Practice an Attitude of Gratitude (By Kristen Wint)

While standing in the kitchen this morning, I randomly blurted out how grateful I was for our warm home and the awesome family within it. It came out of nowhere for my husband and kids, but I'd been thinking about gratitude recently and couldn't help noticing all the goodness in my life. I also noticed how great it felt to start off the day thinking about what I am most thankful for. It was like a shot of dopamine with my morning coffee.

I've always been a firm believer in the power of positivity, and expressing gratitude seems to fit in nicely with this theory. What if, instead of sinking into dysphoria over long and cold winter days or feeling completely helpless about the current state of world affairs, we focus instead on things in our lives that we have control over? Things such as our home life, work life, family and friends.

I once wrote a letter to my husband to express my gratitude for all of the things he does for me and our family every day. I shared it online and it sparked a whole lot of love and positive comments from many people and demonstrated that openly showing and sharing gratitude is a really good thing.

An attitude of gratitude means making it a habit to express thankfulness and appreciation in all parts of your life, on a regular basis, for both the big and small things alike.

Begin cultivating an attitude of gratitude by keeping a short, daily list of things you are grateful for. Share your thoughts with your family and friends, and take time out of your day to think about gratitude. Have your kids practice too, because grateful families talk about what they are thankful for and practice gratitude daily.

Make a habit of expressing gratitude year-round as opposed to seasonally because studies show that consistent positive interactions, particularly ones that involve gratitude, increase happiness and decrease levels of depression. That shot of dopamine I mentioned? Some say that expressing gratitude can indeed create a surge of "feel good" brain chemicals like dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin, so for generally happy people, that's a great thing, but for clinically depressed people, it's a game changer.

Developing an attitude of gratitude is healthy for you and your family, so make it a part of your family's daily life and watch as everyone adopts more grateful behaviours and transitions away from cynicism and negativity.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Practice-an-Attitude-of-Gratitude&id=9866677

Everything You Need To Know About How You Can Live Life To The Fullest

Are you tired and fed up of your life zooming by, where every day is the same routine: you wake up, you struggle as you climb out of bed, you drag yourself to get that caffeine burst, the bacon and eggs, the leftover pizza, then you force yourself to get ready, go to work, go home from work, watch some TV and go to sleep...

... in preparation of doing all this once again the next day?

Days, weeks and months fly by, perhaps even years, before you wake up one day and wonder where your life has gone.

Your life has gone into what I call 'routine mode'.

Your life is running on automatic.

You didn't even realize that each day is like the next, until one day the dark realization surfaces and you are shocked at the reality that your life is whizzing by and you have not made any progress in life for you to be particularly happy or proud about.

This can be a huge problem if it's not dealt with quickly and appropriately.

If it's not dealt with today, you could miss out on a great many things that life has in store for you.

So how can you change your life for the better?

How can you start to live life to the fullest?

For you to change your life for the better, for you as your first stepping stone to live life to the fullest, you need to first be in charge of your life.

And the first step to being in charge of your life is to become aware of your day-to-day thoughts, feelings, actions and behaviors.

Get on that journey today by following the 4 steps below.

They will open you to have that all-important part of the equation.

At bedtime, spend a few minutes to ask and answer the 4-steps-to-change questions:

1. What are two things I am grateful for today? Go through your day and search for two things you are grateful for. They could be anything; from being grateful that you're alive, to being grateful that you have a job, food, a roof over your head, water, clothes to wear.

Recall your entire day and fully feel and appreciate at least two things you are grateful for that you would usually take for granted.

2. What could I have done differently? If there's something you did during the day that you're not too happy with, think what you could have done or could do to turn round the situation.

If you responded rather harshly to a colleague, friend or spouse, think of a way you can make up for it. If you ate that extra-large burger, could you have replaced it with a small sandwich or salad?

3. What are two things I look forward to tomorrow? Spend some time thinking about what's going to take place tomorrow. Think of the good things the next day has for you.

If only negative things come to mind, take a few minutes to convert them in your own mind to bring about an outcome that you would like. Imagine and picture the situations turning out that way you would like.

This way you will feel more enthusiastic about tomorrow, where you will wake up feeling more optimistic that you might normally.

4. What do I want to dream about tonight? If you hold on to a particular thought until you fall asleep, more than likely that thought will play a significant role in your dream.

With added practice, you will be able to direct your dreams, enjoy them and remember them fully. This is a very powerful method that could bring about phenomenal changes. It's called Lucid Dreaming.

Get into the habit of going through this 4-step method every night.

You will discover that your life will change dramatically and quickly. And once it has, you can step up to the next level by asking:

"How can I change my life for the better so I may live life to the fullest?" and you'll be amazed at the next set of answers that will move you forward to the next level in your now amazing life.

Before we continue, let's dig a little bit deeper.

Do you feel insecure or pessimistic about what your future may hold for you?

When you think about what you would like to be, have or become in the future, do you feel anxious and frightened that it won't materialize?

Are you anxious that you won't be able to live life to the fullest, or that no matter how hard you try, and how hard you research, you will never discover the true and realistic best ways to live life to the fullest?

Are you worried that this 4-step method will work for others but not you?

Which begs the question:

Are you worried about your future?

And are you worried about the present?

If you are apprehensive and fearful about your future, about achieving, becoming and having what you would like, I then ask you to start, as of this day, in fact as of this moment, to allow yourself to see that there is an alternative to fear and apprehension.

Yes, there is.

And you can begin to work on that right now.

The process is very simple, effective and will only take you five minutes or less.

So, let's begin.

What's the most important 'worry' or 'fear' that you have at this moment that you feel needs to immediately change?

Do you want to change your financial situation, your relationship situation, your health, your fitness level, your lifestyle, your job or career?

Decide which one area in your life you would like to change.

Let's say you want to lose weight.

You want to find the best ways to lose weight; those ways that you will find rewarding, fulfilling, and that will allow you to healthily lose that weight, and perhaps a little later down the road you may want to consider opening your own lose weight business down the road so you may guide others how you managed to be successful at it.

Now here's the process that will allow you to release the negative thoughts and feelings that are holding you back; the inner fears and doubts that stop you from even doing the research to discover the best ways to lose weight.

When you think about the best ways to lose weight, when you search the Internet and visit some websites dedicated to this topic, or you use any other means available to you, what do you feel?

Anxious, worried, scared?

Do you avoid reading the blogs and articles, the eBooks, because they make you feel uncomfortable?

When such a feeling surfaces, when you sense the fear, doubt or unworthiness of losing weight and having that body that you desire, immediately sit back, close your eyes and go deep inside that thought and feeling.

Do not analyze that feeling and do not discard it.

Notice the first feeling or thought that came up, for you will do the process on that very feeling or thought.

It's not necessary to 'name' the feeling, as in, "I feel scared" or "I feel tense". The point is to just feel the feeling or the thought.

Experience the feeling or thought deeply for a short time.

When you're ready, move on to the next step which is where you will ask yourself:

"Could I let this feeling go?" Now the answer may be a Yes or No, either one doesn't matter. They'll both work.

Then ask yourself: "Would I let this feeling go?" Again, the answer could be a Yes or No.

And lastly ask yourself the question: "When?" to which you respond: "Now."

You should feel less fearful, doubtful and less unworthy after this first round.

Should you, however, still have some remaining feelings, repeat the process a few times until you are completely free of that feeling.

This is an extremely powerful process derived from The Sedona Method which I highly recommend you use to release any unwanted feelings that are keeping you stuck where you are.

I use this short, simple and extremely powerful process immediately, literally, as soon as I feel a negative feeling or thought.

Within a couple of minutes I feel much more relaxed having released that obstructive feeling or thought.

Quite quickly my negative thoughts and feelings transform to positive thinking which, in turn, make me feel more optimistic.

Still worried or concerned about your future, your weight challenge, or even your life as it is?

You shouldn't be.

Release on any concerns that you have. In fact, if you're doubtful this process will work, release on that, too.

Release what's been holding you back from having the future, and present, that you have always wanted, fast and with great results.

Are you focusing on what you want in life?

Let's imagine you are enjoying a Sunday drive down a narrow country road and all of a sudden a truck appears round a blind bend.

The truck is heading towards you, going fast. Your eyes widen, and your heart is pounding rapidly.

What do you do?

In that moment, your life depends only on where your focus is.

Many people in such a situation focus their attention on the truck; the object they want to avoid. And in doing so, the inevitable will happen; the head-on collision.

If you, however, place your focus on what you want by looking away from the truck and seeking an empty space to drive into, or any way you can avoid the head-on collision, you will find that way and be safe.

Use this analogy to think about life.

Your life depends on what you focus on.

When you focus on the things you don't want in life, you are steering directly towards them, and, worse, you will get more of them.

Simply put: you get more of what you focus on.

For example, if you are unhappy with your body, you probably repeat things like, "I don't like my body. It's ugly" or "I feel uncomfortable and fat meeting David's children tonight. What if they don't like me?"

Where is your focus?

Your focus is on the things you don't want; you are focusing on the body that you hate and on the uncomfortable feeling you have meeting the children.

So, you will naturally attract more of the same, and in doing so, you will increase your hatred for your body and you will increase your level of uncomfortable feeling.

As human beings, we tend to place our thoughts, attention and feelings on the things we don't want, and we wonder why nothing changes in our lives!

We wonder why we can't live life to the fullest.

Our minds are programmed to bring about more of whatever we focus on.

Actually, if you think about that for a moment, that should be great news, for all you have to do is focus on the things you do want, and when you do so with feeling, they will come to you in due course.

Your mind, or more specifically, your subconscious mind, will work on bringing to reality what it is that you feel you want.

The good and the bad. Be careful!

So, for you to live life to the fullest, pay closer attention to your feelings and to what you're focusing on.

As often as you can, ask yourself this question:

"What am I now focusing on right now?"

If it's on what you don't want, change it to what you do want.

Are you ready to make positive changes in your life?

Have you decided to stop being a couch-potato and actively look for the best ways to live life to the fullest?

If you have, that's great.

The question now is:

Have you done anything about it?

Many people decide to make changes in their lives, yet they don't realize that nothing will change until they take action.

Sure it's easy to sit back and dream about the new lifestyle, but where most people get stuck is in the taking action part.

Look at it this way, when you want to build a house, where do you start? You find an appropriate piece of land, you buy it, you locate and hire an architect, design the house, go over the plan, and so on.

You cannot conceive the idea of building a house and have it miraculously appear.

It's the same when you want to design and build your new healthy lifestyle.

Much like the house, you need to design exactly what your lifestyle will look like; you have to go over the plan by setting goals, and you have to take action to ensure it is built to completion.

Unfortunately, most people want to change their lives yet do nothing about it. They become expert complainers and they wonder why they remain stuck.

When you are ready to take action, you may face some mental blocks, such as, you feel you don't deserve that lifestyle that you desire, you don't deserve to live life to the fullest, or have that dream car or home.

That's fine. You've identified some of your blocks to taking action, now you work on reducing or eliminating these blocks.

How do you do that?

You call your architect, your subconscious mind, and come up with a plan.

This will take some deep deliberation, which you may spread over a few days. When you think about making the positive changes, what are your thoughts and feelings

about that?

Do you feel a sense of unworthiness?

To help you out, try this. Write down these sentences and finish them off:

"I feel unworthy because... "

"I am scared because... "

"I'm alright where I am, I feel safer that way because... "

Come up with any thoughts or feelings that surface. Absolutely no editing. It is imperative that you allow all your thoughts and feelings to flow freely. Write them all down.

Once you have a full list of blocks, work down your list. Choose one block every day and take a specific action, one that is the opposite of your block, until you feel that the thought or feeling has been reduced or no longer holds you back.

Utilize 'positive thinking' as well. Turn the negative into a positive.

If a certain block does not clear in one day, keep at it until it has no power over you.

Keep the power of 'positive thinking' going strong and allow it to gain momentum.

When done, move on to the next block.

Stepping up to upgrade your lifestyle does require effort, and the more committed you are, the more you will enjoy that new life.

Every day choose the actions that will bring about what you want to create.

The great news is that once you begin the process, it will get easier for you to choose the appropriate action, the 'positive thinking' that will work against your block.

Take your time; identify the block and take counter-action.

In a short while you will find the best ways to literally live life to the fullest.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Everything-You-Need-To-Know-About-How-You-Can-Live-Life-To-The-Fullest&id=10274869

Success Tips to Win

When you are looking to be a success in any field it helps to speak to other successful people to learn whatever tips they choose to share with you. In this article we will go over some tips that can help you to excel on your journey to success.

• Whatever your field of endeavor, become the very best you can be - When you look at people who truly excel they are masters in their fields. Michael Jordan believed that living up to one's potential was a lifetime commitment. It involved lots of practice and hard work to be the best version of you that you can be. Steve Jobs knew his ideas were revolutionary and that most people would not be able to fathom the ideas flowing around in his mind, yet he followed through. He saw a phone becoming a computer for personal use. Bill Gates believed that every household should have a personal computer and the screen should be flat like a window. Elon Musk believed an electric car would be a better choice for the environment than the traditional gas automobile. All these men saw the need to become better at what they do, and the world will be speaking about their accomplishments for a long time.

• Think highly about yourself but minus the pride - A low self- esteem will not help you achieve success or become great. To be at the top of your game you must believe in yourself and your potential. You are awesome. You can do more than others thought you capable of. You are the one others aspire to become. Seems like bragging; yes. But you brag in your mind to yourself about yourself.

• Competence breed confidence - how do you learn to speak more confidently? Be extremely competent in your chosen field of endeavor. The more competent you are the more confidence you can speak with. And it will also give you a sense of control knowing that you understand what you have to offer better than anyone else.

• Speak with confidence- the words that come out of your mouth must exude confidence. You must hear yourself sounding like you know exactly what you are talking about always. A wise person increases in learning. You must be teachable, coachable and love to learn. When you open your mouth to speak others will shut their mouths to listen.

• Always be grateful - no one likes a smug know it all who is so pompous no one wants to be around them. Instead shower the people you care about and who help you become the success you are with gratitude. Be both gracious and kind. Let the world know that you realize you are awesome and you are grateful to those who have helped you become that.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Success-Tips-to-Win&id=10375046

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

Love Is Forever (By Kathy Wilson)

My magical cat, Silver, came to me in a dream. And then he brought Jezibel to me.

When my previous cat, Miss Winters, had transitioned I grieved deeply. Friends kept calling me to tell me they knew of a cat that needed a home, but I knew I wasn't ready for another one. Had I taken on another cat before I was done grieving for Winter I would have been comparing the new cat to her. That just wouldn't be fair to the new cat.

A couple of years after Winter had died, I had a dream about a gray cat. It was as if I was laying on the floor and the cat was walking toward me. That's it. About 15 seconds of a dream, but it stayed with me all that day and the next.

Three days after the gray cat dream, a woman I knew who worked at my vet's office called me. "We have a cat in here from the shelter who's ready to be adopted and I think you should take a look at him. His name is Silver Cloud."

When she said his name I was stunned. My first thought was, "He's here already! The gray cat in my dream is here... and I don't even have any cat food or a litter box!" I made arrangements to come look at him the next day.

On my way to the vet's office I stopped to pick up a friend who wanted to go with me and see this dream cat I'd told her about. When we arrived at the vet's office, we went in and were taken to a room with huge cages. The vet's assistant pulled Silver out of one cage and gave him to me to hold. He was so excited he could hardly hold still, and kept moving from my left shoulder to my right and back again and then he'd flop backwards and look at me, almost as if he couldn't believe I was really there.

As this was going on, my friend was telling the vet and her assistant about a little black female cat she'd had but gave up because she got married and her husband hated cats. She still missed the cat deeply. The vet's assistant turned and pulled a little black cat out of another cage and handed her to my friend, probably hoping she'd fall in love with the cat and adopt it.

Before anyone could say a word, Silver spotted the little girl cat, threw himself backwards in my arms, stretched his arm out and around the little girl cat's neck and drew her toward him. He began licking her face as if he was plastering kisses all over her.

Both the vet and her assistant were stunned. "Those two cats have never seen each other," the vet finally said.

We watched the love fest for a while and finally I told them I'd take Silver and would be back the next day to pick him up, after I'd gotten cat food and other essentials.

The next day I arrived to pick up the cat of my dream, but I had a surprise coming. "We let Silver and Jezibel, the little black girl cat, stay out of their cages in the room and they played together, ate together, slept together, and basically were unseparable... and you have to take both of them," the vet announced.

"No. I only want one cat," I replied.

Well, this discussion went on for a while until finally she said, "You take both of them or you'll not get Silver. I won't even charge you for Jezibel."

And that's how I ended up with two cats.

It's been fifteen years since that day and every day I've been so grateful that the vet made me take both cats. They have loved each other as much every day since as they did that first day. They still sleep near or next to each other, eat together, have lick fests, and basically just love the dickens out of each other.

Or they did, until yesterday. Recently, Jezibel had been getting weaker, eating less and less, and beginning to have difficulty breathing. It soon got so bad that she couldn't walk across the room without having to stop to catch her breath. So I took her to the vet yesterday and the determination was that she had a tumor which was causing fluid to overfill the area around her heart and lungs, making it difficult for her to breathe. There was nothing that could be done to make her better. So my husband and I made the most difficult decision to allow the vet to put her to sleep.

I'm so very sad that I won't be able to enjoy Jezibel and the special connection we had. Still, I'm grateful that I was allowed to enjoy her for so many years. And I'm even more grateful that I could witness the deep, abiding love that she and Silver had for one another.

I believe that Silver and she had a communication toward the last about her leaving this plane. At one point he just sat next to her quietly while they looked into each other's eyes. He's not seeming to miss her - not looking for her or anything like that. I believe that when beloved pets transition, their spirit remains for a period of time. It's almost as if the pet wants to continue sharing their love for a while to help those left behind adjust to their loss. I think that Silver senses her spirit is still here... and so do I.

Remember... love is forever

As I was writing this article I was reminded of another one I wrote years ago after a dear friend had died. One day I was talking with a wise friend about my reaction and deep grief to my other friend's death. I mused upon the fact that either we're coming from love or from fear, and since this grief didn't feel like love, it must be fear of some kind. But fear of what?

She didn't disappoint and instantly gave me the wisdom I was looking for. "Grief," she said, "is the fear of lack of love."

Makes perfect sense. When someone, or some thing such as a dear pet that we love, dies then we fear that the love we shared with them dies, too. But here's the truth: Once energy is created it exists for eternity. Love, like all emotions, is energy. This means that when you lose someone or something you loved, the energy of that love still exists. And you can tap into it any time you want so you can enjoy it again.

It's easy. All you have to do is remember an instance or event with that person or thing that created the feeling of love within you. And you'll feel it again in an instant, whenever you want. And the best part is that you can never, ever lose a memory that creates the energy of love for you.

So if you feel yourself beginning to sink into the sadness of grief, remember that it's a signal to you that you're afraid you've lost love. Know that you can never lose love because it's eternal. And then recall a moment or an experience that brought you the feeling of love. As you do so, you'll feel that love energy once again.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Love-Is-Forever&id=10444438

Waking Up Before It's Too Late! (By Madeline Frank)

Are you living on autopilot?

A friend of mine always says first, with a smile on his face, "I am grateful to be alive."

When I was in my late 20s, I went to the hospital to have a growth removed that the doctor thought might be cancerous. My Mom came to the hospital with me. Once I was on the operating table, the anesthesiologist gave me anesthesia to put me under. When the procedure was over and I was in the recovery area, the doctor and surgical staff could not wake me up and the doctor asked my Momma to come in.

Momma said to him in a clear loud excited voice "Wake her up!"

I came to with the doctor pounding on my chest and my Momma standing nearby!

I was having a happy dream and did not realize they were unable to wake me up! If not for my Momma I would have been dead!

The doctor said, "You are allergic to the anesthesia I gave you and I was not able to wake you up until your Mother insisted I wake you up."

"Do not ever allow them to give you this type of anesthesia again!"

They discovered that I was allergic to one of the drugs that I was given during surgery.

I nearly didn't wake up; but I was oblivious... because I was unconscious.

Open your eyes.

While this story was literally about waking up; most people are drifting through life on autopilot with their eyes closed.

And most people are oblivious to the fact that they are "unconscious" to their priorities and life.

By having your success habits in place, you release your tension!

When you have intention, you open up your eyes, gain clarity, and take action!

When you gain clarity, you are compelled to move forward.

When you begin to move forward, you generate momentum.

When you generate momentum, others take notice.

Have you ever been at a stop light with a person texting on their phone, or been in an accident caused by a distracted driver?

The benefits are quite obvious when a distracted driver chooses to "open their eyes" and "decides" to put their cell phone in the back seat before they begin driving to prevent them from having another accident.

I challenge anyone to argue the benefits of a driver soothing their boredom by gluing their attention to a screen rather than paying attention to driving. Put it away.

Do you know someone who listens to the news without stopping, 24 hours a day? If that is their only intake of information, they are likely quite bitter and angry.

What can you do to improve this situation?

Replace an hour of listening/watching/reading the news with something uplifting, growth oriented, or gratitude related. See how you feel after one week. How about after one month?

Are you still angry? Has your mood improved? Are you able to think clearly and focused?

Have you ever been in a home with drafty windows?

Not only is it uncomfortable, but they can let in bugs.

Sealing your home with new windows will not only make it more comfortable; it creates a cleaner environment.

Your relationships and your standards are the windows of your life. If you are willing to tolerate pests, bugs, and other nasty creatures into your home, you may also let in negative people, stagnant people, and those who drag you down.

How can you improve your relationships and connect with others?

1. Ask them how they are and then ask them how their family is?

2. Listen carefully to what they say and offer your thoughts when appropriate.

By having your success habits in place, you release your tension!

When you have intention, you open up your eyes, gain clarity, and are moved to take action!

https://ezinearticles.com/?Waking-Up-Before-Its-Too-Late!&id=10457413

Transitioning From a Slump to a Good Place (By Danielle R. Gault)

Two weeks ago, we went for my husband, Bill's, cancer assessment to get the results of his CT scan which was done the day before the assessment meeting. After two years of wondering what would happen to Bill regarding his bladder cancer and whether or not he could keep his bladder or his life, when we learned that his tumors were 'resolved, we went emotionally blank.

Our news from the CT scan could not be better. The scan showed no sign of cancer. The tumors disappeared and the lymph nodes were back to normal size.

WHY AM I NOT REJOICING?

So why am I not rejoicing? The doctor was astonished -- he said he has rarely seen anything like this and the nurse cried when she shared this great news with us. We don't think the news has hit us yet but will probably only make it real when we don't have to keep going back to the cancer hospital so often for treatments and can pick up on other things in our life.

The funny thing is that I went into a slump the very next day after the good news. My blood pressure went up and I felt gloomy. Why? My rational mind has come up with the following reasons:

A. It is a great relief and I can now exhale and let go of the immediate caretaker concern that has been a big part of 'who I am' in this part of our life and now the life we were starting to get use to we are released from.

B. It is just before Christmas and the holidays make me feel a bit sad around family stuff and how things have changed over the years.

C. I have to accept that getting older is part of life and let go of expectations and ideas that are outlived.

CHANGING MY PERSPECTIVE

I looked for ways to deal with the internal processes of adjusting to this change. Here is my philosophy that has helped pulled me from the slump to a good place as I move through life's journey with all its ups and downs:

1. Just carry on. Like walking the Camino, you will have to go uphill and downhill in the rain, the cold, the heat, and the warm and sunny days - one step at a time.

2. Face the day as best you can by keeping as positive an attitude as possible. When you wake up in the morning, ask yourself "what can I do to contribute to life today?"

3. Face your struggles and strive to confront and deal with them in constructive ways. Never pretend something away - look for solutions EVERYWHERE. There is no one key that works for anyone and there may not be one key that works for you - explore a problem from many perspectives, continue to explore, be curious and keep an open mind. Answers can come from the strangest places if we're open to SEE.

4. Learn from each struggle you face and let it teach you something that will make you stronger. Life is a great teacher so be open to learning from it - you never know what you'll learn about yourself along the way. Isn't life dynamic and so very interesting?

5. Look for the sunshine in the day. No matter what the day brings, be grateful for something - a little flower popping up out of a crack in the concrete driveway, a child smiling at his grandpa, a beautiful piece of fruit to eat. Life is rich and generous even if it doesn't feel that way at this moment - look for the gifts and be as grateful as you can that you are alive and can witness a lovely image or experience.

6. Events in life happen but the processing of their effect on us takes time. Be patient with yourself and give yourself a break from the tyranny of pursuit in life. You really don't have to 'do' anything today. Give yourself some 'gaps' in life. Take a breather and let that be OK.

BOTTOM LINE

Change what you can and if you can't change something, be sure to change the way you're looking at it so that you maintain a healthy frame of mind and a good flow of hormonal chemicals throughout your body.

Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. ~Philip K. Dick

Stay awake, alert, and aware - be aware of what may trip you up, how others may affect you, and what you need in order to stay strong - that is how we grow; YOU are the most important person in your life. The rest of the story is our teacher.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Transitioning-From-a-Slump-to-a-Good-Place&id=9852625

Abraham Hicks ~ Magical Ways To Receive Great Abundance

Remember Makakilo (By Denise Wallace)

I love the Law of Relativity because it really helps me to keep things in perspective. Knowing about this law has helped me to be aware of situations in my life and the things I am going through and be able to look at life with a new perspective, which really helps to keep my spirits up and focus on the good in everything going on. The Law of Relativity states as taught by Leslie Householder, "Your situation is not fundamentally good or bad until you compare it to something else." In reality we are the ones that tend to make a situation bad or good by how we perceive the situation. What may be a bad situation to one may seem wonderful to another.

When we first moved to Hawaii, we had been homeless for 2 months because we had sold our house earlier then expected. We lived in our trailer, hotels and basements of family and friends. It was a very difficult time because we did not have a place to call our own. Have you ever been on a trip for a week or two and had to stay with others? When you get home, you are so grateful to be home in your own space and can just relax, I know at least I am. After arriving in Hawaii, we had another month that we lived in a hotel before we found a home to move into. I remember being so grateful to have a place we could call home, but we very quickly realized that this home was not going to be suitable for our family and we would need to do something about it soon. Every time I had a really bad day, I was able to draw up memories of our situation when we were homeless and that is what helped me get through the hard times, because I was able to compare our current situation with another one that was worse. It helped me realize that our situation really was not so bad and we would have it figured out eventually. As our situation got worse in Makakilo, at least it felt that way to us, from a roach infested home, to my kids having no friends and being asked if they do drugs, long commutes, fighting, depression, and just bad vibes in our home. Life felt pretty bleak, but at least we had a home.

Now we are in a nice home and my kids are happy and thriving. One evening we were sitting down to dinner one evening and my family was getting really annoyed and even angry because the doorbell kept ringing and interrupting our dinner. It was kid after kid coming to the door to see if my boys could play. As I saw the anger rising in my family all I had to say was 2 words and it completely changed the atmosphere in our home in an instant. REMEMBER MAKAKILO!!! My whole family had such a bad experience living there for that short 2 months that all it takes is to remember what it was like and all of a sudden everyone is grateful for all the kids ringing and knocking at our door.

I have a friend who would talk about how hard her life situation was and her friend would always speak and say to her, "well I survived cancer". My friend said her response was always "You Win" and whatever she was going through just never seemed as bad.

Just as stated before our situations are not "good or bad it just is". We are the ones that start adding emotion and perspective to our situations and by comparing what we are going through with what someone else is going through can really help you to get through whatever it is you are going through.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Remember-Makakilo&id=10093122

I Love to Cry, What About You? (By Kathleen Dwyer-Blair )

When I say, I love to cry, I do not mean that I love to feel sad, hurt, grief, or disappointment. What I mean is that I love that I have a vehicle (tears) to move my sadness, hurt, grief and disappointment out of my body. I am grateful that I have become comfortable enough with crying that tears just naturally come when they need to.

In a recent article, I spoke about how much I love to laugh. Here I will be talking about how much I love to cry, and how cleansing, and important, it is to do so. Tears are our bodies way of releasing sadness, emotional pain, grief, frustration, anger, and yes, joy.

Stop Crying

Have you ever been so moved, or touched, by something someone said, or did, or experienced something so profound that you noticed you were tearing up? Did you allow yourself to cry freely, or did you suppress, or hide, your tears? So many of us find crying, or being with someone crying, uncomfortable.

How many times have we heard as a child, or adolescent, or even adult, "Don't cry"? This response implies there is something wrong with crying, that it is not okay to do so, or even more so, there is something wrong with us because we are crying. As opposed to the reality that tears are a natural response to distress.

Others of us have heard, or been asked, "What are you crying about?" Again, a clear message that something is wrong with the person who is crying. Or in dysfunctional families, some of us have heard, "If you don't stop crying, I'll give you something to cry about."

The Cleansing Gift of a Good Cry

Allowing ourselves to cry when the tears want to come is a gift we give ourselves. If we are with someone who feels the need to cry, allowing them to do so, and holding the space, is a gift we give them. So many of us push back our tears hoping we can contain them. Others feel sad, hurt, grief, and yet the tears are stuck and don't come. Our culture doesn't encourage and support crying, it's just the opposite-it discourages it. How many times have you noticed oneself, or someone else, crying and the person is immediately handed a tissue? This nonverbal gesture may imply, wipe your tears.

Your Tears are Welcome

In my psychotherapy office, although there are tissues on every table, I do not hand them to someone out of concern that they will misinterpret that I'm wanting them to stop crying. Instead I encourage someone who is crying by saying something like, "Just let that come. Your tears are very welcome here. It's okay."

Often, when I say this, the tears come in full force. Later when we process what happened I hear something like, "This is the first time, or one of the rare times, someone has been okay with my tears."

https://ezinearticles.com/?I-Love-to-Cry,-What-About-You?&id=9703524

An Unbelievable Story Of Failure And Persistence - Part 1 (By Sergei VanBellinghen)

Through this unbelievable story of failure and persistence, you realize that behind every success is an uneasy path. There are fiasco, embarrassing efforts, barriers, setbacks and even, drastic changes of direction. It always is the first awkward steps on the road to be successful in anything you undertake.

This story began in December 2005; I was comfortable with what I had, even if I knew I wanted more. At the time, I lived in Ukraine with my first wife, Marina. I needed some legal documents from Belgium, and for that, I had to meet my evil father which I did not see for twenty-five years. So I was reluctant to go.

For a time, I tried my best to ignore that little voice in my mind. But then, something strange began to happen. The more I tried, the more it felt like something I needed to do.

So instead of fighting my feeling, I gave in and embraced it. I had to make a trip from Ukraine to Belgium without much money. At the start, I had no idea how I was going to deal with all the obstacles and failure. I just knew I needed persistence, and so I set a date and decided to go for it.

My Story of Failure and Persistence Begins

A few days beforehand, I wrote down my goal on ten small pieces of paper and put them everywhere around the house. I had sufficient money to take the train from the city where I lived to Kiev in the cheapest wagon. It carries fifty-four people with no real separated compartment.

I had to keep building persistence on the way. The only thing remaining now was to take action. I planned to make my trip step by step and deal with whatever came my way. Next, I knew that with so little finances, my back would be against the wall. This way, there could not be any second thoughts like backing up.

Comfort is the leading killer of success. Nevertheless, I proceeded. When I arrived in Kiev, in the train station, I went to ask how much would be a ticket to the closest town of the Polish border, and it was the city of Lvov. I then understood my failure; I did not have enough money to continue my voyage.

The Next Step in My Persistence

I asked the cashier if she could reduce the price of the ticket, but she categorically refused. Here was the first barrier, but my persistence was still unshakable. As I walked away, a man accosted me. He said that he was a train conductor and had overheard my predicament. And with what little finances I had, he will get me a place in the train to Lvov.

He told me to come back at noon on platform one near the last wagon and to pay him when I was on the train. So I sat outside in the sun waiting for time to pass by. I met the conductor at the time required and followed him in the train. He gave me a ticket, said that place 51 was mine, and I gave him the money I had left.

I left Kiev around twelve-thirty. Then I tried to sell my watch to people on the train to reach the city of Warsaw, Poland but no one was remotely interested. It was another failure, but I had persistence. However, I understood that I would have no other choice but get off the train when on the border.

Persist or Fail

In the middle of the night, the train stopped two kilometers from the Polish border. The staff had to change the size of the wheels as in Europe the length of the train tracks differs from those in the former Soviet Union. While at the same time, the passport control agents passed by and asked for my passport.

At this point in my story, I will quickly summarize a couple of obstacles as to how my persistence resisted and overcame them. Ukrainian customs tried to get money from me as they usually do. But I was ready for that.

In Kiev before taking the train, I went to the police and told them that I had lost my wallet and was without money or credit cards. So they had to register my complaint and give me a document certifying that I had no money. I showed that paper to customs, and they left me without a word.

Persistence Opens the Door

The train conductor told me that it was time for me to get off the train. When I got off, it was a cold minus 16° Celsius (3° Fahrenheit). As I saw the lights of the Polish border, I started to walk along the road to get there not knowing what to do next. So far, I avoided failure and barriers in my way.

When I arrived on the border, I waited close to the cars that were leaving after customs check. I waited now for thirty minutes in the freezing cold and for persistence to open the door. Suddenly, a Polish customs agent came out of guard post and asked me what I was doing there waiting.

I explained somewhat my situation. The agent said that he would try to help me find a vehicle that was going towards Belgium. I saw him talk and ask so many cars to take me on board but no one accepted. As a result, I waited two more hours in the cold, and I remained strong. I then realized my eyes brows were frozen as well as my eyes lashes.

Persistence and Failure - Factors of Success

But I was determined, like a candle which refused to go off, even when it feels surrounded by a dark storm. A bus stopped, and the Polish customs agent called me up inviting to sit on the front of the bus going to Warsaw. How grateful I was for this young man!

It would take around four hours to reach Warsaw, and I did not want to think at that instant how to get further on my trip. I just wanted to rest for a while and let everything go, so I did. Yet, I had escaped another failure.

I can never be sure if it is the pattern of the subconscious brain, or if it is the law of attraction. But what I do know is that if you set any goal and have so much persistence that finds a way when failure arises, success is pretty much guaranteed.

A Summary of Persistence, Failure, and Belief

It was around eight o'clock in the morning when we arrived at destination, the train station in the center of Warsaw, Poland. But more was to come to test my persistence and see if I could persist over failure. And like it is such a long story, I will continue part two in next Saturday's post.

It is the ultimate success formula as any success expert would call it. I also call it the law of attraction. You may call it the will of God if you wish. Name it whatever you believe it to be. But you need to realize that if you want something, anything, you can accomplish it.

No matter if you believe in the afterlife, you live only once as far as I know and time is running out fast. So be who you want to be and have persistence in all that you desire. It is better to try your best, rather than to have regrets when on your deathbed. So accept failure and make persistence part of your life.

https://ezinearticles.com/?An-Unbelievable-Story-Of-Failure-And-Persistence---Part-1&id=9832434

10 minutes of gratitude

Are Anxious Thoughts Controlling You?

Anxiety is not an uncommon occurrence. However, it becomes a problem, when our anxious thoughts prevent us from performing routine tasks or keep us from pursuing our dreams and goals.

Feeling anxious, starts as a thought. The anxiety that a thought generates, can come on so quickly, that sometimes, we cannot discern which came first. Feelings are like a built-in GPS. They let us know when our thinking is on-track or off-track. Off-track feelings keep us revved up, angry, fearful and tense. We cannot think clearly and we shut-down. On-track thoughts energize us in a way that is focused, but not frenetic. When our thoughts are on-track, we feel peaceful, content, grateful, we have compassion for those around us, and we are more creative.

If something that happened in the past, is tormenting you or holding you hostage, I can imagine the stress you are feeling. I have experienced it myself. If you are tired of the limiting hold that a past experience has on your life, I hope you will open your mind to the possibility that the path to freedom lies within you.

The past is nothing more than shadows on a wall. It exists only in our thoughts. We get ourselves in trouble, when we drag a past event in to the present and treat it as if it were happening today. A painful memory that controls us to the point that we cannot leave our home, or do the things we want to do, indicates that we are focusing too much energy on something that is nothing more than a thought.

We misuse the wonderful gift of thought, when we use it to torture, scare and paralyze ourselves. We put ourselves into a state of distress, when we give too much attention to our thoughts, or take our thoughts too seriously. We berate ourselves for past mistakes and then wonder why we feel bad.

So, what can we do about thoughts that cause us distress? Should we replace them with positive thoughts? You try to do that, but I believe that is way too much work. Actually, troublesome thoughts will evaporate on their own, when we do not put our attention on them. When we stop giving so much attention to thoughts that scare us, our anxiety will subside, maybe even vanish. It's that easy.

You know as well as I do, that giving attention to anxiety producing thoughts, does not benefit you in any way. More than likely, focusing on those thoughts, has the opposite impact on your well-being. It is not a matter of letting go of unpleasant thoughts, as much as it is a matter of not grabbing on to them in the first place. I know it sounds too simple, but give it a try. You have nothing to lose, but your anxiety.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Are-Anxious-Thoughts-Controlling-You?&id=9896263

Are The Highly Successful Really Superheroes? (By Daniel Brennan)

I spoke to a friend recently, who was struggling with some actions he had been taking that he didn't particularly like. He said he was struggling with X and that put him in a bad frame of mind which led him to feel poorly about himself and he felt like he was in a slow spiral; one which needed intervening. We spoke for a while and came to some conclusions. One line of our conversation struck me, and it is a belief system that many people hold to be true and it is that we compare the worst in ourselves to the best of what we see in others. Read that again... The best of what "we see in others"... As Descartes has pointed out, our main source of knowledge, our senses are often erroneous and therefore must be doubted. Seeing the best in someone therefore should be doubted and critically analyzed as best we can.

Perception or Reality?

The line that stood out to me was "I see you, living your life in America, you've written a book and are having a great time". To which I replied, "we compare the worst in ourselves to the best in other people". Have I been having a great time? Absolutely, but that is immaterial. A great time doesn't always mean happiness. My friend, lets call him Albert (you know his second name but that must be disclosed) was slightly taken aback when I told him, "don't worry, I've been in your position before".

In spring of 2014, I left my golf scholarship behind and moved back to Ireland. Upset, lost and full of B.S, I thought I had everything figured out. I figured, college is only a system and a business which churns out graduates that go into low paying jobs to repay the debt, which they racked up in their 4-6 years in college. I still believe this is the case but I now see through that and realize that the benefits of college are most often not from the college itself but from the people you meet, the places you go and the experiences you have. After moving home I wrote a book, another 'success', which my friend saw in me. Little did he know that when writing the book, I was upset, lost and extremely angry with myself. Later, after writing and publishing the book, which got some recognition from golfers and people I look up to, I started a company, which again was another 'success' in my life. Again, I grew more and more anxious, upset and uneasy with myself. In the summer of 2015, I decided to go back to college and pursue that dream again because I figured I must right the wrongs of my first attempt and I figured that the problem was not me, but the circumstances in which I found myself. Again, from the outside looking in, this probably seemed great and seemed like wow; Daniel is doing well for himself again... but... one month in and FLOP... Major flop. I came home for a few weeks in early October to get my head right which I did. Of course, my first attempt at university stateside had absolutely nothing to do with circumstance but rather a young cocky head on young shoulders led me astray and going back with a slightly altered but still not clear mindset was setting me up for failure yet again. Thankfully, it didn't.

Hmmmmm...

You're now thinking, "well thanks for your life story over the last three years but I really don't care", and I agree. You shouldn't. But there is a lesson in there. As my friend was on the outside looking in; all he saw was success, happiness and a guy who was literally, living his dream. From the inside looking out it was much different. All I saw was a guy who was upset with himself, angry with himself and frustrated with the lack of progress he was making in his life. I saw a guy who was a hindrance to society and someone who probably wouldn't be missed too much if he was no longer here. While this example is trivial, what it points to is absolutely essential in our overall wellbeing.

Seeing Through Your Biases

As we build our perceptions of other people, we often forget that everyone is facing a battle you know nothing about and I believe this is quite evident over the past three years. The media helps build sport stars and celebrities as superheroes and constantly reminds us of the crises our world is in. We are made believe that we are in this whirlwind for the long run and we can't get out and that somehow, the celebrities are immune to any distress or sadness. We are taught to look up to the people we want to be like as if they can do no wrong and we are made believe in an all-powerful, all loving being who can also do no wrong. We are made to believe that our life is set out for us and we have no bearing on the direction or outcome of each and every day. All of these societal biases lead us down a path that make us compare the worst in ourselves to the best we see in others and that is what makes us feel less powerful, more jealous and more insecure. We put our lack of success down to not being the chosen one and we often say we don't have the resources. We have thoughts like, "well if I grew up like him/her, I'd have done even more than they have". But the question is rarely about a lack of resources but a lack of resourcefulness. Although success and happiness should not be determined by achievement, we are made believe that the best at their craft are the happiest and that they live life in a bubble which is all roses and glory. I can't say it isn't as I am not the best at any of my crafts, but the more I learn and listen to other successful people, the more I realize that they are no different to you or me in that they battle with the same self-defeating thoughts as we do.

Nobody Is Perfect!

So how exactly does one deal with this unhealthy comparison? I would recommend being mindful about the fact that everyone is going through a battle that you know nothing about. I would also recommend being grateful as often as possible. Being grateful may sound a little woo woo and I know it will. The reason behind this is because "it can't be that simple" but there is a big difference between simple and easy to do. If, every morning you can write down three things you're grateful for, while trying not to repeat the same things in any three day stretch, you'll soon realize that the world is mostly a beautiful place to live in and we are simply looking in the wrong places for the wrong things and finding the wrong answers. If you continue to look toward the right things i.e. gratitude, you'll begin to notice more thing to be grateful for and you will see through your perceptual biases.

Stay hungry, stay humble.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Are-The-Highly-Successful-Really-Superheroes?&id=9472609

Taming The Monster In You

There is a monster in every man. It is only a matter of time and event before it is unleashed either by self, people or other means. It is like the negative photographic film of a beautiful picture. You will agree with me that no one wants to appear the way he/she is in the negative film - it looks ugly, evil and horrific; nobody would like to upload it as a profile picture. The negative photographic film is the direct opposite of you and so is your monster.

The angry mode of every man when activated is destructive no matter how gentle he used to be. If you don't believe me, ask some people who ended up in court, prison and hospital about the anger-provoking situation that led them there. You cannot destroy the monster because 'IT'S IN YOU' and is always there. Just like you always need the negative film to print more pictures of the same kind. You can only do one thing, 'SUPPRESS IT'. No matter how hard you are pushed, DON'T BE TEMPTED TO UNLEASH YOUR MONSTER.

The urge to drift to your negative part is a strong one. It's a tendency you need to check. You have to fight back and fight hard to overcome it. If you were shown a video of yourself in a destructive state, you won't probably like a playback. Usually, the monster in you is louder than the angel in you. When you do something wrong, it's never the work of the devil, it is the suggestion of the devil; you only choose which part of you accepts it. When you are facing the consequence of your actions, the devil will be innocent.

For instance, when you observe most of our leaders, you can tell which part of them is in charge of funds - the monstrous right? Yes, that egocentric part that always wants to amass the wealth and starve the citizens. But they were once followers like you and I, craving for equity and justice.

In the heat of a dispute, imagine you saying to a barren woman, "no wonder you never had kids" or to a dull kid, "you can never make it" or to a jobless man, "you can never succeed" or to the sick, "you'll never recover". Even when they forgive you, they will never forget such cruel words. The only good thing is - only God's words never fall to the ground, yours can, so stop wasting your saliva. Just like the CPU of a computer, humans use their brains to process words and unlike the CPU, we interpret it differently. The words spoken are indestructible and even when scores are eventually settled; the wrong words continually linger and hurt the recipients.

When a lady says, "I hate men", find out if she was a rape victim. When a guy says, "I dislike women", find out if he suffered multiple heart breaks. When a young girl says, "I will distribute this HIV to all men", find out how she contracted it. These people are acting on the basis that the monsters in them have been unleashed.

Let me paint a scenario; if someone hits you hard and you bear the pain and walk away, you may live peacefully for another 50 years or more. If you retaliate on the other hand and you both resort to a higher degree of violence which escalates into the use of weapons, you'll probably spend the next 50 years of your life in jail or be bedridden and that is if you manage to escape death. Why not let's leave the probabilities for the mathematicians to solve and move on with our lives.

If you want to be remembered by someone forever, hurt him/her enough to imprint a scar that cannot be erased. Your name will always crop up anytime the person has to narrate his ordeal throughout his/her life time. Unfortunately, you will only be remembered for something gruesome.

I could remember my childhood days when playing as kids led to the accidental knocking out of the front tooth of a friend who boasted that he wouldn't fall down no matter how hard I pushed him standing on one leg. Unfortunately for us, it was a permanent tooth and now when he smiles at me, I weep in my heart. It was an unintentional incidence that led to an irreparable loss, I am only grateful he stays miles away from me to free me from guilt.

So friends, now that you know the consequences of unleashing your monster, it is imperative for you to learn how to deliberately put it under subjection, you have to TAME THE MONSTER in you. Ask God to help you, smile always and STAY POSITIVE!

https://ezinearticles.com/?Taming-The-Monster-In-You&id=7769301

Living Among Known People And Places, Yet Lonely

People and places are familiar and intimate yet very strange hence, aloofness encompasses the individuals. Does it happen to groups or is it a common phenomenon among people from all walks of life? Subsequently, a question arises why such a thing happens? If so, is there any reason and what remedies our pundits offer? Here, we must prod over the nitty-gritty of our mindset and circumstances in which we grow. It is appropriate to dive deep into a stanza from "Psalm of Life," by Henry Wordsworth Longfellow and explore. People then avoid vulnerable and painful incidents and adopt meaningful outcome benefiting humanity. This will happen when people understand realities and remained content and be grateful.

"Lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime,

And, departing, leave behind us

Footprints on the sands of time."

It requires serious thinking within and outside the bonds of families, friends and other personalities. Any deviation from facts and phenomena will jeopardize the structure of our relationship and leads towards chaos and commotion. The reason is very simple; if we remained attached to materialist values and weigh our relationship accordingly, then imbalance sets in. Consequently, we become impatient and arrogant and that is the beginning of fissures in an otherwise homogenous relationship. The only thing remains are footprints upon sand of time. The flood tide will wash away the history and vacuum haunts us for rest of our lives. This is called the defocused abnormality causing inability to observe nuances of volatility of greed.

People have experienced over the past, and it is more pronounced in this era, the so-called modernization. The most obvious and distinct factor which has affected humanity was greed. It is also affecting now in a camouflage way. Analyzing further reveals that the greatest menace to our society is western capitalism. This is the story of have and have not, and the voracity to take control of land and people. The laws and regulations are enacted and implemented to suit the few at the cost of many.

The need of the hour is to realize and comprehend the volatility and stability within the frame work of existence. If we failed to achieve spiritual freedom, then all materialistic attractions will shackle us leaving vacuum in our existence. The points to ponder are the cultural and rituals; these two factors should synchronize with doctrine of faith objectively. Here, we must take precautions to avoid that these two factors should not trespass each other's threshold. Thereby, the main purpose and values of doctrine are not relegated under the shadow of cultural rituals and practices.

Analyzing the circumstances, we see how these wealthy people alter the life-style of the poor and middle class? They offer them a loan to procure the essential and non-essential things and discourage them from saving. The propaganda and advertisement divert the attention away from the necessities and indulge them in the extravaganza. The comfort zone of common man is to live within his means and savings. Alas! He has now become the victim of wealthy people's evil design. He has fallen into a vicious circle of debt and remained until his demise.

Whatever has conspired and transpired in the minds of elite has successfully transformed between the poor and made them vulnerable. The reason as to why the poor man loses his cool and carried away uncontrolled is debatable. The answer is very simple and crystal clear. The most volatile reason is the elite's molecular touch with support from advertisement, and celebrity's presence, makes all the difference. The innocent victim is the man who drifts in the wilderness of materialistic greed and attachment. He then forgets his roots and adopts the unrealistic life-style. It leaves no other choice but drifts in the uncharted waters of chaos, confusion and uncertainties.

The realities of life with strong conviction and firm determination of consciousness will overcome the greed. However, the differentiation and integration of materialistic values pose a serious threat to simplicity and simple living of middle class. Alas! The environments and society's glitter has made them a victim of their unrealistic desires. Thus, the unfulfilled desired and failed expectations from near and dear one alike has made them lonely.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Living-Among-Known-People-And-Places,-Yet-Lonely&id=9664338

Lessons I Learned From My Car Accident (By Anne Theriault)

I was recently involved in a bad auto accident and I find myself wondering what life lesson this had for me. That was a huge eye opener on life and that in a blink of an eye it could all be gone... just like that.

I was knocked unconscious by the impact and the air bag so the good thing is I don't remember anything about the accident. My first memory is lying in the back of the ambulance being given oxygen as the paramedics tried to bring me back from my unconscious state.

As I lay in the emergency room, I found myself analyzing my life and thanking God that I was still alive. The good news is, nobody else was hurt and my dog Casey wasn't with me.

Since that day, the physical recovery has been difficult, but not as difficult as the emotional recovery. I have learned a lot about myself and about what really matters in this world.

I am not invincible and I cannot control everything that happens in my life. I gotta learn to let go of the reins a bit and just go with the flow. I need to be better about accepting the things that come my way that I didn't plan for. And still be a better person after.

As someone who is in constant motion, it taught me to slow down a little.

I have learned to live each day honestly and fully.

I feel blessed and am very grateful that I have family and neighbors who stepped in to help me cope with this ordeal. There are so many good people in this world. Sometimes we get so caught up in the drama of world news, politics, social media and current events, we forget to look at the big picture. Look for the good in everyone... everyone is dealing with something we don't know about.

If you have a bucket list... start doing those things. If you don't have a bucket list... make one. We all have dreams and aspirations for ourselves and for our family. Waiting for "someday"... well, that "someday" may never come.

As I continue to heal physically and emotionally, I have a different perspective on life. The things that matter in life are not "things." When tragedy strikes, you can either let it break your spirit, or use it as an opportunity to grow and look at life with a different perspective.

I have chosen to grow from it.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Lessons-I-Learned-From-My-Car-Accident&id=9900620