They may seem bogus at times and completely without some kind of foundation, mostly derived from a basis of opinion rather than any kind of actual statistical fact or figure. But so why the attraction?
It can be a way of validating our personal opinions or at least giving ourselves recourse to disagree and even condemn the opinions of others. In fact it may be only the designer(s) of such a list that should be or could be evaluated.
I notice that some lists are notably devised using specific numerical criteria and some seem to be at the complete discretion of the author. This brings to mind the question of why social conscience has an affinity even adoration of such lists. They are becoming quite rampantly available these days.
Here are two reasons. Firstly, lists make available certain data by which to compare similarities and differences we have about our own thoughts, beliefs and conclusions. They are an easy way to organize our thoughts. They offer a moment to reflect on what our opinion is about a specific topic. We can receive a perceived validation of our own thoughts or we can develop our own refutation toward such a list. They can be a wonderful start up for conversation and discussion socially where people can be engaged about opinion based lists like the most popular Rock N Roll band or the most prolific Actors, or who is the most attractive celebrity, or which is the most picturesque country, best at their sport etcetera. Many a discussion and debate can even last for days about such ineffectual issues bringing about more social interactions. For example think of something simple like; what is the most engaging table board game? Think of the conversations that could ensue.
Secondly and more predominantly is the obvious attraction lists have for readers, viewers and the like. Lists allure a vast audience in any media and have become a great marketing tool. They are a great method of organizing and evaluating different standards and opinion. They are an invaluable tool when defining our social demographic. List designers can acquire interest in their ventures. Structured information is easier to manage. Mental and social reactions of lists are of some value.
It is always important to regard how a list may have been developed. Is there a benefit or need for a particular list? Some lists seem to have no basis except for opinion yet nonetheless are worthwhile in their own right socially. Some lists I find are worthwhile yet others completely uninteresting. Moreover I usually ask myself; who has a vested interest in promoting such a list and what is the motive?
Here are a few factors that may be helpful to keep in mind when regarding lists: Is this of any value to me and why? Do I regard it for entertainment, research or pleasure? Do I have a specific purpose like research of some kind? Does this list fulfill my current needs business, scholarly or amusement? What is or may be the source of this list? How might it have been created? Why might it have been created? Does it have a particular usefulness? These are important factors when doing any kind of research for whatever reason. Being aware of sources and premises will make understanding any kind of list or speculation a whole lot more valid!
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Tags: conversations, great marketing, marketing tool, numbered lists are useful, social conscience, social interactions, statistical fact
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Wouldn’t it be nice to have the feeling of gratitude twenty-four hours a day? Not just the idea or thought, but that feeling of gratitude that makes so many burdens easier to face. Unfortunately, we tend to evaluate others and ourselves continually in our search for better things, better places, and better people. We have these human tendencies. Maybe being human has something to do with it? We think comparatively.
We need to be aware non-value and negative things in order to be aware of and have feelings about what we do have. In this way we might use the knowledge and experience of out past mistakes and ordeals to easily become aware of how much, even if seemingly small, our present lives in recovery gives us and others and contributes to a better world all around. A question someone once asked me, and I try to use it as much as possible is “What could be a greater problem for you to deal with than the one you presently have?” I find this to be a very helpful way of getting rational self-acceptance leading to gratitude and appreciation for what I do have today including the problems of today. There will always be problems so long as we exist. But the awareness and appreciation of our problems means we must acknowledge that they could always be worse and more painful.
Not only did we make a decision not to die when we chose recovery; but we also made a decision to live. That decision was gratitude toward life. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: Alcoholics Anonomous, drugs, gratitude, lifestyles, Narcotics Anonomous, rehabilitation and recovery, self acceptance
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Free List Of Negative Calorie Foods by Melvin Murray
For example, if you consider water to be a food, then cold water is definitely a negative calorie food. It contains no calories at all and the body needs to expend energy to bring it up to blood temperature. So every time we tend to drink a glass of cold water we tend to use a couple of calories and lose a very little weight. But there are terribly few foods like this. Most foods that are on the list don’t extremely use a lot of calories than they add, or if they do the effect is negligible … until you keep in mind that at the identical time the body expends energy simply to keep alive and breathing. Celery as an example does not provide us enough calories to cover both the energy that it takes to digest it, plus the energy that we tend to expend even once we do nothing. Thus that’s why people call it a negative calorie food. Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 49%
Tags: calories, list of negative calorie foods, nutritional deficiencies, starvation
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by Rob Robilliard
Do you engage in wholesome eating routines? How can you know? What you may possibly assume is the right way could in fact turn out not to be so. When you consider all the additives that are put in food these days, you might possibly not be eating as healthily as you believe. Do you read the nutrition labels on the food products that you buy? Do you appreciate the difference involving fats and trans fats? Did you know that certain fats are good for you and all right to consume and others are particularly bad for your wellbeing? If you didn’t appreciate any of this, then you might possibly wish to do a little study to find out more with reference to what proper eating actually is. Eating properly could help you to inhibit health-related difficulties as you get older. Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 49%
Tags: diet, eating healthy, healthy eating, nutrition, sugar, trans fats
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Next week much of North America will celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving. Most people believe this tradition came from the first Thanksgiving celebration held in 1621 in Plymouth, MA, by the pilgrims for a successful bounty of crops, but the history of Thanksgiving goes much further back in time. In fact, people across the world from every culture have celebrated and given thanks for thousands of years.
While it’s nice to give thanks on Thanksgiving, it’s important to make gratitude a part of our daily life. In fact, having an “attitude of gratitude” not only uplifts our mood but helps us see the positive side of our lives and assists us in creating the positive changes we desire. Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 49%
Tags: attitude of gratitude, conscious creation, create change, deliberate creation, energy, gratitude, thanks, Thanksgiving
By G.T.Stewart
I wish to share a little story that happened one particular night at a time when I was homeless. It was winter time and very cold. The air was sharp and crisp; the ground everywhere was snow. The winter had a fair ways left to go, which seemed like forever sometimes. However, this particular night held with it something of warmth; a human kind of warmth. …
I was finding it difficult at times to land a bed in the few over crowded shelters. So for some nights I would bear the cold night outdoors alone with my thoughts and the emptiness of the surroundings. I would spend my days walking a lot and interacting with people whenever I could. I have met and talked with so many interesting people this way and I find it to be a real bonus that many people are more than interested to share some of their life’s experiences. This particular night in London, Ontario, I was sitting on a bench beside the outdoor skating rink in Victoria Park.
I liked to sit and watch the people skating around with the music playing in the background. It is pleasant watching people actively waltzing around with the sole purpose of enjoying themselves. It was in a way, like I was out there circling the ice with them enjoying the music and motion, only little aware of the icy breath of wind, as I’d sail by over the ice. Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 88%
Tags: action of faith, being in the moment, happiness with people, hockey and ethics, interacting with people, motivating attitude
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What Is Your Limit?
“You can no more do that than you can fly to the moon.” Over forty years ago that was a common way to say, “That’s impossible; you can’t do that.” But saying that phrase today would be silly. We landed on the moon many years ago, and now the vision is to put humans on Mars.
There was a time when most everyone thought that you could not run a mile in under 4 minutes. But in May of 1954, Roger Bannister broke the once believed impossible barrier and ran the mile in 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds. Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 62%
Tags: erik weihenmayer, hicham el guerrouj, john landy, roger bannister, tony melendez
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Article By: baxterowens
Satsang is an Indian philosophy, which in Sanskrit stands for ‘True Company’ and describes the coming together of individuals searching for ‘the highest truth’ or the company of a guru. All in all, a Satsang is usually a meeting of people and a master, where the pupils ask questions and discuss various scriptures; take part in meditations, singing and recitations.
A typical western Satsang hails from the Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy and it exists to educate and encourage pupils to adhere to their inherent Buddhist nature. ShantiMayi, the spiritual master of Prajnaparamita, decided to “spread the light all over the world” and continues to do this by holding Satsangs for anyone to visit. Prajnaparamita is translated as the “Perfection of Wisdom“. ShantiMayi likes to emphasise that all Satsangs with Prajnaparamita are open to English speaking visitors. The retreats and Satsang-days are English spoken. ShantiMayi is a highly approachable, peaceful individual who thrives on being around other people and helping them to find and express the universal truth. She fully prospers in the realms of the Satsang where she naturally responds to questions being asked about all aspects of life and her mere presence will leave you feeling rested and at peace with the world around you and everyone in it. Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 49%
Tags: buddhist, hindu philosophy, indian philosophy, perfection of wisdom, prajnaparamita, retreats, satsang, shantimayi
Article By: David Riklan
In Dale Carnegie’s book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, he outlines 9 principles for becoming a friendlier person. I want to share with you my view on these 9 principles and why they are so powerful.
Let’s start with Principle # 1. Don’t criticize, condemn or complain. My view of this is to stay positive. Do not go negative. People just don’t want to hear it.
Number 2) Give honest, sincere appreciation. This is not flattery. The keyword is sincere. If you’re not being sincere, people will know it. Try to find something to appreciate in all of the people that you meet and know.
Number 3) Arouse in the other person an eager want. What does that mean? It means that you want to get people motivated, keep them motivated, and spur them on. Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 62%
Tags: dale carnegie, good listener, how to win friends and influence people, useful self help
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Mankind is in a constant state of change and that is why we are the most successful beings in the history of the earth. If we did not change there would be no buildings, transport system or computers, we would still be living in caves.
It is not just us as individuals that are subject to change, everything in the world is constantly changing and evolving. As human beings we seem driven to try and create a more comfortable and easy life style for ourselves, although some people would argue that the pressures we put on ourselves to always have the next “best thing” is not the answer to a happy and contented life. The rate of change over the last 100 years has been enormous and our lives have changed radically due to developments in IT, work practices, health etc. The way we live now could never have been foreseen by our grandparents or even our parents. This fast changing life that we now live can be a real challenge to some people and individuals often resist change as a kind of protection mechanism. On the other hand these rapid changes can also create fantastic opportunities if we are prepared to enthusiastically embrace the changes. Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 68%
During the recent Beijing Olympic Games in China I don’t think any Gold Medals were won by people who turned up hoping for the best. The people who won the Gold Medals were different; they had a dominating dream of their life, to be the best! They had a Dream of Winning; a Desire to be the champion. They knew exactly what they wanted in life; that’s what makes people who are highly successful different from the rest.
Simply wishing for success is insufficient. If anyone is to make any steps towards their definite objectives then they need to have a determined attitude, bordering on obsession, to fulfil that desire. It does not matter what your desire is. It may be a desire to excel in business, it could be a desire to learn a new skill, or it could involve a desire to change aspects of your personal life.
Whatever desire a person has, it will only be fulfilled if some of the following actions are taken. Firstly a person must realise what it is they need to make them content with their lives and give themselves step by step aims. For anyone to achieve their desires they need to make a plan of how much work is required to reach their goals. Next they should set a deadline for reaching their final goal and then create a plan with a timeline highlighting how and when they will go about their tasks. This knowledge must be updated and read out regularly to keep a person on track to satisfying their desire. Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 49%
Tags: attitude, burning desire, desires, Philosophy, self confidence, timeline
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Sometimes we are highly motivated and the fires of desire are thriving. A surge of energy pulses thru and nothing on this earth can dissuade us from attaining our goals. We may have tapped into a powerful yearning to attain something or change something about our lives and our world. It may have come as a result of some motivational speak, literature, or an event. It may have sprung out of a personal desire that has been smoldering latent from within. It may have been born out of necessity, something that just has to change because trying to ignore it just won’t do. At times like this strength and fortitude are infallible. But what happens when this mysteriously vanishes? What happened?
THE FIRST REASON is that whatever it was you were doing just DIDN’T WORK and didn’t pan-out the way you had wanted. The diet didn’t work. The money-maker just isn’t feasible and congruent with real world difficulties. The exercise plan did not get the desired results. The counseling therapy or program did not yeild any significant results. Whatever it was, this is a reality. Some things just don’t work in all cases and for all people and circumstances. The worst thing to do is to attribute it to personal failure. Assessment and evaluation is of course natural and useful for learning purposes. First, right off the hop take an assessment. Are you really applying the activity properly according to what it is your trying to do? Are you doing the ‘do’ things? Something, anything will only work if you’re working it properly. This is a good starting point for deciding how to proceed. This is where one would do best by taking the learning experience and using it to decide and choose from the vast panarama of options that are out there. The important thing to always be aware of is that there are so many directions to go. The worst thing to do is think that because one thing didn’t work then all will not work.
The thing to do in this case is to apply what was learned as useful or not useful and go forward with new choices! Yes of course there may be trepidation and caution about any kind of new venture, that is natural. That is how growth and knowledge work. Seek out a different diet plan that is more appropriate to you and your lifestyle. Look for exercise ideas and plans that are more realistic and can in the beginning align with your current activities, and give you some early rewards. Be more cautious and discerning even more realistic when venturing into a new business plan. The key to all of this is that giving up will, I guarantee you,result in no results and may also nurture negative attitudes that can infect other areas of your life, where more negative and skeptical presumptions fester and grow. You may even begin to justify rationally why mostly things don’t work.
You may get really good at all the negative and destructive platitudes and self-talk which will only work to reinforce a growing negatitive attitude from you ;a breeding ground for future failure.
The simplest answer and most basic solution to a failed venture is to assess the damage objectively, dispassionatly (put off emotional rambles for another time) and evaluate the positive lessions learned and the gains made. Turn the negative results into useful lessons for future reference. Now move forward to new and different choices.
THE SECOND REASON self empowerment activities don’t work is through Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: assertiveness skills, body mind and spirit, INTERACTIONS, lifestyle, Self Improvement diet
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Happy First
by: Roy E. Klienwachter
What is it that we are so afraid of? Why won’t we let go? A shark cannot rest, it cannot stop swimming or it will die, it will drown. Humanity seems to be acting in the same manner. It is though we are running for our lives. We are being chased and if we stop we will die. There is an urgency to get somewhere, anywhere, and we do not know what to look for or where, but it is always out there, somewhere. Unknowingly we have left the place that we are looking for. From the inner peace that we experienced so long ago as children and as the person we once were. We seem to have lost our way and are running just for the sake of running. It is as though we are in a cattle stampede. One starts running and we are following blindly.
What happened to the peace, the serenity and joy of just being, what happened to our innocence? Somewhere along the way we believe that we have lost it, and that we cannot have it again. Someone told us to run and we haven’t stopped. The industrial revolution has pushed us forward in a frenzy to acquire things, the latest is always best, always desirable and it is the carrot that moves us beyond our means, away from what we really desire. It has taken us away from our natural ability to be at peace, to be happy and content. ‘Things,’ have promised us happiness, but we do not feel happy when we have them. There is always a promise of happiness but never delivery. Things may be symbols of our happiness but they do not bring the promise with them, because there is another thing dancing in the shadows, calling to us, beckoning, luring us from one thing to another. We are so far gone that we now believe that we cannot be happy unless we have a thing. We have forgotten how to be happy naturally without being stimulated. We have been told that we cannot go backwards; we cannot go back to the way it was before because we would not have our things. This is one of the greatest lies that have been passed on from one generation to another. Happiness is where you find it we are told, and this is absolute true if we understand that we can find happiness anywhere if we are happy first. Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 49%
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What is it that people want to read when they are only surfing through the web in search of reading or catching a glimpse of something that can help formulate there thoughts for the day or perhaps even change from the thoughts they are presently having. Perhaps they want to find something that is interesting to think about or even useful to what they are presently spending time learning about. It can be useful to read and relate to websites that bring about thoughts and opinion on issues and perceptions that help or hinder in our daily lives.
Many websites offer valuable information we can use to help us; while others offer to entertain, still others to persuade or dissuade our thoughts and beliefs. They may be informative, instructive or offer services, opinion and other things like entertainment and art or culture; it’s endless. Some are more attuned to activities of how or why we think and behave the way we do, questioning in a more philosophic or humanitarian way. In this case the focus is not necessarily about mainstream bulletins or headlines that fleetingly come across our paths, rampantly demanding nay stealing our attention. Those usually can be found just about anywhere and are about as valuable as litter in the streets.
Issues and information continually surface everywhere and arise daily in our world. They will always change and maintain varying degrees of importance. ‘graspingthoughts’ looks at how we perceive them and how they may affect our lives. Here is a place where ideas and helpful advice is welcomed and any appropriate input that is deemed to be of useful insight is welcomed.
While browsing websites I began to notice two significant factors that are in some kind of balance or irregularity. Is the site predominantly advertising links? Albeit some are well disguised until you follow it through to the end. Perhaps it is information based with more useful and desirable links that further one’s quest to know more about something.
Every site I view that maintains the use of links has a certain ratio of juggling these two attributes. I have become more aware of the factors especially when my quest happens to be for more information rather than instructions to reach for my credit card numbers.
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Popularity: 88%
Tags: Advertising, awareness, entertainment, graspingthoughts, Information, insight, opinion
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by Michael A. Verdicchio
Some people allow obstacles to stop them in their tracks. Some people permit obstacles to defeat them. But there are
others who choose to use obstacles as stepping stones.
Life is not fair. Sometimes there are bumps in the road.
Sometimes there are obstacles and roadblocks. Life is not
without challenges for everyone. But, it is how we respond
to the obstacles we face that determines where our lives go.
Perhaps you’ve heard someone say that obstacles are life’s
way of challenging you to improve your own life along the
journey. But, honestly, hearing something like that, when
you are in the midst of a challenge, doesn’t help you or encourage you. Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 88%
Tags: asking for help, dangerous habit, God, john gardner, momentary pleasure, overcoming obstacles, pleasure, self pity, sympathy
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Judy pressed tightly her sweater to her chest. Pressing more and more rigidly. Clenching. The wind of November had become increasingly harsh. Why had she not put on a jacket she thought. Oh yes that’s why. She remembered it was mild earlier in the afternoon when she left home. The sun was shinning brightly.
She had seen her addiction counsellor that afternoon and was now consumed and immersed in recollection and analytic thought about how her life had turned out this way. Yes, it was good her counsellor assured, that she had been doing well by staying away from drugs and booze. This however wasn’t enough thought Judy. She wanted to understand why. Why and how it all came about. Surely there was some answer about it all. How was her life before she enveloped herself in that self-destructive lifestyle? She recalled the people in her life her family, her friends. How did I spend my time? She thought. Hell, I didn’t even smoke cigarettes back then! When did the whole transition period happen? What kind of activities did I do? What about my goals? Her counsellor said that it could be good to take a look at all that. Well now she was. As a matter of fact that’s all she could think about right now. Those years when she was 14 years old, then 15, then sixteen, then seventeen and by eighteen she had become fully entrenched in a lifestyle of drinking regularly, getting high when she could. Maybe it was the whole pop culture at the time which believed that getting high and experimenting with alternative perception of reality was alright just as long as you could do only what you had to in order to get by. She wanted to blame something, somebody. She wondered if understanding how it happened would or could really change the way it turned out. Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 75%
Tags: addiction, drugs and booze, perception of reality, pop culture, recollection, transition period
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This article is also available online at http://www.klienwachter.com/spiritadp/
Self Help Books - Finding the Right Solution to Any Problem
by: Mike C. Powers
The word self help has a stigma associated with it. It implies that the person using it is either weak minded or has some sort of character flaw.
So when people think of reading self help books, they usually think of reading them to overcome flaws in their personalities, self-esteem, or confidence.
This is why people stay away from or hate to admit that they are using these tools; because they don’t want to admit or let others know there is a flaw in them.
However, there is much more to self help books than that. Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 49%
Education-most important aspect of our lives
By: Kunal Dubey
Education is a fundamental human right and this much information is enough to understand the significance of education in human life. But, realization of significance is not only thing which we should know about the education. Here, the basic issue is to explore different perceptions about education and ultimately formation of an ideal concept of education.
There is no doubt that education is a technical competency along with mental, moral and aesthetic development.
Popularity: 49%
Tags: aesthetic development, athenian philosopher, body mind and spirit, significance of education, socrate
What’s humor got to do with it? By Wee
Introduction:
Don’t take your self so seriously. You’ll not get out of this world alive.
One’s sense of humor involves the capacity to appreciate incongruity, absurdity, an unexpected future, a pleasant surprise, or a startle.
Humor helps soften life’s blows. For instance note the humor people express at funerals.
Participants in a seminar recently identified humor as an important coping factor. They believed it played a role in their spirituality and their perception of the meaning of life.
Nurses’ use of humor is important to foster trusting relationships with patients.
Emmett Fox:
“Cultivate a sense of humor. Look for the funny side of everything. It is always there and will help you to meet any situation. Laugh at yourself at least once before ten o’clock every morning”
Seven Benefits of maintaining a sense of humor:
Humor is infectious. When laughter is shared it binds people together. Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 49%
A celebration it was.It was the celebration of a few individuals who were graduating. The banquet hall was filled with people most of who were only separated by maybe one or two degrees, so that I noticed personal introductions were plentiful. Conversation and attentiveness thrived and was abundant. It seemed I think, that for the most part everyone seemed to be there because they truly wanted to be there. Eating food and interacting. The hall was filled with a continual hum of a few hundred different voices blended into one grand social creature. There were smiles and chatters all around. Eyebrows raising, hands were shaken, arms grasping around shoulders, people freely hugging and sharing the specialness of the evening. I could see phone numbers or notes being exchanged.
This was more than just a graduation occasion. This was the energy of human beings rising up in animation.
Why is a social function like this so dynamic and sought after? Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 62%
Tags: celebration, graduation, lifestyle
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It’s Time For You To Create Abundance In Your Life
By: Peter Werth
A keen business mind can be part of making financial gains because it shows belief in the act of attempting to get more money, however, it’s not necessary for you to have money in order to begin creating abundance in your life.
Don’t fall for the cliche that you need to spend money to make money, and get a new and more positive outlook on prosperity and wealth. In the cliche examples, each act requires money to start with. But if you look closer, they have something else in common. Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 81%
Tags: business decision, business investments, money, positive outlook
flying easy
One week to go. One week of this enlightened bliss. This new way of living, of seeing things anew as if the world had just become a better place to live in.
Jessie sat comfortably, her legs crossed her arms resting on her lap as she listened to the man speak. She had joined this self-help group early in the summer, she had thought that she needed something that could put a change in her life; and was now becoming used to the activity of regarding her thoughts and activities in a new light. Soon school would begin again and she would be back with her school buddies of the previous year; but now she was different. It was like a transformation had Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 49%
Tags: addiction, happiness, morals, personal ethics, personal growth, personal power, recovery, self help, transformation
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Jim sat upright as the performers moved around the stage each contributing their integral part that made the creation possible. They would utter their lines with perfect execution as their expressions of character and interactions were made real. It was beautiful he thought. It was a creation of animated thought and emotion. And he was not part of the stage with them. He was acutely aware of that. To see them up there inspired a fire in his back and shoulders and throat, with every line and monologue that was displayed. Every good show inspired a dynamic within him to be a part of it. Only right now he was the observer. The patron. The appreciative audience. And he also knew by his own experiences just how much work each actor and production person had to contribute to a show such as this… Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 62%
Tags: alienation, beauty, character, concentration, creative process, Creativity, monologue, perception, performance, stage, talent
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While reading a book recently titled; ‘ Growing Myself: A Spiritual Journey Through Gardening,’ By Judith Handelsman, I found myself thinking about the relationship one can have with their plants. Things like going through a transplanting ritual for the plant to familiarize it’s going to be transplanted. This brought to my attention the concept that as humans we can have or purpose to believe that in all living things like plants we are interconnected not only on a physical level but on a more metaphysical level. From this attitude and belief we have affected our perception and how we act on it. Care for your plants, care for your interractions. Care and be part of the energies of existence.
Dawson Meditation Method;Click Here!
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Tags: happy, metaphysical, perspectives, Religion and Spirituality
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Live like beasts or follow virtue and knowledge? I read this recently and gave it another thought. It is a human characteristic I am told, that we are the recipients of having the power and albeit the responsibility to decide just how we want to go with this. On the one hand, it may be the reactionary behaviour of a ‘bully ‘ who may only know a certain behaviour pattern that may just be their way of perceiving survival. On the other extreme there may be a disciplined pursuance toward ideological or ‘civilized’ behaviour and values.
When I read from some literature and beliefs I am lead to believe that perhaps awareness could be the virtue from which other virtues spring. For it is through awarenesss that others can develop.
One book I remember was titled, “The Art of Living Consciously” by Nathaniel Branden. I read that living consciously was a choice. Another by Shakti Gawain, “Creative Visualization,” brought about an idea that we are ‘being’ before we are ‘doing’ the idea of ’Be, Do, Have’
In society today I question: Are we generally moving toward a flambuoyent pursuit, through gaming and pop culture, toward the violent or ‘beast’ in us? Or are the pursuits of excellence and civility balancing it all out?
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Tags: addiction, Creative Visualization, Ethics, Nathaniel Branden, Popular culture, Shakti Gawain
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Security?
How about a more basic question: Just how much info do you put out there and/or how personal do you allow yourself to be? In a lot of circumstances I know, it seems imperative that you must give out personal information and even addresses to receive the services or applications. Right now in Canada the issue has become a regulatory issue… Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 68%
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Is it about getting out of self, minimizing self concern, self-interest, or is it really about ‘changing’ self?
More so I think about changing how I am BEING self.
I am talking with someone and there it is. How am I being with this person? And what difference is it all anyway? So I think: How do I want this to go? So I speak, and out come the words, the mannerisms the dialogue. And what is with… Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 49%
Tags: being in the moment, dialogue, self, social conduct
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While reading something about the subject of spirituality and ‘a God of our understanding’something of a cognition sparked to my mind. Of what importance, significance, value is it that the conception is complete and flawlessly all-encompassing? Surely, the desire to mindfully detail the architecture of a conception is human nature in varying degrees; the desire to explain and understand.
But more important , I am thinking, than explaining in terms of factual implications of what God may be, is the very real affect and consequences of exercising a belief.
For example their may be a person who envisions a God that could be a benevolent entity that is ultimately responsible for the good things that occur in our lives and on our planet. This entity may be conveyed by literature and stories from prophets or folk but usually the passed on knowledge ascribes to certain beliefs and rules of conduct to which one may wish to believe or pursue. Morality issues and ethical issues often follow suite accordingly and may dictate desired attainment and atonement.
Perhaps a person subscribes to an entity that is neither good nor bad but includes both the desirable and undesirable attributes of existence. In which case there is still room for attribution toward what is desirable or undesirable.
Some may not allude to an actual identity but rather to an ideal of spirituality, religion, morality and ethics. This is often the state of idealism which more readily accepts certain morals and ethics and which may often have beliefs about how the world could be or ought to be.
Conversely there is the individual that subscribes to none of the above. This leaves only what phenomena may be perceived as logical, rational or explainable. This creates a never ending perception between the knowable and not yet known or understood. Unfortunately the daily activity of perceiving the world this way can create a sense of mental stress whereby a person is in a continual state of mind between what they know (which entails also an understanding of cause and effect and a more precise observation of factual evidence,) or what they do not know or understand
If I were to witness a person experiencing a state of happiness or joy for whatever reason, would I attribute this to ‘goodness’ or ‘desirable’ or even ’spirituality’? Perhaps I would see this as a physical mental stimulus-response for a knowable not yet understood reason of cause and effect?j
When a person attributes phenomena that is not exactly understood to a god-like or spiritual belief it seems to have the affect of reducing the bewilderment factor. It seems to reduce the mental work of trying to figure out an answer for everything; for we are not machines.
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What difference is there if God is real or imagined, conceived or believed?
If a person can have some kind of conception or ideology about such a presence, then the activity and process of regarding it can be beneficial to them accordingly by what and how they conceive God to be and in what relationship with them.
Too much positive attitude can be lost simply because of a fear that a spiritual belief must be proven or explained! It is a personal belief and a personal idea. If it helps to believe, that is all that matters. The active context of the belief and not necessarily the content.
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Self Improvement Through Journaling - Document Your Life
By Laurie Knight
Reflective Awareness
Have you experienced something special recently and thought to yourself “I’ll never forget this moment”? Are there moments in your life you wish you could remember better but the memory is starting to fade? Many of us go through life without ever recording one word of how we feel about it other than in an email or in talking about it out loud when reminiscing every so often. This is a tragedy. We have this idea that special moments come along every now and then, when someone has a baby or when someone gets married. These are indeed special events, and those who journal, might make an effort to sit down specifically to reflect on big events. However, these are certainly not the only opportunities for reflection. Learning, creating, believing, experiencing, growing happens everyday. We are missing opportunities left and right to document the times of our lives. We are missing moments every day that are chalked up as “everyday stuff”. Look a little deeper and you’ll realize those “everyday moments” are what have shaped you into who you are today. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: everyday moments, gratitude journal, lifestyle activities, memory, personal inspirations, reflection, self help