How To Motivate Yourself – Self Motivation

Staying motivated is a struggle — our drive is constantly assaulted by negative thoughts and anxiety about the future. Everyone faces doubt and depression. What separates the highly successful is the ability to keep moving forward.

There is no simple solution for a lack of motivation. Even after beating it, the problem reappears at the first sign of failure. The key is understanding your thoughts and how they drive your emotions. By learning how to nurture motivating thoughts, neutralize negative ones, and focus on the task at hand, you can pull yourself out of a slump before it gains momentum.

Reasons We Lose Motivation

There are 3 primary reasons we lose motivation.

1. Lack of confidence – If you don’t believe you can succeed, what’s the point in trying?
2. Lack of focus – If you don’t know what you want, do you really want anything?
3. Lack of direction – If you don’t know what to do, how can you be motivated to do it?

How to Boost Confidence

The first motivation killer is a lack of confidence. When this happens to me, it’s usually because I’m focusing entirely on what I want and neglecting what I already have. When you only think about what you want, your mind creates explanations for why you aren’t getting it. This creates negative thoughts. Past failures, bad breaks, and personal weaknesses dominate your mind. You become jealous of your competitors and start making excuses for why you can’t succeed. In this state, you tend to make a bad impression, assume the worst about others, and lose self confidence.

The way to get out of this thought pattern is to focus on gratitude. Set aside time to focus on everything positive in your life. Make a mental list of your strengths, past successes, and current advantages. We tend to take our strengths for granted and dwell on our failures. By making an effort to feel grateful, you’ll realize how competent and successful you already are. This will rejuvenate your confidence and get you motivated to build on your current success.

It might sound strange that repeating things you already know can improve your mindset, but it’s amazingly effective. The mind distorts reality to confirm what it wants to believe. The more negatively you think, the more examples your mind will discover to confirm that belief. When you truly believe that you deserve success, your mind will generate ways to achieve it. The best way to bring success to yourself is to genuinely desire to create value for the rest of the world.

Developing Tangible Focus

The second motivation killer is a lack of focus. How often do you focus on what you don’t want, rather than on a concrete goal? We normally think in terms of fear. I’m afraid of being poor. I’m afraid no one will respect me. I’m afraid of being alone. The problem with this type of thinking is that fear alone isn’t actionable. Instead of doing something about our fear, it feeds on itself and drains our motivation.

If you’re caught up in fear based thinking, the first step is focusing that energy on a well defined goal. By defining a goal, you automatically define a set of actions. If you have a fear of poverty, create a plan to increase your income. It could be going back to school, obtaining a higher paying job, or developing a profitable website. The key is moving from an intangible desire to concrete, measurable steps.

By focusing your mind on a positive goal instead of an ambiguous fear, you put your brain to work. It instantly begins devising a plan for success. Instead of worrying about the future you start to do something about it. This is the first step in motivating yourself to take action. When know what you want, you become motivated to take action.

Developing Direction

The final piece in the motivational puzzle is direction. If focus means having an ultimate goal, direction is having a day-to-day strategy to achieve it. A lack of direction kills motivation because without an obvious next action we succumb to procrastination. An example of this is a person who wants to have a popular blog, but who spends more time reading posts about blogging than actually writing articles.

The key to finding direction is identifying the activities that lead to success. For every goal, there are activities that pay off and those that don’t. Make a list of all your activities and arrange them based on results. Then make a make an action plan that focuses on the activities that lead to big returns. To continue the example from above, a blogger’s list would look something like this:

1. Write content
2. Research relevant topics
3. Network with other bloggers
4. Optimize design and ad placements
5. Answer comments and email
6. Read other blogs

Keeping track of your most important tasks will direct your energy towards success. Without a constant reminder, it’s easy to waste entire days on filler activities like reading RSS feeds, email, and random web surfing.

When my motivation starts to wane, I regain direction by creating a plan that contains two positive actions. The first one should be a small task you’ve been meaning to do, while the second should be a long-term goal. I immediately do the smaller task. This creates positive momentum. After that I take the first step towards achieving the long-term goal. Doing this periodically is great for getting out of a slump, creating positive reinforcement, and getting long-term plans moving.

It’s inevitable that you’ll encounter periods of low energy, bad luck, and even the occasional failure. If you don’t discipline your mind, these minor speed bumps can turn into mental monsters. By being on guard against the top 3 motivation killers you can preserve your motivation and propel yourself to success.

What are the Best Colored Contacts for Dark Eyes?

Colored contacts have become very hip in the past few years, with many people changing their look with this new and innovative way to change eye color. There are a range of colors and brands that you can pick from, so there are options available for everybody. If you have dark eyes, there will be certain types of contacts to avoid. So, if you are looking for the best colored contacts for dark eyes, you need to understand what to look for and what you need to avoid as well.

Colored Contacts That Look Good On Dark Eyes

Since dark eyes are more difficult to cover up than lighter eyes, you are going to have to look for very specific types of contacts. More than likely you are going to need to look for contacts that are opaque so that your dark eyes will not show through the contacts. There are theatrical contacts and costume contacts that may be suitable for you. Be sure to check out dark colors like dark green, dark blue or even dark violet. These often look good, even on people who have very dark eyes.

Colored Contacts That Do Not Match Your Dark Eyes

If you have dark eyes, there are going to by some types of colored contacts that you want to avoid. You will definitely do not need a very light green or blue tint to them. These types of contacts will not make any improvement to your eyes. Also, you should probably avoid the enhancement tints as well, since these are mainly created for people who have eyes that are light colored.

What You Should Also Consider Before Getting A Pair Of Colored Contacts

Of course when you are picking out the best colored contacts for dark eyes, you will also want to think about your overall image. Do you have dark skin or light skin? Is your hair dark or light? This will also help you pick out the best contacts for your whole look. If you have skin that is on the dark side, then deep greens or violets look stunning. However, for lighter skin and hair colors, the greens and the blues are going to be your best bet. So, consider your skin tone, hair color and your individual style when you get a pair of colored contacts.

Removal Of Pubic Hair - Things You Should Know Before You Start

What is pubic hair good for? Scientists are still not surem about the function of pubic hair on our bodies. Some of the supposed uses of pubic hair include:
Pheromones are being disperse by the pubic hair to attract the opposite sex.
Pubic hair protects the genitals against friction during sexual intercourse.
Hair in the pubic region helps to keep the genitals warm.
Prevents dirt from entering the genitals.

Should I Get Rid Of My Pubic Hair?

People have been obsessed with the removal of pubic hair throughout the ages for vanity, comfort, hygiene, religious and sexual reasons. With the growing popularity of the bare look since the nineties, many men and women feel pressured to conform to this trend in order to fit in. You have to decide based on your personal preferences and beliefs on whether you want to remove pubic hair or not. Whatever your reason, it is imperative that you understand the pros and cons of the common pubic hair removal methods to choose the method that suits you best.

How Do People Remove Their Pubic Hair?

1. Shaving - People typically use the razor blades that they use on other parts of their bodies to shave their pubic hair. Men typically use their electric beard shavers or razor blades while women use their leg shavers. As a result, most people get annoying side effects such as ingrown hairs, itching and pubic pimples. If only they bothered to purchase a real pubic hair shaver.

2. Waxing - This method isn't for everyone. It hurts a lot and you have to expose your private parts to a stranger at a salon. The good thing is it tends to last longer than shaving. Alternatively, you may purchase home waxing kits to do it yourself in the privacy and comfort of your own home for a fraction of the cost of visiting a professional.

3. Depilatories - These come in the form of creams, gels, lotions and roll-ons. The chemicals in the depilatories break down hair so that you may clean them away easily. However, very few products are designed specifically for the pubic region. Applying depilatories on skin that it was not specifically made for may cause skin irritation.

4. Trimming - This is more for people who just want to reduce the length of their pubic hair. The most basic tool is to simply use a pair of scissors to trim your pubic hair to your desired length. It is kind of dangerous to use a sharp tool near your intimate parts. If that worries you, there are specialized tools available to trim your pubic hair without the risk of cutting nicked.

5. Permanent Removal - Electrolysis and laser treatments are 2 of the common permanent hair removal solutions. Electrolysis is a very long and exhausting process because each hair follicle has to be disabled individually. Laser treatments on the other hand are more convenient because it uses a light beam to disable an area of hair on your body. These treatments require multiple sessions to completely eradicate hair from your pubic region and they will cost a minimum of $500 or more.

How To Use a Coffee Percolator

Percolator coffee pots are immensely fashionable, especially to those who want fresh, hot coffee, but do not have access to electricity to get immediate satisfaction for their coffee cravings. Mostly, outdoor lovers and campers take advantage of these kinds of coffee makers. Furthermore, because they use less water without electric, and the waste is kept to a minimum, they are often used by people with strict environmental concerns as well.

If you are considering to get a percolator coffee pot, but are not exactly sure how to use it, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will discuss exactly how to use the coffee pot and brew good coffee anytime, even when you are not at home.

The first thing you need to do is ensure that all parts and accessories of the percolator coffee pot is cleaned thoroughly. This is necessary for the first use or subsequent uses. You do not want any chemicals that may be present on a new pot to be in your coffee and you surely do not want any oils left from the previous use to remain either.

After you have ensured that it has been properly cleaned, you now have to prepare your coffee. The second step of using a percolator is to grind the coffee. The recommended grind is coarse. If the coffee beans are ground too finely your coffee will contain deposits. It is a good idea to use a high quality coffee grinder that ensures a uniform grind each and every time.

Now that you have cleaned the coffee pot and ground the coffee, you will need to assemble the percolator coffee pot together. The jug of the percolator should be filled to the suitable level with fresh water. You will then need to put the coffee you just ground into your brew basket. To get an idea of how much coffee you need within the brew basket you should use the following comparison: For each cup of water within the jug, place one tablespoon (rounded) of your ground coffee into the basket. The basket is then placed onto the jug.

Because it does not use electric, you will need to find alternative methods of heating the water in the jug. If you are outdoors, most people use a firepit, if indoors, a stove will work just fine. The boiling water is necessary to ensure great coffee. Typically, the cycle will only require about five to six minutes. However, ensure that you do not reboil the water as the coffee will be very bitter and rancid.

When you have finished with the above steps, toss the used coffee out of the brew basket and serve in coffee cups with your favorite additions. As you can see, using a percolator coffee pot is really easy and provides you with fresh, hot coffee, no matter where you are.

Don't Let the Perfection Bug Bite

To an extent, perfectionism is a good thing, and can relate to excellence and quality.

You do for example want the brakes working just about perfectly and it has to be fully operational or else.

There are a number of problems generated by being overly reliant of the idea of perfection and in overdoing the idea of trying to produce perfection.

One major problem with perfection as a concept, like with all concepts, it is just not fully applicable with the situation at hand.

For example, if I do go to the beach, in this day and age, more so I would bring sun screen, with the ozone layer being some significant percent depleted, from even recent years, and other measures taken might include changing the hours in the day spent on the beach so I am not in the sun full blast mid day.

But when I go to the beach, I want to do a good job applying the sunscreen and maybe be perfectionist about that but, the application of the sun screen does not fully encompass what the experience at the beach might be and there are so many aspects and expectations to the beach experience that people bring

I remember reading an article about one of the major giant investment firms going down the tubes and some big wig got up on his desk to rally the troops and the calling card he gave was to work to the hilt.

By then, something like that wasn’t going to do a bit of good, in terms of making a difference in the pending outcome, but maybe it was all he knew and all that he had been taught about keeping things afloat.

Solutions if they might have been had would have been along the lines of finding an 11th hour buyer for the firm to keep it afloat and take on whatever good was left along with all the trouble that had been generated.

The charge up the hill of these rough riders wasn’t going to work, and mantras that matched up with trying to perfect something at hand didn’t apply.

This idea of perfection does have applicability in some cases and to some extent at a personal level, company level, ect, ect.

But to give it wide applicability might be like trying to drain the ocean with a pale.

It really is good to have the perfection card to play, to the extent that you can play it and that it can be played.

The mistake people make is that they take this card out and put it on the table and think it will get them results across the monopoly board, and this results in a disjointed view and approach, in that somehow I am realizing that this perfection card isn’t really doing much in this particular case, and yet I keep that out there thinking that it somehow will work for me.

When what I need to do, is pull another card out, for something else, whatever it might be, creativity might be one big one, and retry my cross over this bridge again, and if I can’t get across perfectly I can get across some other way.

If I apply perfection all over the place, it might be like applying sunscreen to my surfboard and my surfboard needs something else to bring me across these beautiful waves.

Perfection is just going to be another bug that bites if I do it the wrong way and use it the wrong way and that is the point of recognition, that is if perfection is turning around on me and biting me I know this isn’t the route for what I am trying to do here and now and I need something else, where the context and meaning of the word perfect is not going to be there, if I really want to achieve this wanted thing and experience.

How To Know If You Are Pregnant - The 18 First Signs Of Pregnancy

Are you pregnant? Check out the 18 pregnancy symptoms below to see if you have been experiencing any of them. 

1. Nausea or morning sickness: Morning sickness is term to describe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. This occurs in approximately 50% to 95% of all pregnant women as early as the first week of pregnancy. Morning sickness probably got it's name due to the fact that most of the nauseating symptoms start in the morning right after you get out of bed when your blood sugar levels are low. However, it may happen at any time of the day.

2. Headaches: If you have never experienced regular headaches before pregnancy, be prepared for some throbbing pain in your head and neck during pregnancy. Changes in your body's hormonal patterns is the primary cause of headaches during pregnancy. Other conditions like lack of sleep, poor posture, stress, dehydration and low blood sugar levels may also worsen of cause headaches.

3. Dizziness and fainting spells: Due to the lowered blood pressure in your body during pregnancy, blood flow to the brain may cause dizziness and fainting spells in serious cases.

4. Mood swings: With your hormones raging, it is common for women to feel moody during their pregnancy. All women have to go through a period of adjustment to settle into their new roles as a pregnant women and that takes time.

5. Fatigue: If you feel tired and experience some or all of the symptoms mentioned in this article, you have a good chance of being pregnant. Hormonal changes are usually the main cause of fatigue followed by the additional weight you have to carry around.

6. Food cravings: Craving for food that you normally would not eat could be a sign that you are pregnant. Normally, women report cravings for salty and sweet food during pregnancy while others report a uncommon desire for spicy or starchy food.

7. Weight gain and bloating: The combination of your baby's growth and your increased food intake will cause you to put on weight and your clothes to fit tighter than usual. An inexplicable increase in size of your stomach is also a definitive sign that you may be pregnant.

8. Heartburn: Hormones created during pregnancy may relax the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which opens the valve to allow stomach acids to flow up into the esophagus causing a burning sensation.

9. Lower back pain: As your baby grows in size, the additional weight pulls your spine to the front of your body and causes you to experience some back pain from time to time.

10. Constipation: Hormonal changes during pregnancy slows down the movement of food through your digestive system which results in constipation. This could be a sign of pregnancy if you do not experience constipation frequently.

11. Constant urination: Your growing baby in the uterus puts a lot of pressure on your bladder and you may find yourself visiting the toilet more frequently than usual.

12. High Basal Body Temperature (BBT): If your BTT stays in the high temperature range for 18 days or more, you have a good chance of being pregnant.

13. Cramping: As the uterus grows and stretches, it is normal to feel cramps that feel similar to menstrual cramps.

14. Spotting: Slight bleeding occurs when the fertilized egg begins to implant itself into the uterus any time from 3 to 6 days after fertilization. This usually happens outside of a normal menstruation cycle so it should not be confused with a normal period.

15. Darkening of the areolas: Your areolas could darken and increase in diameter during pregnancy. This is caused by your body's preparation for your breasts to produce milk.

16. Tender or swollen breasts: A lot of women experience sore, swollen, tingly or tender breasts during pregnancy due to the increasing hormones that are used to prepare a woman for breastfeeding. This feels like a amplified version of how your breast feels before your period.

17. Missed periods: If you have been sexually active and you missed a period, it is a good indication that are you are pregnant. A pregnancy test should be taken to confirm if the missed period is really caused by your pregnancy.

18. Positive pregnancy tests: Only a positive urine test or blood test can give you solid indication that you are pregnant. The problem is, they may not be fool proof. Remember to visit a doctor to conduct further tests to confirm the results.

It is important to remember that not all of the symptoms above can confirm a pregnancy. When you have a positive pregnancy test, visit a doctor to get more tests done to confirm your pregnancy. That's the only way to find out if you are truly pregnant.

How to Use an Espresso Machine

In order to produce a produce coffee drink of espresso – one requires a dedicated machine that delivers a highly pressurized stream of hot water necessary for processing this particular kind of fine, powder-like ground coffee. With a thicker consistency than drip coffee, little amounts of espresso are usually served – often as a shot. However, it is rather common to see espresso blended with other beverages, such as cappuccino and lattes, in an effort to lessen the strong taste and level of caffeine.

With a history that dates back to the early 20th century in Milan, Italy – espresso has become a well-liked drink amongst coffee lovers. This trend has led to an increasing number of people to purchase their own espresso coffee machines in order to bring home the taste they deeply enjoy.

Before you try to use your espresso machine (depending on your model), you will most likely need to get an espresso grinder and espresso beans, demitasse cups, and water. When approaching the issue of water in regards to using your espresso machine, it is suggested to keep in mind that bottled spring water is not the optimum choice for your unit. The amount of minerals found in spring water will damage your espresso machine. Alternatively, it is preferable to use water that has gone through a process of filtration. 

To get an idea of how to use an espresso machine, an example of instructions is posted below:

1) First, you will pour clear, cold water into the water chamber of your machine. The boiler cap on your unit should be closed. In order to create one shot of espresso – one ounce of water is needed. A double shot requires two ounces. Depending on your espresso machine, you may be able to create up to four shots at one time.

2) Position the coffee basket in the filter holder, followed by lightly packing in the ground coffee. Most filters will provide a means to measure how much espresso you are making.

3) Next, you will remove any grounds found on the sides and top of the filter. The filter holder is then placed in the espresso machine.

4) If your machine comes with a glass carafe, this is the time where you position the carafe under the spout. When no carafe is available, a cup is enough. Turn on the machine and in due time – the water is heated to the appropriate temperature and then forced through the coffee grounds.

5) The ideal espresso shot delivers brown foam (referred to as "crema") to the top of the coffee as it begins to flow into your container. When the foam starts to turn white, this is an indication that the liquid with the best taste is no longer exiting the machine. Quickly remove your cup or carafe.

When looking for the proper beans to use with your espresso machine, you should know that specially selected and roasted options are found at major supermarket chains or coffee specialty shops. Serious espresso drinkers generally purchase an espresso grinder and create their own ground coffee before brewing.

Scaling the Mountain Lottery of Life

“Life is too short for this,” a saying we hear quite frequently.

Our time here on earth is too short to wake up every morning regretting our lives heretofore.

The ideal is to try to resolve regrets as they appear- before they become an overwhelming mountain

that requires more strength and effort than we may possess to climb. Oft times this does occur, making the necessity for seeking help from others whom we may discern as having more strength and wisdom with which to aid us in scaling that mountain. We should never be ashamed, afraid or too proud in our own self knowledge to seek and accept this aid from our fellows- nor too foolish to take advantage of an offered chance for success.

To some degree we will love the people we encounter in life. The measuring scale of this love is vast and far-reaching- encompassing the range to the lowest bottom of antipathy or dislike to hatred- and soaring to the heights of complete adoration to ecstasy. Most human love settles somewhere in between.

As we metaphorically climb the slippery slopes of the mountain of life on earth, we create niches in which to plant or feet in order to lift ourselves upward toward the summit. The tickets to life’s lottery, if you will, are the niches of communication, love, hope, faith and trust, which may be found within each human wallet.

Some of these niches will hold us as we climb- some will crumble and give way resulting in our sliding backward down the slope. Seeking further safety and success, we have the additional requirement of ropes that are secured within the bedrock of our societies.

These ropes are the legal contracts we make, which are secured by the bedrock of our society’s laws; while the niches we create are the promises we make secured only by the faulty whims of human caprice, which are subject to collapse with a change in the weather of life.

On the slippery slopes of our marriage contracts we require both- as we try to buy with the ropes of our laws what should be had for free with promise.

Most of our relationships in life involve simply hand and foot niche climbing, without the security of embedded ropes; so we climb these shifty faltering slopes by winging it on empyreal human promises of love, fidelity, protection and caring. With hope and trust, we soldier on, carried by our faith in fickle capricious human nature- because we must.

But, and there is always a but-this faith cannot be blind. We should not be unaware of the shifting sands of this nature, and in self protection realize the real possibility of our failure- keeping by, as it were, a saved strength and fortitude to be used in the probable event of a new beginning up the slopes.

So we climb upward and onward in forced instinct- though sometimes bloodied and exhausted, testing the niches we find and make- trusting the ones which seem most likely to hold us, and discarding the ones that didn’t- not waste valuable time crying over the niches that failed but focusing on the building of new ones for the future, which may be stronger from our experience in building by trial and error.

Somehow we know, in that place where we all know things, that everything that happens to us and everyone else- has a reason and a purpose- as each niche we find or create; perhaps we created the weak one that fell in order to learn to create the next one stronger.

We must love the niches that hold us; and forget the ones that didn’t. No one told us that scaling this lottery mountain would be easy, or pleasant…..If we continue to climb upward toward self-fulfillment we may just make it to that summit; if we sit down and give up until the sun goes down, we’re sure to lose what we may have won.

Women and Love, and The Bachelor

The other night I saw an episode of the reality TV show The Bachelor . I think it's the first time the series has been aired in South Africa. I couldn't believe my eyes. It's about a bachelor and a group of single women desperate to get married. They stay in a gorgeous house for a week, and He Visits. He can go on single or group dates, and if he likes a woman he gives her a rose which protects her from being eliminated that round. At the end of the week, the women he hasn't dated get a chance to prove they're perfect for him, at a soiree. But he already has decided he doesn't like them, so they just humiliate themselves.

After that there's the mandatory ceremony where Somebody Goes Home. The women get all dressed up and stand together, hopeful, vulnerable, terrified. Mr. Gallant and Charming stands next to a podium with a bunch of roses on it. He gives roses to the women he likes, one by tormenting one. His best choice is first of course, so that woman is in seventh heaven. The shock and pain on the other women's faces is heart-rending.

Of course this ceremony was full of nightmarish dramatic pause which made the emotional torture and humiliation even worse. Eventually He got to his last choice. The woman he chose was so relieved and grateful she groveled. It was nauseating to watch, but the vulnerability it showed was touching and so sad.
“The participants on The Bachelor were intelligent, interesting women. That's what puzzled me.”
Then there were a couple left, and with a glum face, he said sorry, gals, it breaks my heart but you don't make the cut. One of the women was so beautiful, within and without, and she had given up her job as a teacher to be on the show. She walked away very sore, but also very thoughtful, and I knew she'd be okay, she'd learned something very important about herself. I get goose bumps thinking about it.

The mind boggles at what this show represents, how it illustrates that some women still don't realize their value, and still believe it only has any substance if a man chooses them. They don't even seem to be aware that they have choice. Certainly not the ones on the show, anyway, but I know this to be true of many women.

On the episode I watched there were 12 or 13 women, of varying ages; all of them attractive. A couple were pretty ditzy, but many had wonderful personalities. Some had children or careers, dreams for their lives and what they wanted to achieve. They were intelligent, interesting women. That's what puzzled me. As for Mr. Bachelor, he was a nice-enough looking man, in great shape, with a small child he "loved more than anything" - the veracity of which was slightly cast into doubt when, on camera, he asked his son "who loves you more than anybody?" and his son actually didn't know the answer!

Then Daddy said, with a sad, tragic look on his face that kiddo had to go away for a week because Daddy had this important thing to do. He was going to choose a new Mommy! Right, this wasn't about a big ego trip harem fantasy at all, it was for the kid. Kiddo didn't really understand that either. Poor little sod.

It was amazing and sad - to watch these women, a lot of whom really had something going for them, be so desperate for attention from a man who had less personality than most of them, who they didn't know, and who made no effort to please them. The ones who weren't chosen went through hell. It was hard to watch, to see their real pain, and how they believe their fulfillment is dependent on the whether a man chooses them or not. Worse that if he doesn't, it's because there's something wrong with them. Even if he's a jerk, which Mr. Handsome and Charming rather was. He wasn't an out and out scoundrel, but it didn't ever occur to him that his merits might be in question. And he took the ones he liked the best out on spectacular dates which he took kudos for even though they had been thought up and paid for of course by the show. He played romance with them, drew them in, kissed them, and tossed them out. And they let him.

We all want love. We're all vulnerable and hate rejection. But being a willing participant in a meat market? Every one of these beautiful women were desperate to please him. Only one of them said "I don't like this". His response? She was too needy! It was like something out of Jane Austen. Both Greg and another friend of mine, Heather, commented on how disgusting these reality shows are because the basic premise is how much participants are willing to humiliate themselves for a prize. I agree, it is disgusting, and I get angry and cringe at the humiliation. The tormenting reminds me of people being thrown to the lions in Roman times.

But more than anything, I think they're a very pertinent comment on our society. We can slam those women for being such idiots, but idiots they are not. Perhaps more than anything, they're honest. My heart goes out to them, because they have much to learn about their own value, and I think that learning process is going to be painful. But at least they're engaging in it. Did you ever see the film Miss Congeniality? Sandra Bullock was interviewed about it and said she had been so scornful of women who enter beauty pageants until she met them.

I feel the same way about these women. They touched me. The reason I'll keep on watching is to see if any of them realize they don't have to put themselves through this to find happiness. I think the winners will be the ones who are sent home. They get to keep their lives and build on them authentically and have the chance to find love that's real and is a two-way street. I hope for them that they do.

The Order of Thanksgiving and Psalm 100

Psalm 100 reads as follows from the New King James version of the Bible:

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
3 Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
5 For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

The order of thanksgiving is to first refer to the qualities of the Lord, mentioned in verse 5 and the specific item of thanksgiving is a trailer or attachment to the demonstrated quality of the Lord for which you are being thankful.

Verse 3 says, 3 Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

The Lord is referred to as our maker, and his pastoral care is something that he also makes for us within the context of his ongoing creative presence for the individual, as the parable  of the lost sheep and lost coin in the gospels points that the pastoral and creative care of the Lord is pointed to the individual soul..

The items for which we can be thankful might have changed a bit since this psalm was written.

For example back then, you wouldn't have had a cell phone, an internet connection, a plane ride, train ride, or favorite television show to be thankful for or to ask for in prayer.

 And in terms of approaching events and in giving thanks in advance, you can't fully anticipate what might happen but you can still roll out into the future with thanksgiving in advance in a general sense.

The Lord and the angels he dispatches on assignments for persons are working for the people in the context of this time and place.

Another you might not always know if you are encountering an angel or if angels are nearby helping you, you can be sure they are there and you can surely give thanks for them and their help and assistance.

But the crux of the matter is that you are not really just relying on the Lord's presence in giving any one thing but you are more so relying on the demonstrated pastoral characteristics of the Lord's presence such as for example the qualities of his generosity which hopefully will continue and this psalm speaks of an enduring and everlasting mercy of which generosity is part and parcel of..

In verse 4 it says, 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name

In this day and age, the courts of the Lord is first and foremost are found in that personal place of prayer, which in terms of a physical location can be just about anywhere.

You can set up house prayer wise in just about any location.

So you want to go into that prayer walk and talk with some thanksgiving and praise in blessing the name of the Lord and ascribing the goodness you are finding as sourced from the Lord.

You are anticipating further demonstrations of the Lord's kindness and prayer is often looking ahead so you can be thankful for occurrences yet to happen and for the Lord's coming through with designs and happenings for the future.

Whatever the Lord might give, he more than likely will have a generouis allowance of, if it deems it appropriate for the individual soul.

Verse 5 in this psalm is describing the Lord's enduring qualities of mercy, goodness, and truth which are brought into the context of his shepherding for his people.

The order of thanksgiving is to first give emphasis first to the demonstrated quality of the Lord in whatever you are thanking the Lord for and the trailing information is what specifically you are being thankful for.

You might first thank the Lord for caring, before you go into the specific item for which he is demonstrating his personal care for you.

1 Peter 5.7 says," Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

There will be designs and expressions of the Lord's individual care and concern for you and while thanking the Lord for an individual design of his care, or an individual expression of his care, first refer to the care in your thanksgiving, and then cite the individual expression or design of that care that you are experiencing.

This ideal goes whether you are being thankful for yourself or others in the manner of intercessory prayer.

1 Timothy 2.1 says

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone--

 The Lord is looking for requests and wants the requests from the praying person to include intercessions for others, and from this verse everyone is in need of prayer.

Thanksgiving is a key part of requests in opening the gates to the eternal, everlasting gifts and, prayers and intercessions for others and within this pasture of the Lord is very key.

Don't put the horse before the cart but put the truth of the Lord's great qualities of mercy, kindness, tenderness and care in the first order of what you mention as you let these demonstrated traits lead in the prayer of thanksgiving, which is part of the bloom of prayer to great effect for both yourself and the others for whom you are praying.

The Crown of Creation?

We are, so we have been told through the ages, the ‘Crown of Creation’, God’s chosen species. Do we deserve such an accolade? I struggle increasingly to see how we do. One of the strongest driving forces in nature is the protection and nurturing of our offspring and it seems to me that we are unable to even achieve that!

Yes, I have been affected by the latest tragedy in Sandy Hook, even though European, who could not be, but is this only the tip of an iceberg? Do we, as a species really care about our children? Do we really want to nuture, care for and give the best to our torch bearer’s, effectively our continuance?

The facts say otherwise, do you ever take your kids to the local supermarket? How many isles are full of junk food? Sure, it tastes really yummy, addictivly so, but in terms of nutrician? Probably Rat s**t has more essential nutrients than that stuff.

I’m sorry, but this is bad, very bad, the only driving force behind this marketing is profit. Some of these companies are worldwide, normally use a smiling grand fathery logo as their sales pitch and why, to make millions and we are are the crown of creation?

No, the humble Rat, Crab and Elephant beat us hands down, their offspring are given what they need, to make them healthy and strong, that simple.

How does this relate to what has just happened in America? Evolution, something that we luckily have no control  over moves on. Like it or not, the next generation are smarter than us, they observe our priorities and take a view.

Should we really be surprised when they view their situation as both hopeless and desperate? If we do our heads are burried within sand. We are, minute by minute destroying our planet, why? Because that is the lifestyle we have evolved into, the way we will get ahead, progress and create a better future for our offspring, are you sure?

I’m sorry, but we are heading towards a precipice, a danger, do not pass  sign, but our momentum is such, that we can niether pause and reevaluate, nor stop. In my humble opinion, our children, blessed with an objectivity that we lack, see quite clearly where we are heading. How do they react, in different ways, but in the latest tragedy in America, in blind fury and hopelessness.

We, the people of my generation should feel ashamed that we have passed on such a legacy. It is not America's gun laws that need revisting, it is it’s sense of values.

To repeat myself, a society that will encourage its children to a diet of junk food to make a fast buck, is no society at all. It is something else and not much different to our ancestors that discovered that the bone of a deceased mammal made a useful weapon.

What has just happened in America is in fact a wake up call for the human race. Is this the best we can do? If so, shame on us, all of us.

25 Of the Most Inspiring Quotes Ever Spoken

An inspiring quote may be just what you need to turn your day around.  Here are 25 of the most inspiring quotes ever spoken or written.

25 Inspiring Quotes:

I hated every minute of training, but I said, “Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.”
Muhammad Ali

“You can have anything you want if you are willing to give up the belief that you can’t have it.”
Robert Anthony

“There is no man living that can not do more than he thinks he can.”
Henry Ford

“Give me a stock clerk with a goal, and I will give you a man who will make history. Give me a man without a goal, and I will give you a stock clerk.”
J.C. Penny

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
Dr. Forrest C. Shaklee

“It’s not about time, it’s about choices. How are you spending your choices?”
Beverly Adamo

“Success…seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.”
Conrad Hilton

“That’s precisely the question everyone should be asking—why the hell not?  – Why not you, why not now…”
Timothy Ferriss

“Intolerance of your present creates your future.”
Mike Murdock

“The dreamers are the saviors of the world.”
James Allen

“Destiny is not a matter of chance; it’s a matter of choice.”
Anonymous

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
Eleanor Roosevelt

“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”
Vince Lombardi

“It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are.”
E.E. Cummings

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
George Eliot

“How does one become a butterfly? You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.”
Trina Paulus

“Do not let what you can not do; interfere with what you can do.”
John Wooden

“One man with courage makes a majority.”
Andrew Jackson

“Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.”
Henry Ford

“Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.”
Albert Einstein

“Nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be so.  For glory gives herself only to those who have always dreamed of her.”
Charles De Gaulle

“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of Hell, a hell of Heaven.”
John Milton

“You can not retain a true and clear vision of wealth if you are constantly turning your attention to opposing pictures, whether they be external or imaginary.”
Wallace D. Wattles

“Every great story on the planet happened when someone decided not to give up, but kept going no matter what.”
Spryte Loriano

The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thank you for reading, be sure to pass this along!

Quotations: Dare To Be Great!

Shoot for the moon.  Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.
Les Brown

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.
Henry Ford

Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion.  You must set yourself on fire.
Arnold H. Glasow

The rung of a ladder was never meant to rest upon, but only to hold a man's foot long enough to enable him to put the other somewhat higher.
Thomas Henry Huxley, Life and Letters of Thomas Huxley

If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up.
J.M. Power

Great ideas need landing gear as well as wings.
C.D. Jackson

Life's problems wouldn't be called "hurdles" if there wasn't a way to get over them.
Author Unknown

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.
Attributed to Carl Bard

God gives us dreams a size too big so that we can grow in them.
Author Unknown

Seventy percent of success in life is showing up.
Woody Allen

Often, what seems an impossible climb is just a staircase without the steps drawn in.
Robert Brault

The best angle from which to approach any problem is the try-angle.
Author Unknown

The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers.  But above all, the world needs dreamers who do.  Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, 1996

When solving problems, dig at the roots instead of just hacking at the leaves.
Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book

You must have long-range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-range failures.
Charles C. Noble

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.
Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book

Don't live down to expectations.  Go out there and do something remarkable.
Wendy Wasserstein

Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out.
Art Linkletter

I hope when you count the stars you begin with yourself, and may you embrace the moonlight with your dreams.
Dodinsky

Excellence is not a skill.  It is an attitude.
Ralph Marston

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.
e.e. cummings, 1955

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.
Judy Garland

Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.
Kongzi

You've got a lot of choices.  If getting out of bed in the morning is a chore and you're not smiling on a regular basis, try another choice.
Steven D. Woodhull (U.S. geologist, 1976-)

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
Dr. Seuss

Put your future in good hands - your own.
Author Unknown

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.
Edmund Hillary

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
Henry Stanley Haskins, Meditations in Wall Street, 1940, originally published anonymously; commonly misattributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (Thanks, Garson O'Toole and walden.org!)

The promises of this world are, for the most part, vain phantoms; and to confide in one's self, and become something of worth and value is the best and safest course.
Michelangelo

The man who has done his best has done everything.
Charles M. Schwab

There are many wonderful things that will never be done if you do not do them.
Charles D. Gill

What a fool, quoth he, am I, thus to lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty!  I have a key in my bosom, called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle.
John Bunyan

The important thing is not to stop questioning.
Albert Einstein

The best helping hand that you will ever receive is the one at the end of your own arm.
Fred Dehner

Each one of us should lead a life stirring enough to start a movement.
Max Lucado

Nature decrees that we do not exceed the speed of light.  All other impossibilities are optional.
Robert Brault

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the guy who'll decide where to go.
Dr. Seuss

Promise yourself to live your life as a revolution and not just a process of evolution.
Anthony J. D'Angelo

Put on your dream hat and dance all the way to success!
Terri Guillemets

I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it. ~Pablo Picasso

What we are is God's gift to us.  What we become is our gift to God.
Eleanor Powell

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.
Nelson Henderson

A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her.  David Brinkley

It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not.
Attributed to Hanoch McCarty

Spread joy.  Chase your wildest dreams.
Patch Adams

The shell must break before the bird can fly.
Alfred Tennyson

Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right.
Henry Ford

I quit being afraid when my first venture failed and the sky didn't fall down.
Allen H. Neuharth

In response to those who say to stop dreaming and face reality, I say keep dreaming and make reality.  Kristian Kan, Rich By 25

People are like stained-glass windows.  They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Success comes in cans, not cant's.
Author Unknown

You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.
Michael Jordan

Share your sparkle wherever you are.
Dodinsky

If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.
Thomas Alva Edison

Life is not about discovering our talents; it is about pushing our talents to the limit and discovering our genius.  Robert Brault

Always hold your head up, but be careful to keep your nose at a friendly level.
Max L. Forman

Don't let anyone steal your dream.  It's your dream, not theirs.
Dan Zadra

So you plant your own garden and nourish your own soul instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers....
Veronica Shoffstall, "After a While," as posted in Dear Abby

The best way to gain self-confidence is to do what you are afraid to do.
Author Unknown

I've got a theory that if you give 100 percent all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end.
Larry Bird

The difference between try and triumph is a little umph.
Author Unknown

The reason most people do not recognize an opportunity when they meet it is because it usually goes around wearing overalls and looking like Hard Work.
Author Unknown

The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.
Attributed to both Vidal Sassoon and Donald Kendall

Nobody ever drowned in his own sweat.
Ann Landers

When the world says, "Give up,"
Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."
Author Unknown

If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again.
Flavia Weedn, Flavia and the Dream Maker

There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream.
Author Unknown

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don't find fault.  Find a remedy.
Henry Ford

To the question of your life, you are the only answer.  To the problems of your life, you are the only solution. Jo Coudert, Advice From A Failure  (Thanks, Elizabeth!)

Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.
Buddh@

Understanding the Balance

We the human race are, it is becoming clearer by the day at a crossroads right now and it could be a very pivotal crossroads. We have evolved and progressed without to much care, or planning to this point and have in effect followed the path set down by our ancestors.

Examine any single aspect of our progress, they all follow much the same path, take transport. Is there really that much difference in mentality between our forefathers that found they could make A to B much faster with a horse and the motor car? So now we can travel really quite fast in deed, by road, air and sea, but for what?

It becomes clearer by the day that we never had a plan, or a roadmap, we are as a species guilty of the syndrome of "The blind following the blind". Why does this matter? Take a look out of your window, or follow the news and it is quite apparent that we face a lot of problems right now. Where did we go wrong?

We have not developed in a balanced way. Technologically we have raced ahead whilst our understanding or, awareness of the balance of nature and the roll we play within it has not actually progressed very much at all.

Take another example, weapons of destruction. Now from the time when we came down from the trees and started to walk on two legs fear has been with us and fear has been a strong motivating force for mankind. Arguably the first technological advance was the discovery that bone, a bone would enhance the chances of survival, would make a useful weapon. That was the beginning of a path that has taken us to weaponry so powerful and with such huge destructive force that we now have the capability to actually destroy practically all life on earth, great progress, no?

There are some indications that we are beginning to learn tolerance and that maybe might is not right, but these developments have been very late in coming and much intolerance remains. Are not the conflicts of religious faith yet another example of our fear? If for example you are a Christian and you believe, or feel in your heart that Jesus Christ was the one and only messenger of God then great, I am very happy for you, but if only you will feel secure if everyone else agrees with you, then I must assume that you are very unsure of your own faith. Conversely the same applies for every religion on this planet.

Because and due to our ever more rapid technological advancements we are now rushing at ever increasing velocity towards.....towards what? Peace on earth? A worldwide brotherhood of man? An understanding of the incredible delicacy and interconnectedness of our planet and all life forms that we share it with? Sadly the answer to all of the above is no and we are in fact as a species more like a driverless juggernaut hurtling down the highway completely out of control.

Where does the answer to our collective problems lie? Within each and every one of us and that is it. We cannot rely upon leadership for from where will come this leadership? Politicians? No they follow the populist mood, rather than set brave and dynamic changes, as they want to be re elected. Religious leaders? Again the track record of the religious leaders is not very encouraging and unlike the prophets, or saints from which these religions have sprung, have devoted more effort into creating religious empires than trying to understand the core messages that these prophets tried to teach us, share with us.

No the only hope lies with us, you and me, we must make the changes individually and hope that enough of mankind will share and understand that balance that has been and always will be until the end of life on earth.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world" Mahatma Ghandi".

Increase Motivation

If you want to make things happen the ability to motivate yourself and others is a crucial skill. At work, home, and everywhere in between, people use motivation to get results. Motivation requires a delicate balance of communication, structure, and incentives. These 21 tactics will help you maximize motivation in yourself and others.

Motivation

1. Consequences – Never use threats. They’ll turn people against you. But making people aware of the negative consequences of not getting results (for everyone involved) can have a big impact. This one is also big for self motivation. If you don’t get your act together, will you ever get what you want?

2. Pleasure – This is the old carrot on a stick technique. Providing pleasurable rewards creates eager and productive people.

3. Performance incentives – Appeal to people’s selfish nature. Give them the opportunity to earn more for themselves by earning more for you.

4. Detailed instructions – If you want a specific result, give specific instructions. People work better when they know exactly what’s expected.

5. Short and long term goals – Use both short and long term goals to guide the action process and create an overall philosophy.

6. Kindness – Get people on your side and they’ll want to help you. Piss them off and they’ll do everything they can to screw you over.

7. Deadlines – Many people are most productive right before a big deadline. They also have a hard time focusing until that deadline is looming overhead. Use this to your advantage by setting up a series of mini-deadlines building up to an end result.

8. Team Spirit – Create an environment of camaraderie. People work more effectively when they feel like part of team — they don’t want to let others down.

10. Recognize achievement – Make a point to recognize achievements one-on-one and also in group settings. People like to see that their work isn’t being ignored.

11. Personal stake – Think about the personal stake of others. What do they need? By understanding this you’ll be able to keep people happy and productive.

12. Concentrate on outcomes – No one likes to work with someone standing over their shoulder. Focus on outcomes — make it clear what you want and cut people loose to get it done on their own.

13. Trust and Respect – Give people the trust and respect they deserve and they’ll respond to requests much more favorably.

14. Create challenges – People are happy when they’re progressing towards a goal. Give them the opportunity to face new and difficult problems and they’ll be more enthusiastic.

15. Let people be creative – Don’t expect everyone to do things your way. Allowing people to be creative creates a more optimistic environment and can lead to awesome new ideas.

16. Constructive criticism – Often people don’t realize what they’re doing wrong. Let them know. Most people want to improve and will make an effort once they know how to do it.

17. Demand improvement – Don’t let people stagnate. Each time someone advances raise the bar a little higher (especially for yourself).

18. Make it fun – Work is most enjoyable when it doesn’t feel like work at all. Let people have fun and the positive environment will lead to better results.

19. Create opportunities – Give people the opportunity to advance. Let them know that hard work will pay off.

20. Communication – Keep the communication channels open. By being aware of potential problems you can fix them before a serious dispute arises.

21. Make it stimulating – Mix it up. Don’t ask people to do the same boring tasks all the time. A stimulating environment creates enthusiasm and the opportunity for “big picture” thinking.

Master these key points and you’ll increase motivation with a bit of hard work.