Opening up to a world of unlimited possibility demands that I stand in responsibility for the choices that I make. This begins with the realization that I, not the mind, am the author of my life.

My mind is a stimulus response mechanism. Therefore it does not actually think, it concludes. When I unconsciously behave out of my recurring thoughts I am no longer thinking, I am reacting.

I think, and the mind records it as a thought, a particle of information.

The minds purpose is to assure my survival and the survival of whatever I consider myself to be at any given moment.

It records my present experience and by means of association with past information, it responds with a conclusion. It can only work within the limits of the information it has.

If you look the other way when I am talking to you my mind may interpret that to mean that you are not hearing me, invalidating me, disinterested, antagonistic, or any myriad of meanings that are brought about through association due to past information, therefore reinforcing its own prior conclusions. In this sense the mind is trapped in its own beliefs.

Simply said, when I look out into the world my mind interprets the information to mean something and the purpose of its conclusions is to always uphold and defend my survival.

The mind operates within a structure of survival and resistance tapes. It draws to it what it concludes I need in order to survive and resists what it concludes is a threat to my survival.

If my mind concludes that I am unacceptable yet also concludes that I need acceptance in order to survive, a problem occurs. If I agree with these conclusions I spend my time seeking acceptance and resisting it at the same time. The effect of this behavior is the essence of pain and unfulfilled desire.

To get outside of this scenario I must cultivate the ability to challenge the minds beliefs by remembering that it has no choice and therefore is bound within the information it has and the conclusions that have developed into beliefs.

It is designed to do this. It is not the minds fault.

Pure Being is Source. A Source is a point of origin. Nothing comes before it. It is Cause and Creator, also known as Spirit, and Self.

Choice is a quality of Pure Being. In order to create, the Creator must have a choice as to what will be created.

Choice is a function of Responsibility. Therefore responsibility abides with Source, the Creator.

Pure Being, Cause, Spirit, Source, Self, is all inclusive. There is nothing outside of it. It is not limited, has no boundaries and therefore is immeasurable. It is a no thing. Yet all things occur in it.

An effect is not a source. The mind is an effect and therefore is not a cause.

An effect is caused by Source for a purpose. The mind was created for the purpose of retaining information. It has boundaries and therefore is measurable, if not it could not hold thoughts. It is a thing.

The conceiver (me) is always greater than its conception (mind and its content).

A conception has no choice other than to be the thing conceived.

I Am not my mind, I Am not my thoughts, and I Am not my feelings or any of the minds content. I simply have a mind, I have thoughts, I have feelings and I have past experiences.

I am greater than these. I Am a Pure Being. I Am a Source, a Cause, and a Self.

So are you.

This realization is an awakening, a shift from an unconscious way of being to a conscious and responsible life.

The challenge is to daily, hourly, consistently remind myself that I Am not my mind and that I have freedom of choice to create beyond what the mind knows.

Permission: to give formal consent, to allow, to permit or to authorize.

Today I give myself permission to “Tell the Truth”.

I can do this by asking my Self if the information the mind is proposing, or the thoughts I am thinking, or the story the mind is concluding via interpretation is the absolute truth.

The information in my mind may not always be true. Conclusions are not necessarily the truth.

Feelings are the natural occurrence of the thoughts that foster them. I feel my thoughts, however just because I feel a thought does not mean it is true.

Most often we let our thoughts and feelings dictate our behavior without asking if it is the truth.

I, not my mind, am responsible for the behavior I demonstrate.

The thoughts, feelings, or stories, are not responsible because they do not have freedom of choice. I Am responsible. I chose to agree with them an acted accordingly.

Cultivating the ability to step back and consider whether or not I choose to agree with the minds current conclusions, at any moment, enhances my ability to communicate and behave responsibly.

The freedom to choose not to agree with the minds conclusion is disciplined denial.

Happiness is a function of accepting what is.

By stating the facts only regarding what is happening in present time, with nothing added on and no interpretation or fantasy, I allow everything to be just as it is.

Today I give myself permission to “Go for Results”

I can do this by being willing and eager to function outside of my minds need to be right.

Having to be right keeps the mind from going for a result beyond what it already knows.

Doing the same thing over and over and expecting new results is one definition of insanity.

The mind is functioning within its limited belief system and cannot be absolutely certain of what another is thinking or feeling. It also does not absolutely know what the next moment might bring.

The mind however, pretends it knows and can become painstakingly reasonable about it when its perceived authority is threatened.

Reasons, justifications and excuses are the content within the mind and therefore do not have choice.

When the mind becomes stuck in being right it cannot, on its own, experience the freedom of allowing any new possibility to occur outside of what it already knows.

I have choice and therefore I Am responsible, not my mind, for agreeing with the minds reasons, justifications and excuses for not going for a new and original result. Therefore I am responsible for staying stuck.

Ask yourself “Do I want to be right, or do I want new, fresh, and novel results?”

Having to be right also fosters anger, arrogance and hatred. Ask yourself “Do I want to be right, or do I want to be happy?”

Life becomes repetitious and stagnant when I give up my authority over the mind. By allowing my past to determine my present moment and also my future I suppress and dominate the possibility of miracles, spontaneity, discovery, and breakthroughs.

Today I give myself permission to “Maintain My Freedom of Choice”

The new information, goal, objective or result I create can be experienced as an infringement by the mind and it can become annoyed and frustrated. After all it often feels more comfortable being right than it does in opening up to something new.

Including something new can sometimes feel confusing.

The tendency at this stage is to attempt to avoid responsibility and stay stuck in the mind.

Here it is essential that I maintain my freedom to choose over the minds conclusions and the corresponding feelings.

To accomplish this it is essential to include the disciplined denial that is needed in order to tell the truth, and the willingness to imagine a result beyond what the mind insists on being right about.

By incorporating these three simple principles; Telling the Truth, Going for Results, and Maintaining My Freedom Of Choice, I can manage the authority problem and remain open to my potential and a world of new possibilities.

These principles are a few of the distinctions delivered and experienced in The Liberty Experience Training.

Knowing them intellectually is the booby prize. Experiencing and demonstrating them is the gift and creates expanded consciousness.

Come join us and open up to a universe of unlimited possibilities and actualize your potential.

Have Fun!
Blissings,
Matt

Matt Garrigan is a motivational speaker, the founder of LifeForce Educational Corporation and the creator of The Liberty Experience Training, The Mastery Course and the Awakened Potential Course. Matt has been a pioneer in the human potential movement since 1980. His exceptional goal oriented coaching techniques, expanded consciousness training, awareness counseling, integrity coaching and spiritual guidance have assisted thousands of individuals in transforming the quality of their lives. As a motivational speaker Matt’s ability to uniquely integrate many different philosophies and practices, combined with his steadfast commitment to empower people, makes his work a potent, life enhancing experience that sheds light on new possibilities in communication, relationship, prosperity and enlightenment.


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© Matt Garrigan - http://www.mattgarrigan.com

Lotus flowers grow from their roots in muddy pools, yet they retain their purity. Pine trees flourish in fierce winds and bitter snow, but this power of endurance makes them an extraordinary species. Like the lotus and the pine tree, an extraordinary person is born. There is a saying, “From a poor family comes a respectful son. From a troubled country comes a loyal official.”

This is a story of a master in China:

“During the Yuan Dynasty, there lived a man by the name of Xu Heng. He was fleeing from war with a large group of people and they were all suffering dreadfully from thirst. Then they came upon some pear trees, heavily laden with ripe and juicy fruit. Being so thirsty, they all pushed and jostled to pick the fruit except Xu Heng who sat quietly under the tree, taking a rest.

One of them ran over to him and said:

Listen. In troubled times like this, the owner of these trees would have run off a long time ago. No-one owns these pears, so why not pick them?

Xu Heng replied:

Just because these pears have no master, should my heart also be ungoverned.”

Naturally, people will not practise negative deeds if the situation never arises. Those who don’t know about smoking will not smoke. Those who don’t know how to gamble will not gamble and those who have no knowledge about alcohol will not drink. This is the natural way of people. It is those who have the chance to engage in such activities but choose not to be involved exhibit extraordinary integrity. Given the chance to accept bribery, they choose not to give in to temptation. It is rare to find this type of person whose resolution does not waver or become confused by the temptations of the world. Such people have great determination and will power and they can be the masters.

A person can have no achievement unless his unchanging heart is in control otherwise his mind is constantly changing by the environment and he can become enslaved by the physical aspects of life. He is easily moved by the environmental conditions and circumstances, swept back and forth with the tides and waves of the world. This is the advice from a Saint:

“In our cultivation we must remain uncontaminated by the black dye (the dirt of the world), undiminished by grind and polish (difficulties), unsubdued by force and undaunted by poverty. In other words, as we live in this world of temptation, it is important not to be contaminated by the dust and dirt. Be in the world, but do not be tainted by it. We must recognize our direction in life and not be manipulated or misled by our environment. Adopt the bearing of a true cultivator who is not swayed by the force of circumstances. Use our wisdom to guide us so that we will not be confused. In this way we can cultivate with determination and not give up when times are hard. We can then proceed to refine ourselves and finally become people with extraordinary qualities.”

It is natural that when we first deviate from the path of truth, we experience a guilty conscience but we tend to ignore the inner heart of this conscience and continue on our path of unrighteous thoughts and actions. If we continue in this way, the conscience slowly becomes insensitive and eventually it becomes no more than an empty and meaningless word. There is a saying:

“When the fire of anger and the water of desire reach boiling point, a person may have a clear understanding of truth, but still violate it regardless of his understanding. Who is the person who has the understanding? Who is the person who violates the truth? If you can transform your negative qualities with great determination, the devil in you can turn into a true cultivator.”

Let the principle of life and your conscience guide your actions. Recognize the fine line between the principle of truth and human desire. Learn to see the difference and not be tempted into it. You can then walk unswervingly through the hustle and bustle of the world and remain unmoved by the torrents of material world. The advice of how to be a master:

“Stand on Heavenly principles and you will be strong. Seek according to human desires and you will be weak. A person who is strong has a heart that is unaffected by wealth or poverty, nobility or humility, disasters or fortunes in the world. A person who is weak has a heart that is moved by temptations as small as a feather.”

To lead a meaningful life, we must extend our strength and wellbeing to others by spreading the knowledge of truth wherever we go. To achieve such strength we must emulate the compassionate heart of saints and sages. Do understand the essence of our conscience and don’t let the heart full of desires and ignorance becomes the basis of our thoughts and actions. Be a master.

Author: T.A Chew

T.A Chew has a great master of Tao of Heaven that he would like to emulate. It is an example of a meaningful life where the conscience rules the heart. If we have to unlock the door which keeps the conscience a prisoner, do it immediately so that we too can be the masters. Website: http://www.white-sun.com

In many ways, you probably know how to live a simple life, but do you want to? Many want the complexity and constant drama of their lives. This is something we each have to look at honestly. However, some of us really want simplicity, and some would want it if they knew what it felt like to live more simply and at peace. Here are a few ways to get there.

Just Say No … Or Say Yes

An important secret to how to live a simple life is to learn to look honestly at how life gets complicated. This may be different for each of us, but there are some common habits we share. One such habit is taking on new responsibilities without fully acknowledging the costs and complexities they add to our lives.

When a man buys a boat, for example, does he usually think about the time he will spend maintaining it and cleaning it? Does he think about the trip to the insurance office for insurance, the necessity to shop for accessories like life-jackets and fire extinguishers? Does he remind himself that boats break down, and he’ll have to deal with hauling it someplace to have it repaired? Does he consider the trailer-hitch he’ll need, the tarp to cover the boat, the tarp to replace that one when it tears, the bearings in the trailer wheels that will someday fail. Finally, Does he think about the hours he will be committed to working to pay for all this fun?

It isn’t about the boat, by the way. There’s nothing wrong with owning a boat. With nothing else was going on in his life, all of the above could easily be a part of “the simple life.” Hwever, when we don’t honestly recognize the role of our own choices in adding complexity to our lives, we take on more than we can possibly handle. As a result, a million exercise devices sit unused in basements while ten million hours are spent working to pay for them. Look honestly at all the costs, and make well-informed choices - this is the first secret of how to live a simple life.

Money Brings Simplicity - Or Complexity

Isn’t it simple for a rich man to own a boat? He can just pay someone to take care of it while he plays with his kids. Money can bring simplicity to your life, but it’s all in how you use it. This is the second important secret of how to live a simple life.

People use money in ways that overly complicate life, as when they put a down payment on a hot tub that they really don’t need. Then they have to work to pay the interest, they have to clean the tub, find a place for it, and have it repaired. Of course, if you are wealthy enough, someone will take care of these things for you. However, if you make $8 per hour, a hot tub will almost certainly overly complicate your life.

If you really want the simple life, the choice then is to make more money, or live a life that is simply supported by your current income. After I paid off the mortgage loan on my first home, and got rid of the car, life became simpler and more relaxing. As I make more money, I can easily add more “things” back into my life, while keeping it simple, as long as I maintain the balance.

Drama Adds Complexity

For a simpler life, have fewer friends. This may sound harsh, but how many friends do you need? Don’t get rid of true friends, but don’t add people to your life unless there is a real exchange of value between you. We all have acquaintances we call “friends” and yet only tolerate just to “be nice.” Do you think it is selfish to say you don’t owe anything to these people? Then how selfish is it for them to say you do?

With friends and family, don’t get involved in the drama more than you need to. Watch closely, and you’ll see that until a person is ready to change, you rarely can help them in any case, neither with words nor with money. Save your efforts for when you truly can help. You weren’t born with an obligation to anyone, and it’s incredibly selfish for anyone to make such claims on your life. Let the drama swirl around you, but don’t get involved in it. This is a crucial lesson on how to live a simple life.

Steve Gillman has been exploring new ideas for decades. Visit his site for invention ideas, business ideas, story ideas, political and economic theories, deep thoughts, and more. Get a free gift too: New Ideas (http://www.999ideas.com)

There is a tendency amongst many people to think that meditation is a somewhat aloof, elitist, mystical and complex practice that requires years of practice to become proficient. People can be put off trying meditation for any or a combination of those reasons. Meditation, though, can actually be very simple, and that is how it should be for beginners.

Simple meditation is really where to start, and you will soon realise that there is nothing mystical or elitist about meditation. Also, it only takes a short period of time to experience the benefits of even simple meditation.

Given that one of the major benefits of even the simplest meditation can be stress relief, and stress is such a big problem in the Western world, it is easy to see how widely meditation can improve the lives of people. It really is a matter of just getting started, as you may soon get into a habit (and I do not mean a monk’s habit, unless that’s what you really want) of making time to meditate on a regular basis.

Where many Westerners may feel uncomfortable about meditation is its spiritual connotation. While the West sinks further into a non-spiritual, straightjacket existence, for millions it becomes even harder to even contemplate a spiritual side to life. However, those same people can benefit from meditating simply for the stress relief and relaxation effects. Then, as time goes by, a spiritual reawakening may be more likely to follow, as naturally as day follows night.

To keep meditation simple, there is no need to learn about all the theory, nor read volumes by all the “experts”. Though such learning may enrich your life, it is not an essential of getting started. If you have any doubts or misunderstandings about meditation, then it is as well just to try it at a personal level in its simplest form.

What is meditation, though? To meditate is, put simply, to muse or contemplate, at a profound level, on a particular subject or series of subjects. Now that hardly seems mystical, spiritual or elitist, does it? But for a newcomer to meditation, it will do. It is simple, natural, and very easy, once you do it. The difficulty for many in attempting meditation is penetrating the image, and getting down to the practicality.

In meditating, a person will quieten the mind and move away from conscious thoughts that distract, establishing a connection with the subconscious. There are a number of techniques for doing this, and each person may do best with one particular technique.

An important step in starting your first, and any, meditation session, is to get into a comfortable position; a position where you can allow your mind to drift into a peaceful state with minimum distraction. If you are uncomfortable, your discomfort will be a distraction.

Do not feel that you have to get into the famous Lotus position, one that many associate with meditation. It is not essential. I cannot sit in a lotus position due to the condition of my hip joints, and can only meditate effectively in other lying or sitting positions. Remember, for simple meditation it is the comfort rather than the actual position that is important. Meditation takes place in the mind; your mind is with you whatever the position; the correct position is primarily to prevent the distraction of discomfort.

Once you are comfortable, then you can close your eyes and start relaxing your mind. It is essential to focus on your breathing and to ensure you breathe through your nose and not your mouth. Pay full attention to each breath, focusing your mind in the act of breathing into and out of your lungs.

Once you have settled into the breathing rhythm, and can maintain your awareness of it, ensure that any thoughts and distractions to do with your daily life drift away. This can be difficult, but do not pressure yourself. Like many things, practice will make you more in control of your mind and able to shut out external intrusions more easily.

Thoughts will flow in and out of your mind, but you will eventually start to recognize quiet, still periods, like a vacuum in your thoughts. These periods are what you are aiming for, and with practice they will increase in length, increasing the personal benefit of meditating.

That, really, is simple meditation. Once you start to feel its benefits, and see how easy it really is, you may well want to learn more from experts and study the different types of meditation. One thing is certain though, even simple meditation at an “entry” level, will open your mind to a new world within. A world most people want to explore once they have discovered it.

This meditation article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner and part author of the Routes To Self Improvement website.

If you wanted to succeed, would you pay $2 to charity to help achieve success?

There are many doubts and misconception among people about mantra. Even many knowledgeable persons says that mantra is nothing but a boring repetition of words that doesn’t affect our consciousness and the only effect it produce is to take the chanter ( the one who repeats the mantra ) into a state of sleep. There are many other wrong notions about mantra which, I think, exist because of the fact that people are not aware of the full mechanism of mantra. So before you start mantra meditation, it is essential that you clear all your doubts about mantra:

The doubt (1): Mantra will take you into sleep:

Fact: Yes but only if you use it as a lullaby.

The most important thing in mantra meditation is that you should repeat it with the full awareness of its meaning. However, many people repeat mantra without having full awareness of its meaning. If you repeat a mantra in such mechanical way then it will not produce any effect and will remain an ordinary word. The emotional feeling in which a mantra is chanted is the most important requisite of mantra meditation. In its absence a mantra is no more than a lullaby. So always keep in mind that whenever you repeat a mantra, you should know what is the meaning of that Mantra. Otherwise you’ll not be able to draw any benefit from it.

The doubt (2): Language of most mantra is strange and difficult to understand.

Fact: To some extent it is true but there is a reason for it.

The entire concept of Mantra meditation began in India. That is why most of the mantras are in Sanskrit Language which is the language of the Vedas (the oldest written texts of the world). Though the language Sanskrit may be ancient & alien to you, what is still intact in various mantras written in this language is their phonetic significance and their ability to create powerful vibration of sound . All mantras were developed after painstaking research and efforts. Therefore, they are very well written tools for achieving a meditative state. You should only think about meditating- the process of achieving a state of choiceless awareness- without thinking about the language of the mantra that you will be repeating.

[ Note: Sanskrit is not the sole language of mantra. In almost every religion there are some specific words related to Sound. The word ‘Amen’ in Christianity, ‘Allah Hoo’ in Islam and ‘Om mani Padme Hum’ in Buddhist traditions are some examples. Please keep in mind that of whichever language’s mantra you repeat, you must repeat it with full awareness of its meaning.]

The doubt (3): If Mantra can create a powerful sound vibration then what is the need to repeat it. We can record a mantra on tape and can listen to it as and when we want for achieving a meditative state. easy ! Isn’t it ?

Fact: It seems logical but actually is not that logical.

It appears logical that If mantra can produce powerful sound vibration then why not use a tape recorder and listen to it repeatedly. However, in reality it is not that easy as it appears. If you record a mantra and listen to it passively, you will fall asleep as the mantra will act as a lullaby. All those- who are really interested in mantra meditation- should keep in mind that there are two basic requirement for getting any benefit from mantra meditation-

(1) the sound of the mantra; and
(2) the repetition of mantra with faith and full awareness of its meaning

When you play a mantra on tape, you are just a passive listener. The requirement of sound is there, but the awareness part is absent. Even if the recorded sound is of someone who has recorded the mantra with faith and full awareness of its meaning, the fact remains that you, who is just a passive listener, will not be able to draw any benefits form this sound as it is not your faith but that of someone else which is included in the recorded mantra. So unless you yourself chant the mantra with faith and full awareness of this meaning, the only thing you will get is a sound sleep.

Please keep in mind that In order to obtain full fruit of mantra, we have to repeat it with full awareness of its meaning. Most of the time, we repeat the mantra with the wrong understanding, thinking that the syllables of the mantra and the object of the mantra are different from each other and from ourselves. That is why the mantra does not bear immediate fruit for us. If you think about this you will understand that the same thing is true on a mundane level. Suppose that someone calls you an idiot. If you do not accept the word “idiot” as referring to you, you will not react to it. But if you identify with it, you may become so angry that your blood heat up. If you were to identify yourself with the name of God as easily as you identify yourself with an abusive term, you would experience its effects at once.

Doubt (4): Is there a difference between repeating a mantra silently and repeating it loudly?

Fact: There is a little difference but not much.

As I have already explained, the main thing is that you should repeat a mantra with faith, respect and with full awareness of its meaning. This can be done in both way i.e. by silently repeating the mantra or by pronouncing it loudly. The basic difference in repeating a mantra silently and repeating it loudly lies in the intensity of sound that comes out in both the method. But these vibrations may differ in their quantity but not in their quality and both have the same effect on our inner consciousness.

Doubt (5): But no sound is produced when we repeat a mantra silently?

Fact: If you can’t listen a sound, don’t think it does not exist.

Well it appears to us that no sound is produced, the reality is that every action and every thought produces a sound. That’s a different thing that our senses can not detect it. Human being are capable of detecting only sound between 20 to 20,000 Hertz. We can’t listen sound below or above that level. However, this does not mean that such sounds do not exist. They do exists and leave their effect on us. When you chant a mantra silently, it produces a sound. Though we can’t hear the sound, it does exist and produces the vibrations which affects our inner consciousness.

I hope the above clarifications have removed all your doubts about mantra meditation.

Eklavya is a simple student of meditation based in India. He provides knowledge of meditation through his website Meditation is Easy (http://www.meditationiseasy.com). This website provides knowledge of meditation (& various meditation techniques) to general public in a simple and idiot-friendly language! Along with a collection of 112 Meditation techniques of all times (for all people of all age), you will also find a useful collection of various tips for stress-free life http://www.meditationiseasy.com/tips/index.htm) including workplace tips, health tips and Soul tips! Have a look today!

Some of the greatest benefits for me have been my ability to tap into ‘my well of inner peace’ whenever I need to, my connection with, and to, spirit, achievement of greater clarity and balance at the end of each session, and overall wellbeing. Meditation also gave me something else.

The meditation journey for me involved profound inner change as I stepped into enlightenment. Once that door opened for me, well that was it! No turning back…ever - something which no-one ever told me.

Enlightenment, for me, is such a strange thing, and of course is many things to many people. When I stepped into this state of being, I waited for the whiz bang fireworks to begin, hear the blaring trumpets and the voice of God (which I imagined would be kind of booming and earth shattering!). I’m not sure what else I expected but what I experienced was a deep sense of stillness. The door opened, I stepped through the doorway, and how I perceived life changed forever. The clarity with which I saw things in that moment almost blinded me - yet it was so gentle.

This didn’t mean to say I ceased doing mundane things such as housework, cooking and cleaning. No - unfortunately that continued and continues to this day and will in the future also. Nope, for me enlightenment meant that I simply knew things and accepted; some possibly call this ‘Truth’.

I believe that Truth or Enlightenment is knowing absolutely everything about all things at the exact same time without pinpointing one solitary thing.

Truth is much like acknowledging anything really, in a passive way. Words are grossly inadequate in describing this sense of being. All I can say is it’s simply too HUGE to explain with words but it’s something I experience whenever I meditate, or zone out.

I’m not immune to daily issues however I’m not impacted to the same degree as before either. I can say that whilst chaos reigns around me I can easily tap into my well of inner peace. It’s helped me through the many trials and tribulations I call life and thank my lucky stars that I started practising meditation when I did.

Of course this practise is open to anyone who’s willing to put in the time and practise (it took me five months to really get going). Once you begin this journey you’ll notice how much more peaceful, centred and balanced you become.

I’ve often heard say “I’d love to meditate because of my anxiety and stress levels, however I have absolutely no time…”

If you have next to no time - many don’t and sometimes I don’t - however you’d really love to begin meditating because you believe there are benefits for doing so, consider this. Three minutes is a passing conversation with a work colleague at the elevator door, three minutes flicking through a magazine at the newsagency or news stand, or three minutes admiring a merchandise display outside your favourite store window. You could do a three minute breath meditation, three minute journal writing, three minute focus on an object, or even take a three minute walk. See! In next to no time at all you could be meditating and accessing your own well of inner peace!

Meditation could bring about profound changes for you too, as well as achieve overall wellbeing, peacefulness, clarity and balance, and connection to spirit and yourself. There are six billion people on this planet so your experience will be different to mine.

If you’ve never tried it before why not try it sometime soon, you might just get to thoroughly enjoy the benefits it can bring.

Michaela Scherr Transformational Coach

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Michaela is a Transformational Coach, certified practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), writer and intuitive who is totally committed to helping others create positive and action oriented changes to their lives.

Michaela is the author of several e-books and publisher of a monthly newsletter called From My Desk.

You can find out what her website offers at www.michaelascherr.com.

So here is the story. I crashed a dirtbike. I know its a short one, but why bore you with details that you really dont need to know? Why is it that when we get power in our hands, we attempt to use it to the fullest. It’s as if we will never have it again. Lets get out of that habit, it hurts.

Moving along with the story, I clearly needed some therapy for the injuries that I suffered in the accident. So I went to my physiotherapist and asked her what we should do. We did all the massaging and ultra sounds, and then it happened… We did the acupuncture therapy. OH what a feeling!

Its a little wierd at first, becuase they stick a bunch of needles all over your body. Apperently, every spot on our bodies is connected with some sort of feeling. Clearly, I chose the spots labelled “happy”. So I am laying there, needles all over my body, in silence, and i catch myself thinking about childhood memories of playing football with my dad! Our subconscious minds are truly amazing.

Once again though, back to my story. Now, my physiotherapist is located in the heart of downtown Calgary. For those not familiar with Calgary, it’s just a city with to much traffic. So I’m in my “happy” state after the therapy, and I’m driving home in rush hour traffic. This is how good acupuncture works - I was in a lineup 3 miles long of traffic, LETTING PEOPLE MERGE!

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Tyler Brooker is the owner and operator of My Acupuncture Spot - www.acupuncturespot.com, which is the best site on the internet for all Acupuncture related information.

“The fool says in his heart, `There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1).

Just think if we had no God! Divine Providence would not exist at all.

No God!

Then all God said is fiction and we would have no foundation. We would have no hope, no belief, and no expectations. What a terrible world this would be without a God who keeps the heavens in order and the earth replenished.

No God!

Then no prayer, for why pray? Who would we pray to or for, and what reasons would we have, if we haven’t a more excellent Person to take our petitions to and know they would be granted?

No God!
There would be no forgiveness of our sins; what a burden to carry around all the time. If we would not be forgiven, then we would not know to forgive others. Can we begin to imagine the chaos and spiritual carnage?

No God!
Then there would be no comfort and oh! how could we survive without nurture from someone who would understand because He has suffered it all first? We would have to carry around broken hearts until we died, and then all hope would be buried.

No God!
There would be no reaching for a higher wisdom than our own; man would be the final arbitrator and administrator of decisions. What a depressing and degrading thought.

No God!
Then there would be no Son who died for us and who intercedes for us. There would be no Sermon on the Mount to give us a standard whereby we love and relate to each other.

No God!
The fool’s creed is crude in every possible way.

We got friends to make up for our relatives

– Anonymous

A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway.

– Fr. Jerome Cummings

Remember, the greatest gift is not found in a store nor under a tree, but
in the hearts of true friends.

– Cindy Lew

Who finds a faithful friend, finds a treasure.

– Jewish Saying

What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies. — Aristotle

“The only way to have a friend is to be one.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.

– Abraham Lincoln

“A faithful friend is the medicine of life.”

– Apocrypha

“The best mirror is an old friend.”

–George Herbert

One who looks for a friend without faults will have none.

– Hasidic Saying

A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.

– Walter Winchell

Friends are needed both for joy and for sorrow.

– Samuel Paterson

Friendship is the golden thread that ties the heart of all the world.

– John Evelyn

A friend hears the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory
fails.

– Anonymous

“The rain may be falling hard outside,

But your smile makes it all alright.

I’m so glad that you’re my friend.

I know our friendship will never end.”

– Robert Alan

“Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow-ripening
fruit.”

– Aristotle (4th century B.C.)

“Friendship is essentially a partnership.”

– Aristotle (4th century B.C.)

“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe unto him
that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.”

– The Bible: Ecclesiastes 4:9-10.

“A friend loves at all times.”

– The Bible: Proverbs 17, 17.

“A companion loves some agreeable qualities which a man may possess, but a
friend loves the man himself.”

– James Boswell (1763)

“Friendship is a strong and habitual inclination in two persons to promote
the good and happiness of one another.”

– Eustace Budgell (1711)

“Friendship is Love without his wings!”

– Lord Byron (1806)

“Friendship makes prosperity more brilliant, and lightens adversity by
dividing and sharing it.”

– Cicero (44 B.C.)

“True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known
until it be lost”

– Charles Caleb Colton (1825)

“A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“We do not so much need the help of our friends as the confidence of their
help in need.”

– Epicurus (3rd century B.C.)

“Friends show their love in times of trouble…”

– Euripides (408 B.C.)

“One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives.”

– Euripides (408 B.C.)

“A good friend is my nearest relation.”

– Thomas Fuller (1732)

“My friend is he who will tell me my faults in private.”

– Solomon Ibn Gabirol

“Your friend is your needs answered.”

– Kahil Gibran

“Let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.”

– Kahil Gibran.

“Let your best be for your friend…”

– Kahil Gibran

“In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of
pleasures.”

– Kahil Gibran

“A sympathetic friend can be quite as dear as a brother.”

– Homer (9th century B.C.)

“We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling
a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over;
so in a series of kindnesses there is at last one which makes the heart
run over.”

– Samuel Johnson

“However rare true love may be, it is less so than true friendship.”

– La Rochefoucauld (1665)

“A true friend is the greatest of all blessings, and that which we take the
least care to acquire.”

– La Rochefoucauld (1665)

“I shot an arrow into the air,

It fell to earth, I knew not where;

For so swiftly it flew, the sight

Could not follow it in its flight.

I breathed a song into the air,

It fell to earth, I knew not where;

For, who has sight so keen and strong

That it can follow the flight of song?

Long, long afterward, in an oak

I found the arrow, still unbroke;

And the song, from beginning to end,

I found again in the heart of a friend.”

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming really interested in
other people, than you can in two years by trying to get other people
interested in you.”

– Bernard Meltzer

“Friendship multiplies the good of life and divides the evil.”

– Baltasar Gracian (1647)

“Friendship needs no words…”

– Dag Hammarskjold.

“Friends are the sunshine of life.”

– John Hay (1871)

Good friends are like stars….You don’t always see them, but you know they
are always there.

– Anonymous

Jane Opal

Online & Inspirational Consultant
http://geocities.com/bluelantern77

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Today I flubbed up. Oh, it could have been anything… saying something mean, something unintentional, or doing something or not doing something. The bottom line is that I felt horrible afterwards. And even now, at the end of the day, when I’d like to be recapping my day in my journal with a nice glass of tea and happy with how the day went, instead I still feel awful.

What has gone on inside my head is the worst! I’m mentally beating myself up over this thing I said and can’t seem to shake it. Luckily, tonight I was completely aware that what I was feeling was NOT logical, and so I didn’t let it interfere with my relationships with my family. On days where I’m NOT “processing” the reason for my being upset, I’d likely snap at my child or my husband. Then, I’d possibly have a glass of wine to help me numb my feelings or I’d flip on the TV so I could mentally drop off the face of the earth and slip into the fantasy world on the “boob tube”.

But, tonight I forced myself to admit my mistake and have now written an apology note to the person that I said this to and will deliver it tomorrow. Just writing this note has allowed me to accept my mistake and it helped to release some of the mental anguish I was feeling.

I believe that all of us must go through these human emotions at times. We have to admit that we’re not all that pretty on the insides all of the time, regardless of how great we may or may not look on the outside. We may fool a lot of the people some of the time, but we’re not going to fool all of the people all of the time.

Mostly, it’s our family who sees us at our worst. They’re the ones who see us not being able to “hold it all together” all of the time. They’re the ones who bear the brunt of our mental or emotional lapses of judgment. And they are the ones who often get treated the worst.

I’ve heard it said that “we should treat our friends like family and our family like friends”… meaning, save the best for the people you love the most. This could also include anyone who knows us well, and for some of us, that means the people we work with on a daily basis. I learned that sometimes saying nothing is better than saying anything at all. I knew that already but I learned the lesson again today.

Writing about this incident is also proving to be helpful. I know that often we internalize our negativity about ourselves and then punish ourselves by over eating, over drinking or by self sabotaging in another way. Perhaps if we learn to stop ourselves FIRST before reaching for that glass of wine or that extra piece of candy, and write about what we’re feeling, we may save ourselves even MORE negativity when we step on the scale in the morning!!!! (”I weigh WHAT???? How did THAT happen????”)

I’m glad I took the time to write this. I also requested and RECEIVED a shoulder massage from my husband (who happened to be walking behind my desk) and that certainly relaxed my muscles. If I had the time and energy, I might head to the gym for a work out or a swim to get rid of the tension that built up in my body over this lapse of judgment today.

So tonight, I’ve asked God for forgiveness. I’ve asked the person for forgiveness and now, finally, I have forgiven myself. And now, I’m ready to have my cup of tea and to relax and enjoy the rest of the evening!

Mary Gardner is an executive communications consultant and trend reporter. http://WWW.marygardner.com