important, you owe it to yourself-to look your best.
You are what you think you are. If your appearance makes you think you're inferior, you are inferior. If it makes you think small, you are small. Look your best and you will think and act your best.
You are what you think you are, what your thought power directs you to become. Think you're weak, think you lack what it takes, think you will lose, think you are second-class-think this way, and you are doomed to mediocrity.
Think instead, I am important. I do have what it takes. I am a first-class performer. My work is important. Think this way, and you're headed straight to success.
The key to winning what you want lies in thinking positively toward yourself. The only real basis other people have for judging your abilities is your actions. And your actions are controlled by your thoughts.
You are what you think you are.
We've all noticed how children quickly pick yp the attitudes, habits, fears, and preferences of their parents. Whether it be food preferences, mannerisms. religious ad political views. or any other type of behavior, the child is a living reflection of how his parents or guardians think; for he learns through imitation.
And so do adults. People continue to imitate others through out life. And they imitate their leaders and supervisors; their thoughts and actions are influenced by these people.
Consider just one characteristic of successful people; enthusiasm.
If you have enthusiasm, those around you will have it, too.
Think enthusiastically. Build in yourself an optimistic, progressive glow, a feeling that "this is great and I'm 100% for it."
Think enthusiasm and you'll be enthusiastic. To get high-quality work, be enthusiastic about the job you want done. Other's will catch the enthusiasm you generate and you'll get first-class performance.
Practice uplifting self-praise. Don't practice belittling self-punishment.
You are what you think you are. Think more of yourself and there is more of you.
Build your own "sell-yourself-to-yourself" commercial.
Every day you and I see half-alive people who are no longer sold on themselves. They lack self-respect for their most important product-themselves. These folks are indifferent. They feel small. They feel like nobodies, and because they feel that way, that's what they are.
The half-alive person needs to be resold on himself. He needs to realize that he's a first-class person. He needs honest, sincere belief in himself.
"I thought I was inferior to just about anybody and everybody. I realize that I've got what it takes to win and I'm winning. And I'm always going to win."
Remind yourself that you are a first-class person.

How to think & dream creatively

When you believe, your mind finds ways to do. When you believe something is impossible, your mind goes to work for you to prove why. But when you believe, really believe, something can be done, your mind goes to work for you and helps you find the ways to do it.
Believing something can be done paves the way for creative solutions. Believing something can't be done is destructive thinking. This point applies to all situations, little & big.
You can find ways to like a person if you believe you can. You can discover solutions to personal problems if you believe you can. Belief releases creative powers. Disbelief puts the brakes on. Believe, and you'll start thinking-constructively.
Your mind will create a way if you let it. Where there's a will, there is a way. Believe it can be done. Eliminate the word impossible from your thinking and speaking vocabularies. Impossible is a failure word. The thought "it's impossible" sets off a chain reaction of other thoughts to prove you're right.
The traditional thinker's mind is paralyzed. "Average" people have always resented progress. There is no one best way to do anything. There are as many best ways as there are creative minds. Absolute perfection in all human undertakings from building missiles to rearing children is unattainable. This means there is endless room for improvement. Successful people know this, and they are always searching for a better way.
The I-can-do-better philosophy works magic. When you ask yourself, "How can i do better?" your creative power is switched on & ways for doing things better suggest themselves.
Capacity is a state of mind. How much we can do depends on how much we think we can do. When you really believe you can do more, your mind thinks creatively and shows you the way.
In business, in the home, in the community, the success combination is do what you do better & do more of what you do.
As a personal policy I have accepted fully the concept: If you want it done, give it to a busy man. I refuse4 to work on important projects with persons who have lots of free time. I have learned from painful, expensive experience that the fellow who has plenty of time makes an ineffective work partner.
Big people monopolize the listening. Small people monopolize the talking.
Top-level leaders in all walks of life spend much more time requesting advice than they do in giving it.
Your ears are your intake valves. They feed your mind raw materials that can be converted into creative power. We learn nothing from telling. But there is no limit to what we can learn by asking and listening.
A mind that feeds only on itself soon is undernourished, becoming weak and incapable of creative progressive thought. Stimulation from others is excellent mind food.
Association with people who have different job interests broadens your thinking and helps you to see the bg picture. You'll be surprised how mixing regularly with people outside your occupational area will stimulate your on-the-job thinking.
Ideas are fruits of your thinking. But they've got to be harnessed and put to work to have value.
Ideas are highly perishable. If we're not on guard, negative-thinking people will destroy most of them. Ideas require special handling from the time they are born until they're transformed into practical ways for doing things better.
Don't let ideas escape. Write them down. Everyday lots of good ideas are born only to die quickly because they aren't nailed to paper. Memory is a weak slave when it comes to preserving and nurturing brand-new ideas.
Believe it can be done. When you believe something can be done, your mind will find the ways to do it. Believing a solution paves the way to solution.
Don't let tradition paralyze your mind. Be receptive to new ideas. Be experimental. Try new approaches. Be progressive in everything you do.
Ask yourself daily, "How can I do better?" There is no limit to self-improvement. When you ask yourself, "How can I do better?" sound answers will appear. Try it and see.
Ask yourself, "How can I do more?" Capacity is a state of mind. Asking yourself this question puts your mind to work to find intelligent shortcuts. These success combination in business is: Do what you do better & do more of what you do.
Stretch your mind. Get stimulated. Associate with people who can help you think of new ideas, new ways of doing things. Mix with people of different occupational and social interestsl

sdkfljhaekljfru

hi guys, i realise i've been a bit absent the last while, ...i'd love to blog more often, but i guess at the moment, i'm a bit busy with other projects & my blog was taking a lot of my focus. so for now, i may just post at leisure & keep you updated with any important events or any recent pictures & also continue with the book summaries. i hope that won't be a let down for anyone. thanks for reading & i hope i can become a regular contributer again soon. until then, enjoy whatever i manage to post. lots of love.....

run...

I'll sing it one last time for you
Then we really have to go
You've been the only thing that's right
In all I've done

And I can barely look at you
But every single time I do
I know we'll make it anywhere
Away from here

Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear

Louder louder
And we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak I understand
Why you can't raise your voice to say

To think I might not see those eyes
Makes it so hard not to cry
And as we say our long goodbye
I nearly do

Light up...

Slower slower
We don't have time for that
All I want is to find an easier way
To get out of our little heads

Have heart my dear
We're bound to be afraid
Even if it's just for a few days
Making up for all this mess

howzit

sorry i've been absent, siblings have been blowing through the house, - i say that because just as soon as they came, it seemed like they were gone. it's almost hard to decide whether one is supposed to experience emotion on any level in this situation. and then i was in joburg for a seminar over the weekend, so i wasn't here. ha, now i am.
okay it was brought to my attention that people don't want to be convicted, they want to be inspired & someone mentioned that they wouldn't be too inspired to return to a blog that displayed uninspiring stuff. so, i'll try to keep it positive in future.
well, my family being photo phobic as it turns out, it's next to impossible to pin anyone down for a decent picture. plus, my very life was threatened at the last attempt at publishing one on here. but i am sure i can gather a cluster & post them with permission. so, look out for those.
i'm due to post quite a bit. just been preoccupied actually getting a life. talk to you soon...

if none were...

If none were sick and none were sad,
What service could we render?
I think if we were always glad
We scarcely could be tender;
Did our beloved never need
Our patient ministration,
Earth would grow cold and miss indeed
Its greatest consolation.
Did sorrow never grieve our heart
And every wish were granted,
Patience would die and hope depart;
Life would be disenchanted.

duplication

The concept of duplication pretty much means exactly what it says. Whether we like it or not, we're constantly absorbing information, behaviour, or habits that we're exposed to. Whether it's through advertisements, pictures, behaviour, language, or whatever.
If someone looks up to you as a role model, it's possible they will think that it's cool or acceptable or even important for them to act as you do, so they duplicate it. At other times, even if people do not go out of their way to pick up on your behaviour they just do, because they're exposed to you on a constant basis & it automatically rubs off on them, similar to the way you start singing a song if you've heard it playing, even if you loathe the song or if it's a very silly song.
Something I have to constantly be aware of, & I think most parents will relate to, is that there's a little person always around who's picking up on everything I do. I am reminded everytime I am tempted to swear in frustration, or take shortcuts in different situations. I have to make sure what I do is duplicatable. It's not about what works, it's about what duplicates. Is the language I use something i want to hear her using? Is the way I react to things positive so she will learn to react that way too? Am I solution oriented? Am I praiseful & appreciative of people? I can't chow down junk food all day & yet be preaching at her to eat fruits & vegetables. I can't toss her dirty laundry around unless I want her to end up doing the same thing.
But this concept doesn't just apply to people with kidz. It's true of every person. We're all influencing others on a constant basis & we are also picking up things from the environment we're in. You know how they say that we're a product of our environment? Well that basically means we've duplicated the things we've been exposed to.
This is not only true of us duplicating outside influences, but it also means that if we have a negative attitude it will duplicate within us to where we are negative about everything. If we have a positive attitude, it will duplicate more positive thoughts about things.
So, what can we get from this?
Firstly, guard your psychological environment. What are you allowing yourself to be exposed to? Is it something you want to become? Is it positive, uplifting & constructive?
Secondly, look at your own actions & language, - is it something worth duplicating? Are you as a person, worth duplicating?
Try using this concept in your daily occurences & you'll start to see why it's so important.
I hope it's a help to you in some way.
What are you duplicating? And who's dupliating you?

dreams....

In the last post, I listed that I'd learned to not be afraid to 'dream big!' This is an awesome topic because EVERYBODY wants something. So, this post should appeal to everyone reading it. Think about it a bit. What do YOU want? What are your dreams? You must have some, because life holds little or no joy without dreams.
Maybe you want to do something great & make history. Maybe you're not that vain & want to feed lots of hungry people without any recognition. Maybe you're the crazy type & want to jump out of the sky tied to a rope. Perhaps you want to go white-water rafting in the Zambezi, or swim with pink dolphins in the Amazon.
W. Clement Stone said: "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
Think about that for a second. You can do, be, or have ANYTHING you want! It's exciting. So, don't be afraid to dream MASSIVE dreams because it's possible if you decide it is.
A study at Yale revealed that only 3% of people write down their dreams. But of that 3%, 98% of them accomplish them.
Hey I'm just the messenger. Those are the facts & the statistics. It's just up to you to decide which category of people you want to be in.
William Jones said: "A man may never do everything that he's dreamed, but he will never EVER do anything that he hasn't dreamed!"
These are powerful words guys. If you're a big dreamer like me, i hope they make an impact on you.
Since I've given myself permission to dream, it's incredible that the list of dreams just keeps on growing. I may never accomplish them all, but I know now that I'll do a heck of a lot more than if I never allowed myself the privilege of dreaming them. In case anyone is interested, I'm gonna do a series of posts on some of my dreams. But I'd love to know what other's dreams are. It's interesting. And I'd love to get to know my friends a lot better. So tell me some things YOU want to do. I'm waiting impatiently for your feedback. Talk to you soon.

my business....

Some people that know me, know that I've started a business recently. It's been quite a challenge, but also a lot of fun, because I've been learning so much that I somehow neglected to know & practice before. In our business we have a personal development program which helps us develop to our full potential. It's exciting knowing that I'm furthering myself as a person & also as a business woman. The stuff I've had to learn has taught me so much, not only about business, but also about life. The principles in the business world & in one's personal life are sometimes very similar & employ very parallel concepts.
I'll list some of the things I've learned here, but I think I'll do a series of posts where i can tell you about them more in depth, so look out for that. I hope they can be a help to you as well to keep you striving to live your life to the very max! (hee, no pun intended.) Kay here they are:

• duplication
  
• edification
• posture (do you see now why I'm gonna have to explain some of these?)
  
• not being afraid to have big dreams
• setting goals
• deciding what I want, devising a strategy & executing it.
  
• personality types & how to relate to different types of people
• acquiring people skills (:0))
  
• believing in & being passionate about what i do
• listening to people
  
• shut up shut up shut up (sorry, it doesn't do to tell me once.)
• respecting & being willing to learn from those that have been where i am & are where i would like to be. be teachable.
  
• be willing to fight for what i want
• not let anything or anyone stand in the way of that
• be willing to be very uncomfortable
• stretch myself & do things I've never done before.
• associate with new people
• brush shoulders with successful, passionate people
• the power of reading
• the power of motivational cd's
• learning to love the struggle
• just wanting to become the person I will be as a result of achieving what I want.
• getting what I want by helping other people get what they want.
• financial intelligence
• putting money in the right perspective
  
• building people
• being a role model people want to follow

I'll stop there for now, if i come up with anymore, I'll be sure to let you know....& if any of these interest you, then come back & read about them a bit more later....

salads!

I know when some people think of salad, its almost like ugluh, that tasteless, crunchy green stuff with no filling value, that one is required to eat in order to survive. I used to dread eating salad. I mean i ate it, but it wasn't my preferred choice of cuisine if you catch my drift. Salad these days has become more of a joy for me, I've discovered that one can be quite inventive with their salads & can in fact sneak in a wide variety of foods under the guise of it being salad providing there is at least one vegetable present. In fact there are entire books published on salad recipes. Thick ones too. Once you start ruffling around in the salad scene it can be quite the intrigue. It's almost like you're always thinking: "hmm, i wonder if that would taste good in a salad".... but somehow, salad always makes for a lighter meal that just doesn't leave you feeling FAT the whole day....

slowdance...

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round
Or listened to the rain tapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down don't dance so fast
Time is short the music won't last

Do you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask "How are you?" do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores running through your head?

You'd better slow down don't dance so fast
Time is short the music won't last

Ever told your child, we'll do it tomorrow
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch, ;let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time to call and say "Hi"?

You'd better slow down don't dance so fast
Time is short the music won't last

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift.... thrown away...

Life is not a race. Do take it slower
Hear the music before the song is over.

setting goals

It's a new month so i suppose it's the perfect time to set new goals for ourselves. It's always fun seeing how we can do better than we did the last month, cause it always keeps us striving to be more than we are. I heard a cd the other night which was quite inspiring, & one thing that stood out to me on it was when the lady speaking said: "Do you know what's outside of your comfort zone? Everything. Everything you want is outside of your comfort zone." Which means that in order to get what we want, we have to be willing to be very uncomfortable & to keep stretching ourselves beyond what we think we are capable of or willing to do. I think it's cool. It helps us grow as people & become more exceptional human beings. I found some cool quotes on goal-setting so i'll post some here that i really liked. But maybe just stop & think about what are some of your goals for this month.

To be good is not enough when you dream of being great!

Write it down. Written goals have a way of transforming wishes into wants; cant's into cans; dreams into plans; and plans into reality. Don't just think it - ink it!

Louisa May Alcott
Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.

Elbert Hubbard
Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage but simply because they have never organized their energies around a goal.

Jim Rohn
Goals. There's not telling what you can do when you get inspired by them. There's no telling what you can do when you believe in them. There's no telling what will happen when you act upon them.

Maxwell Maltz
Emptiness is a symptom that you are not living creatively. You either have not goal that is important enough to you, or you are not using your talents and efforts in a striving toward an important goal.

Make no small plans for they have no power to stir the soul.

Robert Collier
See things as you would have them be instead of as they are.

Harvey Mackay
Goals give you more than a reason to get up in the morning; they are an incentive to keep you going all day. Goals tend to tap the deeper resources and draw the best out of life.

Milton Berle
I'd rather be a could-be if I cannot be an are; because a could-be is a maybe who is reaching for a star. I'd rather be a has-been than a might-have-been, by far; for a might have-been has never been, but a has was once an are.

Charles F Kettering
I am not interested in the past. I am interested in the future, for that is where I expect to spend the rest of my life.

Zig Ziglar
Remember, what you get by reaching your destination isn't nearly as important as what you become by reaching your goals -- what you will become is the winner you were born to be!

Kahlil Gibran
To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to.

Napoleon Hill
A goal is a dream with a deadline.

Well, there you have it. Ugh i love this stuff, these kind of quotes just keep me going. I hope they inspire you too.

i'm still here

I've become pretty sure in the last few weeks that God wants me alive. This month was an exceptionally life-threatening one for me- I've repeatedly tempted fate to dispose of me, yet somehow every time it almost seems like God tells me: "I'm not done with you yet."
Today, i was handed an additional opportunity to just be grateful for life & another day to use the life God has given me to the very fullest i can.
It happened quite suddenly. And in my 4 years of driving, i was never aware that something that dangerous could happen simply from a wet road.
We were running late for an appointment, so naturally i was trying to make good time on the road. I wasn't driving particularly faster than i normally do, but it had been raining the whole morning, so the roads were a little more slippery. The tires on our car have long been due for a change. But i guess it's one of those things you put on a back burner hoping they'll see you through the rough times until you're rolling in the dough someday & can purchase some new ones. now bald tires have long been an acquaintance of skidding on the roads in wet weather. i knew this, but i didn't know it could be that severe.
So we were driving at a fairly fast speed, when all of a sudden, the car spun out of control on the wet road & did a complete 90 degree turn on this busy one way highway so i landed facing the wrong direction. on a curve. so no one coming around the bend could see us. the entire time this was happening, which took approximately 10 seconds, i thought i was gonna be killed, or at best injured or disfigured. this is a major highway. at any time during our spin, we could have been hit with massive impact by a number of cars. the spot the car spun into before it ground to a halt was miraculously in the margin of the road whereas, just a few feet ahead the margin finishes so i would have been pretty screwed in that situation as well. when the car stopped spinning, we were 3 inches away from a big wall, which i was certain we were gonna crash into until that point.
Simon eventually had to stand out on the highway holding the emergency triangle, telling other cars to move over so i could turn our massive vehicle around.
And i might add.......we still got to our appointment on time.
Only God knows why he spared my life today. but the fact that i escaped the ordeal without so much as a scratch-on me or the car is beyond my comprehension.
Matthew 10:30 says: But the very hairs of your head are all numbered...
He's kept me alive in a world of mass confusion & uncertainty. It would be an insult to Him not to do the VERY best i can with the time He's given me here. I hope i don't let Him down.

how to think big

The tendency for so many people to think small means there is much less competition than you think for a very rewarding career.
Where success is concerned, people are not measured in inches or pounds or college degrees, or family background; they are measured by the size of their thinking. How big we think determines the size of our accomplishments.
It is well to know our inabilities, for this shows us areas in which we can improve. But if we know only our negative characteristics, were in a mess. Our value is small.
You're bigger than you think. So fit your thinking to your true size. Think as big as you really are. Never, never, never sell yourself short!

4 ways to develop the big thinkers vocabulary:

1) Use big, positive , cheerful words and phrases to describe how you feel. When someone asks, "How do you feel today?" and you respond with a negative response, you actually make yourself feel worse. Practice this: it's a very simple point, but it has tremendous power. Every time some one asks you, "How are you?" or "How are you feeling today?" respond with a "Just wonderful! thanks, and you?" or say "Great!" or "Fine." Say you feel wonderful at every possible opportunity, and you will begin to feel wonderful-and bigger, too. Become known as a person who always feels great. It wins friends.
2) Use bright, cheerful, favourable words and phrases to describe other people. Make it a rule to have a big, positive word for all your friends and associates. Be extremely careful to avoid the petty cut-him-down-language. Such talk only cuts you down.
3) Use positive language to encourage others. Compliment people personally at every opportunity. Everyone you know craves praise. Praise sincerely administered, is a success tool. Use it. Use it again and again and again. Compliment people on their appearance, their work, their achievements, their families.
4) Use positive words to outline plans to others. When people hear something like this: "Here is some good news. We face a genuine opportunity..." Their minds start to sparkle. But when they hear something like "Whether we like it or not, we've got a job to do," the mind movie is dull and boring. and they react accordingly. Promise victory and watch eyes light up. Promise victory and win support.

See what can be, not just what is. Putting a big value on people is what converts them into big, regular patrons. Attaching little value to people sends them elsewhere.
What determines how much you're worth? People who don't have much look at themselves as they are now. Thats all they see. They don't see the future, they just see a miserable present.
"If I looked at myself strictly as I am-I couldn't help but be discouraged. I'd see a nobody and I'd be a nobody for the rest of my life.
"I've made my mind to look at myself as the person I'm going to be in a few short years. When i look at myself that way, I feel bigger and think bigger. "
The price tag the world puts on us is just about identical to the one we put on ourselves.
Here is how you can develop your power to see what can be, not just what is.
1) Practice adding value to things.
2)Practice adding value to people.
3)Practice adding value to yourself.

What does it take to make a good speech?
Successful public speakers have one thing in common: They have something to say and they feel a burning desire for other people to hear it.
Don't let concern with trivia keep you from speaking successfully in public.

What causes quarrels?
Little things, petty thinking, causes arguments. So, to eliminate quarrels, eliminate petty thinking.
Before complaining or accusing or reprimanding someone or launching a counterattack in self-defense, ask yourself, "Is it really important?" In most cases, it isn't and you avoid conflict.
When you feel like taking negative action, ask yourself, "Is it really important?" That question is the magic in building a finer home situation. It works in any situation in life that is apt to produce quarrels.

Don't fall into the triviality trap. Think of those things that really matter. Things that make the difference. Don't become submerged under surface issues. Concentrate on important things.

bbs (be back soon)

hi guys,
im sorry i havent been a frequent poster of late. i've barely had any time this week to do anything. but it only means you're due for a flurry of posts shortly, so watch this space. i miss being able to post very frequently, and have limited access to a computer, but these are all mere excuses, not a condition so i will do better.

i'll just leave you with a few words to ponder, ooo i like these:

"Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it. Autograph your work with excellence."

see you soon.
xxx sharms

mix it up!

i get to sample a very broad range of people in my weekend activity of doing birthday parties. overall i find it quite interesting studying the different types of people & circles that i come in contact with. oh yes, people watching is a very fun pastime. & very educational too. i've read that smart people have mastered the art of being quiet & just listening or observing. you can learn so much.
at kiddies birthday parties, there are generally a standard collection of people present. i'll name a few types:....there'll be oldies- sweet grandparents who are ever offering you food & help-those guys are among my favourites; oldies who think they're still young -single, in jeans with the cigarette glued between fore & middle finger, all clued in on the latest lingo; there'll be young people, parents, naturally CHILDREN aaaaaa that's where i have some issues, haha. - why am i in this profession?hahaha
now some parties go the extra mile & invite some additional nationalities, new acquaintances, new neighbours, new work colleagues, people from all kinds of walks of life. they really mix it up. recently i went to a party where there were indians, whites, some non-english speaking japanese- who, by the way were trying very hard to socialize, bless them, all ages, ranks, you name it.
then there are some parties i do where i notice a distinct difference. while they may have the usual scenario of family members & friends. these guys all seem to me to be mere duplications of one another. they talk exactly the same, have the same accent, skin tone, dress style, weight, hairstyles, they laugh at the same jokes, drink in equally quantum portions, & want the same things from life..... that's easy because what they want from life is not much. i imagine they grew up together & it never struck them to even consider broadening their scope or their social circle.
unfortunately, people like these will never grow. in order to grow, one needs to be constantly raising their goals, expectations & broadening their vision. meeting new people, travelling to new places, doing things they've never done before! associating with great minds, never settling for what we are or have. but perpetually knowing that we can do better & more!
another pro in associating with different people is that you start to notice the ones that have that special quality-they've discovered the secrets to life & habituate them in their own lives. these are the kind of people you want to spend your time with. the ones that will add value to your life. & teach you things that will help you be a better person & inspire you to lead a more rewarding life!
yet some people are willing to settle for what they have & for what they are. they don't realise that men of FAITH climb unscaled walls & sail uncharted seas!
now obviously birds of a feather may flock together right? and people are gonna have friends that are similar to them. but sometimes, it's nice to be willing to look beyond what we know & see if we can learn more. about the other guy. about a different situation. about a different country. about a different language or race. - this is what makes life so fascinating! that there's always opportunity to grow & be more than we think we can be.

make it go away!

hi guys
im sorry i've been scarce in posting, all the pollen in the air has made everyone in our house a really yucky brand of ill for the last couple of weeks. since im supposed to resist the urge to talk about my health, except perhaps the up tempo variety, i tried very hard not to post about it. but i just wanted to explain my absence. hopefully i should be up and running by next week, in the meantime may post moderately at leisure. i realise i have also been a bit of a dummie in posting photos as i said i would, so im sorry for that. i have to admit i am unable to find a decent photographer, besides people just thinking im ridiculously self-obsessed to want them to be taking pictures fo me all the time. rina has come to visit, & she always makes for a good photo or two, so i'll look into taking some more & posting of whatever i can. well, see you on the other side of the ol' corpus contaminus....hahaha well it sounded like a medical term. see you soon. ;)

build confidence & destroy fear pt 2

Fear of other people is a big fear. But there is a way to conquer it. You can conquer fear of people if you will learn to put them into proper perspective.
people are alike in many, many more ways than they are different. I discovered the other fellow is pretty much like me. He likes good food, he misses his family and friends, he wants to get ahead, he has problems, he likes to relax. So if the other fellow is basically like me, there's no point in being afraid of him. "
1) Get a balanced view of the other fellow.
2) Develop an understanding attitude. People who want to figuratively to bite you, growl at you, pick on you, and otherwise chop you down are not rare. If you're not prepared for people like that, they can punch big holes in your confidence and make you feel completely defeated. You need a defense against the adult bully, the fellow who likes to throw his meager weight around.
Underneath hes probably a very nice guy. Most folks are.
Remember those two short sentences next time someone declares war on you. The way to win in situations like this is to let the other fellow blow his stack and then forget it.
Doing what's right keeps your conscience satisfied. And this builds self-confidence. When we do what is known to be wrong, two negative things happen. First, we feel guilt and this guilt eats away confidence. Second, other people sooner or later find out and lose confidence in us.
Do what's right and keep your confidence. That's thinking yourself to success.
Remember, motions are the pre-cursors of emotions. Act the way you want to feel.

1) Be a front seater.
You may be a little more conspicuous in the front, but remember, there is nothing inconspicuous about success.
2) Practice making eye-contact.
You say nothing good about yourself when you avoid making eye contact. Make your eyes work for you. Aim them right at the other person's eyes. I not only gives you confidence, it wins you confidence, too.
3) Walk 25% faster.
4) Practice speaking up
5) Smile big
A smile is excellent medicine for confidence deficiency. A bis smile beats fear, rolls away worry, defeats despondency
And a real smile does more than cure just your ill feeling. A real smile melts away the opposition of others-and instantly, too Another person simply cant be angry with you if you give him a big, sincere smile.
Smile big & you feel like "happy days are here again." But smile BIG! A half-developed smile is not fully guaranteed. Smile until your teeth show. That large-size smile is fully guaranteed.
Harness the power of smiling.

build confidence & destroy fear pt 1

Fear is real. Fear is success enemy number one. Fear stops people from capitalizing on opportunity; fear wears down physical vitality. Fear explains why millions of people accomplish little & enjoy little.
Truly fear is a powerful force. In one way or another fear prevents people from getting what they want from life.
Fear of all kinds and sizes is a form of psychological infection. We can cure a mental infection the same way we cure a body infection-with specific, proved treatments.
Condition yourself with this fact: all confidence is acquired, developed. No one is born with confidence. Those people you know who radiate confidence, who have conquered worry, who are at ease everywhere and all the time, acquired their confidence, every bit of it.
You can, too.
Action cures fear. Indecision, postponement, on the other hand, fertilize fear.
When we face tough problems, we stay mired in the mud until we take action. Hope is a start. But hope needs action to win victories.
Isolate your fear. Then take appropriate action.
1) Deposit only positive in your memory bank. Let's face it squarely: everyone encounters plenty of unpleasant, embarrassing, & discouraging situations. But unsuccessful & successful people deal with these situations in directly opposite ways. Unsuccessful people take them to heart, so to speak. They dwell on the unpleasant situations, thereby giving them a good start in their memory. They don't take their minds away from them. At night the unpleasant situation is the last thing they think about.
Confident, successful people, on the other hand, "don't give it another thought." Successful people specialize in putting positive thoughts into their memory bank.
What kind of performance would your car deliver if every morning before you left for work you scooped up a handful of dirt and put into your crankcase? That fine engine would soon be a mess, unable to do what you want it to do. Negative unpleasant thoughts deposited in your mind affect your mind the same way. Negative thoughts produce needless wear and tear on your mental motor. They create worry, frustration, and feelings of inferiority. They put you beside the road while others drive ahead.
Do this: in these moments when you're alone with your thoughts-when you're driving your car or eating alone-recall pleasant, positive experiences Put good thoughts in your memory bsnk. This boosts confidence. It gives you that "I-sure-feel-good" feeling. It keeps your body functioning right too.
Here is an excellent plan. Just before you go to sleep, deposit good thoughts in your memory bank. Count your blessings. Recall the many good things you have to be thankful for. Recall your little victories & accomplishments. Go over the reasons why you are glad to be alive.
2) Withdraw only positive thoughts from your memory bank.
Don't build mental monsters. Refuse to withdraw the unpleasant thoughts from your memory bank. When you remember situations of any kind, concentrate on the good part of the experience; forget the bad. Bury it. If you find yourself thinking about the negative side, turn your mind off completely.
And here is something very significant and very encouraging. Your mind wants you to forget the unpleasant. If you will just cooperate, unpleasant memories will gradually shrivel and the teller in you memory bank will cancel them out.
It really is easy to forget the unpleasant if we simply refuse to recall it. Withdraw only positive thoughts from your memory bank. Let the others fade away. And your confidence, that feeling of being on top of the world, will zoom upward. You take a big step forward toward conquering fear when you refuse to remember negative, self-depreciating thoughts.

smile!

Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day. ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

A smile confuses an approaching frown. ~Author Unknown

People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a big smile. ~Lee Mildon

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. ~Phyllis Diller

The world always looks brighter from behind a smile. ~Author Unknown

Before you put on a frown, make absolutely sure there are no smiles available. ~Jim Beggs

A smile is an inexpensive way to change your looks. ~Charles Gordy

Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. ~Mark Twain, Following the Equator