Focusing Your Mind On The Positive

We all go through some tough times in life, that’s just life; it can’t always be a bed of roses. However life is what you make it and by staying positive through the bad times as well as the good can make all the difference and gets you through the tough times with a smile.

But the big question is “how do you stay positive when things get tough?” Staying upbeat at times like this is the last thing on your mind, but it should be the first, you need to think positively now more than ever.

The key to staying positive is to take your mind off your problems and worries and re-energizing your mind, this is especially true when you are having a bad day and you feel sorry for yourself and want to sit down and cry. Here are some excellent tips for keeping a positive outlook in life no matter what’s going around you.

• If you find yourself around those who are negative then break free from them, negativity has a way of passing from person to person and they will drag you down with them.

• Don’t sit in front of the TV for hours at a time, the news is depressing, cop shops feature violence and death and negativity in some form is found on almost every show. If you do watch TV go for the more positive program such as a nature documentary showing the wonderful world in all its glory or a comedy.

• Spend as much time as you can with your family and loved ones, do something together which you all enjoy and aim to have a family night at least once a week where you can spend quality time together.

• In times when you are feeling particularly low and negativity starts to creep in, listen to a motivational CD or repeat positive affirmations to yourself to bring back a positive attitude.

• Take time out each day to just do something that you enjoy doing that doesn’t require you to make choices or decisions, something which relaxes you to the fullest.

• Try doing something that you wouldn’t normally do, something that is totally unlike you and out of character, take up a new hobby or sport that you would never have dreamed of doing.

• Get some exercise, this could be something as simply taking a walk in the fresh air and is totally free or go to the gym or taking part in activities such as yoga.

• Set yourself goals in order to get ahead and when you accomplish a goal give yourself a small reward for doing so

• Learn techniques that allow you to bring your attention and focus back to the task on hand quickly.

• Use affirmations throughout the day to instill self-confidence and positive thoughts and feelings.

• Always look for the best in bad situations, while things might not be what we expect if you look hard enough you may find they are not as bad as they seem to be.

• Remember that the situation won’t last forever, this is only a temporary stage you are going through and it will get better.

6 Ways to Mine Your Dreams for Answers

Try these tips to remember your dreams more vividly and make the most of their problem-solving potential

Start on a weekend: Dreams are best remembered when you wake without an alarm; that way, you'll likely wake from REM sleep, and your dream will be fresh in your mind, says psychologist and dream researcher Rosalind Cartwright, Ph.D., of Rush University Medical Center.

Sharpen your recall: Before you nod off, tell yourself your dreams matter and you want to remember them. Stating your intention is the first step toward enhancing dream recall, says G. William Domhoff, Ph.D., a dream researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz. "If you think they're unimportant, you'll forget them the instant you wake up."

Sleep on an easy one: Begin with something simple, like how to fit an oversize sofa into your overstuffed living room. Slowly work your way up to more intricate problems, like how to resolve a childhood issue with your sister. When Deirdre Barrett, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School, asked college students to solve problems in their sleep, nearly half of the volunteers who chose a moderately easy problem dreamed a solution within a week. But their success rate ebbed as the problems became more complicated.

Stay on track: Make the question the last thing you think about before nodding off.

"As you drift to sleep, you're very suggestible; it's a bit like a hypnotic trance," says Barrett. Use this time to conjure up your problem. Sum it up in one or two short sentences. If possible, put an object representing the quandary on a bedside table. If not, call to mind a clear image of the issue -- just make sure it's the last thing you mull over.

Write it down: Keep a pad of paper and a pen next to your bed. Upon waking, take a moment to lie quietly. Glance around the outskirts of your consciousness to see if a dream is lurking. "If a fragment comes into your head, gently follow it backward," says Domhoff. "We usually remember our dreams in reverse." So, like a loose piece of yarn, a dream may unravel if you tug gently on one end.

Keep still: If you wake up in the middle of a dream, mimic the body in REM sleep by staying still. During REM sleep, muscles are paralyzed, a protective mechanism that keeps you from socking your partner when you reach out to grab a flyaway Frisbee. Use this time to think about the dream and trace its story line. Give the dream a title before you open your eyes, says Cartwright, because when the mind is awake, it's more likely to remember a short catch-phrase than the visual images. Then write down as much as you can remember.

Famous Dreamers

In her book, "The Committee of Sleep," dream researcher Deirdre Barrett, Ph.D., recounts stories of celebrities and historical figures who've successfully mined their dreams for gold.

Billy Joel: The singer/songwriter says he often dreams musical arrangements; he's gone so far as to say, "I know all the music I've composed has come from a dream."

Annamaria Gundlach: This artist found over time that she could design pots by waiting to see the next one in a dream. She observed its shape and size; it would usually be embedded with everyday objects such as nails and fabric, and she would faithfully re-create it. Her major traveling show was called Dreams in Clay.

Paul Horowitz: A real-life version of Jodie Foster's character in the movie "Contact," he's a Harvard physics professor whose passion is designing telescopes to hunt for evidence of extraterrestrials. When he's building a new one and gets stuck on a technical glitch, he'll dream he's looking over the shoulder of a man solving the very problem that has stumped him.

Frederick Banting: This Canadian doctor dreamed a way to isolate insulin and, therefore, make diabetes treatable.

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley: On a rainy night in 1816, Lord Byron challenged his houseguests to write a horror story. That night, Shelley dreamed the basis for what would become her best-selling novel, "Frankenstein."

Paul McCartney: In 1965, the 22-year-old Beatle dreamed the melody of the song "Yesterday." Upon waking, he immediately sat down and played it on the piano.

Stephen King: The prolific writer of grisly tales admits that he's reaped images from his vivid dreamscapes for his novels and short stories, including Salem's Lot and It.

Katherine Mansfield: An unusual dream experience became her successful short story Sun and Moon. It is an impressionistic tale seen through the eyes of a 5-year-old boy. "I dreamed it all," she said.

The Myth of the Million Dollar Psychic Challenge

For ten years, the modern skeptical movement has wielded a cudgel against claims of the paranormal: the James Randi Million Dollar Challenge. In many debates over the possibility of psi abilities, the Challenge provides a final word for one side... "has so-and-so applied for the Challenge?"

The financial reward offered by the James Randi Educational Foundation is seen by many skeptics as providing an irresistible motivation for anybody with paranormal ability - after all, if someone could genuinely exhibit such powers, surely they would step forward to take the million?

However, after ten years, the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) says nobody has even got past their preliminary testing. Furthermore, none of the 'big fish' - medium John Edward, spoon-bender Uri Geller, psychic Sylvia Browne - have applied. And now, perhaps as a result of that fact, James Randi has announced that the Challenge will come to an end in two years, on March 6th, 2010.

But does the challenge really make a statement about the existence of the paranormal and/or psi abilities? According to paranormal investigator Loyd Auerbach (who, like Randi, is a member of the magic fraternity):

The suggestion that ending the Challenge after 10 years supports any statement that psi does not exist or someone would have won the challenge, is absurd on many levels."

The procedures for the Challenge included several hurdles in favor of, and multiple "outs" for Randi and the JREF that any discerning individual capable of any kind of extraordinary human performance would think twice about (and here I'm not just referring to psychics and the like).

What are these hurdles that Auerbach refers to?

Chances, of Anything...

First, and perhaps the most important, is the effect size required to win the challenge. While the JREF says that "all tests are designed with the participation and approval of the applicant", this does not mean that the tests are fair scientific tests.

The JREF need to protect a very large amount of money from possible "long-range shots", and as such they ask for extremely significant results before paying out - much higher than are generally accepted in scientific research (and if you don’t agree to terms, your application is rejected). In the case of parapsychological research, however, where effect size is often small (though apparently robust), this means most researchers would have to go to extraordinary lengths to win the million dollars. As one psi researcher pointed out to me:

In the ganzfeld telepathy test the meta-analytic hit rate with unselected subjects is 32% where chance expectation is 25%. If that 32% hit rate is the "real" telepathy effect, then for us to have a 99% chance of getting a significant effect at p <>

Furthermore, applicants must first pass a 'preliminary test', before they are allowed to progress to the actual 'formal' test which pays the million dollars. So an applicant must first show positive results in a preliminary test (yielding results against chance of at least 1000 to 1, apparently), then once through to the next stage they would then have to show positive results against much higher odds to claim the prize (by all reports, at odds of around 1 million to 1). Failure in either test means no cash prize, and a fail beside their name. It many respects it would be like telling a professional golfer to shoot 63 around Augusta National, then come back and shoot 59, to prove that he can play golf. In the words of Chris Carter, author of Parapsychology and the Skeptics:

If Randi were genuinely interested in testing unusual claims, then he would also not insist upon odds of at least one million to one against chance for the results. Anyone familiar with scientific studies will be aware that experimental results against chance of say, 800,000 to one would be considered extraordinary; but results this high would be, according to Randi, a “failure.”

Dr Michael Sudduth of San Francisco State University also pointed out to me a wonderful irony in one of the rules. Challenge rule #3 states: "We have no interest in theories nor explanations of how the claimed powers might work." As Sudduth puts it: “Curiously, Randi's challenge itself is saddled with assumptions of this very kind. The challenge makes little sense unless we assume that psi is the sort of thing that, if genuine, can be produced on demand, or at least is likely to manifest itself in some perspicuous manner under the conditions specified by the challenge.”

The 3 Simple, Yet Critical, Steps to a Millionaire Mindset

1. The first step towards gaining a millionaire mindset is realizing that you have the absolute right to be successful. If you think you don’t deserve wealth and money and abundance then you will never have it! You must realize your worth and realize that you are capable of anything that you set your mind to.

If you think of yourself as a victim or think the world owes you something then you will never have anything more than you have now.

Victims always remain victims.

The world will give you anything you want, you just have to go out and get it…victims don’t do this, they are far happier complaining about what they don’t have than actively searching for a solution to their problems.

Just wanting something enough and realizing that you are worth everything you want is the first step to your new wealth attraction mindset.

2. People often assume that if you want money then you are greedy!

They are Wrong!

It means that you have ambition and seek change. If you didn’t have ambition then you would be happy making a pittance in any mind-numbing dead-end job.

Imagine the people you could help if you had enough money. Imagine the charities you could support, or even start! You could help out your parent’s, your siblings, the poor, and the destitute, and the hungry! So really you’re being mighty selfish if you don’t strive to make the most money you can, to be the best person you can be.

When you think these ways you are charging the idea of money with positive energy. You are subconsciously saying ‘I have to make lots of money so I can help my mother, so I can donate to the Red Cross, and the children of Africa.’ Therefore making money and being rich isn’t bad at all, it is vital!

The second step towards your millionaire mindset is to actively change your thinking from ‘negative’ to ‘positive’. Our subconscious mind is one of the most powerful things in the universe and negative thoughts affect the running of this great machine. They clog it up with self doubt, self pity, and guilt, and they ruin any chance of wealth attraction.

Many people often destroy their chances of wealth creation because even before they begin they are subconsciously thinking, ‘It will be too hard’, ‘I could never possibly do that’ and ‘I’m scared of the consequences’.

These secret thoughts ruin any possibility of success. You need to constantly be programming your mind with positive affirmations and thoughts to propel you along the road to sustainable wealth creation. Repeating positive statements will verify in your own mind that you are on a constructive and worthwhile quest for riches.

So thoughts like ‘I will make it, it’s not too difficult, and I am an amazing individual who deserves wealth and abundance in everything I do’ will energize your mind and keep you optimistic and pointing in the right direction.

3. The final step you must take to accumulate wealth and own your millionaire mindset is education! You must study the strategies of those already rich; they are the ones with the answers. You must understand how to put in place different plans to make the most possible money you can, you must be a smart investor and smart investors invest in their own education before anything else.

Find mentors that will teach you, attend seminars that will encourage you, read books that are suggested and recommended.

You need to start associating with people who have either already gained a millionaire mindset or with those who are on the same road to riches you are on. It may seem mean or harsh but it is crucial to drop any person that does not enrich your life. This doesn’t have to be done in a hasty or spiteful way but it must be done.

It doesn’t matter if they are the life of the party, if you do not benefit from your relationship you must move on from them, otherwise you will grow stagnant and lose sight of the road to wealth.

The further you tread the path to wealth the more you will realize that you only want to hang out with like minded individuals, ones with positive energy and open minds, ones who will take a well thought out chance.

Ones who are not afraid to face up to life and demand what they want. Ones, whom you will continually learn from, and don’t worry about being a user and taking too much from these people, for they in turn will learn from you. As much as you seem to take, you won’t be able to do anything else but give it back.

So these three steps:

• Realisation,
• Active positive thinking, and
• Education.

Are the crucial steps that you need to start you on your wealth creation way. They are the baby steps that you must take before you can begin striding down, and eventually sprinting down, the road to wealth creation, abundance and a better lifestyle for you and all those you love.

About The Author

Laurence D’Ambrosio is an active seeker of wealth. He graduated from Jamie McIntyre’s Internet Marketing Homestudy program; the tactics he learned from Jamie allowed him to cut down his 9-5 job to 3 days a week.

Mind over Muscle

Embarking on a physical training program brings rewards that can be achieved by little else. Whether exercising to stay fit, feel good, or just to look terrific, you can add power to your efforts by employing the insights and techniques used by high-achievers to obtain that 'look' you've always dreamed of!

Before beginning your journey on the road to fitness you must realise that you are in total control and therefore should have a real desire to be fit. A wishy-washy approach to fitness, or anything else for that matter, usually ends in failure. It is therefore wise to keep yourself motivated.

By realising that the power of your decision adds much weight to the acquirement of any objective, you should fire yourself with enthusiasm for the task ahead.

The first and most important factor to employ is to release any past failures from your mind. Dwelling on past failures will only have an adverse affect on your current training.

If such thoughts occur ask yourself the question "why did I fail?" Perhaps you set your goals too high and they thus became unrealistic. Or your time frame for achieving your goals was too short or too long. Or perhaps you were just plain lazy! Whatever the reason look at it in an objective manner and learn from your mistakes. Do it differently this time.

A major problem that is constantly rearing its ugly head is lack of enthusiasm. Almost every keep-fit enthusiast suffers from this dreaded state at one time or another, from championship bodybuilders to first-time aerobics students. There is only one simple rule to follow when confronted with this negative state of mind - re-motivate yourself!

They key to this is being specific in your goals. Have a clear vision of what way you want to look and feel when you have achieved your objective. Cut and tape a picture of your head over a picture of your ideal body type if you must, but be clear in your own head where you are going and what you will achieve.

Also set smaller goals that easily show you have been making progress. Make note of your goal achievements. Write them down. Once you are feeling a lack of enthusiasm then look back at how far you have come.

Visualise your objective often or at least twice a day. Tell yourself that you are doing well and reward yourself when you reach a goal. This will increase your self-esteem and keep your motivation high.

If some negative situation arises don't look at it as a problem but view it as a challenge. As you overcome your own inner and outer obstacles you will have proved that you are a success. Success breeds success so review your progress and modify your goals to be more challenging.

The potential to achieve anything is within you. Whether the end result of your training efforts is success or failure it is your choice. Give 100% and you will receive 100%.

Using Your Mind Power To Achieve Your Desires

All human Beings were born with a boundless and immeasurable power. It is this power that has made you what you are today, and it is the power that will make you what you will be in a year, two years, five years etc.

All things got started with a thought. And it is this thought that is the power in you. Personal Development practitioners call this power - Mind Power. Mere thoughts are so powerful that it can turn into something tangible. All you have to do is to focus your mind into thinking in the right manner and this can make you achieve what you want to achieve.

If there is anything you desire that you feel you cannot have, what you need to do is tap into your Mind Power. The boundless and immeasurable power of your mind is richly endowed to provide your desire, in a matter of time.

Your first step in achieving your desire is to develop a passion. How much passion do you have for the thing you desire. Thinkers say Passion is Power! Create a strong passion for the thing you want, in your mind and in your actions.

Be clear in your mind the exact thing you want. Be specific about it. If it is a car you want, you must be definite about it - the type, model etc. Focus your mind about the exterior, the paint. The interior décor, the steering wheel, the upholstery. Fasten your mind on these details.

Visualise your desire. Use your mind to see how the car moves. See yourself entering the car, starting the car and driving it round your town, and waving to friends and acquaintances. Feel the enjoyment you want in the car.

Believe all these visualizations. See yourself actually owning the car, and all these becoming a reality.

From time to time, during your visualizations you will receive a spark of message to do one thing or the other. These are Inspired Actions. Take these actions without hesitations. These are actions demanded by the Universal Supreme Intelligence, after your subconscious has communicated your passion to Him, and He has communicated back to your subconscious mind.

Take these inspired actions and in a matter of time your desire will come true.

Abu Aremu is an internet marketer and motivator. He writes on many topics including guides to positive mental attitudes and how to achieve greater heights in life. You can read life changing articles and resources from him at http://www.positiveselftalkguide.com and contact him to receive tips on how to improve your positive self talk by sending blank mail to abu@positiveselftalkguide.com

How to Adopt the Winner’s Mindset

‘Everybody here has the ability to do absolutely anything I do and much more beyond. Some of you will and some of you won’t. For the ones who won’t, it will be because you get in your own way, not because the world doesn’t allow you’ – Warren Buffett.

I start off with this famous quote by one of the richest man in the world – Warren Buffett, the legendary multi billionaire who accumulated his wealth solely through investments. How would you like to be in control of your life and the results you create? To be able to change the people around you, the results you produce and even how you feel? Sounds too good to be true? Certainly not.

Most people blame their external circumstances for everything that does not go their way. They tend to attribute their failure to reasons like ‘The economy has been down’, ‘Luck has been cruel on me’, ‘My boss doesn’t like me’. However, the truth is, in order to succeed, you have got to take absolute responsibility for whatever happens. Only when you take full responsibility for whatever happens will you have the ability to change it. This is the secret to putting yourself into a position of absolute power. Therefore, stick by this motto: The extent to which you take responsibility over something is the extent to which you have control over it.

Therefore, ask yourself this question now ‘What is the reason you are not rich yet?’ If your reasons are something like ‘I’ve got no time’, ‘I’ve got no luck’, its time to change your mindset. You see, there are two kind of mindsets people can adopt. The first is the ‘Victim’s Mindset’. People with this mindset will give excuses whenever they fail. They tend to blame everyone or anything else except for themselves. They give excuses like ‘If only I have more time’, ‘If only my wife can be more understanding’. Therefore, they are often in a position of helplessness and they are not in control of whatever happens in their life.

So, since adopting the victim’s mindset is indeed detrimental to one’s success, why do so many people still choose to adopt it? The reason is because playing victim makes one feel good. Sure enough, whenever you are complaining about someone or something else, you tend to win a lot of sympathy. Similarly, complaining will also justify your failure and make you feel better. However, what people don’t realize is that it also rob ourselves of the power to take charge and change our destiny.

Thus, what kind of mindset should one adopt? And what is the mindset that the most successful people adopt? The answer is, the ‘Winner’s Mindset’. People who adopt this mindset take absolute responsibility for all that happens in their life. Therefore, they are in control of their results and success. They believe that they create their wealth and success and hence they can change it. When things do not go their way, they do not blame their bosses or on the lack of luck Rather, they remain empowered and positive even in the most dire of circumstances and they seek ways to improve the circumstances.

Hence, always remember this important lesson: ‘For things to change, I must change first!’. The moment you acknowledge the fact that you create your fortune, it means you have given yourself power to take charge and start becoming rich now! When you go on to learn the strategies of wealth creation, you will learn you can indeed be rich at any age or with as little educational or financial background.

About The Author

Calvin Woon is a motivational speaker who loves to educate people on how to create massive wealth through tested and proven wealth creation programs. To find out more on how you can create massive wealth too, visit http://tinyurl.com/fbpy9

Mind Over Matter

Mind over matter could mean the difference between winning and losing.

To be a winner you must think like a winner and believe with all your heart that you are a winner.

If you have the slightest doubts as to your ability to win then forget about what ever project you are thinking about.

Your state of mind is the centre of your being, if you have a strong belief in yourself plus the desire to succeed you will succeed.

If you think you are beaten, you are,

If you think you dare not, you don't,

If you want to win but you think you can't,

It is almost certain you won't,

Mind over matter. If your thoughts run along those lines above you are a loser, and you will stay a loser, unless you take the decision to change your state of mind.

You might be at your wits end without a cent to your name and because of this state you are at a low ebb.

Your mind is telling you that you are finished and your life will never change for the better.

You must start off by realising that you have reached the bottom of the pit and the only way you can go now is up.

It may be slow, but it must be sure.

Start imagining that you have loads of money and work out what you will do with the money, straight away your mind will start lighten.

This is the day when you must take the decision to start on that road upwards.

You must desire something, and I mean really desire it. It might be a job, or a way to start making money, you need to get your self esteem back in order.

Start by believing in yourself, You are as good as the next person and if they can do it so can you.

Get a pen and paper and sit down and write a list of all the things you can do and the things you think, you can do.

One of the easiest ways to get started for a man who is out of work and down to his last cent is this. ( this idea just sprang into my mind)

First of all spruce yourself up. If you feel good about yourself it will show through. Walk out of of your front door and take a stroll about your local neighbourhood or even a bit further.

Take note of the gardens in the area, many of them will be in need of a bit of care and attention due probably because the owners are working full time or to elderly to work in the gardens.

Jot down streets and numbers where you think the owners might appreciate some help.

When you have a reasonable list go home and begin working on leaflet you can easily deliver by hand.

You just need to say you are available for keeping gardens neat and tidy or any small odd jobs that require doing.

You do not have to be a landscape gardener or have any experience, just general common sense and the willingness to work is all that is needed.

You could make a starting out offer that can't be refused such as two hours work for the price of one for the first job.

As you know everyone is doing just that in a bid to win over the competition.

You will not be in competition but it will show prospective employers that you are really willing and keen.

This may not be the start you imagined but remember from little acorns oak trees grow.

It could snowball and you could find yourself employing others to do the jobs while you sit at home doing the office work.

That is just an instance, an idea that sprang into my mind on how you could start from having nothing to building up a business.

These ideas can work if you really desire to become a man of substance, only you can make them work but you must have faith in yourself and believe you are a winner.

It is mind over matter, repeat these words daily till you really start to believe in them.

(My name is xxxxxx, I am a winner and I will succeed with anything I set my mind to, I am going to be a success and a leader of men.)

Repeat this to yourself two or three times a day until it is deeply embedded in your mind.

Keep looking at the list you have written on things you can do, or things you believe you can do and some idea will be born in your mind on what you should do

Remember that saying, from little acorns huge oak trees grow. What ever you start even if it is not the sort of job you envisaged, like cleaning windows, walking dogs, baby sitting, doing odd jobs, cleaning cars, any thing that can be started from scratch without a cent in the kitty.

It can grow into a big concern if you believe you are a winner.

About The Author

Sylvia White is a home business Mentor and webmaster of http://www.sylviawh.co.uk http://sylviawh.sirlook.com http://www.woweeitsfree.com

You Need the Right Mindset

Before you begin, it is important that you have the right mindset. The women you will be meeting are very serious about your courtship. This is not a game to them.

While you should enjoy yourself in the process of meeting them, I assure you that the women you will be meeting are very serious about your interest in them. You are talking about their future.

You are asking them to consider leaving their family, their friends, their culture, their language – every thing they know – behind for the possibility of having a loving husband and family.

Most Russian women who meet Western men are willing to risk everything, and change everything in their lives, for the opportunity to meet their soul mate.

It may seem to you that they are giving up very little for the opportunity to have a better life, but what they have means everything to them. They had to scratch and claw and struggle to get it.

The journey you are about to undertake is not about running around Russia, flitting from one woman to the next.

The purpose of your journey is to find a woman who will become your life companion. It is not about writing to pen pals, casual dating, or taking a fantasy sex tour.

If you approach it from any of these angles, both you and the women you meet will be very disappointed. While sex is possible in long-term relationships, a Russian woman is unlikely to be jumping in the sack with you right after you meet her.

Many Russian women live at home with their parents or other family members. Russian women are frequently reserved until they get to know you better. If casual sex is what you are after, you are better off at home where you can more easily find someone who has the same interest as you.

The women you will likely be meeting at the marriage agencies, or on tours, will be women who are interested in getting married.

If you are not interested in getting married, then you should not pursue this path.

About The Author

John Kunkle has been married to a Russian women for over five years. He has travelled the path from finding her, to traveling to Russia, to bring his wife to America, and adjusting to married life. He will show you step by step how to do this yourself.

Are Poems Whispers From The Super Mind?

Have you ever noticed how much mundane chatter you have blitzing through your mind in a day?

Snippets of conversation from passers by, that infuriating one-sided dialogue from mobile phone junkies, the ever present jingle, jangle, jumble of inane advertising in all its incantations and the searing confusion that emerges from a myriad radios, tv's and ghetto blasters.

No wonder the walkman and now the i-pod have created such a revolution in personal listening behaviour. How much more preferable it is to choose the sonic space we inhabit, blanking out the audible spam of an increasingly alien world.

But how do you deal with this ever present assault once the earphones come out? How long can you stay cool, calm and collected before you start looking for an opportunity to push them back in for a quick fix of Vivaldi, Elvis, 50 Cents or whoever or whatever does the business for you?

The fact is that unless you've perfected the art of TM, Silva Mind Control, or something similar, getting through the day (and the night) in today's multimedia world can be a seriously stressful business.

Sometimes, somehow you just have to get outside it all and switch off. A quiet walk through some undisturbed place in nature can work wonders, but this is not accessible to all of us all the time.

And let's not forget those endlessly repeated fragments and phrases of inner dialogue that keep us awake at night, or worry the hell out of us as we emerge from what little sleep we are able to get.

You know the sort of thing; Why am I always screwing up in this area of my life, what is it about me that makes others hate me so, I'm just not good enough, how ever will I handle this imminent disaster?

We are all prone to fall prey to this kind of negative self-talk when life deals us a tricky hand and even the positive thinkers among us secretly admit that amidst the carefully scripted affirmations designed to give the mind a positive perspective to dwell on, there is invariably some crafty little devil with a megaphone attempting to gatecrash our inner peace.

So what's the solution? Is there one?

I think there is.

Poetry..

Poetry? I hear you cry. Poetry! Come on, that may be OK for those arty farty, intellectual misfits, who look down their noses at mere mortals trying to eke out an honest living to get everything in good enough shape to sleep nights. Poetry might work for the off the wall, strung out weird and wild among us, but Joe Public trying to make good in an increasingly unstable world? I don't think so.

And you know what? I don't blame you. Six months ago I'd have given it the thumbs down too. So what's changed?

Although I was pretty keen on poetry as a kid, I really lost my feel for it once I hit my twenties. For thirty years or so, it never figured in my life at all. Until a few months ago, that is.

I'll spare you the details, but let's just say times were rough and one dark and lonely night I stumbled across a book of verse and read it through. What it taught me was that poems speak to us from a deep place we tend to find when there's nowhere else to go. They seem to provide us with verbal impressions that sometimes echo what is in our own hearts and minds, providing some kind of inner map through the uncharted regions of the soul. They can be a place of sanctuary where they gather like old friends reunited. They can be fun and funny lifting our moods, or deeply introspective, hauling us through a hallway of mirrors of every shape and size.

What is constant about them is the way poems focus the mind and link it to the heart. They seem to speak with a deeper voice – a voice that maybe belongs to part of ourselves that some the higher self, or super mind.

Their true value lies in the place they take you to beyond the words themselves. Not necessarily more positive, or negative, just deeper and truer. So, next time you need to get away from it all, don't reach for the i-pod straight away. Try dipping into some verse, or better yet, jot down a few lines yourself. http://www.funnypoem.net

About The Author

Mario Salti first discovered poetry through a maths text book. Never overenthusiastic about mathematics, he was lucky enough to be presented with a textbook on the subject that headed up each chapter with a quotation from a poem that helped describe the mathematical concept in question.

So it was that Mario first encountered the poetic delights of T.S.Elliot, Shakespeare and a range of less familiar names through the study of numbers.

With the passing years the opportunity for reading and especially writing poetry gradually diminished, as Mario thrust himself into the commercial mechanics of daily life. Now, however, there is once again time to write and Mario has decided to embark on an unusual mission. You can discover what this is at; http://www.funnypoem.net

The 5 Secrets Of The Financially Successful Mind

Many people are at a loss when it comes to figuring out how to make supplemental money on the Internet. Perhaps you are one of those people who would like to get started but feel overwhelmed by how much information is out there. Not only do you have to find the information, you must determine if it is true, accurate, and worthy of your time. Just the idea of getting started overwhelms many people so they never take that first step. Are you one of those people?

That first step, even before you start your journey, is to have the right attitude. William James, a famous philosopher and psychologist, said this about attitude, "Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives." He also said, "The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude."

Those are very powerful and true words! World-class athletes know that a competition is won or lost depending on his or her attitude. Now you know this too, and knowing this information you now have a very powerful tool. Yes, your attitude is a tool. Like a hammer, you can use it to build or tear down.

Here are the secrets to having the right attitude for success:

1) Know what you goal is. If you don’t know where you are going then how will you know when you get there? Write down your financial goals and review them often. Is it to make an extra couple of hundred dollars per month, a thousand per month, or even to quit your regular job?

2) Know why you have set that goal. Is it for your family? Is it to get out of debt? For a new car or boat? Knowing why you want something is just as important as knowing what it is you want.

3) Evaluate how you spend your time and ask yourself, "Is this moving me toward my goal?" Ask yourself this question every time you start a new activity. Ask it when you sit down to watch the television, play a game, go shopping, or surf the Internet.

4) Look at achieving your goal either as your second job or as a game. People are motivated differently. Some will be more motivated by telling themselves that their research time, their web site creation, etc. is their business and that they are working on building it up. These people are motivated by a feeling of accomplishment from the work they do. However, some people don’t like the idea of work when they are at home. For these people they look at building an Internet business as a game and the money that they make is their score. They find that this causes what was once work to be more fun. Both are acceptable attitudes so just pick one.

5) Be willing to purchase knowledge. There are many ebooks and courses on the Internet that can teach you some incredible things. You know that some are not worth your time but there are going to be those that provide those little gems that move you closer to your goal. Almost everyone is familiar with the phrase, "You’ve got to spend money to make money." Start with spending your money on the tools and knowledge that are going to help you succeed.

Follow this blueprint for success, stay focused, don’t get discouraged, and don’t give up. People are living their dreams and so can you but you must start with your attitude.

About The Author

Calvin Kuefer is a part time writer, full time Internet enthusiast and finds the best freeware at http://www.vbmark.com.

The Mind of a Serial Killer

Have you ever wondered what motivates a serial killer? How safe is the area you live in? How well do you know your neighbor? Who are you shaking hands with everyday? TV has more than just one show about serial killers and we love to watch these shows! Silence of The Lambs does have some important revelations, that should not be discarded! The hunter seeking its prey, is very good at blending in and controlling just how much is revealed.

Criminal Minds, Csi, Csi Miami, Csi New York, Law and Order, and I have not named them all! Are we learning more about the mind of a serial killer? What intrigues you about the mind of a serial killer? Are we more aware of our surroundings? What really protects you from the mind of a serial killer? I ask these questions, because they deserve an answer and your reading this because your drawn into it!

These shows focus not on just some rapist, but most of the time on an intelligent killer, who slips through the cracks of society unseen. How does this person stay unseen? It is called, "Perfect Camouflage". One that can adapt to any situation and leave with a powerful presence of being liked. The dateline mystery tv show is frustrating to watch because cops botch up the crime seen! Who does the crime scenes as good as a csi TV show? Look at the families in court that watch a killer go free, because the evidence is lacking!

Think about a cold calculated killer and you can watch the show "Numbers!" Is it all about numbers or timing? Is it the sheer joy of making the kill, that no one can figure out, except Sherlock Holmes! Who is next? Everyday we walk out the door we don't know what will happen, but we know that a positive attitude gets us through. Am I right? When a person is home alone, the desires begin to fester and the thoughts of, "what if" manifest themselves.

Is it crazy for someone to write serial killers and get to know them? Is it insane for women to write them in prison and later on get married? Has parts of humanity come to the point of saying, "is this all there is?" One man who killed 48 people in Seattle Washington, stated that he wanted to do it! That was his motivation, while millions asked, "why?". Let's look back in time and look at Alexander The Great, Napoleon, Vladimir The Impaler.

How can a civilized community be threated by someone that has lost a few screws?

Out of all the millions what makes anyone so special? Is it being loved? Wanting to be loved? Being remembered and enshrined! Some of the serial killers, actually started killing animals and then evolved into killing people. It seems that some were going through a nurturing process and turned into what many call a mass of hideous monsters.

Ed Gein wanted mother's attention and had needs that were never quite fullfilled. Buffalo Bill also got in touch with his feminine side, which lead to the torture and death of many young women in, "Silence of The Lambs". Is the serial killer trying to figure himself out by pushing some limits? Is the serial killer finding out what pleases him/her the most? Does the killer like seeing his/her name in the news papers? Is the serial killer a collector of some trophies of his/her great conquest?

How much does being in control play in this insane senario? Control does seem to be an important factor and leaving an unhappy existence may be enticing for the killer. The show, "Super Natural" is on the trail of fighting evil, but they have to do some killing on the way. Staying in control of ones emotions and focused on the task at hand, does bring some pleasure. Or it seems to be on the show, "Super Natural". We all have wants and needs, but what happens when we start to lose control?

Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Wayne Gacy and Ed Gein had something in common. They became well known and enshrined by a society that wants to know more, and TV will seek to meet that need. Every night of the week, we sit mesmerized in front of the TV and wait for that next clue. As Robert Stack used to say on Unsolved Mysteries, "Will you be the next missing piece, in solving this puzzle?"

If you have read books such as "Silent Prey", you may have heard that blood smells like copper. Horror writers need that descriptive detail to pull you into the moment! Is Stephen King ready for his own nightmare? The thrill of trying to understand that point of which we are not to enter. That dark place we are not to go, because if we do, there is no going back! American TV shows delve into this dark unseen world, and the ratings rise through the roof! Where will this lead?

About The Author

DeWayne H. Strickland has been a Film Freak since the time he could walk. He is a crazy movie review critic in long term therapy. Learn How to Seduce Women, with Almost "Hypnotic Control" and "Accuracy" at: http://www.moviedownloadmatrix.com

The Human Mind

The human mind is the most incredible computer it would be possible to imagine. Yet no one knows where it is! Scientists have made detailed studies of the brain, but have been unable to locate where the mind is.

Our brain is composed of some 14 trillion brain cells! A very few people are making use of perhaps less than 10% of their mental capability. Most of us are probably using nearer 1%. So the potential we have is virtually unlimited.

For our purposes, imagine that the brain is in two parts: the Conscious mind and the Subconscious (or Inner) mind. The conscious mind does all our day to day thinking, our communication with others and general thoughts each day of our lives. Do you realise that you are thinking at the rate of about 1,200 words a minute?

The Subconscious mind looks after all our involuntary functions: the beating of our hearts, the breathing of our lungs. It also has stored in it every single experience and every thought we have ever made from the moment we were born. Some people believe that it also contains all the memories of our past lives as well. As it contains memories of everything that has ever happened, we can use it to locate information we need. For instance, you may be walking down the street and suddenly bump into someone you haven't seen for a long while. Whilst talking, you are frantically thinking of their name, and suddenly it will come to you, hopefully whilst your are still in conversation!

If it is something that occurred many years ago, your subconscious mind may have to spend a long time locating the necessary information. That is why we can sometimes have a problem when we go to bed. In the morning the answer will suddenly pop into our heads.

Admittedly, it doesn't work exactly the way we want it to. Yet our brain is perfect, it remembers and files away everything. Sometimes, though, our recall is faulty. When something is “on the tip of our tongue” our brain is not working as well as we would like it ot. The best way to handle this is to temporarily “forget” what we are trying to remember and soon it will come back to us whilst we are thinking about something completely different. If you are constant absent-minded, it would pay to take a memory training course. (contact me)

There is a third part of our mind also. This is the Super-Conscious mind. Hardly anything is known about it, but this is where everything really important happens. Ideas come from here. So does creativity, and ESP. (Extra Sensory Perception) When you come up with a good idea, it comes directly from your Super-Conscious mind, through your Sub-Conscious mind to your Conscious mind, and it is then up to you to act upon it.

Your Super-Conscious mind is your creative force, and is the most important part of your mind. It contains all the answers to anything you may ever want to know. Writers, artists, composers, inventors, clairvoyants, and all sort of other people use this part of their mind when doing whatever it is they do. Sometimes these people feel totally inspired.

A composer may start on a melody and then, all of a sudden, the rest of the tune just comes with no apparent effort on his part. It has all come from directly from the Super-Conscious mind.

Your Super-Conscious mind contains all the information of the universe and you have access to it whenever you want. All you have to do is ask.

You have already used it many, many times. Say, for instance, that you have a major problem that has to be resolved the following day. You worry about it and think about it, and find it hard to get to sleep as it is still bothering you. When you wake up the following morning, the answer suddenly pops into your head. “Eureka” you cry and you happily go and solve the problem. Where did the answer come from? You did not have it when you fell asleep. It was not in your Conscious mind, nor was it in your Sub-Conscious.

What happened was, while you were asleep, the Sub-conscious contacted the Super-Conscious mind and asked for the answer. Next time you have a problem of this sort, tell your Sub-Conscious mind about it and say that you need an answer by a certain time.

Overnight is fine, but two days would be better. Don't tell it how you want the problem resolved. Just ask for the answer and confidently expect it to come. Ask again several times during the time limit you have set, and your Super-Conscious mind will solve your problem.

About The Author

Per Hogseth is a psychic reader currently living in Norway. Today, Per teaches private courses, speaks at seminars and consults for several psychic groups in Norway. Go to: http://www.powerful-psychic-reading.com.

Habits Of Mind - A Key To Brainpower

Develop good habits of mind and you will have not just intelligence, but brainpower - the ability to use that intelligence effectively. Life is easier and your actions more effective when these subconscious "programs" are installed in your head.

Your mind is already programmed in many ways. You may have consciously learned how to type, for example, but now the process is largely unconscious. In fact, if you were to think about what you were going to do with each finger before you did it, your typing would be far slower. Developing these unconscious programs, then, starts with conscious effort, but eventually pays off with essentially effortless and effective action.

Habits of mind are more like "meta-programs." They determine how your mind operates in various circumstances. They are created unconsciously throughout your life. For example, you may unconsciously look for a way to escape any situation that becomes uncomfortable.

The good news is that these habits can also be much more beneficial. Habitually stopping to assess a situation from an objective perspective would be an example of this. Even more hopeful, is the fact that these habits of mind can be consciously developed.

Developing Good Habits Of Mind

Many "experts" will tell you that it takes three weeks to develop a new habit. Repeat the actions or thoughts you want to become habitual every day for three weeks and they become programmed in your mind. Whether or not the three-week rule is accurate isn't important. If it takes four weeks, that's okay too. The important point is that by consciously repeating certain actions and thoughts, you can program yourself for success.

For example, if you want to bet a more effective problem solver, you can consciously change your approach and practice new ways of thinking. Less effective problem solvers look at problems as an annoyance to be avoided or dealt with only as far as necessary. A more effective approach is to look at problems as an opportunity to create new solutions.

Suppose you want to think this way, however. How do you make it a habit? Start by looking for problems instead of avoiding them. Keep a list of problems you see each day, ranging from personal problems like not enough exercise to business-related problems, like expenses being too high, to any random problems you can identify.

Carry a list of simple questions to ask for each problem. These are questions that are designed to give you a more productive frame of mind. "How could this problem be useful to me?" is a good start. Others might include. "What are the benefits of finding a solution?" and "What do i know about this situation that can help me find a solution."

Using your motivations might help as well. If you imagine the praise you'll get for finding a solution to a problem, this could make you want to confront and resolve problems rather than avoid them. Whatever works, do it consciously and daily for several weeks.

Once you have done this enough times over a long enough period of time, the thinking patterns become unconscious. You'll find yourself looking at problems differently, and trying to solve them spontaneously. Then you can repeat this process with other mental programming you want to have.

One last example: Suppose every time you needed greater brainpower, you unconsciously sat up straight and took a deep breath? Both of these actions have been shown to improve brain function. Of course it takes conscious effort and discipline at first to develop good habits of mind, but the eventual result is greater brain power for less effort.

About The Author

Copyright Steve Gillman. For more on How To Increase Brain Power, and to get the Brain Power Newsletter and other free gifts, visit: http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com

Mind Yourself!

The intention is good, I decide to take myself out for a walk in the beautiful woods surrounding the village where I live, to refresh my mind and get some exercise. It’s usually on the way back that I realise that I’ve hardly noticed my surroundings and have often been focused on the next activity in my day, thinking something along the lines of ‘I’ll just get this walk done and then I will go shopping”. Does this sound familiar?

Working as a cognitive therapist at my NLP, CBT and Hypnotherapy practice in Hertfordshire, time and time again I see this approach to life exaggerated in client’s with anxiety based disorders and depression. Specifically, individuals with anxiety and depression often struggle to appreciate the moment, as their attention is taken up with worrying about the “What If’s” or re-visiting past events over and over again.

To give you an example, one of my clients at my NLP, CBT and Hypnotherapy practice, Hertfordshire, has recently overcome his fairly long held fear of having a panic attack whilst driving on main roads, using CBT techniques. This client had been using the journey to our sessions to develop driving confidence and had really made substantial progress in overcoming this fear, which until a few weeks before had been an big problem for him. When I enquired as to how he found the experience of driving to our CBT session, in Herts, he realised that he hadn’t been able to appreciate his achievement as he had been ruminating about an event some years ago, the whole way over!

The tendency to not live in the moment isn’t only limited to people with anxiety or depression, as I regularly demonstrate to myself on my forest walk. However, living in the moment is something we can learn to do through the practice of mindfulness.

The practice of mindfulness, which has its origins in Buddhism, is now considered within cognitive therapy approaches, as a wonderful skill to be learnt to encourage relaxation and to stress proof your life. It is very helpful way of reducing anxious and depressive thinking. Mindfulness involves the purposeful direction of ones attention and awareness to staying with our experience in the moment.

For example, on my forest walk, to be mindful would involve concentrating on the colours and textures of the flora, the feel of the breeze against my skin, the patterns the clouds make in the sky, the sounds of birds and wildlife, or the way the ground feels beneath my feet. This purposefulness is crucial to being mindful. It allows us to fully experience and appreciate life in the moment, creating calmness.

All to often we proceed through daily life, only vaguely aware of our thoughts as they wander in an unrestricted way. For some, the mind can tend to indulge in anxious, depressive, self-pitying, angry or self-defeating thoughts, recreating and installing negative emotions. By practising mindfulness, and purposefully redirecting our attention towards our experience in the moment, you can learn to create space, calmness and contentment in your life.

Mindfulness can be applied to any activity from waking up, sitting in a comfy chair, brushing your teeth, breathing or eating. For example, when eating, being mindful would involve focusing on this activity without reading, talking or watching TV. Take time to really look at the colours and textures of your food, to notice the feeling you get from anticipating the taste. Also notice how the food feels and tastes in your mouth, the different flavours, temperature etc. A tip is to approach your experience as if it’s the first time, with curiosity, getting rid of the “been there done that attitude”.

Becoming mindful is similar to relaxation techniques in that it takes time to discipline our minds to remain in the moment, and practice is required. It’s fine to start small with perhaps just five minutes at the start and end of each day and build up. It’s certainly something that I am learning to do alongside my clients!

About The Author

Karen Hastings is an occupational therapist, master NLP practitioner and Hypnotherapist. Karen uses hypnotic techniques alongside NLP and CBT to help overcome emotional and behavioral problems. Karen is based in Hertfordshire and also offers home-visits in Herts and Bucks. Visit http://www.karenhastings.co.uk for more information.

Unleash the Powers of Your Mind and Attain Your Heart's Desires

Before we begin, let me first ask you a simple question. Don’t worry. This won’t bend your mind nor twist your brain. It’s a no-brainer, actually. Ok, here goes: What do Superman, Spiderman, Batman and the Incredible Hulk have in common?

See, it’s easy, right? Yes, they all have supernatural powers – special abilities that make them supreme, invincible and indestructible, and which cause them to be recognized as superheroes. They use these special powers to do good things to people and defeat evil entities.

But, unfortunately, they are not real. They are only works of man’s creative imagination. They don’t exist in the real world.

Now, let us try to add another one in the list; this time, a real person, say you, me, your teacher, next-door neighbor, or simply anyone who exists in this world. The list would now be like this: Superman, Spiderman, Batman, the Incredible Hulk, and you.

Again, same question: What could be the common factor among those in the list? Remember, it includes you now. So before answering, you might ask another question first. Is there really something we all possess?

Indeed, there is.

Even changing the last entry to me, your teacher, next-door neighbor, or whoever real person you may think of, still there will always be something common between a superhero and a real person like you and me, and that is power.

As real people in the real world, we can never possess any of these supernatural physical powers. What we have is the power to mold our personality, to shape our future, to create our destiny, and to determine who and what we are – a power greater than any other supernatural powers, a power that builds reality and not mere imagination, a power which everyone possesses and can make him a hero in his own ways. This is the power of the mind.

"What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve!" -- Napoleon Hill

The mind is an infinite wonder. It has the fantastic ability to transmute your desires into their physical counterparts. You can do anything that your mind can conceive, as long as you have the belief and will power to back it up.

I bet you haven't thought how powerful you can be.

We have the power to reverse what the outside world makes us believe in. If it says that we are wrong, we have the power to make us right. If it says we are losers, we have the power to be winners. If it says we are non-existent, we have the power to make everyone see that we are alive and surviving.

And that is how the power of our mind works – making us more supreme, invincible, and indestructible than any other superhero is.

If the world says you can’t, say “I can. Therefore, I will.”

There is absolutely no limit with what the mind can achieve. But you have to combine belief, will power, and action with positive thinking in order to arrive at your intended destination. You are capable of attaining your heart's deepest desires - by unleashing the hidden powers of your mind!

For more information on this subject, go to http://www.nbba.biz/sim/ican/

Copyright 2005 Hilda Johnson-Slaton

About The Author

Hilda Johnson-Slaton is owner of "Never Be Broke Again Biz" specializing in hot Niche Info-Products with Resell Rights.

Visit http://www.nbba.biz to learn to earn from Multiple Income Streams from varied Niche Markets.

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