Cool Beans SF

When we try to learn a new skill or try to gain knowledge about a specific subject, we follow a guideline or a system, which demands that we pay attention to the subject to fully understand it. Our mind becomes curious to know the where, how and what of it. When we pay attention to the minor details, that minor point itself gains value. However, when we ignore the most important part and do not pay any cognitive attention to it then even that major point loses its value and importance. Through contemplation we gain knowledge about any object and the deeper that knowledge, the more we learn about that object and its qualities.

Muraqaba is the name of that contemplation through which man is able to gain the knowledge which is the primordial knowledge of his Ego, Self, or Soul. After gaining that knowledge, any man can gain access to his Ego or Soul.

It appears that the person performing Muraqaba is simply sitting in a pose with his or her eyes closed. However, merely shutting the eyes and assuming a specific pose does not serve the purpose. Muraqaba is in fact an angle of perception through which the person doing the Muraqaba frees himself or herself from outward senses and begins their journey in the inward senses.

Now we are going to look into whether or not the Muraqaba-like conditions or states exist in us, without adopting the specific pose of Muraqaba.

Freedom from outward senses happens in our daily life, both involuntarily and voluntarily. For example, we go to sleep and while sleeping our brain disconnects from outward senses. It is true that this disconnection is temporary however; this condition could not be termed as anything but disconnection from outward senses. Hence, we can say that Muraqaba is in fact a way of imposing a state of sleeping without going to sleep.

Every human being, from the time of birth to death spends life in two states. In other words, in the human mind there are two types of conditions that prevail every moment of our life. One of these conditions or state is wakening and the other sleeping or dreaming. In the wakening state, they are trapped in Time and Space while during dreaming they are free from the confines of spatiotemporal limitations. This freedom of Time and Space is sought through Muraqaba by converting the state of sleeping or dreaming into an awakened state. Because during Muraqaba, a person goes through the same conditions that he or she goes through while sleeping or dreaming.

The notion that dreams are nothing but thoughts is not correct. In all scriptures including the Quran (Koran), dreams have been mentioned. The dreams that were mentioned in the Quran show that the realm of dream is free from the restrictions imposed by Time and Space. When a person tries to impose the state of dreaming through Muraqaba, they free themselves from that spatiotemporal boundaries and they journey through the realm of dream the way they travel while fully wake. All existing things need foundation; without it they could not survive. This is not something that is hard to comprehend. For example the foundation of a chair is its legs. A house remains erect only when inside the earth its foundation is laid. Similarly, we can only learn a subject or a branch of knowledge when we know its basics. These basics (or formulas) are considered as the foundation of any branch of knowledge. God has revealed it in the Quran,

Al-Lah is the Light of the heavens and earth.

In this Universe, there are several worlds and galaxies. The Essence and Reality of God is something only God knows or those with whom He has shared His Secrets. How much of this information God has shared with His chosen servants is not our concern. However, we do know that God created this entire universe for us humans. It is stated on several occasions in the Quran that the foundation of this universe is the Light (nur) of God. Based on this fact it is imperative that Man and all of his abilities be centered on one foundation.

It is our daily observation that not all of our actions, motions, whims, thoughts, imaginations, and feelings are dependent on the body of bones and flesh. Because when the Spirit disconnects its link with the physical body then this body of bones and flesh is unable to act on its own. As long as the Spirit is attached with the body, all the needs, and functions necessary for life are present. In other words, Spirit (ruh) is the foundation of the body.

According to the Quran, a limited knowledge of the Spirit is given. Nevertheless even this limited knowledge is still knowledge. What we are trying to emphasize is that what we consider Man is a body of bones and flesh, though that Man is nothing but fiction. The real Man is the one that protects that skeleton of flesh and keeps it in motion, whom the Quran calls ruh (Spirit). This ruh, in order to fulfill the needs of life uses a medium. We call this medium, chromosomes. In the Quran, God has said that, We poured Our ruh in him (Adam). In other words, ruh created a medium and after that gave him the senses. ruh is in fact a component of the Divine and in it all the knowledge of Divine Discretions and Attributes are present, which God so Willed. Just how this knowledge was acquired by the component, is a Divine Mystery, which could never be explained.

There are eleven thousand generators (latifa, plural lataif) at work inside the Man. According to Sufism, there are eleven thousand Divine Names as well. Every Divine Name is an Attribute and every Divine Attribute is knowledge (ilm). This knowledge further expands into more and more spheres to become a manifestation of the Divine Attributes.

In order to enter the unseen world (al-ghayb) or to behold anything beyond Time and Space, we have to first free ourselves from the clutches of spatiotemporal restrictions. This is only possible when the vision that sees Time and Space frees itself from its boundaries. To activate that vision, certain exercises have been created through which even if the human mind is not totally free at least it is able to come close to it.

Now the next question is to how and when the human senses could be freed from that restriction. One example is the state of dreaming. Sleeping actually is getting freedom from the diurnal senses, which are Time and Space. When we go to sleep then our senses are transferred to a realm where the state of Time and Space do exist but not in the chronological order in which we spend our life. The Second way is that while wake human mind could focus on any object with full concentration. For example when we read an interesting book, we often lost track of the time. When we finally look at our watch, we then realized that so much time had elapsed, though we were not aware of it.

In the Quran, the event of Moses receiving the Torah is mentioned in the following verse,

And We promised Moses thirty nights and fulfilled it in forty nights.

Day and night are mentioned in Quran in the following verses,

And We enter night into the day and let the day enter into the night.

We take the night out of the day and take the day out of the night.

We cover the day onto night and night into the day

When we contemplate these verses of Quran, we realized that day and night are in fact two senses. In other words, our life is divided into two senses. One of the senses is day the other one is night. During the day senses (diurnal senses) restricted with Time and Space while during night senses (nocturnal senses) we are free from these restrictions.

The Divine Statement that We promised Moses thirty nights and fulfilled it in forty nights is interesting. Because Moses did not simply spend forty nights there, his entire stay was forty days and forty nights. It was not that he was spending the nights at the place and coming back during the day. He did spend his entire stay at the Mount. Interestingly God did not mention days in the verse instead mentions only night. It clearly suggests that during those forty days and forty nights, Moses was under the influence of nocturnal senses. The same nocturnal senses, which free us from the restrictions of Time and Space.

Hence, anyone who would impose the nocturnal senses during the period of day and night on themselves would be free from the confinement of Time and Space. This freedom from spatiotemporal restriction is the way to exploring the unseen realm and getting intuitive information.

During a battle, an arrow injured Amirul Momineen Ali ibn abi Talib. It had entered his thigh and the pain was excruciating. The surgeons could not operate on it. Because of extreme pain he would not let them even touch it. One of his companions suggested to surgeons that they wait until Imam Ali began his prayer. When Imam Ali began his prayer, the surgeons were able to operate on him without him showing any sign of pain. By the time he was done with his prayers, Imam Ali realized that the surgeon had already performed the surgery and the wound had already been stitched. This event is another example of the negation of Time and Space. When Imam Ali started his prayers, his senses went from diurnal state into nocturnal state. The moment his mind entered the nocturnal senses his focus was shifted away from the diurnal senses (restriction and pain). The foundation of Spirituality is based on the reality that Man has two senses, two brains, and two lives. Just like the two sides of a coin, it has two sides.One life is restricted; the other one is free. Constrained life is day, wakefulness, and consciousness. On the other hand, free life is the name of night, joy, peace and the contentment of the heart.

To gain that life the easiest method in Spirituality is Muraqaba. Muraqaba is in fact the name of an exercise, effort and the angle of perception. Through it, anyone can enter the nocturnal senses while keeping the diurnal senses active as well.

Sufi-Master Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi is the Patriarch of the Sufi Order of Azeemia and has written over 35 books on Parapsychology,Telepathy and meditation. His most recent book Muraqaba-The Art and Science of Sufi Meditation was published in the U.S. in January 2005. (tras. by Syed Shahzad Reaz)

Plato once said, “It is easy to forgive a small child afraid of the dark, but not a full-grown man afraid of the light.” Since long before Plato light has symbolized truth–facing the reality of our situation in relation to God, to others, and to self.

Why are people afraid of the light?

Some love evil and hate goodness. Some fear they are being deceived. Some know learning the truth will make great demands on their time, money, and energy. Some just hate change.

Despite all these fears, people still come into the light because of what they fear even more: the darkness. Darkness makes us stumble, fall, and get hurt. It fills us with confusion and brings us despair. Even a little light is better than a deep and profound darkness. I know what I’m talking about. I’ve been in the middle of a large office building when the power went out. The first emotion that hit my brain was the panic of helplessness.

If you are a Christian, you can say with the psalmist, “The LORD is my light and my salvation–whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life–of whom shall I be afraid? (Ps. 27:1)

Love and seek the truth, about God, about others, and about yourself. If we appreciate the light, we won’t be afraid of it. Just like it dispels the shadows, it quickly chases away all of our fears.

Steve Singleton has written and edited several books and numerous articles on subjects of interest to Bible students. He has taught Greek, Bible, and religious studies courses Bible college, university, and adult education programs. He has taught seminars and workshops in 11 states and the Caribbean.

Go to his DeeperStudy.org for Bible study resources, no matter what your level of expertise. Explore “The Shallows,” plumb “The Depths,” or use the well-organized “Study Links” for original sources in English translation. Sign up for Steve’s free “DeeperStudy Newsletter.”

According to the Buddhists, between January 29 and February 12 is the worst time of the year. “Don’t start anything new during this ending period,” they advise. “It won’t last.” February, however, can be a great time to meditate on new beginnings. But what if you have no direction? What if you are STUCK?

You are probably in good company. Psychic or not, sometimes my own future is indefinable. I just don’t know. Or that’s what I tell myself anyway. Some hidden fear may be lurking in my unconscious mind and creating a smokescreen.

Metaphorically, energy or “chi” is like a flowing river. When we feel stuck, the flow of that river is caught in an eddy. Our chi is going around and around in circles and being sucked down into a bottomless vortex.

Remember, though, this is only your mind telling you that you are stuck. Energy by its very definition means motion and, therefore, cannot stay still. “Stuckness” is just an illusion and sometimes, merely a judgment of where you have not yet arrived. Your ego mind, your conscious waking-state chatters at you, berating you constantly with “I should be doing. . . ” or “what’s wrong with me?” or “I don’t know…” et al.

But stuckness does not have to be suffered. It can be celebrated.

The good news is that feeling stuck is part of the human process and, believe it or not, serves a purpose. Stuckness is about standing still for a while and allowing us to take stock. In our Western culture and our headlong rush towards success and then death, (not always in that order) we do not allow ourselves permission to not know our destination. And if you resist your stuckness, it will only expand.

So just for today, give yourself permission to see your situation differently. Sit down, put your feet up, take a load off and read the following ten tips to honoring stuckness.

Accept what is now. Everything is in perfect divine right order. Therefore, you are not stuck, just resting.

Let your life unfold naturally. If you are unable to make a decision, it means you do not have all the information yet. Wait and trust.
Ask for help. Consult your psychic, coach, counselor, spirit guides or angels. Be open to a different perspective.

Throw an “idea party.” Brainstorm, exchange ideas, give and receive support.

Invite someone you admire to be your mentor. (Most people love to give advice!)

Recognize that you are not stuck, merely regrouping and preparing for a new life. Be thankful for the pause and know that what is yours will come to you.

Decide to see your life as a movie and write your dreams into your script.
Be honest with yourself. What do you really, really want? Pursue the most exciting and/or scary options.

9. Feel the fear and, even if you are you terrified of success or happiness, do it anyway. That’s the time when you will feel really ALIVE!

10. Take one action every day towards that bigger picture. No matter how small the deed, you are still moving forward.

And you are no longer stuck.

Natasha J. Rosewood is a Psychic Coach, Facilitator and Author of Aaagh! I Think I’m Psychic (And You Can Be Too). For details about her services, to purchase her book or subscribe to her newsletter visit: http://www.natashapsychic.com.

Sometimes a random word of kindness is all that’s necessary to transform someone’s entire existence, and it’s so little cost to us. There’s a wonderful story I heard several years ago. The teller, we’ll call him John, claimed that it was true. John had just come from a self-help seminar in which the instructor had recommended that the participants find something good to say to everyone they met. Walking down the street, John encountered a homeless man, dirty, dejected, slumped, and dressed in rags. He asked for loose change, and John obliged him. Then, remembering his instructor’s advice, he sought something nice to say to the beggar, but all he could notice that wasn’t hideous were the man’s socks. They were red and appeared cleaner than the rest of his outfit. John looked the man in the eye, said “Nice socks!” smiled, and walked on.

A couple weeks later, John was walking down the same street, and he saw the same man. But this time, he wasn’t begging. He wasn’t dirty. He wasn’t slumped. And, he wasn’t dressed in rags. He recognized John at once and walked briskly towards him, smiling, with moisture in his eyes. He shook John’s hand vigorously and told him the following story. “For the last few years, my life has been very hard. I fell on bad times. I lost my wife, my family, my job, and my home. I began to drink and lost all sense of pride. Eventually, I sank as low as I could go. The day you saw me, I had decided to kill myself. I’d already gotten a gun and was going to use it on myself that afternoon. I’d reasoned that my life didn’t matter and that nobody would miss me. I was certain that there wasn’t another human being who even noticed me as a person. When you stopped to speak with me, you looked kind. You looked right at me, as if I really mattered. Then, you complimented my socks. They were new and the only thing in which I took any pride. Your words and your kindness made me think that perhaps there was more hope to be had than I realized. Perhaps I did matter. Perhaps I was noticeable. I resolved that day to turn over a new leaf. I got cleaned up. I found nice clothes at the Salvation Army. I stopped drinking. I went to an AA meeting, and I even started looking for a job. I want to thank you … for giving me my life back.”

Then, he hugged John, looked him deeply in the eye and walked away, leaving John in a state of shock, his eyes filled with tears and with a stronger appreciation than ever of the power of a kind word.

How often are we given the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life and fail to realize the power we possess? How often do we take our words for granted, unaware of their life-changing capabilities? How often do we opt for being curt or dismissive, when it would take no more effort to be empowering and loving? I hope that you, like me, are moved by this story and that you’ll now make the effort to say words of kindness and encouragement … on the chance that they will change someone’s life.

Dr. Steve Taubman is a hypnotist and physician, and the author of UnHypnosis: How to Wake Up, Start Over, and Create the Life You’re Meant to Live. His writings and teachings guide people in the use of tools of transformation, and bring esoteric spiritual principles down to earth. Learn more about UnHypnosis by visiting http://www.unhypnosis.com

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.

There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.

There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Whilst there is no sure fire route to commercial success, these processes improve the probability that good ideas will be generated and selected and that investment in developing and commercialising those ideas will not be wasted.

Being receptive to inspiration

Inspiration is one the most misunderstood concepts in creativity and innovation.

Inspiration or insight is that moment when solutions to problems become apparent - they reach the conscious mind from the subconscious. The mind has been tackling problems that have previously been identified either consciously or unconsciously and when the solution arrives, people say aha!

From the above it is possible to construct processes that:

a) Make inspiration more likely.

b) Ensure that the mind is receptive to inspiration when it arrives.

Some of the methods include:

a) Engaging in the task. Instead of waiting for inspiration, it can be triggered by forcing the mind to address problems and find solutions. For example, once screenwriters begin a screenplay, they find that ideas for other screenplays flow like lava from a volcano.

b) Research. Triggers intellectual cross-pollination and advances the boundaries of the task to encompass what is already known. Increases the chance of productivity being out of the ordinary. For example, screenwriters know how valuable research is to the quality of their output.

c) Prolific productivity. The positive relationship between quantity and quality is well known. Further, prolific production increases performance to optimal levels through the learning of competencies, new knowledge, refinement of methodology and so forth. For example, screenwriters know that their seventh screenplay was far better then their first.

These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with a Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author’s name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com/

Direct Answers - Column for the week of October 14, 2002

I am a woman in her mid-60s whose husband passed away, and I do not want to enter into a relationship with another man. I have no family in town other than my daughter.

I always counted on the fact she would be around for me in my older years. However, I recently discovered she may be moving eight hours away to live with her boyfriend. How can my daughter behave so unlovingly and selfishly?

I always helped her when she was in trouble. How can she treat me this badly? I have threatened to disown her if she moves away. What can I do to change her mind?

Minerva

Minerva, don’t enter this letter in a “Mother of the Year” contest. I don’t mean to be completely unsympathetic, but where is the sense of love a mother should feel for her daughter?

You are threatening your daughter as if she has done something wrong. All she has done is fall in love with a man. This is a small world. With telephones, airplanes and the Internet, eight hours isn’t far away.

Your daughter is a single woman looking for her companion. Just because you aren’t interested for yourself, doesn’t mean she should be put in the same position. You aren’t looking at this from the right direction. Instead of having just a daughter, you could be gaining a son-in-law and an extended family.

We don’t threaten the people we love. If we open our heart, we find joy. Close our heart, and we find more isolation than we could possibly imagine. Your attitude so far indicates your daughter has made the right decision.

Tamara

True Companions

I’ve fallen out with someone I regarded as a close friend of 10 years. My friend and an ex-boyfriend had an hour-long telephone call discussing my personal life with him. This boyfriend is a possessive so-and-so I ended up having to call the police about.

I couldn’t believe someone I trusted would do such a thing. We didn’t speak for months. Eventually she said she was sorry, though our friendship cooled a bit. A few weeks later she rings and falsely accuses me of stealing another girl’s boyfriend. Again, I forgave her.

The next month I had surgery on my knee. Two days later she sent me a text message asking me to go out. I told her I was on crutches and couldn’t go, but she was more than welcome to visit for the evening. I got a mobile text message calling me selfish and saying it was true what my ex said about me.

I tried to call her but she wouldn’t answer the phone. I sent a message back saying if she wasn’t going to speak to me, then stop sending nasty messages.

Now she’s sent a letter asking if I’ve been sending her mobile text messages from someone else’s phone. Like I’ve got nothing better to do! I haven’t answered her, but part of me desperately misses our friendship. Most of my single friends have paired off or moved away, and I’m finding it incredibly hard to make new friends to trust.

Elisa

Elisa, your friend sounds more like a tormentor. If you reestablish contact with her, in 10 weeks your life will seem even more chaotic than it does now.

What if you used those 10 weeks to change a few patterns in your life? Perhaps you could change your phone number and where you go out. You could join a short class on doing macramé or throwing pots. Or you could go to the café inside the bookstore where they discuss books.

Then 10 weeks from now you will not only have learned something, but will probably have a new best friend, perhaps a woman wise about human affairs. Small decisions about who we spend time with make huge differences in our quality of life.

Wayne

About The Author

Authors and columnists Wayne and Tamara Mitchell can be reached at www.WayneAndTamara.com.

Send letters to: Direct Answers, PO Box 964, Springfield, MO 65801 or email: DirectAnswers@WayneAndTamara.com.

“It doesn’t interest me who you are, or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.”

Oriah Mountain Dreamer

You cannot have peace of mind or have a healthy business if you don’t trust yourself.

Trusting yourself is having a true sense of who you are, clarity about what you want and the presence of mind to honour yourself.

At times the pressure from being in business and just living itself, can cause you to make decisions you can’t really stand over. Not trusting yourself enough can leave you out on a limb because you’ve compromised yourself.

Say you’re negotiating a big contract- Don’t you need to be rock steady to make the best deal for you?

Not trusting yourself is not unusual; self-trust is something we build up over our lifetime, through our experiences and by consciously working towards it.

Why is self-trust so vital?

When we don’t trust ourselves enough, we lack a core reference point from which to operate. We may lose our sense of ourselves and ebb and flow according to other’s agendas. A small example of this is, once I agreed to accept payment from a client by cheque versus by standing order. I got burned by not being paid on time, month after month. When all is said and done I exposed myself unnecessarily. Ultimately no one was served.

We need self-trust most when we are in situations where we are unsure. We may be in the company of people who are more influential than we are, or we may be under pressure because we need something. For some reason or other, we’re off-centre.

If we only knew it, these are the times when it’s really critical for our business and our peace of mind that we trust ourselves.

In my opinion, if you’re not aware of what you’re doing, or not able to stop yourself even when you know you should, you cannot trust yourself. You are not in control. Whatever is on your mind is in control, not you.

Trusting yourself gives you a rock-solid foundation, which guarantees that decisions you make are beneficial.

How Do I Gain More Self Trust?

In any situation or circumstance.

1. Stop for a moment

2. Stand in the centre of the situation and check whether you are comfortable or not.

3. Stay present to the situation yet detached enough to tune into your gut instincts and also see the bigger picture.

4. Remain detached and clear about what you want.

5. Choose from that place.

For instance take the client who paid by cheque. On reflection, how could I have avoided putting myself in that situation?

If I were trusting myself, I would have

1. Stopped

2. Realised I was uncomfortable

3. Reflected on the potential problems that might arise, by listening to the messages my gut was sending me

4. Remembered what I really wanted

5. Re-negotiated.

Five Ways To Keep Yourself In Check:

These are five tactics you can use to make sure you can trust yourself, even when the tendency is not to.

1. Observe yourself - this means in your mind’s eye, take yourself out of the situation and look at how you are in it.

2. Never make a decision you’re not ready to make. When you’re not clear, walk away, and come back to it after you’ve thought about it.

3. Know your danger zones - what throws you off centre.

4. Ask yourself, does this fit with me? Is it fitting nicely into place or is it a huge effort. When you feel easy about something and it flows easily it’s right for you.

5. Take white space

You need to build self-awareness, which is all about becoming an observer of yourself and watching how you respond in different situations and environments. Once you are conscious of your own danger zones, you can set up ways to change what you’re doing, to get the result you want.

How Do I Identify My Danger Zones?

Take time to reflect on experiences you’ve had where you didn’t trust yourself enough and ended up with problems. Check what was on your mind at the time. There are always warning signs, (gut responses) or intuitive messages you got. You probably ignored them at the time. Usually we only truly acknowledge them with hindsight.

Another way is to observe yourself in current situations and see how you operate. You’ll soon recognise your pitfalls. Then you can change your responses and build more self-trust.

It looks like you need to have presence of mind to be able to trust yourself.

Yes and this is where white space comes in. We need to stop and take time out just to be with ourselves.

What is White Space?

It’s:

• A designated chunk of time, for you alone. No ’shoulding’ on yourself! You do whatever you want.

• At least two hours, twice a week, with nothing scheduled or planned for it.

• Blocked out in your diary for the coming year.

• Built up over time to two hours/day or a half day/week or two days/week.

• Untouchable

You need to commit to it and also to shift your perception. You are not being self-indulgent. You are being responsible and empowering yourself to have choice and freedom.

How do I use White Space?

The decision on how you use it should come in the first moment you are in it. If you are unsure, just sit and be present and see what comes up. You will learn to be more spontaneous. It’s a bit like clearing clutter. Until you clear it, it’s hard to see what you have currently and what you can eventually have.

Remember:

To trust yourself, you’ve got to know yourself well. Knowing yourself means you are aware, you understand, you are conscious of what’s going on around you and how you are responding to it. It means you know what you want in any given situation. You learn to read signals and adjust your responses as necessary.

When you slow down and take time and space to build awareness, you will notice that you are:

• Observing yourself

• Eventually able to watch your mind in action

• Learning that when nothing is working, to do nothing

• Trusting yourself more and more

• Taking the pressure off and more sure of yourself

• More surefooted and strategic.

About The Author

Ann Kelly is a Personal and Business coach, with an established global reach. Her speciality is helping those who’ve sold their souls to their business or organisation and want a refund. Ann’s unique style has had a significant positive, impact upon many lives and businesses. Check out success stories and visit her website, at http://www.yourworldyourway.com. To arrange a complimentary 30 minute session please call Ann at +353-21-4354725 or email ann@yourworldyourway.com

A Story (Source Unknown) - One day a very wealthy father took his son on a trip to the country for the sole purpose of showing his son how it was to be poor. They spent a few days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. Upon return from their trip, the father asked his son how he liked the trip. “It was great, Dad,” the son replied. “Did you see how poor people can be?” the father asked. “Oh, yeah,” said the son. “So what did you learn from the trip?” continued the father. The son answered, “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to leave on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.” The boy’s father was speechless. Then the son added this last remark: “It showed me how poor we truly are.”

The young boy demonstrated that his focus created a new reality and allowed him to see with “new eyes.” Individual leaders can also exchange “old eyes” for “new eyes.” For example, individuals who react without thinking to the negative attitudes of others give away their own personal power. By creating a new reality in which they keep their personal power, they begin to see how they can lead through positive attitudes.

By remembering that our reality is created from our past and current experiences and that we “see” pictures in our mind when we hear words, we can initiate change while simultaneously encouraging new attitudes through these new words. Seeing with “new eyes” can be the first step in changing the “landscape” within any individual. Marcel Proust many years ago understood the importance of changing our perspective when he penned these words: “The voyage of true discovery lies not in seeking new landscapes, but in seeing with new eyes.”

Leanne Hoagland-Smith is President of ADVANCED SYSTEMS, The Process Specialist. With over 25 years of business and education experience, she partners with her clients to connect the 3P’s of Passion, Purpose and Performance to affect sustainable change in 4 key areas: financials, leadership, relationships and growth & innovation with a variety of industries. Her ROI solutions align the strategies, systems and people to develop loyal internal customers leading to loyal external customers. She is the co-author of M.A.G.I.C.A.L. Potential:Living an Amazing Life Beyond Purpose to Achievement due for June 205 release. Leanne also speaks nationally to a variety of audiences. Please call Leanne a call at 219.759.5601 or email leanne@processspecialist.com if you are seeking sustainable results for your business or yourself.

Copyright 2005 Leanne Hoagland-Smith, http://www.processspecialist.com

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Chances are you have seen some type of disturbance in your lifetime. Whether it was a bully picking on someone or a piece of trash on the ground, disturbances happen daily on several different levels. Some people address them and others wait or assume someone else will handle the situation.

This day and age we do have to choose our battles wisely, making sure not to endanger ourselves or others. So it is recommended that we analyze the situation and then decide if it is safe for us to act. Sometimes if the situation is dangerous then we need to contact the proper authorities, whether it is an ambulance, police, or fire unit. Don’t assume that someone else has called or that someone else will handle it. Chances are there are several other people thinking along the same lines as you, but nobody takes action and places the call.

Nobody gets hurt from too many calls or reports to authorities, but people do get hurt when action is not taken. Every second counts and every second matters. So take that into consideration when you hesitate to make the call. Also put yourself in the shoes of the person you may be apt to help.

We have a moral responsibility to initiate a change in the world. Whether we think it is on a small or large scale does not matter. The truth is that every increment of change is a change towards bettering the world we live in.

If you see a piece of trash on the ground, if you can, pick it up. If you find someone’s wallet, return it. If you see someone wanting to get in front of you in a line of traffic, allow it. Participate in the world you live in by responding to it and being active. All too often we turn our backs on the people involved around us. Or even worse, we don’t accept our own personal moral responsibility. We assume other people will pick up for us or will cover our mishaps.

Think about your involvement in the world. Think about your daily consumptions. Are you conserving the environment or simply consuming? Think about what differences you can make on a personal level to enact a change. Become informed about products or foods you use. Get involved with organizations or causes that you believe in. Most important get your family involved too. It our responsibility to be aware of our surroundings and be aware of our involvement within those surroundings. Chances are you will discover each one of us has more power to make a change than we choose to exhibit.

Inspirational Artist & Author Meilena Hauslendale’s work and articles are displayed internationally. She is the founder of Silence Speaks International Artist Association and the Editor of Intrigue Magazine. Published books include, Making Your Purpose Your Business and Recognizing Unhealthy Relationships. Email: articles@meilena.com http://www.meilena.com

Do you feel like a pack mule carrying around a heavy load? It is no wonder we are always exhausted with the load most of us carry. It’s not only the physical stuff we carry but also the emotional and mental load of the stuff we carry in our heads. Everyday when I go to work I see people burdened down by backpacks, briefcases, laptop cases, purses, bags, rolling carts and more! Why is everyone always carrying so much stuff? Maybe you job is such that you have to take all that paperwork home with you every night. But do you work on it or are you too exhausted? So then what happens? You carry it back to work the next day! We bring laptops home to work on them but do we? You carry your workout clothes, water bottle, cd’s, books, extra shoes and a ton of other stuff “just in case”. Ask yourself how you would feel if you didn’t have all this stuff with you everyday?

How is your home? Lots of stuff there too? Are you a pack rat saving things for a rainy day? Magazines stacking up for the day you have time to read them? Clothes hanging in the closet that you haven’t worn in years? Boxes of stuff packed away that you don’t even know what is them anymore? Junk mail piling up on the counter?

Having lots of stuff around you clutters your mind. It starts to overwhelm you and you don’t know where to start. You start to worry about it, what to do with it, where to put it. Pretty soon you can even think about it anymore and then it just continues to get worse.

Then there is the emotional baggage you might be carrying. Anger, depression, financial concerns, relationships, employment can all add to an already heavy load. If you start to deal with these issues you may find it is easier to deal with the other clutter in your life. At the same time you may find getting rid of the physical clutter will help your emotional and mental load.

Start to lighten your load by making a list. What is the number one thing you could do to lighten your load? Next outline the steps you need to take to start reducing the clutter in your life. Break it down into small steps such as cleaning out one closet, not the whole house. Sell off, giveaway or throw out the stuff you no longer need. Have a garage sale or sell off stuff on ebay. Use the money you earn for treating yourself to a day at a spa. Make a vow not to keep carrying the same stuff back and forth to the office.

Once you start to lighten your load you will feel like you have more energy, clearer thoughts and a happier outlook on life. You will no longer have to worry about all that stuff that has been cluttering your life. You will find you can travel farther in life with a lighter load.

To start to lighten your load and help others have a garage sale for charity. Visit Garage Sales for Charity for full information. Helping save the world one garage sale at at time. http://www.garagesalesforcharity.org