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The way you feel about yourself can affect your entire day – and your whole life. If you don’t feel good about yourself, you might not be as willing to take risks, to achieve more, and to get what you really want. Instead of feeling badly about yourself, you can begin to change the energy of your life and of your attitude by using Feng Shui. Things can change – and you deserve better!

If It Holds You Back, Get Rid of It!

If you stop for a moment to look around at your living or working space, you might notice that there are things you don’t particular like. So why are they in your environment? One of the best ways to start bolstering your self esteem is to remove those things in your life that just don’t make you feel great. These might be pictures, negative notes or letters, or anything else that just makes you feel horrible. You want to increase the positive energy of your life and of yourself, so why drag that energy back down with things that only upset you? Unless you have to keep these items, get rid of them completely. You’ll notice an immediate weight lift from your shoulders.

While you’re getting rid of things, you should also be getting rid of any clothing that doesn’t make you feel good about yourself. You want to always feel good when you open your closet, not open up your closet and sigh when you go to put something on. Positive energy comes from having things you love in your life – so only hang onto those outfits you really, really love.

If your home is near anything that might produce EM, electromagnetic, energy, you should try to put up some sort of barrier between yourself and that source. Even a plant or some other decorative feature can help. Too much energy has just as negative an effect as too little energy – especially in relation to your self esteem.

Bring in the Happy Times

Now that you’ve cleaned out the bad, it’s time to bring in the good. Try painting or decorating your space with bold and bright colors (although try to avoid these in the bedroom). The kitchen is the heart of a home, and often linked with the heart of you too. So, dress it up in bright reds and oranges to lift your mood every day.

Make sure to open up the shades and to add as much light as possible to each room of your home. This will help you begin to feel more positive about your life as light attracts positive energy. You might also want to wear brighter clothes as this too will attract happy and positive feelings to your everyday encounters. And you’ll notice that others respond favorably to people who dress to impress.

It can also help for you to find a space in your home that you can use for you and only you. Decorate this space in any way you like, and visit it often. It might just be a chair that you sit in at the end of a long day or it could be a whole room that you devote to your favorite hobby. In any case, this space should be all about your energy and what makes you special – thus attracting even more positive energy to your life. In this space, why not add a list of the things you have achieved in your life or pictures of things that make you feel good about yourself? That’s going to spark a firestorm of positive energy.

Feng Shui is just one of the many ways you can help boost your self esteem and show the world just how special you are. Just think of how great it’s going to feel being surrounded by all that positive energy – you’re smiling right now, aren’t you?

About the Author:
Candace Czarny, ASID,CFM, LEED AP, “Award Winning” Interior Designer Feng Shui Expert http://www.ArtOfPlacement.com/fengshui.html is continually ranked “Top 10″ in Google and Yahoo. Clients testify of dramatic results!

Keyword tags: self esteem, self improvement, self help, happiness,

First it is important to understand the exact meaning of ‘Self-Esteem’. The Oxford English Dictionary definition is:

“One’s good opinion of one-self.”

Many people, and the psychology profession wouldn’t be able to survive without them, use the process of improving SELF-ESTEEM as an important step to the development of feeling good about one-self again.

This pathway back to a ‘good sense of worth’ may not be achieved with improving your self esteem alone, but we can assure you that you will have been elevated sufficiently to see what’s required next.

Positive affirmations are words that offer power to the subconscious mind … please read on.

We all have moments each year, each month, each week, each day and each hour where we may have sensed a period of sadness ensuing. It could have been a verbal attack on our character, it could have been a series of bad events. Whatever happens to you may never happen to anyone else; these routes to the doldrums are very personal.

Negativity is a sore point for any individual, so we need to develop a process of rising through these periods of confusion, and these are best defeated with us in a stronger frame of mind.

Building self esteem is not just about thinking good of yourself, it’s about not thinking bad for no reason!
Notice the small differences as they happen. Persevere and don’t expect everything at once. Beating low self esteem is a wonderful thing, and it’s much easier than you’d imagine.

“The way you overcome shyness is to become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid.” (Lady Bird Johnson).

Assume in this illustration that your ‘soul’ or your ‘personality’ is the book.

(Positive affirmations are words that offer power to the subconscious mind … please read on.)

THE BLUE BOOK

This particular book was blue with a gold embossed title. Within the first few pages I noticed its reprint date in 1905. Without telling you the name of the book, would you know from the description so far what book it was? No, I don’t suppose you would.

In 1905 it was a new book, printed and bound to the highest quality. Although translated into a hundred languages the new owner found delight in having bought it.

The book was full of information and although the owner was only aged 10 he began to read from page 1. It wasn’t long before he put his own stamp on the book by writing his name on the inside front cover. He was proud to own it and was happy for everyone to know that too.

It wasn’t a book he read straight through, for it took him 5 years to finish it; but he recalls the journey was well worth the wait. It became a proud possession and moved from shelf to shelf in his bedroom.

His parents were having a clear out and decided to collect some old items and send them to a local jumble sale. It was evident that the blue book was popular, it was soiled, damaged by various accidents, its pages were folded, creased and several were scribbled on while the owner was still young. The parents asked if they could include this in their collection for the jumble sale as it didn’t look too healthy.

It may not have been impressive to look at, but the content was excellent. The value to the owner had not decreased from day one. So, NO the parents could not take it.

The owner grew older and found himself a wife and now engrossed in his new life mislaid the book at his parent’s home. It wasn’t long before his parents had another house clear out and this time the book went to the jumble sale.

During that day at the jumble sale many people picked up the book with almost everyone considered it worthy to buy. It was an old woman who bought the book for a few pence. She referred to the book as revisiting an old friend. Over the next 15 years she read it through about five times. Although the book may not have been in pristine condition the content was still valuable.

The old woman passed away and her belongings taken to a second-hand shop. The blue book was purchased once again for a few pence by a mother who bought it specifically for her own children. Both children read it on several occasions and one kept it in his book collection for 40 years.

This current owner found his house on fire and although many expensive items were destroyed his book collection had been saved; although now the cover of the blue book was dirtier than ever. As it happens with time, the blue book changed hands several more times; one of which had spent time to meticulously clean the book. As I write this recollection the book is 100 years old, a little tatty around the edges but still of value because of the content.

Doesn’t this seem similar to our life and how we sometimes have to drag ourselves off the floor and dust ourselves down?

Many times in our lives, we get dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless.

But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or creased, you are still priceless to this life.

By the way the blue book is entitled ‘The Bible’.

Positive affirmations are words that offer power to the subconscious mind … to read more please visit this site: http://www.GlobalTop5.com/affirmations.html

About the Author:
Mr. Phil Booker Senior Affirmation Advisor For more information on ‘affirmations’ please visit this site: http://www.GlobalTop5.com/affirmations.html

Keyword tags: self esteem, self development, common sense, self help, affirmations, positive mental attitude

Do you feel as though there are never enough hours in the day… that you get to the end of the week and wonder where the days have gone? Do you spend all your days running around, never seeming to have time to sit down… yet you get to the end of the evening and have difficulty working out what you have achieved? Do you start each day with good intentions, making lists of jobs to do… and still find that you have loads of things outstanding at the end of the day?

When we lead busy lives, trying to juggle work, families and keeping house, making time for ourselves falls even further down the list… after all, if we don’t feel we have time for all the things we HAVE to do, there is no chance of having time for the things we WANT to do… is there?

And of course, the more we struggle with those never ending lists, squeezing more and more into our days, the more tired we get, as our energy reserves run low. We are tired at the end of the day, yet sleep becomes difficult, or in some cases impossible, because we just can’t seem to switch off… and so when we get up the next day, we are beginning the day already tired and so the cycle begins again.

In order to bring yourself and your life back to a point of balance, you could try the following:

Keeping a family diary or calendar. Make sure there is enough space on each page to write down what you have to do. Add in your appointments, the kids’ sleepovers, when the library books need to be returned as well as school trips and family birthdays. Don’t agree to take anything else on until you know that there really is space in your diary for it.

Making shorter lists – long lists are daunting, and when we get to the end of the day without having crossed everything off, we feel a failure, knowing that we are starting tomorrow with half of today’s list as well as tomorrow’s list! Limit you list to just 6 or 7 items. Keep each item realistic…. “Paint the kitchen” may be on your list, but if it is accompanied by “clear the loft”, “dig the garden”, “take the car for a service” and “get the children to ballet, gym, scouts and piano lessons”, it becomes daunting, and almost bound to fail.

Stop working by 9pm – If you work until bedtime, your body and mind have no time to wind down, and sleep becomes of poor quality. Set yourself a time limit that allows you an hour or two before your bedtime to start the “relax and switch off” process.

Don’t be afraid to say ‘NO’. Very often we take on tasks simply because we don’t want to offend, or we don’t want to appear inadequate or unable. It is OK to say “No, I’m sorry, I don’t have time to do that for you today”, or “No, sorry, that doesn’t really appeal to me”. Don’t clutter up your precious time with jobs you don’t need to take on, and don’t use up your precious energy getting worked up about things that you have taken on that you wish you hadn’t.

Make a few moments for yourself – although it would be nice to have a day to yourself, or even just a free afternoon, we all know that is usually impractical. But just 20 or 30 minutes can make all the difference to the mind/body/life balance. Go for a walk, take a soak in the bath in the middle of the day, do some classic yoga stretches, or listen to a guided imagery recording to reduce those stress levels and provide you with the energy you need to make the most of your day.

Of course different things work for different people, and you may find that some of these suggestions work better for you than others. Introduce one of the above into your day at a time, and let it become a habit before introducing the next one. Enjoy taking control and reclaiming your time, and your energy.

About the Author:
David C Wright and Kimberley Mercer are partners at http://www.guided-imagery-downloads.com. Kimberley is a NLP practitioner, reflexologist and hypnotherapist.

Keyword tags: guided imagery,relaxation,self help,relaxation techniques,advice,stress

It’s an fascinating observation as to why our elderly yrs are addressed the golden yrs. I guess when 1 comprehends what these years were originally intended to be like, that may have been a proper description.

The study of the anatomy of the human body has established that there are very clear signs of the maturing body, far before we became consciously aware of it ourselves. Sure there’s days that we get up filled with aches and pains, but in the young to middle years we find an excuse for it. For good example, I played too much ball yesterday, or I elevated too much at work. Then all of a sudden one day, when we wake up to the unchanged aches and pains, its because we are growing old.

The anatomy of the human body have got to be one of the most fascinating aspects present on world. There has been tons of research and study on human physiology. There is so very much that we have come to acknowledge about it, but so in all likelihood as equal as much, that we do not know.

Perhaps if we made a personalized interest in acquiring what our bodies are all about, and what they are doing we could go back to relishing the golden yrs. The anatomy of the human body is although really complex ,also very easy to get to know if one requires the time. Young people in their twenties, are on top of the earth both mentally and physically with their whole life ahead of them in years hopefully , merely will it be in optimal wellness is the real question.

To begin with the ageing procedure has started. We set out with more or less a billion neurons in our brain ,and by the time we are in our 20s they have led off to dwindle away. Within about ten years we could be suffering as much as 10,000 a day. At Present thats got to make some time of impact on us. From a medical point of view, this loss is affecting our memory, co-ordination and brain process. The anatomy of the human body is sure to change.

Children old bones replace themselves very rapidly, approximately within a two year period. This is really the substitute of old bone material with new. In grownups this replacing of bones can take up ten years. Up until the mid twenties bone density goes on to growth. After thirty five bone loss starts, and the ageing procedure has started.

Around fifty five our gut begins to become abandoned. All that good bacteria that is suppose to be there is disappearing. Thus now the stomach irritations will begin, and bad digestion will become evident and inevitable. Its all part and parcel of aging.

These are simply a couple of the aging processes that take place in our body, and we have the anatomy of the human body, to thank for leading us into our golden years.

About the Author:
Dr. James Ross is the founder of HumanAnatomyCourse. Do you want to discover how to learn anatomy & physiology the easy way?
Visit http://www.HumanAnatomyCourse.com to find out more about the ultimate human anatomy and physiology home study course. Great for both students and practitioners.

Keyword tags: science,education,reference,health,human anatomy,physiology,biology,self help,general,advice

To total it up in a elementary sentence, the study of the human anatomy is the scientific study of the human body. At present this is where the word casual stops. Once you start your studies, there is no uncertainty that once you study the first few lines of the foundation you are going to ask ,what did I put myself into . Don’t scared.

The knowledge you are starting to have from the study of the human anatomy, with join and associate into a coordinated style just as the human body does.

You will shortly learn that you study a set of facts it will take you onto a new set of facts. If you study in blocks of facts, before you recognise it you are starting to have a very particular base in the study of medication. It Is very much like operating on a jig saw puzzle. You do all the frames then start taking in the pieces. it’s the corresponding with your studies.

The fundamental principles are your margins, then all the systems and functions are the pieces. Thinking about it this way maybe takes away some of the panic and doubts you are now experiencing. You will get frustrated along the way. You have probably often been told take one day at a time, now I am suggesting that you take one body section at time. Before you know it you will standing in front of a group of people proudly accepting your diploma.

Its fascinating to notice that when a scholar is reading the human anatomy and someone asks what are they studying. That individual will say, oh I am going to be a Doctor or nurse,etc . They will distinguish the profession as matched to the study. Very rarely will you see them say I am analysing the human anatomy.

Starting on with your studies will most likely begin with your foundation. Right from the start you are going to study a entire different language, being medical terminology. There is no escaping from it. If you are going to be entering the medical world then you need to know how to talk in the medical world. If you do not, you will get all lost, and will more than probably fail your course. Once again this is not so challenging if you set up numerous learning patterns. Let me give you an instance.

You will read the scientific study of the morphology of the human body.

Great the starting sentence and the first medical word morphology. So now what do you do. No question you will have numerous medical resources that has a terminology division. Set Out there, look up the word morphology. Does it say in reasonably casual terms that it is the study of external visual aspect. Like the shape ,structure, color, pattern of an organism.

Ok now rewrite the introductory sentence in easier terms, like this, The scientific study of the (morphology) which is the external appearance of an organism, such as the shape ,structure, color, and pattern. Congratulations you just clear your 1st medical term. Instantly how do you remember? Write this sentence on a study paper, both ways, just as we did here. Highlighting the medical word with a yellow marker. At Present when it gets time to study you have your block. Remember as we previously wrote, learn in cubes? This is a perfect illustration.

About the Author:
Dr. James Ross is the founder of HumanAnatomyCourse. Do you want to discover how to learn anatomy & physiology the easy way? Visit http://www.HumanAnatomyCourse.com to find out more about the ultimate human anatomy and physiology home study course. Great for both students and practitioners.

Keyword tags: science,education,reference,health,human anatomy,physiology,biology,self help,general,advice

Everyone loves to have the most for their cash. Its bad enough to save cash present with the high cost of living, thus we are becoming more conscious of what we are getting for our dollar. This is no different when it comes to our grocery shopping. We spend time looking for high quality foods at bargain prices. So if we are going to this much work then why not get the most out of what it has to offer. I mean we eat for two reasons, one because we have to in order to live, and the other because we like food.

Lets work on the corresponding travel as our solid food does, which is through the digestive system, and visualize where we re missing the better it has to provide us ,and what we can do to have the most for our cash.

In order for our body to utilise what we feed on it must be broken down into minor particles so the cells can use it to offer energy. This is the job of the digestive system. This starts the instant you put food in your mouth.

Do your part – by chewing your solid food thoroughly, you take those few excess seconds to grant the saliva do its business.

Next stop is the stomach after the solid food moves down through the throat. Three things are starting to happen here. 1st the solid food will be stashed away here while it goes through several procedures. Second the stomach will churn the food, liquids and digestive juices completely unitedly, And Then thirdly it will slowly empty these completely mixed contents into the small intestine.

Do your role – take your time eating so you are not overloading the stomach. Grant it some room to do its work.

There are elements that decide how the stomach empties, one being the sorts of foods it has to break down, and the 2nd being the degree of muscle action that is necessary. The pancreas, liver and intestine entirely provide juices to aid the process that is carried out in the digestive system.

Moving on from the stomach, once it has be broken down into nutrients that can be absorbed, it at present has attained the digestive point. Here the good stuff is absorbed up the intestines ,so it keeps on it’s way to do its task with the different organs. The leftover is the waste. This is forced down into the colon where it awaits to leave the body up bowel efforts. Do your part,nobody wishes waste riding around inside of them, so see your bowels are functioning properly.

This is just a very simplified explanation as to what goes on with all that good food you paid so much money for. By watching these uncomplicated guidelines you are to a greater extent apt to get the most for your cash.

As we were traveling along on our travel, we in short noted some different organs that have a big duty in the digestive system. By educating yourself in the fundamental principle of these organs and what supports them in perfect wellness only services to further enhance your general welfares.

We are referring to the pancreas, liver, and gallbladder. Remember even the muscles should be optimum health to do their job as well.

About the Author:
Dr. James Ross is the founder of HumanAnatomyCourse. Do you want to discover how to learn anatomy & physiology the easy way? Visit http://www.HumanAnatomyCourse.com to find out more about the ultimate human anatomy and physiology home study course. Great for both students and practitioners.

Keyword tags: science,education,reference,health,human anatomy,physiology,biology,self help,general,advice

Organising the body in your human anatomy class means assigning matters in reasonable order. It can get rather complex when it gets to the human body. because you are not rather certain what to begin with. The typical tendency is to begin with the skeletal system.

This is a good option when you are prepared to get into the subject of the systems, but your not quite there nonetheless. You need to go backwards one step further. and learn what is the skeletal system made of. This is easy, its simply made of cells like the entire body is. Once you have accomplished your learning of cells. you will then be happy to move forward.

When you get to the matter of the skeletal system you will learn that its what controls your body up. So what is the body? Yeah, its all the systems and organs that you are going to pick up about, but the body is made up of tissue.

Where the skeleton carries the body up, its the tissue that keeps everything in. Without tissue, the interior of the lungs would flow out. Without tissue, the inside of the kidneys would be open. This applies to every organ and built-in item with the body. The tissue is the case, or the blanket. You need to recognize what the tissue is made up of.

You are going to say its made up of cells and thats right. Nonetheless all these cells collectively bond together to make what? Tissue naturally. Thats not where this portion of the work ends. You require to now know the various structures of the tissue.

To get your notes for this portion of the topic recall that you will be learning the tissue in layers because it is made of levels. You must acquire and have a good understanding of what every layer plays and its procedure. Reason being, you are going to require to know this so you will under the structures of the organs ,when you reach to that portion of your Human Anatomy studies.

In your note book you will almost certainly have illustrations showing out the major fields of your notes. The easiest way you can acquire, is draw these every time you cover a point that has a photograph explaining it. Do your greatest to do your illustrations stepwise with mini box notes below every drawing. Color the drawing and check the edge of the font with the comparable color.

If you abide by these methods throughout your whole learning of the Human Anatomy, you will have your wisdom stored in a very precise methodical order. Then when it occurs time to write exams, you will automatically advance them in the identical well-kept path.

Its getting close to the time that you now need to draw a flow chart. Your flow chart should be a series of blocks. In every cube as you learn a different segment put the highlights in the block, then when you study the following topic do the same in the incoming cube. This will serve as a check sheet when you are studying, to make sure you dont forget out a step. With the amount of info you are ingesting it can well be done. Not as likely when you get into the superior systems, but it can take place when acquiring the fundamental principle.

About the Author:
Dr. James Ross is the founder of HumanAnatomyCourse. Do you want to discover how to learn anatomy & physiology the easy way? Visit http://www.HumanAnatomyCourse.com to find out more about the ultimate human anatomy and physiology home study course. Great for both students and practitioners.

Keyword tags: science,education,reference,health,human anatomy,physiology,biology,self help,general,advice

A fundamental explanation of what is anatomy and physiology is that physiology is the study of life, and life is in the process of the human anatomy. To reply the enquiry, so what does it mean to me? It imply everything to you, because it’s wholly about you .

We totally care about something, when it is close to us. Ironically the most fundamental affair to us which is our life, we leave in the hands of some others, mostly to those in the wellness care field. Of course we are completely not doctors and nurses, so we have to commit ourselves to those who are. To a level, and that is the level I am getting here. We have the duty to ourselves to recognise what we are made of, so we can get sound educated judgements, when it comes to wellness subjects.

I am not just referring to basic knowledge, I am speaking about a good understanding of anatomy and physiology which I once again say it’s totally about you . If you can have your way to thinking, that the body is about you personally and not a different entity , then you have a stronger understanding of the importance in acquiring to recognise it.

Let me give you an example. When the economy is at its peak, people will go out and buy a vehicle that appeals to them. Maybe they have learned about it through an advertizement, or a acquaintance has 1. They don’t base their decision on what they acknowledge in person, or else they base it on the word of others. Now a big element here is cash. If the cash situation is good then you can open up to be more innovational.

On the other hand, when cash is tight people do a lot more investigation into purchases. For instance they make it their business to find out how dependable the car is on gas, or how functional it is, or what are they getting precisely for the money. Now why does this take place? Simple, when money is tight, people have more to suffer, so they are more careful, because they will not have the means to substitute it.

This is exactly how we are with our anatomy and physiology. When it looks to be functional it great condition, we just go about our daily routine, not even giving a opinion as to why its working so well, and what can we genuinely do to carry on that way. Then the unfortunate day may come when you have simply had your medical exam ended, and the doctor says there is a problem.

For illustration, he may say your thyroid is nonfunctional. Possibly you have not even learned the word thyroid. And So at present you dont even recognize just how much pain you may be in. Is it crucial or what? All of a sudden at present you will go on a crash path of acquiring a lot more of what the body is all about. At least where it relates to your problems. You will most in all likelihood jump onto the internet, and type in the word thyroid . By the time you are complete you will be an expert on it.

I am not indicating that you have to be a graduate student of the subjects of anatomy and physiology. I am telling if you know your body well, then you are in a strong view to take preventative measures against unwellness. In addition you are well more educated from the start about possible troubles you may be presented with. I mean by not knowing about the details of your body you could be creating a great deal of extra stress for yourself.

About the Author:
Dr. James Ross is the founder of HumanAnatomyCourse. Do you want to discover how to learn anatomy & physiology the easy way? Visit http://www.HumanAnatomyCourse.com to find out more about the ultimate human anatomy and physiology home study course. Great for both students and practitioners.

Keyword tags: science,education,reference,health,human anatomy,physiology,biology,self help,general,advice

“Sooner or later, all of us must see that negative feelings toward another person is like tossing dust at him while the wind blows against us. It all comes back.”
–Vernon Howard, Psycho-Pictography

Negative emotions, such as anger, blame, resentment, misery, jealousy, hurt, guilt, shame, and anxiety, often come from thoughts we are having about another person.

Vernon Howard states:

“It is strange how human beings miss the most obvious facts about their negativities toward others. A hateful man seldom reasons, ‘Hatred toward others makes me miserable, so in the name of common sense I’d better abandon it.’ Rarely does a resentful person think, ‘Resentment of other people drains my strength and destroys my mental powers, so I’d better clear it from my life.’”

At other times, negative emotions are the result of lies we tell ourselves about ourselves, such as “I’m stupid,” or “I’m ugly,” or “I’m worthless.” Even these negative thoughts are often in relationship to other people, fearing that others will think of you as stupid, ugly, or worthless.

Negative emotions such as anxiety and depression can also come from other lies we tell ourselves, such as “I’m going to end up being a bag lady (or a bag man)”, or “I will end up alone my whole life.”

All negative emotions are letting you know that, in one way or another, your thoughts are off track. Negative emotions are like big STOP signs, telling us to stop thinking the way we are thinking because our negative, judgmental, untrue thoughts are never going to get us where we want to go.

What happens when we ignore our negative emotions? What happens when we blot them out with various addictions, or continually believe that they are being caused by the past, by events and circumstances, or by other people?

We get stuck feeling like victims.

The only way out of feeling like a victim is to take full, 100% responsibility for your own feelings by connecting your thoughts with your feelings. By learning to be vigilant about your thoughts, you can gradually move yourself out of feeling like a victim and into personal power.

Even if your painful feelings are being caused by outer circumstances, such as various forms of loss – loss of a loved one, loss of employment, loss of finances – how you respond to these circumstances has a huge impact on how you end up feeling. If you compassionately embrace your loneliness, grief, and helplessness, you will not feel alone and abandoned inside. If you move into anger or blame, you will end up feeling victimized and will be stuck with your painful feelings.

We have all known people who have suffered a lot of loss, yet still maintain their ability to love, care, and laugh. These are people who have made a decision to stay connected with their own feelings and with a spiritual source of love, truth, comfort, and guidance. These are people who have decided to take responsibility for their feelings rather than allow people, events, or circumstance to determine how they think and feel.

Which kind of person do you want to be? Do you want to be like a ship without a captain, being blown here and there by people and circumstances, or do you want to be the captain of your own ship, steering your own course? The choice whether you want to be defined and controlled by externals – by people and circumstances – or by your own inner choices is entirely up to you.

Each moment you can choose to be a victim, or you can choose to come from an inner place of personal power and take responsibility for your feelings.

About the Author:
Margaret Paul, Ph.D., best-selling author of eight books, and co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding healing process. FREE Inner Bonding course at: http://www.innerbonding.com/welcome. Phone sessions available. mailto:margaret@innerbonding.com.

Keyword tags: victim, personal power, love, spiritual guidance, self abandonment, self help, personal development, personal growth, self improvement, Inner Bonding, Margaret Paul

What is the one thing about yourself that you’d most like to change? Something you know would make your life much happier. Lose weight? Get out of a bad relationship? Be more assertive? Quit procrastinating? Curb your anger? Quit lying? Find a mate? Change jobs? Improve your sex life? Whatever your problem, however many times you may have tried in the past, I’m here to tell you there’s lots you can do to fix it now.

The answer is not The Secret. You cannot simply think your way to happiness. Not that positive thinking isn’t terrific, it is. Positive thinking gets you to focus on your goals rather than your unhappiness, but that is only one step on the road to improving your life.

Successful change requires taking action, handling the problem in a different way than you have in the past. Thinking about it, wishing, daydreaming, repeating old behaviors, none of that works. Only an actual change in your behavior will move you in a new direction to fix the problem.

But if you’re like most of us, much as you may want to change, when the time comes to actually do things differently, negative feelings get in the way. Everybody wants to feel ready to change before they get going. “As soon as I lose 20 pounds, I’ll try to find a guy.” “When I don’t feel so depressed, I’m definitely going to look for a job.”

Or sometimes when people’s feelings resist change, they decide change is totally impossible for them. “It’s my nature to be shy. There’s nothing I can do about that.” “It would make me too nervous to give up cigarettes.” “AA can’t help. My father was alcoholic and so was my grandfather. It’s genetic.”

Wanting to feel ready to change before taking action is exactly backwards. As a clinical psychologist who has spent many years helping people successfully change, I know that if you wait to feel ready to make your move, you could wait forever. But the good news is, with the right roadmap, it’s perfectly possible to move yourself forward without feeling ready. We don’t like to go against our own feelings, but in the situations I’m talking about, it isn’t dangerous to do so, just uncomfortable. And there are techniques you can learn to handle that discomfort and move forward anyway.

What are the real “secrets” to successful change? First off understanding that change takes time, so be patient and remember to pat yourself on the back for the effort you make. You’ll also need a solid plan and techniques like Mindfulness training to help you manage any emotional resistance to change that you may experience. Finally, just as an actor rehearses, you’ll need to practice and fine-tune your new behavior before trying it out in the real world.

Making a personal change that you know will improve your life better is a very empowering experience. Don’t let your feelings and fears stop you. Your life is not a dress rehearsal. Choose to make the most of it!

About the Author:
Marion K. Jacobs, Ph.D. is a Clinical Psychologist in Laguna Beach, California, Adjunct Professor at UCLA and self-help expert. Her book and CD, Take-Charge Living: How to Recast Your Role in Life…One Scene At A Time offer a detailed plan for personal change. To learn more visit http://take-chargeliving.com.

Keyword tags: self help, inspiration, self worth, self growth, self awareness, personal change