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‘Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there.’ — Josh Billings

On Sunday, June 19th 2005, I was fortunate enough to see hundreds of cyclists, young and less young, tackle the 13th Scottish Bikeathon in aid of Leukaemia Research. The course of 26 miles wound its way through the spectacular Highland countryside, with some breathtaking sights along the way, as well as some pretty steep hills. What impressed me was not so much the fit and athletic who completed the course in next to no time, but the others who didn’t usually attempt this kind of thing, but were absolutely determined to complete the 26 mile course. One of those was a 7 year old girl, who along with her father, slogged along from 10.45 in the morning until 3.30 in the afternoon, with only a half hour break for lunch. She wasn’t the fastest, in fact I think she was the slowest, but she was not going to give up! That was determination! As she came to the finish there was the biggest, brightest smile I have seen in a long time. All that effort was definitely worth it and I know she’ll be doing it again next year. How do I know? She told me. You see, she is my daughter.

How can determination help to move you towards your goals? The goal here was the finish of a somewhat tough 26 mile course. It was in the same place as the starting point, so was a clear landmark in everyone’s minds. In this case, moving towards the goal was made simpler by the fact that everyone was riding bicycles! If you didn’t do something, like pedalling, you would go nowhere! However, you had to be determined to reach that goal. There was ample opportunity to give up, as there were support vehicles ready to take the weary and exhausted back to the start, and no-one would have judged you for it. The last half was particularly challenging, as there were quite a few long steep hills to climb. Completing the 26 miles was no simple task.

Can being determined help you do what you’ve been putting off for a while? Yes, indeed! Why not follow the example of those fantastic cyclists and get on your bike! Or put on your training shoes, or walking boots. Or join a dance class! What have you been putting off? What is weighing heavy on your mind that needs a kick-start? Do you really take care of yourself? What can you add into your life that will make a difference to your health and wellbeing? Show some determination and do something!

Determine to do something for yourself. A wonderful day out in the fresh, clean air, doing something to raise money for charity in the company of like-minded people. I don’t know of anyone who participated in the Bikeathon who didn’t have a tremendous sense of satisfaction at completing the course. This was the ideal situation of doing something challenging for you while helping others. Why not see if something similar is taking place somewhere near you?

Determine to do something active every day. You don’t really get more active than this! 26 miles up and down hills. Pedalling hard and breathing with your full lung capacity. This is activity at its best! Activity of one form or another will not only give you a healthier body, but a healthier mind.

Be determined to do something because you want to, not because you have to. Everyone who was participating was there because they wanted to be. This is not an event that you have to do. There are many people who have never taken part, including myself, who are not judged by those who do. There is a party atmosphere, with some people putting on fancy dress, and the whole day is one of celebration. Celebrating life to help those who are struggling with a threat to theirs.

Determine to do something new every day. For many people taking part this was definitely a new experience. And for many of those, it is an experience they are determined to repeat next year!

Be determined to do something creative every week. Creativity manifests itself in many ways. Our imagination takes flight and we can see ourselves achieving all sorts of resourceful and inspirational things. Just cycling through the glorious Highland scenery is bound to have set someone’s creative juices flowing. I’m willing to bet on it! What a great feeling!

Make sure you are determined to do something for nothing. This one is a tough one. This event was not for nothing. It was to raise as much as possible for the charity Leukaemia Research. However, I don’t think there was one person taking part who did so for any recognition or glory. They took part for the challenge and the fun of it, and because they were determined to do it!

Isn’t it time you became determined?

Kate Harper is based in the beautiful Highlands of Scotland. Check out her website http://www.harpercoaching.com

She works with people who are fed up with moaning about their lives and have decided to do something about it. If that is you, please take a look at Kate’s website. She is happy to work with people from any part of the world.

“The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that is difficult.” Madame Marie du Deffand

Take your first step today and contact Kate.

Life first Drive slowly Then time. …The sign read. What an appropriate statement for this intersection. The sign resides on the three way corner of Maple and Humphrey where the traffic of two elite towns intersect. SUVs, BMWs, Mercedes, and Mercedes SUV’s lay the pedal to the floor and sit to wait. For some it is the only pause their day will allow. The towns of Marblehead and Swampscott (pronounced Swampscett) are ocean front towns with their corresponding property prices. Now to maintain those property taxes and SUVs and their like, life first is an axiom.

For the truth is time is short and it is the force that governs life. But how to spend that time is the question. Drive slowly is a good start. Scientist say the bigger the star is the more hydrogen it needs to burn to keep from falling in upon itself. Then there is the likes of Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and Elvis who shot their way across the screen at night in short flashes of light. Either speed, diet pills, downers, alcohol or hydrogen; faster you go more you need. High maintenance.

Now imagine if a star was growing at exuberant rates exponentially. Now there is a certain perimeter around a star that will burn all the hydrogen in its reaches. Now as that star grows the material in its vicinity it will devour. The larger the star more space it encompasses. Space it had to burn out other bodies of matter or displace them to occupy. Now if this process had no cap to it, it is not hard to conceive that in time this star will encapsulate the whole universe. Our planet of life and any others out there would be burnt away in its corona.

Now I wonder if people who over-consume wonder why their are hungry people in this world? Or if they do at all. When does it cross a CEO’s mind to sell a yacht, trade in an BMW for an oldsmobile, sell that house in the Hamptons, turn back 20 of 100 acres back to public forest before they decide giving people the choice between smack Ramain or Macaroni and cheese. Does it ever pass a small business owners mind twice the social cost when he purchase a BMW instead of giving a living wage to the people who run his store and support him. If he slow down enough to think, would he understand.

Rome fell when it let its middle class vanish. Now lets pretend that the tax rate was 6%. And that those funds went to maintain the infrastructure that the senators said was never enough to keep their vast empire afloat. Now lets make up a number for the total population. Lets say three million, and out of that there was 100,000 in the upper caste, 900,000 in the middle, and two million in the lower economic caste. Well the middle class fell through the hole and then displaced many of the lower levels out of their occupations. Now out of the lower two million, there was few stones and even few that gave blood. So now those stones begin looking for blood to turn into food on the highways. Then those highways are falling apart because now there is only a tax base of 600,000 at 6% instead of two million at 6%. So do you think that upper caste was going to pay higher taxes? But who then pays for the military to keep the Germans out.

Today Coffee Anen, suggest to the world to boost spending for aids research in the third world where it is epidemic. With the third world owing vast debts to the developed countries, it is not going to have the means to pay them back if their work force is in need of constant overwhelming medical care. Health care then begins to drain those countries of all of their expendable income that could of gone to paying down their debts. But also as their population increases their infection rates and they become more fluent in the world economy and travel abroad more frequently. Infection rates in the world ports of the developed world will increase and spread into their interiors. Plus the numbers of immigrants to those ports will bring increased danger. When the slaves in Rome coughed within their masters presence, it was the great equalizer. For it brought death in the form of the plague. For death is an equal opportunity employer.

Then again you must ask, how much time have you given your kids. We are the only creature that takes twenty years to raise its youth. We control the vast environmental web. If we buy that SUV or put that nuclear plant in, or increase timber production; they are behaviors that effect that web. So we must be careful in raising our children. We need to take time to correct their mistakes and to point our own. For how we interact with our children is how they will interact with their future relationships. If we ignore them, they will ignore those around them. If we mistreat them, they will mistreat those they come in contact with. If we fill them with prejudice, they will fill others with it. If we teach them fear, they will fear others. But if we take time to teach them love, patience, understanding, truth, strength, honesty, and self esteem; they will pass these gifts on to those the encounter. Now if every one is related by six degrees, how would you like your son or daughter to affect the world? Now do you have time.

Do you have time for your wife or husband who will help you accomplish this goal. Do you have time to make them smile. Do you have time to share with them. Do you have time for them to make you feel special. Do you have time to accept forgiveness from them and live tomorrow as a new day. Do you have time to enjoy what you have reaped so far. Or are you over extended from your new gained wealth. Do you live in a rotary from hell. Well you have a choice as you sit at that three way stop sign at the intersection of Mapple and Humphrey Streets; You could always turn northeast and head for Salem. But drive slowly on the way; and I almost forgot to tell you to think about yourself first, for the more you have within yourself the more you have to give. So Life first.

Most people in our culture today are so busy running around trying to arrange their lives to be somewhere else. We all want to be somewhere else geographically or financially or in our relationships. We want to be anywhere but here as we’ve been led to believe that if only we can be somewhere else then our lives would work. This escapism acts like a drug that only gives temporary relief to a chronic problem.

Apart from wanting to be somewhere else, most people today also live by a philosophy of “some day” that allows them to manipulate time. “I can do it, but just not today. I’ll do it when…” and they use these excuses to stay in their comfort zones. The problem is that both someday and somewhere are undefined and illusionary. Somewhere does not exist and someday never comes, although you keep hoping that it does. This can be very disempowering and is responsible for a lot of disappointment and frustration for a lot of people.

The truth, however, is that right now is all you’ve really got. Tomorrow is never promised to you and learning to fully live in and for the moment is a vital distinction to make in creating a great life. Being grateful does not mean that you loose your drive or purpose, but allows you to slow down and really enjoy the ride. Not only is it healthy to want more from life, but it is also required to be truly fulfilled and knowing where you are is critical in getting where you want to be. Using someday as an excuse to soften your problems will not create long term success and fulfilment. Be honest with yourself and stop making excuses only to make yourself feel better. A little pain can be very useful as it will at least move you to action. There is always something you can do right now to turn your ideas into reality. There is always one small step you can take.

One of the most powerful resources you have is resourcefulness. This means that right now you have all that you need to achieve whatever you desire and that you have the ability to take action with exactly what you’ve got and exactly where you are. You do not have to wait for “some day when” or “when I am…” before you take action on your dreams and goals. The smallest idea acted upon can make all the difference as it immediately makes your idea real and smothers someday because you used your will to consciously take charge.

It is important to realize that the purpose of pursuing a goal or a dream is not just in achieving it but even more so in the experience of achieving it. You do not travel for the purpose of reaching a destination but for the purpose of travelling. Whatever dream or goal you are pursuing you will probably spend more time in pursuit of it than actually achieving it and most goals are an anti climax when you actually achieve them anyway. The process is where the true fulfilment comes from and the actual experience is what makes you become something instead of accumulating something. If you can’t be happy and grateful without your goal then changes are that you won’t be happy and grateful with it.

Live in the present, but know where you are going. Be right here and celebrate and capture the magical moments of your life. Hold on to them as the treasures you get to take with you into your magnificent future. Life is not just lived in the moment but also created in the moment. Now is the best time to design the next ten years of your life. Let your thoughts and knowledge serve you through action. Action is what eventually determines you destiny. Move confidently in the direction of your choosing and don’t get seduced by the popular belief that some day things will come your way or some day your luck will change. You are the source and the creator of your own prosperity and it all starts with a sense of immense gratitude for everything you already have exactly where you are right now. One of the greatest privileges you have in life is that you can start right now with exactly what you’ve got to create anything you desire as the ultimate resources to life are within you.

Living in a place called somewhere really won’t serve you long term although it might feel good as a short term escape or excuse. Having to consistently lie to yourself that you will act on your true desires some day when x, y or z is just right will only create an unnecessary burden. When you turn your “some day” philosophy into a “same day” philosophy you can start to adopt the mindset where you take action on your ideas immediately with exactly what you’ve got and exactly where you are.

What someday and somewhere really comes down to is that you falsely admit to yourself that what you need is not available to you. This creates a belief that you are not in control of your life but that you are waiting for something else somewhere else before you can take charge. Ironically, you will only get full access to your true resources when you take action exactly where you are with exactly what you’ve got, despite your excuses. True happiness and gratitude never relies on external conditions but is purely determined by your evaluation of where you are now. Now contains the seed of the rest of your life. Plant it with joy and water it with gratitude and rejoice in your life for you are its creator.

Deon Du Plessis is the creator of A Course of Action, a free e-course designed to empower you to break through your limitations, take action and transform your ideas into reality. Visit The Self Improvement Gym for more self improvement and personal development insights and resources.

A friend called me recently to tell me that one of her daughter’s teachers had committed suicide. Needless to say, everyone involved was extremely upset by this.

Many looked upon this as a selfish act on the part of the teacher. I thought to myself how quick we are to judge another after the fact. And how terribly slow we are to recognize the walking wounded all around us.

The news of this teacher’s suicide reminded me of a story I read about an elderly woman who had decided to take her life one morning, but someone had stopped to feed the pigeons with her in the park and the kindness of that one stranger changed her mind and saved her life. We never know what is in another person’s heart. What level of pain they may be going through. And in some cases, the pain may be so great that living no longer seems an option to them.

We may never know the sometimes immense consequences upon another, of an unkind word, a thoughtless deed, or a hasty decision made from an unexamined heart.

Each day, everyone of us, has a new opportunity to make a huge difference in this world. If I had one dream for humanity, it would be that tomorrow morning we would all wake up with amnesia. We would then see the world for the first time, with new eyes, the way a new born baby sees it, except that we would be in a grown up body.

We would have no conception of what was considered beautiful or good or important according to society’s ridiculous standard of worth. Everything and everyone would be a blessed opportunity for us, just the way they are.

Life would be waiting with another possibility to be all that we could be. Another opportunity to practice the gift of kindness in every moment. Another chance to rise above our mere mortal existence and for that one grand moment in time to walk among the gods. Another day to love.

It may sound silly but the key to self-confidence and building more self-esteem is through practice. Practice what it is you want to feel more confident about and eventually, the confidence will show itself. That makes sense if we’re talking about a skill like playing the piano. With enough practice, you naturally begin to get good at it and then you feel more confident. But what about tougher things like public speaking or meeting new people? How do you practice something that you’re terrified to do in the first place?

If you have extreme self-esteem issues then you might want to seek professional help, but if you’ve determined that isn’t necessary, I would suggest that you start out by finding something that you genuinely love to do. Other than maybe reading books or doing crossword puzzles over coffee, most hobbies are a good place to start. Do you love to paint? Do you love to play a musical instrument? Do you love athletics? Find something that you love to do or that you think you would love to do. It’s not important what it is other than that it would bring you into contact with people on a tiny level. Unless you’re living in a cave somewhere, somebody is going to see your art work, hear your music, or see you running around practicing your sport. You don’t have to pick a big team oriented thing, just something that fascinates you and will be noticeable. Then do it. Learn to draw, take music lessons, start playing basketball in your own driveway, whatever, just start doing something that you can really enjoy.

Keep doing it until you get really good at it. It doesn’t have to necessarily be your career, but that would be fun for you if it was. Practice often and with complete joy. Lose yourself in it. That’s part of overcoming self-confidence issues is forgetting to think about you. Swim laps at the pool until you forget to care how you look. Get lost in something other than analyzing yourself. Fall in love with some hobby that takes your mind away from what others might think of you. Just keep practicing something you love until you get really good at it. It’s your hobby and your love, so don’t make any judgments over whether or not it’s stupid to like doing whatever it is that you like doing. Just get on with it.

When you’re in the moment — writing music or designing websites or whatever it is you’ve chosen, take a moment to reflect on how far you’ve come. At some point, you’re going to realize that you’re not too bad. At another point, you’ll even think, “Hey, I’m pretty good at this.” Someday, you’ll look up and notice that you’re an expert or at the very least awesome at what you’ve chosen to do. Take that growing self-confidence that’s connected to your hobby and begin channeling it into other areas. Depending on how much of a self-esteem problem you started out with it could be a matter of months or years before you are able to really see yourself in a new light. It’s one thing to say that everyone has their unique and special talent. It’s quite another to find and embrace your own.

Your talent will not be something you hate doing. Sure, I’m really very good at scrubbing the bathroom. You can conduct a white glove inspection when I’m done, but that’s not my special talent. That’s not my special gift to the world. And it sure as heck never built an ounce of self-confidence for me. No, you have to really truly deeply love what it is you’re doing or the talent won’t show itself. You have to forget to think and lose all track of time while zoning out in the flow of creating, building, stretching, and growing with the hobby. Get to the point that when you look up and notice what you’ve done, that you’re impressed with yourself. Practice until you get to that point where you forget to judge yourself. You could very well end up making it into your career if there’s a market for it. If there isn’t, no harm done. You have got to build a can-do attitude around your ability to do something well.

Once you’ve learned something that well, you can begin stretching beyond your comfort zone and trying other things like public speaking. Okay so that might not happen right away, but once you’ve really mastered something, then you can always remind yourself that you are capable of success and you are capable of learning something new. Once you know that you can practice and learn new things, then the fear of new things isn’t nearly so immobilizing. You can step beyond your fears knowing that with enough practice you can master almost anything you set your mind to. At that point, you won’t actually have a self-esteem problem anymore.

The point is that by playing around with something you love until you are very good at it, you will gain self-esteem and that is going to make it possible for you to hold your head high and to bravely step into other more frightening areas of life. Start out by practicing at something you love until you’re good at it, then move on to the other things that don’t sound like much fun at all. You’ll really know deep down that there’s nothing to be afraid of. It all comes down to whether or not you believe that you are capable of learning something new. That’s all. Self-confident people reassure themselves when walking into unknown territory by saying, “Well, I’ll just have to wing it until I learn how to do it right. I’m sure I’ll figure it out soon enough.” That comes from experiencing the positive effects of having practiced and learned something new. So go learn something new — start with something fun.

Copyright 2004, Skye Thomas, Tomorrow’s Edge

About The Author

Skye Thomas is the CEO of Tomorrow’s Edge, an Internet leader in inspiring leaps of faith. She became a writer in 1999 after twenty years of studying spirituality, metaphysics, astrology, personal growth, motivation, soulmates, and parenting. Her books and articles have inspired people of all ages and faiths to recommit themselves to the pursuit of happiness. After years of high heels and business clothes, she is currently enjoying working from home in her pajamas. To read more of her articles, sign up to receive her free weekly newsletter, and get free previews of her books go to http://www.TomorrowsEdge.net.

Skye@TomorrowsEdge.net

Are you content and at inner peace?

Or are you insecure and filled with worry?

Imagine your life with more inner peace. Imagine it as fully as you can. Would you feel better about yourself and your life? Your answer may be a resounding yes, but it’s not always clear how to obtain this inner peace. How do we gain inner peace when things are seemingly not going our way? Many famous saints, sages, prophets and philosophers like Jesus, the Buddha, Mohammed, the Dalai Lama and countless others have all called us to the experience of peace within our selves. Yet few of us have found the treasure they all point to.

DEFINING INNER PEACE

It might help to understand what inner peace is and isn’t. Inner peace is not a state obtained where finally everything about our self, our life, and our world is perfect. Inner peace is not found at the end of a goal. Instead, it is an internal sense of calm in which we receive all life’s experiences. It is the ability to handle situations and conflicts, in life and in ourselves, with acceptance, empathy, and creativity. Inner peace can also be defined as having a calmness and general freedom from anxiety. Inner peace is about connection: to self, to nature (earth), to a higher self, and to others. And in my experience, those connections occur in that order.

If you do not experience inner peace with any aspect of your current life whether it be with your body, occupation, partner, home, etc. you will not have inner peace by merely losing weight, changing your job or partner, or moving. Inner peace doesn’t come from the outside. If you aren’t peaceful with your life situation now, moving may be, at best, a temporary band-aid. There’s an old adage which applies here: “Wherever you go, there you are.”

If you don’t love your body now, you won’t love it later. If you don’t experience joy now, you won’t find it magically waiting for you at the end of your goal. Inner peace isn’t given to you because you’ve worked hard enough, attained your goal, achieved the perfect body, or been a “good” little boy or girl. Inner peace is something you decide that you are worthy of. Not something you must earn. Rather a decision you make because you decide your are deserving. Or you decide you are not deserving, but you will have this inner peace anyway. Doesn’t matter which, just as long as you make the decision. So achieving inner peace has to do with re-discovering the greater truth of who we are. And like it or not, working through emotions and problems is the only path to meaning, fulfillment and spiritual growth.

WHAT IS THE PATH?

There is no one path to inner peace. Despite promises, no one can give you inner peace. The path does not lie outside of you or with another person. Inner peace is a state that we can all experience if we are willing to be with ourselves and give up our self-hatred. Inner peace is gained when we decide that who we are is worthy of being empowered and expressed on earth. Each of us will find inner peace in our own way. It may be achieved as a gift from a higher being, or a strength within ourselves, or through the loving guidance of another who wishes to share a higher state of being. What you search for is inside of you and the journey must be into yourself. And each of us will find our own ways to return to this state of calmness, perfection and strength.

A starting point is to make a decision to allow yourself a quiet place to escape to. It doesn’t have to be a big space. Just some place that is yours alone. Next, set aside some time to go to that place each day. Even if it’s only for a few minutes. Bring your spiritual, personal, and creative energy into the space by adding flowers, rocks, candles, incense, images of your favorite deities, or pictures of loved ones. Personalize it with anything that symbolizes love and peace.

What to do while you are in your sacred space? There is no right or wrong thing to do here. The simple act of creating your own space and allowing time for yourself will create miracles. You may choose to sit quietly with yourself. Accepting relaxation may be the beginnings of self-worth. Listening to your inner thoughts may be the beginnings of self-esteem. Take a few minutes to stop the business of the day. Quiet the chatter of the mind long enough to hear the whispers of the soul. Some people may find the road to inner peace through prayer. You might play around with the letting go of all of your thoughts. Let go of your hopes and desires. Let go of your fears and your perceptions of failure. Let go of everything except the sense of being love and being connected to love. You may wish to connect with Self and Universe, and recognize what is truly important to the individual Self. For others, meditation may hold the key, while still others may find the bridge to inner peace through the process of journaling.

Peace is obtained little by little. Gradually, it becomes a subtle undercurrent that runs through each moment of your life. I do not know who has originally said the following words, but they seem appropriate to end this column:

“Fear knocked at the door.
Faith answered!
No one was there.”

SIGNS OF A GROWING INNER PEACE

Some signs and symptoms of growing Inner Peace:

Choosing to think thoughts that bring inner peace (rather than worry).

Deciding (regularly) to fill the physical body with relaxation and love and fun…
(no matter what the perceived problem or weight or limitation).

Reading and thinking inspiring and empowering thoughts.

Filling life with silence, beautiful music, flowers.

Trusting our own inner self more than anything or anyone outside ourselves.

Choosing to open to creative empowered solutions…
instead of black and white, right or wrong.

Taking back one’s own power…
recognizing that the source of happiness lies inside…
and the cause of one’s problems is inside (not outside).

Recognizing that love is created within…
not something given or taken away by others.

Loving is a state of being.

Remembering & feeling gratitude in all things and situations.

Deciding to relax and enjoy the moment…
even those that are scary, anxious, nervous, etc.

Connecting regularly to self, nature, “God”, and others.

Allowing things to happen
rather than to control and make them happen.

Not as easily pulled into the dramas of those around you,
nor taken into their emotional upheavals.

Balance in the enjoyment of life and the creative activity of life.

Copyright 2005, Dr. Annette Colby, all rights reserved.

Dr. Annette Colby, RD
Nutrition Therapist & Master Energy Healer
Annette@AnnetteColby.com
972.985.8750

“Opening Creative Portals to Success”

For free inspirational newsletter, articles & info visit:
http://www.LovingMiracles.com

Now Moses’ father in law, Yisro, the chieftain of Midian, heard
all that God had done for Moses and for Israel, His people -
that the Lord had taken Israel out of Egypt. (Shemos 18:1)

What news did Yisro hear that made such an impression on him,
that he came to join the Jewish people? The splitting of the Red
Sea and the war with Amalek. (Rashi – Zev. 116a, and the
Mechilta)

Rav Eliyahu Lopian asks: We know that everyone heard what Hashem
had done for the Jewish people. So why didn’t the whole world
join us. What was special about Yisro?

Someone who is not interested in hearing the truth will not hear
it even though it is loud and clear. When we are caught up in
our worldly goals and desires, it is as if we are deaf.

We know that Yisro went from one type of idol worship to the
next rejecting each one until he came upon the truth. It was his
deep dedication and search for the truth that caused him to find
his way.

Our world is filled with lies and illusions. If we do not
actively strive and toil to penetrate the true meaning of our
existence and discover our obligations, how do we expect to find
them?

Application:

In what ways are you hiding from the truth?

Give 10 quick answers off the top of your head to the following
sentence stems:

- I don’t want to admit the truth because …

- If I was to admit the truth, I could …

On a marketing forum I like to read there has recently been some complaining about a certain affiliate program. The complaining originates out of sincerity and genuineness: good folks are frustrated that they are struggling to make money. Yet, because of this frustration, they are complaining about the owner of the affiliate program and their perceived problems with his administration and/or the program itself.

Note that I wrote about their perception, because therein lies the problem. They “perceive” that just because they signed up for an affiliate program that they should be making money hand-over-fist. But that doesn’t meet up with the facts on the ground, which are: the affiliate program costs $X each month, plus marketing costs, and these folks aren’t seeing the return on investment that they want. From my view, the problem is marketing and advertising.

Here is a low-cost marketing action plan for the new year that all in affiliate programs can follow. You must follow each of these simple steps in order for these programs to work for you.

1. Select appropriate marketing methods.

Read marketing materials out there and you will be blown away by all the different marketing methods that exist–SEO, PPC, articles, blogs, forums, leads, email marketing, autosurf programs, etc. Many new marketers run into difficulty when they try to implement all, or even several, of the methods. But only some methods will work outstandingly well for you. Instead,

2. Pick one or two methods, work those, and build on your successes.

Narrow your focus. If you don’t have a lot of time and don’t mind spending the money, buy leads from a good leads source. If you don’t want to spend the money, focus on articles and blogs. But pick only one or two methods and focus on those. When you are seeing a good level of success from those methods, then, and only then, add another. For myself, I like articles and email marketing.

3. Do something every day.

Keep active in your marketing. If you commit to blogging, write a new post every day. With the research, writing, posting, commenting in others blogs, and pinging, your total time investment should be only about one hour. If you are serious about your business, you can accomplish this. If you commit to email marketing, do something every day to grow your list, and send one new message to your list each day. No, this isn’t overkill–I subscribe to about five lists where I receive daily email. As long as you are sending quality material, your list will thank you.

4. Stay commited.

Marketing is hard work. Don’t get frustrated. Instead, make a plan and work that plan. You might begin only with small successes, but those will build and build until your business is thriving, but only if you stay commited, do something every day to build your business, and work your plan.

Jeremy M. Hoover is a part-time minister, a writer, and an internet marketer. His business is Success. If you feel a desire to change your life (or your business) for the better, Jeremy will help you. For more information, go to http://jhoover.successuniversity.com/slim .

We’ve seen the damage of Katrina and fear the potential of new storms brewing in the Atlantic. The recent tsunami flooding lowlands from Asia to Africa, the terrible earthquake in Pakistan, India, and the legendary Kashmir, keep us on alert and on edge. We can’t control earthquakes, but we have the potential of going beyond the prediction of major storms to the possibility of diminishing their power.

Many of us have killer storms brewing inside us. Each such killer storm has the same name. Her name is RAGE. His name is RAGE.

Can we control these tempests before they get out of hand? Can we keep them from injuring ourselves, our loved ones, our friends, and our associates? Some can and some can’t. Those who can’t, live in jeopardy. If you can’t control your actions you have the potential for tragic loss just as significant as the destruction of Katrina.

Have you ever gone to a business and been blasted by the owner who didn’t know you from Adam? (Did you go back?)

Did you have a school teacher who was always angry? Did she teach you anything of value? (She never got fired, did she?)

Did your church dismiss a minister because of his cantankerous attitude? (Did you go back to church AFTER he left?)

Is there someone at work who never smiles, never says a kind word who is a Big Pain in the Arse? (He or she may never get fired either unless you become the boss.)

Some people can’t change.

I went to a company sponsored seminar that covered the subject on how to deal with these people. The instructor said the answer is in the Bible: Stamp the dirt off your feet! You also can also try: Running like hell!

The one who can’t control inner rage has self-destructing behavior and needs professional counseling. The misery will not stop until that goal is accomplished. Can you help one of your employees, an associate, or a family member, reach that goal?

Meanwhile you can try to be a friend and help an unhappy soul gain self esteem because that is often the problem.

Copyright John Taylor Jones, Ph.D. 2005

John Taylor Jones, Ph.D. is a retired engineering R&D executive. His detective and western novels and his nonfiction books are described at his personal site, TJBooks.com. His ecommerce site is http://www.bookfindhelp.com

“When you breathe, you inspire. When you do not breathe, you expire.” – Quote from an 11-year-old’s science exam

John Grinder, co-creator of NLP talks about the link between respiration, physiology, internal state and high performance. He calls this ‘the chain of excellence’. I recently read a book by Osho, the wonderfully non-PC mystic and guru. In the book, Osho instructed the reader to pay attention to their breathing rate when they were sad, and notice the timing of the in-breath and out-breath. He explained that next time they were happy, they could re-induce the sad state by merely repeating the breathing pattern. Fortunately, he added, it works the other way round too!

Follow some or all of these exercises;

Firstly; When you are experiencing a powerful, positive state, allow yourself to become aware of your breathing rate. Pay particular attention to the timing and rhythm of your in-breath and out-breath.

Secondly; Next time you are in a neutral or negative state, start breathing at the rate and rhythm from exercise one, and within a minute or so, the positive state should begin to return.

Many gurus advise people to do breathing exercises regularly. I know Tony Robbins does in his marvellous book “Unlimited Power” he advises that you start each day with a breathing exercise of inhaling slowly and deeply, then holding it for twice as long as the inhalation and exhaling in twice the pace. It really is invigorating and a great way to get motivated at the start of the day, especially if you are looking to do some things with your day that require motivation.

Breathing is powerful, our life force and is a major factor influencing our state of mind (if you uncertain about this, hold your breath for two minutes & re-read this sentence) This being the case, please use your common sense when doing any of these exercises (if you have a respiratory condition, please check with your health advisor first.) I do not want any asthmatics complaining that they did themselves harm following these exercises!!

So, thirdly; Start breathing comfortably but deeply, in through your nose & out through your mouth. Imagine that you are breathing from that area of your abdomen just beneath your belly button. Make the in-breath last to a count of 5 and the out-breath to a count of 6. Continue for at least 2 minutes, and notice what happens.

This 5:6 ratio seems to be a simple yet powerful way you can induce a relaxed state at will. The art of Yogic breathing is called Pranayama. Pranayama offers many different approaches for cleansing the mind & body through breathing exercises. Here’s one of them (with thanks to RA Wilson):

Fourthly (this may seem a bit odd to do, I’d recommend not doing this in front of friends or at work!) ; Lie on your back & pant like a dog, breathing rapidly in & out through your mouth 20 times. Then, breathe slowly, deeply and gently in and out 20 times through your nose. Once again, do the mouth-panting 20 times, then resume gentle nose-breathing. Notice what happens.

This technique is referred to as the breath of fire, and typically results in a state of… well, you find out!

These techniques can be very powerfully utilised when wanting to get in control of your state if you are going through a period of change such as reducing your weight, stopping smoking or developing more confidence.

Please remember that most people don’t breathe nearly enough. Start to breathe more deeply and notice how much better you feel. Have lots of fun with this. Notice how good you can make your self feel when you breathe differently.

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