Hope Is In The Air

Addiction has been termed a "soul sickness." Doctors deal with the physical symptoms and ease the turmoil of withdrawal. Some insist the drinker go through it without helpful meds to "teach the alcoholic a lesson."

With alcohol, withdrawal can be fatal and should only be done under medical care. Alcohol cannot erase negative emotions, it suppresses them. When liquor is removed, all those feelings rise to the surface. One drinker described stopping as "slamming the breaks on a car full of emotional baggage."

With one in ten at risk and 88,000 Americans dying each year from "alcohol use disorder," doctors are finally looking at new ways to treat the addict while the government approves new forms of therapies. Trauma, auto accidents and organ failure are claiming so many lives. Relapse rates and multiple trips to rehabilitation clinics show that current methods need to be re-invented.

Ten percent of the population is too many to write off as "morally weak." As an alcoholic who couldn't stop, I didn't want to stay here any longer. I found life harsh and unrelenting. The greed, selfishness and indifference I found in some people took the wind out of my sails. A drinking lifestyle became an irritant to my soul.

New treatment options saved me. Eight years in AA provided some sobriety and a wonderful support system but I was an alcoholic that needed more. MAT-medication assisted therapy-allowed me to overcome the cravings and maintain long-term success.

Carl Jung said "Spiritum Contra Spiritus," which translates to "fight fire with fire." I begged God over and over to remove my desire to drink, all the cravings and any residual feeling of "turning to the bottle" to cope.

Up until recently, the first line of treatment for an addict seeking help was a list of nearby 12-step meetings. Alcoholics Anonymous had the corner on the recovery market because it was the only option offered. Today, some physicians understand the need for unique programs that directly meet the needs of the user.

No one woke up and decided to become addicted. Until the chemical hooks are deeply embedded, most don't know that they are hooked until stopping is attempted. Multiple 'serious' tries to get and remain clean are usually part of every addict's path.

Drugs, alcohol, illness, stress: all distort vision like a bad pair of glasses so one can't "see" what the right thing to do is. New ways are on the horizon and some are just beginning to enter the treatment world. Attitudes are shifting and fewer people damn the addict for self-medicating. Life itself brings the hope to heal.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Hope-Is-In-The-Air&id=9752343

Trading Places - Find A Reason To Be Grateful

There is always, always, always something to be grateful for. This is how I once opened a lecture to a group of people who were training to become volunteers for a non-profit organization that I worked for. I was met with "How can you minimize someone's experience?" Fair question, but thought it odd, since I had 2 decades in the field working as a crisis counselor, and I was just trying to convey what I myself had learned. So, I replied "Let me throw out a few examples for you."

While it is true that so many of us make the little things, big things. I try never to minimize what someone is going through. But there are two saying that I have found to be true. One only needs to take a look on social media to see the relevance of these sayings. First, the saying "Talking about our problems is our greatest addiction." Powerful! When we continue to talk about our problems, we feed them, and they become much larger than they may actually be. Second, "Right now someone is praying to have the problems you have." Even more powerful. So, when I was pushed for a better example, I offered up the following.

Michelle was diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast Cancer. Horrific diagnosis. She has not been given a prognosis however. Meanwhile Toni was on her way to dinner with her parents to announce that she was getting married. While on the way, she was hit by a drunk driver. Lying on the side of the road and will bleed out before the paramedics can get to her. Do you think she would be willing to trade places with Michelle? While Michelle's diagnosis is not promising, do you think Toni would like a chance to fight for her life? Or, what about getting her house in order? What about saying I love you to family and friends one last time. Do you think she would trade places?

Jason and Wanda have been trying to have a child ever since they were married. Ten years later, they still are not pregnant. They do not want to adopt, and feel cursed. Meanwhile across town, Lisa, a 14 year old girl got pregnant on her first sexual encounter. Her parents demand that she get an abortion so she does not discredit the family name. She feels unloved, out of options and the boy that got her pregnant refuses to talk to her. Would Lisa like to trade places in order not to feel shamed and forced to have this abortion?

Mark is 68 and in a nursing home and has been in constant pain 24 hours a day. His pain is unmanageable, and has been for the past 17 months. Right next to his bed is Linda. She is about the same age as Mark, is being given Palliative Care, and expected to die within the next 72 hours. She is in no pain, family is gathered around her and will ultimately pass in her sleep. Mark has been praying to die. And he would trade places.

Matt is a Heroin addict and homeless. It is winter. He resides in an abandoned building. Tonight he lies there with a needle hanging out of his arm. He has no food, hope or family support. Rhonda is in a rehab and not working her program. She is disruptive, breaking rules and wants to leave, but can't because treatment is court ordered. Do you think Matt would trade places with her? What do you think he would do to trade places to have a bed, bath, meal and to feel loved again? What do you think would happen if he felt hope again?

Dawn is a successful 30 something business owner. Yet all she does is complain that she is not married. Erin, her personal assistant, has been married for six years and constantly listens to Dawn saying she wished she had a husband like her. But what Dawn doesn't know is that Erin's husband has a gambling problem. What's worse, when he loses big at the card table, he comes home and takes it out on her. Erin wants to get a divorce, but she cannot afford it. Furthermore, she believes that if she were to try and leave, he would do harm to himself or her. Would Erin trade places?

The truth is that someone right now is praying to have your problems. Of course we are entitled to have a bad day and to feel sorry for ourselves. But after 30 years working in mental health, I stand by what I said. And that is "There is always, always, always something to be grateful for." Find that something. Now get on with your life. Because we can't always trade places.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Trading-Places---Find-A-Reason-To-Be-Grateful&id=9859582

How to Turn Life's Lemons Into Lemonade

This article is a shift in terms of focus. Although relevant for the fields of business development and growth, the theme of this article is on personal development before business development.

I've always been a huge fan of sales gurus and personal growth experts like Zig Ziglar, Earl Nightingale, Norman Vincent Peale, Dale Carnegie, etc. While initially thinking these guys were full of 'it' and irrelevant; now, with time and experience having matured me to a reasonable level (I hope), I've come to not only attest to truths that these guys and others live by and teach, but also their beliefs and wisdom are very relevant and timeless.

One of the core truths taught and deeply ingrained into my subconscious is the following: failures in life will either strengthen and motivate you to grow and develop or they have the very real ability to break you down.

What do I mean when I say failures in life? Well, quite simply, these are the moments in our lives that the results and outcomes come totally different and often more severe than we had anticipated. Whether it's a job loss, divorce, eviction, bankruptcy, failed job interview, a blown investment, or being defrauded by someone, we all face these challenges at one time in life or another.

The key that I've learned about these negative life events is that you have A CHOICE in how you respond. The thing that keeps most of us in 'ruts' of negativity, isolation, and hopelessness is that we allow ourselves to be motivated by fear in a wrong way. Rather than thinking about how worse and severe a negative life event can become, why not choose to be motivated by the fear of the situation to take hold of hope. Choose to take a strong hold of hope and never let go no matter how bad it hurts or feels.

Now here's another underlying truth in being motivated by the fear of negative life events: don't labor your mind or put a heavy burden on yourself for solving your problems overnight; instead, relax, rest, and remain positive. What I've learned and continue to grow in is that more than likely the answer needed to resolve the problem(s) is right under your nose or floating somewhere in your mind. How do these 'uh huh' moments happen? Truly in the most odd ways possible to be completely honest. There's no secret formula (or at least one that I've found that works) or secret sauce that induces these moments, but here's one way to put yourself in the state of mind to increasing their frequency: relax, live life, serve others well, listen more than you speak, forgive completely, and love sincerely.

https://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Turn-Lifes-Lemons-Into-Lemonade&id=9843781

Through It All Love Remains

Indescribable joy, hope and accomplishments mingle with pain, anguish and unimaginable losses; these are the chronicles of a life story. While the hills and valleys in our life may become our best told stories, it is the ordinary days that best describe life. The story continues as the future becomes the past and life goes on. Our best memories, even the ones about pain and loss, are stories about the love that remained steadfast in our lives, through it all. That is the most impressive, endearing, inspiring and important part of every story. Someone important to us stood before, behind or with us, through it all.

Why is it important to be loved, to feel welcomed into life and the opportunities it offers? To be loved is to be accepted, acceptable. It matters oh so much. A child born to loving parents eagerly awaiting their arrival can feel their welcoming emotions. As scary and painful as the birth experience may be, those loving emotions sustains and calms the fears of entering a brand new world. Without it, imagine being so tiny and feeling all alone in such a vast environment. Children born into those circumstances experience a lifetime of hesitation and emotional challenges, never feeling welcome anywhere; many never know the reason why.

Parents who make us feel loved inspire us to make good choices in our own life. It begins with our earliest opportunity to make choices like who we trust as friends and mentors and extends to who we choose as our life partner. This foundation allows us to become good parents who can surround our own children with love and balance in their lives; the kind that encourages them to grow and become the very best they can be. The best guidance comes through love.

Believing that you are loved and loveable allows you to fall down and know it can never change how you feel about yourself. Nor do you expect the world to misjudge or prejudge you. Love allows you to dare, to dream, to reach out and touch new ideas and opportunities; to exceed your expectations or make mistakes. Not feeling loved encourages you to make bad choices that frequently alter the course of your life in a painful way in an effort to feel accomplished, no matter the cost. Love is the firm foundation that allows you to stand tall, even if you wobble in the effort.

Love is the resounding cheer that propels you to try again and again. It is the warm hug that filters through the clouds, mingles with starlight, and finds its way to you heart on the path of a sunbeam, regardless of the distance. Through cheers, tears and ups and downs it is the sharing of love that protects and allows us to dare to try, again and again. Life indeed does go on, but through it all, love remains.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Through-It-All-Love-Remains&id=10038395

Abraham Hicks - The Most Important Story Abraham Will Ever Tell You

The Most Important of All Human Qualities Is a Sense of Hope

It's interesting to observe that some people fray under the pressure of experience, but eventually learn they're called to mend their life along the way, whereas for others this experience is not liberating. Like Humpty Dumpty, they have a great fall and apparently are unable to learn new things or to unlearn old ones. Consequently, to be a human being is, one wonders, to find the nectar available to us in our own journey. But lots of people pretend that they already know everything they need to know.

It is really incredible that in this day and age human beings remain as foolish as ever they were. Meanwhile, let's remember that the apostle Paul warned us, "be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rm. 12:2). He thought about our interior life. I do believe that the most important task in our lives is to make connections, that is, to make relations. Would there be another way to learn?

We live in a materialistic society and are trained from our earliest days to be acquisitive. No doubt, this materialistic outlook has seriously influenced our education. The other day, someone told me with sadness, "the only thing people are interested in today is earning more money." It seems that Mammon is worshipped as never before.

We have the task to live a good life without excuses. Although the moral implication of the attitudes of modern man is daunting, this should not dilute, or block, our search for companions for our journey. It is we who are responsible after all. So, it's foolish to blame others for our failures. The most important of all human qualities is a sense of hope. A sense of hope may take various forms, but the effect is always the same. It's only natural for healthy beings to look forward to something better.

Do you remember the Lilliputians and their neighbors attack each other because they couldn't agree which end to break an egg? Maybe aren't we all living like that? This is one of the chief functions of satire and irony. They enable us to see that many of our actions are comic or absurd. We are always reminded by good mentors that a happy and fulfilling life is not really far removed from ourselves.

The sense of hope must be single out as man's most important quality because it is associated with life itself. There's no future for human beings without hope.

https://ezinearticles.com/?The-Most-Important-of-All-Human-Qualities-Is-a-Sense-of-Hope&id=10291825

5 Ways to Love Yourself Better (By Jessica J Lockhart)

A few days ago I was talking to some of my clients during a workshop and discussing possible ways to learn how to love ourselves better. There was so much interest that I decided to share with you the tips I gave them. Feel free to use them all or just some. They have an accumulative effect but can also be used one at a time. Enjoy loving yourself better from now on.

Praise yourself

Grab a piece of paper and for once, make the effort of defining what you LIKE in yourself, instead of finding whatever it is that you believe needs changing/improving. Identify 3 things you like in each of the following fields:

physical - define 3 things you like in your body, including your face: your hair, your walking style, your height, your posture... anything.

emotional - define 3 traits in you that you like: generous, hard-working, sentimental... anything.

abilities - define 3 skills you have that you like: good handwriting, well organized, fast learner... anything.

Each morning after breakfast and each evening before you go to bed, look at yourself in the mirror, look deeply into your eyes, and remind you of those 9 things you like in yourself. Praise them. Praise yourself for them. Remember that there are AT LEAST 9 things in you that you like. Celebrate those 9 things.

It might be hard, specially at the beginning, because we're so used to doing just the opposite and looking for flaws, mistakes and the like. But do try. Give yourself a break and be fair; stop JUST looking for the bad in you and start looking for, and praising, the GOOD.

Identify and improve your model

First of all, ask yourself who your teacher was. Who taught you how to love yourself as a human being? Did you learn it from your parents? From a friend? Most of us learn by imitating our role models, even subconsciously. Once you identify who you learned it from, ask yourself if you really like the way that person loved him or herself. Is that the type of love you want to give yourself? If it is, can you improve it? If it isn't, can't you find a better role model to imitate? The role model doesn't need to be a person you know but could also be a character in a book or movie. Yes, I know they might not be "real" but what they're portraying is the type of love you want to give yourself. Focus on that and learn what they do to transmit that love. At the end of the day, you just want to learn how to do it better.

Change your "yes buts" for "yes ands"

If you're like many others, each time somebody praises you, your mind immediately looks for some kind of fault in you to counteract the positive comment that you may receive. For example, someone says something nice about your hair or clothes today; your mind instantly reminds you of the... "yes, but even if that looks OK today, it's usually horrible," or "yes, but look at my nose, even the best haircut can't hide that ugly thing on my face," or something of the kind. Sounds familiar?

I challenge you to turn your "yes buts" the opposite way around. Each time you hear OR THINK something negative about yourself, I want you to make the effort to consciously say, think or repeat a "yes but" in a positive sense. Example: you think, "gosh, my hair looks awful today!" (which would normally make you feel bad for some more time after the thought happened). This time I want you to "yes and" it in a positive way... "yes, and that means I need to try that new hat on," or "yes, and that's why I will do it in a different style today" or anything that ends the thinking process on a positive note.

Our brains follow established paths. Let's create some new ones for ourselves.

Value your actions

If you started applying the first recommendation, you should already be valuing 9 positive things in you. Now I want you to feel grateful as well. Every evening, before going to sleep, think of 3 things you did right. Value your work or your contribution. Celebrate having done those good deeds and congratulate yourself for them. Feel grateful for everything that led you to being able to do what you did. Feel grateful for the people who made it possible; feel grateful for your skills, knowledge or abilities; feel grateful for having been there when you needed to; feel grateful for having decided to do whatever it is that you did... Feel grateful for being you. Gratitude is a very powerful feeling that makes our brains release dopamine, which reduces anxiety, improves our mood and our levels of energy and motivation.

Give yourself hope

Another little but powerful tool to love oneself better is giving ourselves the gift of hope. At night, after feeling grateful for what you did, give yourself permission to dream. And I don't mean sleeping. Before you actually go to sleep but once you're already in bed, I want you to daydream. The only rule is that the dreams are positive. If a negative thought tries to enter your mind, make the conscious effort to replace it and go back to your happy reverie. Imagine the good things that will happen to you tomorrow or this week. Visualize the dreams. Imagine them in great detail and have the fun of an artist creating a wonderland. Let yourself enjoy the happy feeling; after all, it's only in your imagination. But... your brain doesn't know it! When we make the conscious effort to imagine and try and experience happy feelings, our brain believes the "dream" and starts releasing chemical products that make us feel good: endorphines, oxytocin and the like. As a result, our bodies relax and not only can we actually sleep better, which is an important gift in itself, but once again, our brain discovers new paths into happier feelings. Consider this time a gift to yourself. We're not daydreaming to create a new reality; this is not the power we're trying to use. The goal is to have a nice, hopeful time to let our bodies and minds unwind and make us feel good about life.

These five simple exercises will gradually help you love yourself better. By loving yourself better, you will start having better feelings about yourself and, as a result, about the world. You'll soon start feeling better in general. After all, we can't change the world unless we change ourselves first.

Choose the type of life you want to live. Choose to love yourself first and others will see the love in you.

Enjoy life, ALL of it,

https://ezinearticles.com/?5-Ways-to-Love-Yourself-Better&id=9972976

Depression and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Depression hurts. When a person feels deep sadness from loss of a job, a loved one, or when stressful situations occur such as divorce, financial burdens, or troubles at home, life takes on a completely new meaning. When a person feels despair, they will often start feeling hopelessness, misery, and helpless.

Depression is a mental state that causes a person to create negative ideas about themselves and others. People, who feel depressed may feel like they have failed everyone, feel as though others are judging them, and they may say, "I am a failure. I am hopeless. I am inadequate. I am helpless."

The truth is there is always hope. For the most part, any common problem can be resolved. Of course, death is a natural occurrence that happens to us all at one point in our life, and every one of us will experience the loss of a loved one at some point in our lifetime. It is a difficult reality to accept; yet we all must face it at some point or another. It will happen and the best way to deal with grief from loss of a loved one is to learn how to accept the loss.

Divorce hurts. People, who spent a good deal of time with someone close to them, may blame themselves when things go wrong. This feeling of blame, guilt, and shame lingers for some time and causes depressive symptoms to emerge.

Depressed souls tend to feel shame, guilt, and blame often. This problem creates a negative illusion, leaving the person to feel that no matter what he or she does or says it is never right. The person starts to feel despair and rejected.

The fear of rejection and fear of failure forms for most people who suffer depression. Failure and the notion of being rejected feels like catastrophe and disaster to those who suffer from depression constantly. The pain escalates, the hurt grows deeper and deeper until one day, and the person decides to get help or end his or her problems.

Depression is not only a mental illness it is a very dangerous place for anyone to live in. Those who suffer from chronic depression may entertain suicide thoughts, and in too many instances may act on those thoughts. The overwhelming statistics show us that thousands of people every single day choose death as an escape from depression, and thousands others attempt suicide. Based on these facts, we need to learn to take depression serious and help those who are struggling with depression the best we know how.

One of the best solutions is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a set of procedures that involves helping a person come back to the here and now, and helping the person find solutions to resolve problems including emotional conflicting problems resulting from death, divorce, finances, and so forth. Bringing the person back to reality can help him or her come to term with painful emotions that keep the person feeling stuck. Feeling depressed is no place to be, but if you go there, there is always hope!

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one of the best methods of therapy to help those overcome depression. Studies show that when treated with Cognitive Therapy, depressed souls can heal!

https://ezinearticles.com/?Depression-and-Cognitive-Behavioral-Therapy&id=7707069

When There Is No Hope Or Chance Left, This Is What You Can Do (By David Samuel)

I have received a comment on the article; How To Find Hope When There Is No Hope Left When I wrote the reply to that comment, I realized that this makes a really good article in itself, so here you go, a great answer for people who think that article is rubbish and not at all realistic. I hope this new version answers many more people in their search to get out of a hopeless or simply 'stuck' life.

There are two ages which we are not acceptable to mainstream workforce, too young and too old. However, with a little creativity, we can overcome these limitations. For example, when I was 12 years old, I understood people like a good deal, and they think they can take advantage of kids. So, I used their greed to put myself in a position to get lots of work, and do a little freelance business at much lower than 'adult' prices.

That got me started in my career as a photographer as I built up enough happy clients who paid less than a quarter they would for an 'adult' and eventually I could raise my prices and build my finances from there. Several young teens have done the same thing.

It's all a matter of accepting the situation and working with it, rather than fighting or complaining about the unfair conditions.

When we are old, we have experiences that we can use in a similar way to create a business for ourself if we cannot get a job.

People are stuck because they cannot see the forest through the trees, as the saying goes. It takes someone looking at them from the outside with enough varied experience and creativity to help them find what they can do on their own to earn some money.

Ethics are the foundation of what is required to open up creativity and build the self-esteem and other qualities necessary to become someone who is in high demand regardless of age or any other factors.

There is a saying in business. The location, the type of business, the funding, and everything else is easy compared to the hardest part of running a good business, which is finding good people to work for you. Maybe you are not as good as you think you are, and need a little polish.

You may have heard this other old saying; 'Necessity is the mother of creation.' The problem is that people tend to think they have tried everything, but that is a rather arrogant saying if you think about it. It implies that you actually know every thing that exists in the universe. Who could honestly say that without it being tantamount to proclaiming being God.

It takes humility and acceptance that just because you cannot find a job or solution, the reason is that you just have not found the right thing yet. So you have to keep looking, or get the help to open your eyes and mind to things you never thought of before.

After saying all this, I think I have come up with the one line that answers the title How to find hope when there is no hope left.

The answer is; to know that you do not know everything and that the answer exists. You just have to keep looking until you find it, have an open mind instead of your fixed opinions, and be humble enough to seek the right help. But before you can do this, you have to let go of your ego and your imagination that you actually have tried everything possible. Basically, you are not as smart as you think you are when you think you have tried 'everything'.

One word of caution about seeking help. If someone makes a living and charges a lot of money to give you advice, they usually do not have very good advice. Just think about this when you go to a coach or mentor. They make a living out of people who are stuck. Therefore, they need you to be stuck so they keep the client. Their main interest is their own income if they work on a set fee so they will give you enough help to feel you are making progress, but never enough for you not to need them anymore.

Find someone who has succeeded so they have proven they know what they are doing, and that they do not have a set fee, but take what you offer or perhaps a percentage of your profits. You need a partner in your success, not someone who makes money whether you succeed or not.

I realized something after being cheated by a lawyer; Never take the advice of someone who will profit from your loss. Choose your guide wisely.

http://ezinearticles.com/?When-There-Is-No-Hope-Or-Chance-Left,-This-Is-What-You-Can-Do&id=9683877

Message From the Universe: Being Where You Need to Be

"There's a reason you chose Earth, exactly when you did, as exactly who you are, with those already in your life and those who soon will be: To be an example, to shine your light, and to give hope.

Yeah, you were needed.. super bad.

Kind of obvious now, huh? 

The Universe"

We all have a mission on planet Earth and whoever we come across will either teach us a lesson, contribute to our success or make us fail. Depending who you are as a person, you either will let your experiences teach you a lesson for you to grow or crush and break you down. You decide the path you want to go. Failures are lessons, and nothing else. Nothing is permanent, except death. In 50 years from now, death will no longer be permanent with advance medical and scientific research, but for now, I guess death is a pretty permanent event in your life. So how do you want your life to be? Will you let things or people bother you to a point of you allowing it to control your own life? How will you react when facing adversities? What are you going to do overcome your pain and still keep on moving forward? Only you can answer these questions. No one will ever do anything to you when helping you with these struggles. Learn to depend on yourself to get to where you want to go. Some family and friends can assist you when walking towards the right direction, but the rest is left up to you. Make sure to not disappoint yourself in this journey.

Nothing is easy and if it was, everyone would do it. If being a millionaire is your ultimate goal, expect to work your ass off to accomplish your goal. You will come across many obstacles along the way, many friends and family members who will do everything they can to stop you from accomplishing your goals while trying to come out as giving you the best advice to guarantee your ultimate success. You need to learn to listen to your inner voice that will be the one guiding you on the right path. If you do come across failure, learn from it and keep on going forward. Some little tweaking might be needed to make things succeed. Once you have reached your goals, you will forget all the suffering, all the sacrifices, all the hurdles you faced throughout your journey to ultimate success. So what will be coming next? Well, it really depends on you. Your new journey has just begun and you will come across the same hurdles and challenges. The difference now is that you know that there is light at the end of the tunnel and if you put in the same amount of energy, the same dedication and belief in yourself, you will again succeed far beyond your expectation. You will now know what it takes to make it big on planet Earth.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Message-From-the-Universe:-Being-Where-You-Need-to-Be&id=9694998

Only One Way to Go UP!

What do you do when you think that there is nothing you can do? I watched a television show recently and in that show, one of the stars seemed hopeless, so hopeless, he felt so alone. The show was excellent, but the message was kind of down.

And so, this leads me to write this article about hope and about the difference that hope makes in a life.

What if the guy had hope? What if he had a rule for his life that he refused to give up? What would happen if he, when feeling defeated, decided that was the right time to begin anew?

What if at that time when he thought there was nothing left to do, nothing to gain and nowhere to go, what if at that exact time, someone whispered in his ear that since he had nothing to lose he had everything to gain?

That's the point. When you are down and out and when you have nothing to lose that is the best and most awesome time to remember that you have everything in the world to gain. You have nowhere to go but UP! And that reminds me of a song called, "UP". The singer is Shania Twain.

That is one of the coolest songs going and it has one of the best messages you can give someone. So, feeling a little better yet? If not go and get a book and start reading. Find your most inspirational book and keep on reading until you can't read anymore.

So what do you do if you are not into reading, yet you still want to get up? Where do you go if you are feeling hopeless and you still need some help getting over that feeling? Have you ever considered camping, the wilderness, or backpacking with a friend or co-worker? Have you ever considered taking a small vacation, to a place nearby. Finding a park or recreation center is easy now that you have the net available to you. Do a search for "staycations" or do a search for "work weekends".

If nothing pulls you out of the funk you are in, you might think it's time to consult a professional. But really shop around for someone you trust. When seeing a professional --if you get "red flags" --listen to them. If ever something feels wrong or if ever you know that something is wrong but you can't put your finger on it, take a break from that person or thing or place. (Do only that which is safe for you to do and you can't go wrong).

Remember-- "UP" the song by Shania Twain is an awesome way to sing your troubles away.

August 3, 2014

And besides the fact that there is nowhere to go but UP... if you are a person of faith, you know for sure that you always have hope. Here's hoping today is a much better day for you, and the next and the next. Keep on keeping on!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Only-One-Way-to-Go-UP!&id=8653888

How to Transform Your Life With Affirmations

                

Why affirmations are good for your health

You've probably heard about affirmations and how a mind filled with positive words can contribute to a more peaceful and grounded inner life. But studies have also proven, that people exercising the method of positive affirmations, tend to grow muscles way faster and find it easier to become physically strong in most cases.

Being optimistic and life affirming is directly connected to a greater resilience against stress and all sorts of physical diseases.

At the same time, your face will become softer, wrinkles may vanish and your skin will become cleaner. There will be a gorgeous shine radiating from you. Expect to get more and more compliments for your good looks which boost your self-confidence and self-love even more.

Other health benefits include lower blood pressure, better overall circulation and a much reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

Ever heard about the placebo effect? Patients given some fake medicine have shown to experience healing just by having a thought planted into their minds: They believe in the cure and therefore get cured indeed.

Affirmations work just that way!

Starting your day with positive affirmations is most effective since you can carry that vibrant feeling throughout the whole day.

Also, nourishing your mind with peaceful and life affirming thoughts right before you go to sleep has shown to have a tremendous impact on your welfare.

That way, your subconscious will continue to do the work for you and solidify the message while you are sound asleep. It's that easy.

Affirmations for success

Now we've provided you with some basic information about affirmations and hopefully could plant a little seed of hope and inspiration so you could think of giving it all a try.

But how exactly can you make them work for you and help you succeed in life? At first, it might still feel weird and not right to you, telling yourself nice things. We have been programmed from an early age to be critical, modest and not very fond of ourselves. I say find your own light and let it shine! Unfortunately, our society wants people to fit in for the most part, but what about all of our own talents, interests and passions?

When you find what you truly want and need, nobody can stop you. Just repeat your deepest desires to yourself over and over again. It might be best to start with something that is nourishing to your soul, like saying "I love myself" into a mirror. If that is too hard, just repeat it in your head when you relax on your bed. Make room for the new beliefs you want to have by forgetting about the compromising words you have been confronted with in your life.

Only you shape the perception of yourself and by believing in them, you will let them shine through and affect people around you as well. Collect a few of your most needed or fitting affirmations and put them around your room or house, make little love notes for yourself and repeat them a few times whenever you see one. They will soon sound familiar and like second nature to you, so that your old thinking patterns just vanish like they never existed.

You deserve a life full of positivity and all you have to do for that is invest a little time and be persistent. You are already holding the key in your hand.

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Transform-Your-Life-With-Affirmations&id=8961251

Message From the Universe: Show Your Love for What You Do!

"Approach everything you care about as if you really, really mean it.

And I really, really mean it -

The Universe"

Be passionate, be compassionate and put love in everything you do from this point forward. People get discouraged too quickly when things do not go their way, either at work or in their personal lives. Once discouraged, they lose that passion from within and it shows clearly in the way they interact with others. It's not abnormal to feel this way when you invest so much time, energy into something and it doesn't pan out. You lose hope and desire to continue putting in so much effort not knowing for certainty the outcome of your investment. There is never any guarantee in life, either it being relationship or venture. However, the ONLY thing that you can control is HOW you put in the energy that is required to increase the probability of a positive outcome. If you feel down, fake it until you make it big. Smile, find things you can do that make you happy and I can assure you that your mood will change. You will not feel depressed any longer because you will find new ways to change your perception and interpretation of the negative things happening in your life.

Look into yourself for a minute and see what you are feeling, at this moment. Are you happy? Are you depressed? Do you feel alone? Do you feel discouraged or disinterested about work or business? How are you dealing with your emotions? If you see a problem, are you willing to change things around? Are you going to take action? What are you willing to do today to make things be different for tomorrow? OK then, you have lots of questions to answer, so get to work! Pronto!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Message-From-the-Universe:-Show-Your-Love-for-What-You-Do!&id=9502102

Self-Sabotaging Words to Reframe

People rarely succeed if they expect failure.

In addition to teaching my clients how to hypnotize themselves to expect success and take action accordingly, I also address how they might be unknowingly hypnotizing themselves to fail in the stock phrases they might use over and over again to describe their situation, goals, or obstacles.

There are seven what I like to call, "self-sabotaging words" which you can use as red flags or as wake up calls to interrupt your unproductive, self-sabotaging language patterns and reframe your self-talk to build greater expectation of success.

The first on the hit list of words to reframe you've probably already heard about, thank you George Lucas, is the word, "try".

As Yoda says, "there is no try, there is only doing or not doing", and he's right. "Try" lets the subconscious part of you know it's OK to fail.

What happens when that friend says, "I'll try to call you next week." Do they call? Usually not. "Try" let them off the hook. What they are really saying is that they'd like to call, but probably won't.

So the next time you catch yourself saying that you are going to "try to be on time". Stop for a moment and affirm to yourself, partner, or your boss that "you ARE going to be on time!"

Second on the reframe hit list is the word, "hope".

As the saying goes, "hope is not a strategy". Hoping, wishing, and praying the phone is going to ring is not going to make it ring. You are just waiting for divine intervention.

At some point you have to get out and advertise. Again, use more active language to describe your goal. Stop saying "I hope this works", and switch to "Let's make this work!"

The third self-sabotaging word to reframe is the word "always".

If you describe yourself as having "always been a light sleeper", then you are expecting to be a light sleeper in the future, because always is always, past, present AND future.

Better to say that "in the past you have been a light sleeper" and keep the future open for change.

"Why do I always do that?" isn't going to get you anywhere.

Now that's different from "No matter how I feel, I always feel better after exercising", that's totally acceptable! That's a keeper.

Just be careful with the word "always" when describing a behavior you intend to change.

Fourth word to reframe is the word, "never".

If you're saying to the coach, "Coach, we're never going to win", then there's no sense you would put the effort into playing your best, and so you are going to be sitting out the game on the bench.

If you take the opportunity to play your best, people notice, and that could open doors later.

Understandably, it may certainly sometimes feel like your injury or illness is never going to get better. Repeatedly describing your injury that way will only make it seem worse, especially if you are facing an uphill battle rehabilitating from a health crisis.

You will only start to feel better or play better by staying in the game and focusing on how everyday you are getting better and better!

"Can't" is the fifth word you can use as a wake up call that a different strategy is needed.

"I can't do this", is fine for setting boundaries and limits with others when appropriate, not for giving up when you meet resistance working toward your goal.

Each time you use "can't" another block is added to big stone wall.

If you hit the wall a few times it obviously hurts and overwhelming resistance just indicates that a new strategy or direction is needed.

Luckily, you are hardwired to resist pain, which hopefully will buy you some time to use your brain to scale that rock wall first in your mind before starting your next climb.

"I can do this" is more likely going to inspire you to devote the energy, use your creative imagination, and picture how you want your life to be different on the other side of that wall.

So reframing "something you can't do" into "something you are having difficulty with", is one way to leave the door open for something different to happen and buys the creative subconscious part of you more time to problem-solve and strategize.

The sixth word is "tomorrow", which is problematic, because tomorrow is not a day of the week. It never arrives.

So if you didn't have time to go running this morning, I suggest you move your running shoes closer to the door and say, "this will help me remember to go running on Sunday morning at 8am". Then it's in your mental calendar and more likely to happen.

Last on the word hit list is the word, "but".

"But" negates all that comes prior in the sentence. Do you want to hear, "You're a great employee, but here's a pink slip, sorry, we have to lay you off."

Are you going to feel like a great employee? Probably not. You want to hear, "You're a great employee, and here's a raise."

If you say, "I really want to do this, but I don't feel like it". What are you stuck with? I don't feel like it.

"And" connects the two sides of the sentence, which might come into play if the first part of the sentence is supposed to be motivational. "And" is also a great meditation tool; it keeps both parties at the negotiating table.

Saying, "I really want to do this, and today is a struggle", is likely to have more meaning if you can own the feeling in the first part of that sentence, since feelings motivate.

"Honey, I love you, and we need to work on our communication", is more likely to keep love in the equation, simply because you took the time to include it with "and" instead of playing lip service to the word.

Choose one self-sabotaging word to reframe at a time, maybe the one you catch yourself using the most. If you need reminding, write your word on your hand or ask a friend to inform you in a respectful and tactful manner when you have used the self-sabotaging word, so you can reframe your language and expectation to work for you, not against you.

Your inner dialog, your expectations, and how you describe yourself or your process to others adds up. The content of your self-talk will determine if you become your own best friend or worst enemy. Pay attention to the words you use to describe your situation, goals or obstacles, make an effort to reframe negative self-talk, and you will be surprised to discover new inner resources you thought you lacked!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Self-Sabotaging-Words-to-Reframe&id=9743190

The Chain of Human Command

Thoughts control words, words control actions, actions control outcomes. This is the chain of human command. The things that control your life today began as a simple thought of your own or someone else's, the rest is history. Hard to imagine isn't it? Something as innocuous as a thought became the commanding force that controls today and tomorrow. Thoughts either fuel the fire in your soul or become the assign of your hopes.

How powerful are thoughts? Take a moment to look at history; it records the results of thoughts that controlled countless lives. We have been treated to miraculous, awe-inspiring results that made our hearts soar. We witnessed 33 miners emerge from the bowls of the earth in Peru and passengers that seemingly walked on water on the Hudson River. We listened to faint voices of a man on the moon, followed by a space station named Hubble that became a helping hand to many around the planet. We watched medical miracles that restored life and even limbs and marveled at skill and technology that inspired all. These are powerful thoughts that fueled the fire of our souls.

The world has also witnessed the holocaust and many other horrors of dictators and perhaps leaders that were simply mad. We cringe from the atrocities in Syria and feel the despair of parents whose children die slowly in their arms from starvation. We have stared in dismay as the bodies of small children carried from school, victims of only one of the many senseless shootings and terrorism that have become commonplace in our lives. The list of revulsion's are endless. All began with someone's thoughts. They are not innocuous at all; they may be the most powerful force we encounter in life.

What can we learn from this? We can learn that hope must never be extinguished; it harbors the impossible being brought to fruition. We can learn that no dream is too extreme. We can be aware that surrendering to despair can lead to thoughts that became dangerous to ourselves and those around us. We learn that in order to live a life of victory, one where the people we love are touched by miracles, we must begin by harnessing our thoughts so that we control their outcome. We can become more aware of what those around us are thinking, of what they believe, and choose wisely who we will share our lives with. Their thoughts and beliefs can easily manifest and control our lives.

It is important to look at the past to see the absolute results of how this works. We should never consult our past to determine our future. We must move on from people, attitudes and ideas that embrace thoughts that have been recorded in the history of horror. What's possible in your life; it's determined by one question. What do you think?

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Chain-of-Human-Command&id=9592941

Something Missing In Your Life? (By Tim Connor)

No one in life has or gets everything they want, need or desire. Let me repeat - no one. Are you waiting for some desire or need to be fulfilled? Just had one satisfied? None of these? All of these? Boy, could I go on for pages with this stuff, but we both have better things to do so let me cut to the chase.

You can't have everything in life you want but you can have something - you can have more.

As the years pass for me I have had to let go of many dreams but many of them were replaced with new ones and I'm sure many of the new ones will one day have to be left behind - so what's the point of desires, wants, dreams, goals, wishes etc.? They give us a reason to get up every day. They inspire our effort, creativity, hope and yes even our purpose for living.

You may not have your health or the love of your life or your dream home or even your dream job but let me ask you - do you have a roof over your head? Do you have people in your life who care? Do you have a career, business or even a job? I won't belabor many of the negative statistics but give you just two - there are over 150 million orphans and homeless people in the world. Every day over 10,000 people in the world die of starvation.

So, let me ask you again - what's missing in your life? What do you need to feel whole, alive, real, passionate, worthwhile or even just alive? Better income? More friends? Better health? Bigger house? Better car? This list is endless.

Here's another question for you - if what's missing in your life was satisfied or given to you today would that be the end of your search or would you now need something else, something better, something different? Want a bet? Yep, something else (new/different/better) would now be the focus of your next need and again and again and again until when? Well, until you think you have everything you want or need (never going to happen) or when you're dead or even deserve.

Last year due to complications of hip surgery I almost died. Then within a few weeks I had to have open heart surgery because of the complications. Trust me - I'm happy just still being here and writing this article and heading towards my next speaking engagement next week.

Would I like a better car? Yep. Nicer digs? Yep. More money in the bank? Yep. More and better vacations? Yep. Heard enough? Yep. But let me ask you - what really matters to you when push comes to shove? Or are you so spoiled or "selfie oriented" that you will never be happy till you have it all, more, better or even less?

Let me close with a simple concept if you are still with me.

If something is missing in your life and you knew for a fact that you would never achieve it, get it, have it, own it or - whatever... would you pack it in and call it quits? I doubt it. What you would do? You would finally be happy with what you have, who you are, where you are, where you are going and what you are doing.

Cause you know what? Some day for you and for me - the journey of having will be over forever.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Something-Missing-In-Your-Life?&id=9757920

Message From the Universe: A Life Not Like ANY Other Life!

"Wherever a new disagreement emerges, so does new hope for enlightenment, on both sides of the fence.

Oh joy,

The Universe"

Like anything else in life that is sure to happen, besides taxes and death, is disagreements. It is somewhat preferable to have disagreements than not. Not agreeing on something is the best way to express your feelings and emotions. Unless you are a carbon copy of yourself, or as many would call that cloning, it can be difficult to have someone who agrees with you 24/7. In some cases, when you have a business partner that sees eye to eye with you with everything that has to do with the company's growth, you are in luck. However, many of us sees things differently, and all this is caused somewhat by our upbringing or our previous business and life experience. It is imminent that disagreements will occur at the workplace or at home. As you are dealing with your significant other on a daily basis, you might agree on a lot of things because you both see eye to eye on a lot of how the mundane daily life has to run, however, it will come at a time when disagreements will occur. Depending on how you deal with them, you will need to handle it in a very calm and polite way. Name calling has no place during that time.

Firstly, you need to determine the origin of the disagreement: What caused it? Why is it here? What are the point of view on the matter being discussed between both of you?

Secondly, you need to figure out the best plausible solution that both of you can agree. Do not let the other convince you otherwise. Share your feelings, do not be intimidated. Showing fear will give place for the other to have its way all the time. Remember to always stay in control of the situation. If they raise their voice to get heard, you do not need to do the same. Tell them to calm down, and if needed, to step back and talk about it when he or she have calmed down. It is important for you to realize that raising voices is the result of you raising your voice as well, so the only defensive response is to get heard as well, hence, raising their voice. So by keeping your voice at low decibels, you do not allow the other person to elevate their tone, and if they do, your response can go this way: " I didn't hear myself scream, why are you yelling? or I don't see why you are so defensive or angry about it, we are just talking as mature adults, or I understand this can be a sensitive subject for you as it is for me, but you don't see me get all pissed off, so I would appreciate you doing the same". As you can see, you take control of the situation here and do not allow the other one to pursue their motive to intimidate you or take control of the situation, which leaves you feeling guilty about what is being discussed.

As some of my PhD classes were related to human psychology, I came to realization that the tools acquired during my apprenticeship are extremely useful during my daily interaction with my business partners and significant other. I always feel like going back to my old self at time, which is opting for the defensive approach but I digress. I take time to understand the problem and use my new found knowledge to handle all problems and find the most plausible solution. It is a win win scenario for everyone. They get free therapy and everyone end up happy.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Message-From-the-Universe:-A-Life-Not-Like-ANY-Other-Life!&id=9639279

Live Like A Hero

Ever notice the first words invariably spoken when we recognize a hero publicly? "I never felt like a hero, I'm no hero," these words are the mantra of heroes. Regardless of the nature of their actions being hailed as heroic, they saw nothing unusual in their response. What is the difference in these people and those who stare in admiration at their acts? They have always lived like a hero; one day they were called on to act like a hero.

Heroes spend a lifetime following a creed of honor and respect for others. What traits are normally found in them?

1) They act responsibly in every situation.

2) They live compassionately, tending to look beyond weakness in others as they seek to find and focus on their strengths.

3) Reliability is their creed. They take pride in establishing relationships where they expect others to know they will be there for them. And they are.

4) They stand strong in the face of adversity.

5) They take the time to know themselves, to recognize and improve on their weaknesses while maintaining their strengths.

6) They avoid idle chatter, preferring to shoot straight and seek solutions rather than criticizing others efforts that may be failing.

7) They have an innate ability to understand that life is a series of head-on collisions; they wear a mental helmet of faith, hope and integrity. They live expecting the best possible outcome.

8) They rarely have a plan B. They understand that you get what you prepare for; they always prepare for what they may be called to act upon.

9) Injustice in any form ignites a passionate response in them; for them it is intolerable.

10) They are intuitive, seeming to know when and how to act and react to situations.

These are good old-fashioned traits that many parents continue to build and embrace in raising their family to be productive members of society. Look closely behind the hero and you will likely find parents or some adult or affiliation that embraced character building.

Heroes are not born; they are raised to embrace standards that encompass empathy, compassion, respect for self and others, to act responsibly and to embrace faith in their life. If you weren't raised that way you can still embrace the traits that create the best possible response to every situation. Even if you are never recognized publicly, you can be sure you will face the time when you are called on to be a hero allowing you to touch another person in a life altering situation. You may never know that you were their hero, but they will. It begins with choosing to live like a hero; if you do, you will always be prepared to act like one.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Live-Like-A-Hero&id=9585117

The Blessed Broken Roads

Plans that never materialized, hopes that were never fulfilled, broken promises, shattered dreams; these are the broken roads in life. You probably only remember the significant ones and even then they fade into the past, somehow. Why, why, we wonder; how did this happen to us when we were so sure the path ahead was steady and sure? They happen to push us forward to something or someone who is a part of our life plan, to something better if we do not allow fear to enfold us.

The best laid plans that go awry are akin to the detours we are forced to take off the Interstate. We are redirected to scenic roads where we are treated to things we never knew existed, even if we traveled the road daily. There is something for us to see, to learn, to grow from. A new plan develops that is filled with something more than before. And in the end, we are better for having gained the things we gathered on the new route. When this happens our life has been redirected to the place we were meant to be.

We hope for things we imagine are unattainable or impossible, yet still, we hope it can be. Hope arises to guide us to the place, person or result that is on our life path, by design. When you arrive it may not look exactly as we imagined but hope inspired us to move forward; subconsciously we have developed a goal. Consider it as a planned destination on the road we have taken. We may encounter those famous detours, but keep moving forward in faith. It is the wind that fans the flames of hope.

Broken promises, broken relationships and friendships are painful. No one wants to encounter any of these breaks in the road ahead. Even if you are sure you don't deserve the pain, keep the faith. You are being pushed like a broken car into a new lane. There is where you will find what was intended to be in your life; the right partner, friend or even job. Let go of the old as soon as possible. Holding on to what has broken cements you in place, delaying or preventing you from arriving at your real desired destination. If you are even thinking of leaving a relationship you have already left it emotionally. It's goodbye time. Everything isn't meant to last forever. Some people or events are placed on the path to teach you something you will need to know down the road. Acceptance brings the freedom to move on. You can never lose what was real or meant to be.

Shattered dreams are the result of holding on when there is nothing real left to cling to. Combine that with fear that nothing can ever be as good as it was and you are staring at shattered dreams. Don't be afraid to let go; consider the situation as a live wire. So long as you cling you will feel the pain.

The blessings in the broken road, what are they? They are all those breaks that led you to the perfect road to arrive on time and intact at the place you were really always planning to go, to the person you were always intended to meet. They are the things that drive you to a new idea, a new place or person that enriches your life experience and brings comfort and joy... even when you imagined it was all gone. The breaks are the change we were always afraid to make. Be fearless; allow new hope, greater expectations and a new and better plan to form. It will guide the opportunities ahead to the perfect conclusion.

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Blessed-Broken-Roads&id=9609204

Looking Forward From the Past

The whole of life is meant to be lived from a whole-of-life perspective; all facets of life - including all the broken bits - considered as unifying in the oneness of us as persons.

This, surely, is what Jesus had in mind as He delivered the Abundant Life edict, as recorded in John's Gospel. Jesus invited us into a worship which is by the Spirit, in the truth.

The Abundant Life takes all a life, inclusive especially of the ugly events, and gives us the capacity to build meaning for the present so we can experience hope for the future.

We're neither our pasts, nor are we one of many fabrications of the future. The Abundant Life is neither the lies of past, nor is it one of many dreamy vanities of the future.

We're only what we possess in the present; acceptance of which is the goal of the Abundant Life. And if the past informs us to accept what's gone, for the resilience to endure that we've shown, matched with God's faithfulness in carrying us, then we have hope indeed.

An irrepressible hope is the Life Abundant. Such a presence may exist despite all outward appearances. It's all a matter of the heart. And only God matters, there.

The murky past reconciled is a proof-text for a hopeful future, and the present experience is the Abundant Life. It doesn't matter how murky the past was.

Looking forward from the past allows sight for a reliable present where future endeavours are focused through a lens of truth.

Looking forward from the past is not about being stuck in the past. It's much more the acceptance of those seasons of life as part of the foundations of our overall life. Our past has informed us of what we wish to live for. Only when we've reconciled those seasons past can we step forward into the present experience of the Abundant Life. History will prove us blessed as we look back, a whole life lived.

So, the past is our ally; it is something with which to face and ponder and accept, even celebrate; especially victories, which are borne on the wings of defeats. Besides trauma that complicates reconciling the past, all reconciliation is achievable. And reconciliation - all of it - too, is the Abundant Life.

May God truly bless you as you plumb the accessible depths and ascend the climbable heights of the Abundant Life God has for you!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Looking-Forward-From-the-Past&id=9555901