Essential Information About a Career in Banking

Careers in banking and related fields are hot careers today, but before you decide on your career path, you may want to learn a bit more about the banking field and what it has to offer you. This particular field offers a great deal of diversity and is well paid as well, but the field is not for everyone. Read on to find out the essential information about careers in banking and decide whether or not a career in banking is the right choice for you. Career Choices in the Banking Industry

While you may only think of bank tellers when you think of the banking industry, there are actually a variety of different career choices available within the banking world. Of course, probably the most obvious is the bank teller, who deals with cash and customers. You may also want to consider a career as a customer service representative or a new accounts clerk in a bank as well, which involves opening and closing accounts, answering customer questions, and dealing with any customer concerns.

Another side of the banking industry includes those who deal with the loan process. There are loan clerks, loan officers, and loan processors that deal with various parts of loan processes within a bank. There are also banking jobs available in collections, accounting, and support areas like office managers, secretaries, and data entry.

The careers that many people have in their sights when they think about banking are management positions. There are many different management careers in the banking industry, including bank managers, financial managers, investment managers, and trust officers. While these types of positions may be better paying, they also require a great deal more work as well.

Education Needed

The education that you will need for a career in banking will highly depend on which particular career you are planning on pursuing. Some jobs, such as bank tellers or customer service managers only require that you have a high school diploma or a GED. Other jobs, such as loan officers, and investment officers, will require that you become certified within your state to sell special products such as IRA's and Annuities. Some careers in this field may require that you have a degree in business or another similar type degree as well. The great thing about a career in banking, is that once you start out in this field, many times the bank you work with will help you get the education you need to advance in your career, which can save you a great deal of money and make you an extremely valuable employee.

What You Can Expect to Earn

The earnings that you can expect in this field are quite diverse, and depend on your specific job within the field. Tellers are generally the lowest paid people in the banking industry, but still they usually will make between $8-11 per hour, and sometimes more if they have been with the same company for a long time. Clerks and secretaries can expect to make between $10-12 an hour, while customer service reps and bookkeepers will make $11-13 per hour. If you are able to climb the ladder to become an executive secretary or even an administrative assistant, you will see a significant rise in pay and will probably make between $15-17 per hour. Loan officers and financial managers usually make the most in this field, with loan officers making around $20 per hour and financial managers making about $30 per hour.

Quality Companies

If you decide that you would like to pursue a career in the banking industry, you will want to be sure that you find a job with a quality company that will pay you a competitive salary and offer you quality benefits, such as health insurance, vacation days, and 401K as well. If you are looking for jobs in banking in the United States, several companies to consider are Wachovia, SunTrust, Chase Bank, Morgan and Stanly, and Bank of America. In the event that you are looking for a banking job in Canada, some companies you may want to check into include The People Bank, Bank of Canada, and the National Bank. Once you find a quality company to work for, you can start working on advancing your career in banking and working your way up towards success.

Fei Lim is the manager of Flizard Technologies web hosting and owns Seek4Jobs.net job search and jobs informations site.

Career Concerns - Selling Points For Overcoming Changing Jobs Too Often

If you're like many people you may have had a period of time in your Career where you had too many job changes. You feel that you may be perceived as chronic job hopper, a negative to many companies who perceive a stable job history with a dependable, quality employee.

Selling Point number one is to consider your job hopping as paid training for this new position, paid for by past employers.

Selling Point number two is that with your diverse experience you will bring many other Skills, Knowledge and Abilities to the table none of their other candidates could possibly bring.

Selling Point number three is that by being new you have no preset habits and you can update your training by participating in all of the newest courses which will benefit the Team immediately.

Selling Point number four is that you bring new and fresh insights from a diverse set of employers and industries.

It is important that you begin with understanding the Selling points, often those who have been job hoppers tend to feel inadequate. They tend to look upon their Career as having some problems, due to the lack of stability. When in fact your job hopping is your value, however you need to believe in yourself, and you need to know how to sell yourself, because if you don't believe in yourself no one else will either.

When discussing your previous positions observe how you describe that experience. When asked about it do you complain, or criticize your former employer? Do you defend yourself? Did you get hurt by the experience and feel disgruntled enough to complain about them? If you do any of these you need to stop IMMEDIATELY because your doing yourself great harm. Even if you were fired you still have immense value to thousands of employers, employers who are hungry to higher people just like you.

Again you have to believe this fact yourself, if you are ever going to sell it to someone else. Begin by collecting stories of experiences that you enjoyed and times when you actually contributed significantly to your employer. Stories that would have them ask you 'How did you do that' that's when you will get employers and yourself to look past your job hopping and see your value. Tell them stories about the many programs you worked on, and the machines you helped build and the software you worked with. This gets you focused on what you can do for your next prospective employer and steers you away from your hurt and disgruntled feelings.

Look inside yourself and find the excitement when you consider all the opportunity ahead of you. When you find it share it with others, friends, family and prospective employers, that's what they want a hungry and highly motivated employee, someone like you.

Paul Godines from Adapt on a Dime Consulting http://www.adaptonadime.com wants to ask you if you have career goals? If so tell me about them I'm interested to here how I might be able to help.

Seven Life-Changing Books

By Linda Lin

The Four Agreements - Miguel Ruiz

Years ago, I read this book. The great thing about this book is that you can read just the chapter names and that one step alone can have a profound effect on how you view the world and how you react to what the world dishes out to you. This book can make changes for the better in your life. The key here is that you must read this book with an open mind. Cast your negative thoughts away before you even open the pages to this book. Promise yourself that you will believe every word here in the book and with that promise that you make to yourself, you will begin to see good, positive, constructive changes in your personality, in your day and in your whole life. Reread the book once every six months or so to renew your strength and your decision to keep an open mind and follow the principles that are stated out in the book.

The Greatest Miracle in the World - Og Mandino

Again, I read this book so many years ago. Actually, I read most of the book. This is one book that I skimmed. But I reached the chapter in the book that would most affect my life. Inside the book there are a number of pages that are filled with something called, "The God Memorandum". This magnificent piece of writing is totally awesome. I cannot tell you what it says because this memorandum must be digested piece by piece, and you must hear the exact words of Og Mandino's writing to get the full benefit of it.

Serenity (A Companion to 12 Step Recovery) - Thomas Nelson

This book is a comfortable paperback that you can carry with you. The book has the New Testament and along with that , in different chapters, the twelve steps are featured and explained. This is one of the most unique 12-step books on the market and well worth looking into . Step Three has brought so many changes into the lives of people that the miracles are uncountable in this world. Believing in God, reaching out to God and knowing and remembering that God is always with us are things that affect humans in most positive ways.

The Word According to Mr. Rogers - Fred Rogers

Mr. Rogers is awesome and so is his message to children and to adults. Here is a man that is truly a gentleman. He is no longer with us but his words stay with us through the books that carry his writings. This is one book that every child and every adult should have in their library. It just makes sense.

God Thinks You're Wonderful - Max Lucado

This book leaves me speechless because it is a solid reminder of God's love for me. If you ever need to buy a gift for someone who has everything, this book should be at the top of the list. The good thing about this book also is that there are cartoons on every single page. So this is a book for people who do not like to read and for readers alike.

2008 Writer's Market - Writer's Digest Books

This book is an interesting, complete compilation of agents, publishers, addresses, fax numbers, email addresses of all those people you need to contact to have your writing, your books, your poetry published. The book is large and sometimes as heavy as a small telephone book. And, of course, at times it could be considered expensive. Some of the books, the Deluxe Edition contain a special code number inside that enables the purchaser to go online and have a free year's subscription to Writersmarket.com If you have ever thought of writing, dreamed of writing or if you are serious about being published, you would and should purchase this book for yourself.

The Holy Bible - Thomas Nelson

I saved the best for last, of course. The Holy Bible has always been the most effective book when it comes to changing lives for the better. When one has faith, one has everything, even when one has nothing. Sounds contradictory? Yes, But that is all the truth. With the Bible in your hand or in your mind, you can accomplish things that you thought you could never accomplish. I remember when I was in the wilderness and I looked up at the huge mountain that we had to climb. (Yes, they called it rock-scaling but I saw a huge mountain in front of me). I froze in fear even though more than five people in front of me had climbed up quite successfully, and they made it look so easy too. But still, I froze in fear. Then I remembered my faith, I remembered what I had learned in the Bible so many years before. I remembered one of my favorite Bible verses, "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me". Ah, I paused for one more moment, looked at the rock and begin climbing up to the top. With each step I said to myself, "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me". I said it over and over with each step that I took up the mountain. Seems I went up there quite quickly. Later on that day, someone said, "I looked up at Lin and she was flying"!

Yes, the Holy Bible can and is and will be a very life-changing book in your life, even if you just take one single verse and use that verse on a daily basis. So there is my list of the seven life-changing books. You should have them all in your own library.

The author of this article has had many works published in the USA. She has traveled extensively throughout the East Coast and through the South while observing people and writing about life and everything that is in it. She invites you to connect with her at her website. Contact her through ezine, or reach her through towriteus@yahoo.com

Reaping the Fruit of Success in Life

One way to become more successful in your life is to look at the lifestyle and habits of people who are already clearly reaping the fruits of success in life and who are living and growing towards their unique God given potential. What are some common characteristics and behaviour that we can apply to our own lives to help us on our own personal journey towards excellence? I have spent many years studying this area, and have discovered that there are common principles and habits which successful people follow and see positive results many times over. Even people who have achieved great personal growth in their lives know the importance of having established life habits and daily motivation towards their personal goals. Here are three important keys to unleash personal growth.

Three Steps towards Success to Grow You Beyond Better.

1. Believe in yourself

"You weren't an accident. You weren't mass produced. You aren't an assembly-line product. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on the Earth by the Master Craftsman"
Max Lucado Best Selling Author

We all are born with a unique personality and gifts and abilities. There is a purpose for each person's life and each person possesses all that is needed to fulfill that purpose. For more information on discovering your uniqueness and purpose check out
http://www.livingbeyondbetter.com/discovering-your-uniqueness.html

Believing in oneself is a choice we all have to make, sometimes many times a day. It is an attitude that we develop over time. It can be called self confidence, self esteem or self worth. We cannot base our belief about our worth on our past, our circumstances, or other people's opinions. We choose to believe that we are of value, have something to offer to others and the world, and that our
life has purpose. The strength of what we allow our mind to think and believe is incredibly powerful. The power of what we believe will become a self fulfilling prophecy over our life. It can be the difference between mediocrity and the results we desire. Successful people acknowledge their limitations, but keep on choosing to believe that anything is possible. It is not what life hands you that is important, but how you respond to it that makes the difference.

2. Become a life long learner

Successful people keep themselves up to date with information, which allows them to be on the cutting edge in their field of influence. As human knowledge has vastly increased, and is more accessible than ever before, so a commitment to life long learning is an important key to success. Making this a daily habit builds a solid foundation for positive growth. Many successful people are committed to reading at least one book every week. If you give one hour a day towards something you would really like to learn or accomplish in your life, it adds up to 365 hours a year!
Significant changes can happen in that amount of time. Using throw away time usefully is also a good exercise, for example listening to an audio tape or CD when traveling in the car. To grow beyond better, purposely schedule time into your day which you can use to devote to improving your mind, and increasing your skills. Consciously make the decision to assimilate and apply what you learn.

3. Keep good company.

Surround yourself with positive people. It is so easy to be affected by negativity, and drawn into that way of thinking. Make a point to mix with people who encourage you, inspire you and believe in you. Keep company with people who energize you towards reaching your goals. You tend to become like the people you spend the most time with.

Jim Rohn, a successful author and self-made millionaire wrote: "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with"

Increase the time you spend with positive successful people, and spend less time with those who have a negative influence on you. Being around negativity will decrease your self confidence and create discouragement. Look for new opportunities to mix with successful people. Observe and learn from their attitudes and lifestyle, and adopt and adapt things that might work in your life and situation.

Barbara White, of Beyond Better Development,speaks and writes with passion to inspire and empower people in their journey ofpersonal growth towards the excellence in life that they aspire to. This article was written for her newsletter GrowingBeyond Better

Measuring Leadership Success With Leadership Metrics

By Sam Miller

Leadership is often equated with a position of authority. In the corporate world, a company's success could be dependent on how effective the leaders of that company are. A revolutionary way of measuring the effectiveness of an individual's leadership has been recently formulated. Leadership metrics present a scientific and systematic way of measuring how good a leader is by a series of capital elements. A leader's performance is graded through these elements. Also taken into account are the leadership conditions in which they operate in. The combined elements of leadership capital and leadership conditions are a surefire way to determine whether an individual is an able and competent leader or not.

The Leadership Capital Assessment is a formal instrument of measurement in this metrics. Leadership Capital refers to the six areas of competency possessed by a person in order for him to lead the company to brighter and more prosperous conditions. These competencies are innate qualities of an individual that are useful for effective leadership. He must have the wisdom, trust, courage, voice, values, and vision. Vision and values are two philosophical frameworks used by a leader in his operations. Wisdom and courage are sterling attributes for a leader to make effective strategies, come up with the right decisions, and solve problems. A leader's trust and voice could lead others to follow the path a leader is directing them to. These qualities are needed to interrelate with others in the company.

This self-examination metrics basically measure the six competencies on a scale of 1 to 99. An ideal average of 70 is needed after all areas of competency are graded. A score of more than 90 and less than 40 indicates that the individual is displaying tendencies for anti-leadership. Anti-leadership refers to either the lack or excess of leadership capital elements.

Although a leader may possess innate qualities that are very useful for him to lead the company, it is also important to consider the environment he works on and the prevailing conditions. These conditions are important elements that would provide the individual a good opportunity to lead. Ideally, the person must be at the right place and at the right time. He must also do the right things that would move the company forward. Most importantly, he must be working with the right people. These conditions are very vital since these would foster the leadership capital possessed by an individual.

The metrics rate these conditions from the range of very poor to very good. An individual must be presented with good to very good conditions in the four areas. Otherwise, their environment is not good for them and they will have less than ample opportunity to lead.

An ideal leader is someone who exhibits the right balance in all six competencies. Deficiency and excess in these competencies could result to disastrous leadership. Metrics are very important here since these could identify problems in leadership and could save a company from the perils of disastrous leadership. More importantly, the leadership metrics used are better than a mishmash of opinions and judgments where certain elements of leadership might be left unexamined or over-baked in scrutiny.

If you are interested in leadership metrics, check this web-site to learn more about leadership dashboard.

6 Vital Leadership Characteristics

By Duncan Brodie

Questions are often asked about whether leaders are born or whether they can be developed. My own view is that anyone who has the desire and is willing to do the work can become a great leader. At the same time there are certain characteristics or qualities that are vital in leaders.

Characteristic 1: Enthusiasm

Those that succeed as leaders are enthusiastic and upbeat. They know that they might not have everyone on board with all of their ideas, that they might not have all of the skills or the knowledge they need. They are however highly positive and know that there is a solution to obstacles that arise. They just need to find it. One of the real benefits of being enthusiastic and positive is that it is infectious. Who would you rather be around- a leader who is upbeat and positive or a leader who is negative and pessimistic?

Characteristic 2: Integrity

Personal integrity is the second vital leadership characteristic. Leaders with integrity set the tone in terms of expectations of how they will behave themselves and how others behave. Another way of looking at integrity is professionalism. The acid test in terms of integrity is whether what you are planning to do will stand the test of public scrutiny.

Characteristic 3: Warmth

Inclusion of warmth in a list of leadership characteristics might seem strange. People often confuse warmth with being soft. In truth leaders can be considerate of others, show empathy and at the same time be the person who makes the tough calls.

Characteristic 4: Courage

Read the autobiographies of successful people and a trend that you will continually identify is that they were people with courage. They are willing to go and try things and take risks. Where do you sit on the risk continuum?

Characteristic 5: Judgement

While leaders are courageous they are not reckless. They weigh up the pros and cons and take balanced risks. Judgement is all about make the best decision you can with the information you have available.

Characteristic 6: Tough but fair

Leaders recognise that they cannot be popular all of the time. They know that they need to make tough decisions from time to time. They take the tough decisions and at the same time will seek to act fairly.

Leadership characteristics take time to develop. So what leadership characteristic could you start working on to achieve greater success?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements (G&A) works with individuals, teams and organisations to develop their management and leadership capability. With 25 years business experience in a range of sectors, he understands first hand the real challenges of managing and leading in the demanding business world. You can learn more about Duncan, Goals and Achievements services and products and sign up for his free e-course and newsletter at http://www.goalsandachievements.co.uk/

3-Golden Rules of Innovation

By Pete Koerner

It isn't always easy to be different; yet, if you want to be innovative, you've got to break with trends, traditions, and even your own habits. There's no way around this; innovators are bringers of new things - not old things. New means change; change means different. You won't find those inspirations and motivations to do new things, however, by staying in your comfort zone. Innovators in business, industry, and technology all follow certain rules - their own rules - not the standard rules of thinking and acting that most of society uses. To break through to a new reality, try following these "golden rules" for creating change:

1. Be Creative. Do something new; do something different. You can use old things and ideas for inspiration; but avoid repeating old ideas. Instead, seek that which is new - no matter how scary it might be to be radically different.
2. Be Bold. Stand and face the world courageously; you are not really any safer sitting at home with your un-tried ideas dying a slow death. When you do something new and different, never apologize; always move forward learning and growing from each new experience. Don't be afraid of being different; be proud of being different - revel in your uniqueness and boldness.
3. Be Focused on Your Vision. Diligent thought, imagination, focus and concentration are the true tools of successful innovation. The Wright brothers did not solidify their vision of a powered airplane by casually chatting about the possibility for a few minutes each day; they were beset with a firm belief that they could fly - and they stayed focused on that vision until it came to fruition.
   

The stimulus of the outside world (television, news media, entertainment media, family drama, friends, schedules, conflicts, etc...) is always pulling at our focus and attention; and, combined with all of this environmental "noise," the repetitive programming and conditioning we are exposed to make it nearly impossible for anyone to have a truly original thought. Coupled with the unfortunate fact that many people's spirits are often "beat into submission" at a very young age with verbal, emotional, and physical abuse, creating something new - and stepping out of the box - can present quite a challenge. But you will find that the journey is worth it if only you stay the course, stay awake, and follow these simple rules for realizing your goals and dreams - and creating a positive change in the world.

If you're ready for change, and ready to break-through old barriers and overcome old limitations, try using EFT* to set yourself free of old limitations and unlock your creativity. *To download your FREE, Illustrated Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Manual, go to: http://www.ExploreExpandEvolve.com/free_download/ (It only takes about 10-seconds to get your Free EFT manual and start erasing fears and limiting beliefs!) Pete Koerner is the author of The Belief Formula: The Secret to Unlocking the Power of Prayer. The Belief Formula is a look at how you can use ancient wisdom and modern scientific awareness to learn how to use your mind to reclaim your health and create the life of your dreams. For a Free Report on Making The Belief Formula Work for You, visit: http://www.TheBeliefFormula.com

How to Increase Faith

The Holy bible says "faith comes by the hearing, and the hearing, of the word of GOD". I do not believe that the repeated word "hearing" is a misprint. I believe that it says it this way to make a point. The point is to hear the word of GOD, and hear it again. When a person reads, do they not in effect "hear" the words in their own mind?
Of course. Another way to hear the word of GOD, is to get into a good bible based church.

I believe that when Jesus healed the two blind men, He was not only showing others the glory of GOD, but also teaching. The lesson He wanted them to learn, was you must first believe, to receive. The reason I know this is because of the way Jesus did it. He could have just said "be ye healed", and they would have been. Instead He asked them first "believe ye Me that I can do this?" When they said yea LORD. He then said unto them, "according to your faith be it unto you".

Do I take this to mean they would have not been healed had they really not believed? Yes I do, for He would not have said "according to your faith, be it unto you". This was for the benefit of the onlookers, in so they could learn, that it was a requirement for it to work.

The lesson learned here was, it is a requirement of the LORD, for the person being healed, to believe they would be healed, in order for it to be given. Unless, the person being prayed for is "knocked out."

I have seen people cheated out of a divine healing, simply by saying "if it is the will of the LORD, it will be done." The little big word "if" conveyed the thought, they had a seed of doubt. When you doubt the word of GOD, you are in effect doubting GOD.

When you throw a ball into the air you believe "doubting nothing" that it will come back down. The same is true when you pray. Matthew says " when you pray you must believe doubting nothing" it will be given. Likewise when you pray for the healing of another, the person being prayed for has to be of
like mind, that is they have to expect that it will be done.

The person saying the prayer has to believe the same. For if the seed of doubt is present in either party, it shall not be given. Because the seed of doubt, comes not from GOD, but from the devil. He wants nothing more than to cast a stumbling block in front of the healing.

When he does this, he is causing the person, to not fully believe in GODS almighty power. Being the master of deception, he knows the tiniest seed, will cause failure.

If you want to increase your faith in GOD, then simply increase your faith in the word of GOD. I have heard a few people say "well men wrote the bible, not GOD", this is true but the people who GOD gave His word to, got it through the holy spirit. The holy spirit is of GOD, and cannot lie.

First John says "in the beginning was GOD, and the word was with GOD, and the word was GOD." So, we can believe the word of GOD, because it is in fact of GOD.

If we say that we believe in GOD, how can it be possible to not believe in His word? When we learn to trust GOD fully, then we also must trust, the same amount in His word. When we do this, we are in fact, increasing our faith in both.

GOD knows every mans heart, and if we say that we trust GOD, but trust not, in each and every word, of His word, we are doubting HIM. The word of GOD says " if you want to know ME, than know My word. The LORD says " I change not."

Therefore His word changes not. The word of GOD, is the only absolute truth, on earth. The difference between men"s truths, and GODS truth is this: men"s truths are always subject to change, where GODS truth never changes.

So to sum this up, let us put full faith in GOD, and His word. It has been said " I do not fully understand some of the scriptures." If you want more understanding of scriptures, then do this first, ask GOD for forgiveness of sin. If you say "you are without sin" then you are deceiving yourself.

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of GOD. Once you have been forgiven of sin, then you have a pure heart.

It is necessary to have a pure heart, in order for the holy spirit to dwell inside you. If you are not sure if you have the holy spirit, take the steps above, and ask the LORD, to give you the gift of the holy spirit. The bible says "The holy spirit, shall lead men into all truths". If you want to understand the scriptures, get the holy spirit, and ask the Lord to give you wisdom, and understanding of the scriptures.

It shall be given, When you have a better understanding of GODS word, then you have a better understanding of the LORD. Therefore, to build up your faith in GOD, build up your faith into His word. When you know the absolute truth, hold on to it, revel in it, abide in it and HE will abide in you. Your faith in HIM and His word will increase. Then, with the holy spirit of truth, you can discern all things spiritual.

Stephen Monday is a Web Copy writer, content manager, Minister, and sole writer of the website Beacon Of Truth http://www.truth-witness.com (Writings Of The Holy Spirit) my email address can be found at http://www.AAAWebcopyServices.com

When Success Comes Too Fast

By Dale King

Legendary Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu once said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

That saying is especially appropriate when it comes to running a business.

So many small business owners want to travel the entire thousand miles in a single bound. They don't want to exercise the patience that's required to do it right - one step at a time. They want instant riches, fortune and fame. And they want it yesterday.

So what's wrong with that? What's wrong with wanting to travel the entire thousand mile journey at warp speed? Because there are risks involved when success comes too fast. Let me tell you a true story: The whole world knows who Michael jackson is. He is arguably the greatest and most successful entertainer who ever lived, and holds the Guiness World Record for most successful album in music history, "Thriller."

However, what you may not know is that Michael Jackson was a world famous superstar and had four #1 records by the time he was ten years old. That's right, four #1 records by the time he was ten - an unprecedented feat that still hasn't been matched to this day. In fact, he and his brothers, The Jackson 5 were the biggest musical act in the entire world when Michael was only ten.

While that's an impressive resume by anyone's standards, it came with a huge price. Psychiatrists say, Michael's current psychological problems stem from the fact he never had a real childhood. He was forced to grow up too fast. That's why he built an amusement park as his palace. He wanted to live the childhood he never had. As a result, he turned into the extremely dysfunctional adult you see today.

You're seeing the same type of dysfunction with today's young stars. Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie, Amy Winehouse. You're seeing the dysfunction of what happens when success and stardom comes too fast. And you don't get to experience life as a natural progression.

While the aforementioned may be extreme examples, the same premise holds true in business. When success comes too fast, you risk missing out on so much. You risk missing out on gaining valuable business insight, knowledge and experience.

You risk missing out on nurturing your business and watching it grow. You risk missing out on the joy and pain, the triumphs and disappointments, the heartache, jubilation and appreciation that come with failure followed by success. You risk missing out on sharing war stories with your colleagues. You risk missing out on acquiring memories that will last you a lifetime.

Those are just some of the many things you miss out on when success comes too fast.

In closing, slow down, enjoy life. Shoot for the stars, yes! But don't stress out over being an overnight success. When success comes it comes. Work hard for success, but don't try to rush it.

Or in the famous words of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., "Rome wasn't built in a day!"

Dale King is the owner of GuruKnowledge.org - The Ultimate Internet Marketing Resource! Defeat soaring gas and food prices! Increase your income with ebay! http://guruknowledge.org/pages/Make-Money

True Freedom Only Comes With Taking Personal Responsibility

By Nick Arrizza, M.D.

In "Handbook For A New Paradigm" channeled by George Green and which can be downloaded for free by gooling it.

The point is made that: "there is no freedom without taking personal responsibility".

What does this mean and what does it pertain to?

Well it has consequences not only for each individual but also for the entire planetary experience we are currently living.

If you look around you I think you will readily see that the situation on planet Earth is rapidly deteriorating. So who or what is responsible for this situation?

Yes, I know you may "think" that there are "forces" that are larger than yourself and that you have no hope of ever influencing that are taking you and everyone else on an unwilling journey to destruction.

I ask you however to look at the basic assumption built into those beliefs i.e. "I am small and powerless".

Now how does that make you feel?

Well if you look at your experience of the effect of that belief you will feel the following: weak, afraid, helpless, alone, anxious, vulnerable, frightened, sad, hopeless, depressed, drained, heaviness and so on.

So what does all of that amount to? Well it amounts to the experience of having declared yourself a "Victim"!

A victim is someone who has essentially sold out their "power" and consequently themselves.

Dose that make you feel good? I doubt it.

So now we come back to the issue of freedom and responsibility.

Freedom, by definition, implies just that, the freedom "to be" and to live your life as you desire it. That is the antithesis of slavery and victim hood.

So how does one achieve this? Well one must recognize where the "bars" of the prison are first.

Here is one of them; now watch closely: "I am a small, powerless and helpless individual"!

I hope you caught that. If not here it is again: "I am a small, powerless and helpless individual"!

Yes! You see the prison is one that is "embedded" right within your mind as negative programming which you, yes you, have allowed to be foisted upon you. In other words you gave your consent to allow such disempowering thoughts/beliefs to exist right within your mind/body.

So why on earth would you allow such a thing to happen given the negative and toxic effects it is having on you?

Well probably because you "bought into the lie" that such beliefs would relieve you of responsibility for having to do anything to change your personal and our collective situation thereby "supposedly" taking the "load off" you and giving you a sense of relief. Correct?

So how relieved do you feel as you recall that this has led you into the prison of victim hood you and we find ourselves in?

None!

So how does one rectify this situation?

Well, I cannot recommend strongly enough that you visit Mr. Green's web site, download his book and read it. It will be, in my view the first powerful step you have taken in your entire life to help rectify your and our collective situations here.

Blessings!

Nick Arrizza is trained in Chemical Engineering, Business Management & Leadership, Medicine and Psychiatry. He is former medical doctor & psychiatrist Key Note Speaker, Stress Management Coach, Peak Performance Coach & Energy Medicine Researcher, Specializes in Life and Executive Performance Coaching, is the Developer of a powerful new tool called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) that helps build physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being by helping to permanently release negative beliefs, emotions, perceptions and memories. He holds live workshops, international telephone coaching sessions and international teleconference workshops on Physical. Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Well Being. Email: nickarrizza@gmail.com

Leading Some People Can Be a Tough Challenging Difficult Calling: Real Leadership is Seldom Easy!

By Sandy Shaw

God had brought His chosen people out of Egypt, under the strong powerful leadership of Moses, but Egypt was not yet out of them! That is always the harder thing to do.

When we come to Jesus Christ - Jesus saves us from our sins - He rescues us out of our messes - but to get the sin out of us can be a different matter - the envy - jealousy - longings - desires - the looking back to our former way of life. To get all that out of us is a very different matter.

Now they are wishing they were dead. Oh how some people exaggerate situations!

After a whole series of amazing miracles as Moses led them from slavery into freedom there is now a problem with the food supply.

The Hebrews were remembering what they had to eat, back in Egypt, while they were in their sinful and sore captivity, and they seem to be longing to get back into all that.

Was it really as good as all that in the good old days, Israel? No - of course it wasn't.

In verse 3 of Exodus Chapter 16, they accuse Moses of deliberately wanting to destroy them. People can generate such fantasies at times. God had delivered them - released them from all that suffering - the bricks - the quotas - the targets. They so soon forgot.

God is so graciously going to give them bread, and He is going to give them meat.

He is going to give them bread - miraculously - and He is going to give them what they need - but with a test - verses 4 and 5.

On the sixth day they are to bring in as much manna as they will need for two days - and one principle here is - there has to be a Sabbath days rest in their lives from the very beginning. The principle is here, before THE LAW!

So that the people will know that the Lord is in control, Moses and Aaron explain., but we see who they have really been grumbling against - the Lord God Almighty.

This is made very clear - when we grumble against or complain against the anointed servants of the Lord - we are not simply complaining against men - but against the Lord God Who chose and called and raised up these men - these leaders. Note how this is repeated a few times here - and it is not just Moses rubbing it in - if we miss it first time round God gives us another opportunity. Surely it would register after a while.

In verse 10 another cloud appears - a cloud of quails. Quails are little birds, and they migrate in thousands, and they become exhausted in their flying, until they hop over the ground or fly at just a few feet off the ground, and can be caught fairly easily.

And the bread - verses 13 to 15 - they wondered what it was - and they called it MANNA - 'what's it'!

In verses 17 and 18 we learn that each had what each needed and required. Now that should be happening each time we come to read and hear the Word of God - each should be receiving just what each of us needs.

But then there came a test - 19 and 20 - and some failed the test. If you grab more than you should - or if you keep what is meant for sharing - if you disobey what the Lord God is saying to you in some way - then things will go wrong - things will go maggoty - things will begin to smell.

Some would not take God at His Word. You cannot get around this miracle. There is no way you can explain it away.

In John chapter 6, Jesus Christ referred to this manna and explained, "I am the bread of life".

Eat Me and you will have life that will go on for ever - eternal life - and, we need every Word of Jesus Christ Who is the Word of God - because man cannot live by bread alone.

That is why we who belong to Jesus Christ feed upon Jesus and His Word. There comes that time when the world and the things of the world just cannot satisfy you.

When God deals with His people, He aims first at inspiring faith - and promoting spiritual maturity and responsibility - but can at the same time expose unbelief as the sinful evil thing it is. These two things are always present when Jesus is speaking and working and moving among His people.

There is another lesson here too - the very opportunities for the deepening of our faith can also be occasions for doubt and questioning and disobedience.

Some of these people just decided to disregard Moses warnings - revealing an underlying attitude which should teach us all to keep well clear of.

What Moses had said ran contrary to what they were inclined to do - and they reacted, "Why should we do what he says? Why should we listen to him? Let's pay no attention to this funny teaching about not taking more than we need."

They were found out.

God is at the very heart of this.

Verse 32 - Some of the manna was to be kept in a jar - where the people were later to worship. When they came to worship and praise the living God, they would see the manna - the bread - and they would be reminded that it was the Lord God Who was providing for their material needs - that it was Almighty God who was supplying all they required.

We require reminders of His Love and Mercy - each of us needs to be reminded regularly - so that we remain grateful and thankful.

Surely that would be their grumbling over for ever - not so - into Chapter 17 - where we read that they are short of water again - and again they argue with Moses - harping back to former days.

They accuse Moses of leading them and their cattle out of Egypt so that all would die! Haven't we learned this time and time again- once we deal with one problem another one soon crops up - once we get one thing out of the way, something new suddenly arises.

They are dry and thirsty, but this time they almost push Moses to the brink. The situation is once again very serious, with yet another leadership crisis.

We must learn not to push God too hard, and never play around with His promises.

We have seen what happened to Pharaoh when he thought he could get off with things and God dealt with him. But here, the Lord God continues to be so gracious and merciful - and when Moses does what he is told to do - water pours out of the rock.

We are told in Corinthians that that water was from Christ the Rock!

The pre-incarnate Christ - the Son of God was following this dear people - and they were unaware of it!

Today - as you read your Bible - as you pray - get what you need - that refreshing water from Christ the Rock - and that nourishing manna from Jesus the Bread of Life. Get what you came for. There is plenty. Eat and drink. We will never drain Him of resources. Swallow what God sets before you - with real thanksgiving - with true thanksgiving - and be truly satisfied.

Sandy Shaw

Sandy Shaw is Pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship, Chaplain at Inverness Prison, and Nairn Academy, and serves on The Children's Panel in Scotland, and has travelled extensively over these past years teaching, speaking, in America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, making 12 visits to Israel conducting Tours and Pilgrimages, and most recently in Uganda and Kenya, ministering at Pastors and Leaders Seminars, in the poor areas surrounding Kampala, Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu. He broadcasts regularly on WSHO radio out of New Orleans, and writes a weekly commentary at http://www.studylight.org entitled "Word from Scotland" on various biblical themes, as well as a weekly newspaper column. His M.A. and B.D. degrees are from The University of Edinburgh, and he continues to run and exercise regularly to maintain a level of physical fitness. Sandy Shaw sandyshaw63@yahoo.com

Success For The Average Man-Woman

Success Introduction

I read once what a great German Runemaster once said; "People's lives are frittered away like so much idle chatter...."

I swore that would not happen to me. I knew I wanted to do something, be something, learn something for my children and grandchildren.

So I started to write. I started when my daughter was small, writing 40 children's fairy tales that never got published. But this did not matter as there were many in my family and friends families who enjoyed them. I consider myself a success even though I don't have Rudyard Kipling's talent nor Stephen King's millions.

I wanted to be a writer and I AM. I now write blogs and articles and post them on the net. I am happy with my success.

Along my journey, I have found many books and quotes and sayings within these books, that have inspired me to keep going. I will share them with you.

Whatever you wish to succeed in doing, I will help you. It may not make you rich and famous (although it may) but it will give you the deep satisfying feeling that you have succeeded in doing what you aspired to do. No promises, no guarantees, just simple plain talk between two friends you and I.

To be a success in writing, painting, teaching, playing a musical instrument, singing, decorating, or just getting your life into better order - you must begin with YOURSELF. The only way you can succeed on the outside is to succeed in controlling your inside.

The new Laws of Quantum Physics are telling us that thoughts are things. Whatever we think or emote comes back to us.

Thoreau said, "What you are, speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you are saying."

We all carry around so much useless dead wood inside our minds and emotions that it makes being successful, at whatever we want to be successful at, difficult.

We need to clean house of this 'dead wood' and the best way to do it is by replacing it with good 'living' thoughts.

I will share some of these thoughts with you as we progress along.

Sister Kenny, many years ago said, ".......He who angers you CONQUERS you...."

I remember when I boxed in the Army, about anger. Whenever I had a particularily difficult opponent, who kept hitting me and who I could not hit;....... well the angrier I got the more he hit me! When I got control of myself and my emotions, I fought 100% better.

Winston Churchill once said, "...Just because you have to kill a man in wartime, does not mean you have to be angry about it..."

Let's work on our inside and watch our outside blossom. How we think and feel about ourselves is very important. Many times, because we live in such a crowded world, we pick up many thoughts and feelings that do not originate within us. It is called the Law of Resonant Frequencies. We need to counter-balance them or neutralize them with other better thoughts and feelings.

Feeling depressed or in a 'poor me' mood? Flush it out by thinking "... A pauper had the blues, because he had no shoes, until he chanced to meet, a man who had NO feet..."

To be successful in anything we must first be successful with our own thoughts and moods.

We have tools to help us with this. The sayings and proverbs of successful men and women from the past are valuable. We can recall them to mind whenever we waver from our goals and purpose in life.

Good books and sayings are like spiritual and mental transfusions and we should always keep them close by.

Emerson wrote, "...Wise men know not many things, but useful things..."

We can use the useful things we know to create the success we want.

You really don't need to know many things to succeed, if you know the few things that are important. I will share them with you in the next article.

Ellis Peterson AKA Ragnar Storyteller is a retired math professor and electronics engineer. He has been studying astrology, runes, metaphysics and alternate healing treatments for over 30 years. He is 70+, in very good health and lives in the boonies of the Pocono mountains with his wifr Lory. His writings are unique and refreshing. To see more of his writings visit his websites. http://www.olevikingshop.com and http://www.runes-for-health-wealth-love-now.com Or go to goggle and type in his pen name RAGNAR STORYTELLER for his listings. He is also a ghost writer and will write and article for you. Email Ragnar for his FREE 10 PART MINI-COURSE, "How-To use Quantum Physics in Your Every Day Life to Attract More Wealth, Health and Love, Now." You can contact him at: ragnarstoryteller2@gmail.com

 

Leadership: The Magic Of Feedback

Many organizations are over managed. Key executives believe in the process of micro managing subordinates and overseeing all activities.

What this business model does is create a lot of busy work but essentially is much less productive.

A real leader understands the importance of feedback. While many shy away from feedback because it can show them things about themselves they don't want to see, it is a very vital part of effective leadership. You can consider leadership as the mirror that lets you see the job you are doing and have done. But don't look at is as judgment, look instead at feedback as a way to better the path towards your eventual goal.

You should be open to regular feedback sessions. Some try to allow feedback on the project at bi-weekly or monthly intervals. That is too long of a time period to wait for something that may need to be addressed much sooner. Often employees are waiting for a chance to talk more about the project and get some response to what they are doing to make sure they are doing the right thing. As a manager you should at the least have weekly meetings to keep up with the progress your group is making, and also help them look at the things they have yet to accomplish and prioritize the list. You may also get some input on better ways to do things from those who have been in the midst of it. In addition to group meetings, you should also offer individual meetings to group members.

You need to always know what your team is doing and that they are working towards the group objective. After all, you are the leader. In the end this project is your responsibility and if things go wrong, you are going to be the one who has to take the blame. You should be able to spot if performance is slipping anywhere in your team and deal with that problem quickly. You need to discover if they just don't want to do the job, or if they are having a problem. That can be done through asking them a lot of open-ended questions so they will eventually let you know the real hold up.

Make sure your group members know you are behind them. Everyone can use a little encouragement once in a while. But also make sure they know you expect to see results. At the end of your meetings, always leave them knowing when the next meeting is going to be. This sets them up to know that they will be expected to show more progress in a certain time period

You need to discipline yourself as a leader to make sure not to become complacent. This is something that happens to many leaders. They after a while become indifferent to the project and don't keep as close an eye on things as they should. This is a recipe for disaster and shows poor leadership to boot. You must meet every week with the group members and always make a list of their goals, assuring they are making progress towards those goals. If you neglect your group members, they may well start to neglect the work they are supposed to be getting done.

About the Author

Harald Anderson is the co-founder of www.artinspires.com a leading online motivational posters gallery. His goal in life is to become the kind of person his dog thinks he is.

7 Ways To Say No Without Feeling Guilty

It's such a small word but so difficult to use sometimes. We seem to use this word so easily with our spouse and children but have a hard time saying it to other people.

So the trick is to figure out how and when to say no. I'm not saying that you should be selfish and never help anybody out. However, most people are running around stressed because they're saying yes to everybody but themselves.

You should only be saying yes when you genuinely want to do something.

You feel excitement at the thought of doing it or it ties in with your life goals or definition of success.

You don't have to have another appointment first in order to say no

If you've planned to have an evening in (bubble bath, reading, TV, whatever…) and you get invited out, this does not automatically mean you have to accept. An appointment with yourself is just as important as one with other people. Value your time! Realise that when you say yes to one thing, you ALWAYS say no to something else.

When this happens, you usually say no to the more important parts of your life - God, family, yourself. For example, you're asked to help out on a committee at your child's school. You could end up so busy with committee work that you deprive your child of quality time. Another example is saying yes to everybody at work collecting money for birthdays, leaving presents, etc, and no to your own financial future.

Don't instinctively say yes. Buy time to think about it first.

Always check your diary first before committing to plans. Or just take a deep breath. Otherwise you end up saying yes to everything and at the end of a hectic period, you're virtually burnt out.

It becomes easier to say yes the more you practice

At first when you have to say no to something or someone, it feels terrible. But it is incredibly empowering when you realize that you made the correct decision in saying no. It is an acquired skill and the more you use your "no" muscle, the stronger it'll get. I promise.

When you say yes and you feel resentment, it means that you should have said no

Learn to listen to your heart. The Bible says that we mustn't give grudgingly or under compulsion, and yet, so many of us do. We say yes, and harbour deep feelings of resentment and bitterness. Nothing good comes from a resentful attitude.

Saying no comes easier when you are confident in your own capabilities

When you say no firmly and without a groveling apology, it affirms your self-worth and it's a way to stand up for yourself. Men seem to do really well at this but women seem to want to explain everything and apologise while they're saying no.

You don't have to be rude or ugly about it - there are many ways to say no

No can be "I can't help you this time", "I can only do it next month", "that's not my strong suit" or simply "no, thanks".

Make a quality decision this month to look at your schedule and see where you're saying yes to activities or commitments that don't support your goals. Then, work at saying no to them so you can say yes to more important things.

Marcia Francois is a personal life coach and professional organiser who teaches small business owners and other busy people how to have more time, less stress and a more organised and fulfilled life. Visit http://organiseyourbusiness.com for your free Organise your Life e-book and other helpful tips.

Confidence - 5 Barriers to Building Self Confidence

By Darrell Causey

Confidence is one of the most important traits that you must acquire for success. It is the development of confidence that will help you overcome your fear of public speaking or making presentations. Without confidence, you can not be as effective as you like.

Here are 5 Barriers to developing your self confidence.

Barrier #1 Fear

The number one barrier to having an unstoppable confidence is fear. It might be a fear of failure, a fear rejection or even a fear of success. That's right, you might be afraid of success and all the responsibilities that come because of success.

But most of these fears are imaginary. The only place these fears exist are in your mind. So stop and think about your fears. Are they real or are you afraid of something that hasn't even happened yet? If it hasn't happened yet don't let it stop you from doing the things you need to do. Face your fear head on and take action.

Barrier #2 Worry

The next big barrier to a powerful confidence is worry. You might be worried about being perfect, or about what others think or that you might make a mistake. All of these are caused by spending too much time thinking about you. So, stop thinking about you and start thinking about others who need your message. Once you begin to focus on helping others you stop worrying about you.

Barrier #3 Procrastination

Procrastination will rob you of your confidence by keeping you from being at your best. Every time you leave something to be done at the last minute, it will never be as good as it could have been. If you are going to be at your best you need to determine your priorities and plan your tasks according to your priorities.

Barrier #4 Indecision

The ability to make decisions is a must for building confidence. Indecision in many situations can paralyze you and render you ineffective. You can change this by giving yourself deadlines to make a decision and sticking to it.

Remember you can always change your decision if new information warrants a change, but waiting to make a decision until everything is perfect will immobilize you. The perfect time will never come.

Barrier #5 Doubt

Doubt is probably the under lying problem with the other four barriers. Your fear, worry and indecisiveness comes from your doubt in your own abilities. Why should someone believe in you if you don't?

Acquiring confidence will not be an easy task. It will require patience, work and effort to obtain the confidence needed for your success. But, if you have a strong desire and are willing to make sacrifices you can have unstoppable confidence.

And now I invite you to learn more by clicking through to http://GreatPublicSpeaking.net

Law of Attraction - They Are All Making You Poor

There is one very important step that is often overlooked by most people who are working hard to apply the law of attraction. That step requires that you surround yourself with the sort of people who already have what you are trying to manifest in your life.

Have you ever heard stories or witness people who change dramatically because of the new crowd they were associating with? Perhaps you have noticed yourself developing certain habits after having the company of certain friends. If all your friends complain about money every day you may begin to realize that you have several complaints about money that you previously did not have before. We become like the people we surround our selves with.

I knew a man who was working tirelessly to create financial freedom in his life. He worked diligently with the law of attraction in keeping his thoughts clear and positive as well as to maintain a deep focus on his goals. Each day he was able to see great success until one day he came in contact with an old friend. Within a few short weeks he realized that his new found joy and personal power began to head south and he was feeling very discouraged about life. All his business ventures began to suffer and it seemed every thing around him was about to crash.

After taking sometime to reflect on what had suddenly gone wildly wrong with his life he realize the source of his failing business and personal life. His new friend, although a source of fun was a complete pessimist. Every single time they met his friend complained excessively about everything and doubted everything which seemed to be good. He complained about the economy and he complained about those who had acquired any sort of wealthy.

These conversations began to creep slowly into the mind of the first man and slowly his outlook became tainted by the dim view of reality that his friend was drilling into his head. Although he tried to maintain a brighter outlook his own thoughts were in conflict with the thoughts that his friend was presenting to him.

With law of attraction you manifest what you speak about or focus on with great passion. Often times people do not realize how much time they give to listening to others whose outlook is quite dismal and just how much those dismal thoughts do influence your ability to successfully apply the law of attraction to your success.

Do you know that there are ancient techniques that can increase your manifesting intentions and attract what you want even faster than ever? Visit http://www.cosmic-wealth.com to learn more about these secrets teachings. Daniel Hinds is the author of the powerful ebook Magic Money.

9 Activities To Help Improve Your Working Memory And Concentration by Creator

by Creator

 

You are capable to remember an extreme amount of facts. But your short term memory can always hold only a limited amount of things. But the working memory could actually be the very core of our intelligence. And it doesn’t matter what kind of education you’ve had, everyone can improve their mental capabilities. This article contains ten activities to help improve your working memory.

Activity 1: Eat Imagine you bought that brand new car you’ve dreamt about. But instead of putting some gasoline in the tank, you fill it up with diesel and casually throw in a handful of sand. You probably won’t be surprised when the car doesn’t really get far. Your brain also needs the right fuel to work at its best. Try eating a balanced diet rich in omega-3 fats, antioxidants, (brocolli, blueberries spinache and berries for example). I also recommend eating more frequently, it prevents large dips in your blood sugar, the main source of energy for your brain.

Activity 2: Turn on the music Psychologists and scientists have been looking at the connection between the music and the working memory for many years and many studies have found that music, especially classical, improves the storage and recall of information in the human memory.

Activity 3: Reduce stress. Stress does not physically damage the brain, but it can make remembering things more difficult. Even temporary stresses have a negative effect on your working memory.

Activity 4: Pay attention Often we fail to remember things, not because our memory isn’t good, but just because we weren’t paying attention. Many people encounter this when they forget peoples names. If you deliberatly try to remember things, you’re more likely to succeed

Activity 5: Group things It’s hard to keep a random list of items in your head, did you ever forget something when grocery shopping? But you can make it easier for yourself. If you can remember that three of the things you needed were vegetables, you would probably also remember what they were.

Activity 6: Think Back Here’s another great mental exercise. First of all, relax comfortably in an easy chair or on your bed. When you are really relaxed, start the exercise. Start by mentally paying attention to yourself. Then go back and think of yourself going into the room. Keep on going back through the memories of the day. Every time you do this, it will be easier, and you can remember more and more details every time.

Activity 7: Strengthen your neural connections This is an exercise can even create new neural connactions. Grab the mouse with the hand you normally don’t use it with. It’s probably harder to be precise and accurate with your motions. You could easily try some of these exercises everyday. It is important to challenge your brain to learn new tasks, especially processes that you've never done before. - Use your opposite hand to brush your teeth - Dial the phone or operate the TV remote. - Draw symtrically by making the same movements with two hands

Activity 8: include more of your senses in an everyday task: Get dressed with your eyes closed Wash your hair with your eyes closed Share a meal and use only visual cues to communicate. No talking.

Activity 9: Walk Walking is especially good for your brain, because it enhances the blood flow, which results in oxygen and energy reaching your brain more efficiently. As walking isn’t intensive, your legs also won't use up extra oxygen and blood sugar. Walking can create a clear head and improve your working memory. ----------

About the Author

I'm a student who has been into accelerated learning for many years discuss the article here: http://www.xomba.com/10_activities_to_help_improve_your_working_memory_and_concentration

Battle Beneath the Grave - Resting in Peace or War!

By Basil C. Hill

I accidentally discovered the "key" to understanding the roots of legal and social hassles over people supposedly "resting in peace." People who die financially poor do not have relatives fighting over their legacies after they die. I made the amazing discovery, quite accidentally one day while doing hospital rounds.

I noticed one patient in a community ward staring at the ceiling. Next to him was an old rancher I knew as a child. Even though he was a bit of a flirt and had many children with different women (some of which he did not support) it was heartening, I thought, to hear some of those siblings say to him that they forgave him for the wrongs he did to them and their mothers. I watched the children hugging each other praying for papa. Next to him was the ceiling gazer.

"No relatives?" I asked. "The difference between me and him is that I blew all my money; I have nothing left for anyone to fight over." That hit me hard.

One day, I asked the stargazer: "Have you ever lived abroad?" "Been in New York for many years"-he replied. That was it. In the waiting room outside, I made an imaginary phone call.

"Joe Blow," not his real name "is in a public hospital. Didn't he work for the Long Island Railroad for over 25 years? Aren't they one of the companies that pay pensions to their employees' survivors for at least 10 years after their employees die?"

Within one week, family and friends appeared almost literally out of the woodwork. His sudden receipt of flowers, fruits, and health-juice cocktails obviously puzzled him. How could I tell him about my imaginary phone call? Did someone overhear? Guilt confronted me daily. The fact that I could not confess my error because of possible ramifications made things so much harder. Every time I went by the hospital, Uncle Joe had too many visitors; that made private conversations impossible.

One day, the former stargazer got worse until his speech was hardly discernible. I leaned over intending to confess my mischief. Since all eyes were on me, instead I whispered within hearing distance of one of the hospital attendants, "I hope he made arrangements for his pension and social security payments to be transferred for all of his years in New York." He opened his eyes immediately. As if the sudden realization of what I said injected him. He either coughed or laughed a mischievous laugh or both. I became a chicken and left.

Did he have a pension plan? -I don't know. Did I lie- maybe yes or maybe no. I never found out. He died in his sleep one night-hopefully peacefully.

TEN YEARS LATER. About two months ago, a missionary friend of mine asked me to accompany him to a nursing home. A self-employed taxi driver had been diagnosed with cancer. The home was filled with people whose faces were the portraits of pain and resignation. None seemed willing or desirous of continuing life's journey. All appeared in different stages of readiness to face an inevitable destiny. All seemed prepared-I thought-until we found our former taxi driver. He was scared; he was frightened. He shivered and trembled uncontrollably. He kept repeating how much pain he was in and lamented on the fact that no one came to visit him; he had no one to turn him over. He wept openly. It was sad. Immediately I reflected on one of my grandfather's sayings: "once a man twice a child." Here was a man who was at every ballgame. He was a regular at all the live shows. He was popular; had lots of female admirers. He was in his 60's; but looked like a forty-five-year old prizefighter. He ate heartily, not sensibly. I would run into him at restaurants-females in tow. His meals were lavish steaks, lots of butter, and the best and most expensive drinks deprived his saliva of their natural functions. As the reels of memories spun slowly from the video of my mind, I stopped the film in time to see a shadow in front of me--a shadow of who he was-diapered and bedridden. He accepted our offer for prayers, and even though the Lord took away his pains, he still cried himself to sleep. It was sad. The last words we heard--the nurses also--- were "Just imagine all I did for people and now, not one of my friends is here to turn me over."

I am comforted that the prayer he accepted was what Catholics call the prayer of confession, and what Pentecostals call "the sinner's prayer"-a prerequisite for eternal salvation. I firmly believe that every person should visit a hospital or nursing home at least once per month. When trains are rolling, it is easy to become complacent. With the aggressive competition for our time, space, and energy, most times we are too busy to think of anything except the "now" and immediate future. Since we do not hold the keys to tomorrow, it cannot hurt to peek behind different curtains of possibilities. It might come as a surprise, but not because we say "Rest in Peace" means the departed obey us. Sometimes their destinies are already sealed.

Suggested readings: "The Golden Fleece Found by Basil Hill--http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Fleece-Found-Basil-Hill/dp/1412043190

Manhunt Written By Janet Evanovich

Manhunt is a very humorous story of a rich woman, Alexandra Scott, who makes an exchange of her lavish condominium in New York for a cabin and hardware store in the Alaska wilds. Was she crazy? Sometimes she wondered but since most of what she owed on her condo was still mortgaged, she thought this as an adventurous but satisfying transaction.

When she gets to Alaska, Bruno, her huge dog falls into the water at the docks, followed by Alexandra also falling into the water dressed in her New York finery, has her dog rescued by someone who's identity she has no idea of, then drives off in her sports car into the back wilds of Alaska.

Alexandria wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, enjoy quiet time, and maybe find a husband that would share her quiet life. She is quite taken back when she finds her cabin at the end of a rutted road that her car could not traverse. As she looks over her rustic cabin with its tin roof and very weather ravaged walls, she is unaware that someone is standing nearby looking at her and wondering what this woman was doing here near his cabin. It just so happened that this man, Michael Casey, was the same man that had rescued Bruno at the docks.

Casey and Bruno follow Alex into the cabin and Alex discovers that this cabin only has one room, a loft for sleeping, boarded up windows, and a mess that very much looked like no one had lived there for years. Casey's cabin was only one-quarter mile away from this mess of a cabin but Alex was determined she was going to stay in it and live her wilderness life. Since the inside was so bad, she decided to attempt to sleep in a small tent that first night. Between the bear and moose stories that Casey had told her and the noises she kept hearing, she didn't last long in the tent.

Eventually Alex got to see her hardware store and its strange clerk who lived in a back room of the store. It was filthy and had so little merchandise that a hardware store should have in stock that she started making plans for what she would do to this store and it's antiquated clerk.

Manhunt is filled with page after page of gut wrenching humor along with romantic adventures encountered by Alex in her wild wilderness. It is a fast but terrific read for anyone liking humor and deep woods romance. I have read many of Janet Evanovich's books and have enjoyed them but the humor makes Manhunt one of my favorites.

Reader review by Cy Hilterman. Reviewer of many types of books.

The Statement by Brian Moore

The Statement by Brian Moore is a little more than a pursuit thriller. I stress a little more because it genuinely transcends the "who's going to do it" genre, though overall it misses an opportunity to address some important and potentially fascinating ideas.

Pierre Brossard is the original, but not the only name of a politically right-wing Frenchman who worked with a wartime fascist militia in Vichy France. As part of his duties he was responsible for assisting the transport of Jews to Nazi concentration camps and at least once he organised killings, in particular a massacre of fourteen individuals. He was later tried and convicted, though years later a Presidential pardon meant that he was no longer a wanted man. Still one the run, however, he was convicted of a crime against humanity via a judgment and indeed a jurisdiction that not everyone in France either respected or recognised.

Pierre Brossard's rediscovery of his Roman Catholic faith provided him with something more than solace. Through confession he could secure effective pardon, both within his own and also his sympathisers' minds, where forgiveness was not needed. But also he secured effective support within the minds of sincere devotees of the faith, who often declared themselves more interested in a believer's soul than any debt to history or even the human race.

So, on the run for years, Brossard found haven in a series of religious houses where, in effect, he could come and go incognito, almost as he wished. Meanwhile cheques supplying his financial needs arrived regularly from both known and unknown donors, some connected to societies within the Church, societies that also sympathise with a more traditional form of the faith than that emanating from Rome. Brossard is pursued by the law, a faction of which wants to bring him to justice, whilst another wants to protect him. He is also hunted by an untraceable Jewish group that hires contract killers to do away with him. Paradoxically, the faction of the police that wants to bring him to justice also wants to arrest him to protect him from the assassins. And all this in just over two hundred pages.

And that, perhaps, is the problem. Though the book is well written, well set and constructed, the characters, including Brossard, never attain much more than cameo status. Several of the protagonists express strong opinions about race, culture and faith, but we are never presented with a probing analysis of their motives or identities. The role of the Church in supporting, or at least turning a blind eye towards fascism is mentioned, but not worked through. The schism represented by the Lefevre faction in 1980s France is mentioned, but its ideological foundation is glossed over. The existence of Masonic-type societies within the Church is mentioned, but quite who they are, what they want to achieve and how they operate is largely ignored. Even Brossard's own identity is effectively taken for granted, once we have been introduced to his racism, his anti-Semitism and his ruthlessness.

The Statement of the title refers to a typed sheet carried by Brossard's would-be assassins. It is their intention to pin it to their victim's corpse, thus claiming closure of the case of the wartime massacre of Jews in the village of Dombey.

The plot, as ever in a "who does what", eventually works its way out. I will, of course, not reveal the detail, because with The Statement that would remove the prime reason for reading the book. If some of the other themes the book touches upon had been worked through - even just a little - the book would have provided a more substantial, subtle and sophisticated experience and it would be an interesting read even if the reader knew all the plot. As it is, it fills a couple of hours in an enjoyable, mildly informative and mildly stimulating way.

Philip Spires Author of Mission, an African novel set in Kenya http://www.philipspires.co.uk

5 Ways To Manufacture Good News!

I found myself looking in the mirror this morning, monitoring my energy and creative juices, and I felt light, suddenly.

"I'm going to hear some good news about my book proposal!" I heard myself saying to myself.

And with that, I found there was bounce in my step, and I observed the morning sun, streaming as it was through the kitchen and dining windows, and it was beautifully yellow, and piercing.

In fact, all of my senses were suddenly sharpened, and the feeling of the gas heat rising like a cozy blanket from the floor grates, was very soothing and welcoming.

"What a nice morning!" I thought.

This is the power of good news to change our attitudes, to rouse us from that netherworld of miscellaneous, unnamed aches and pains, and half-emotions.

Good news can bring us back from the undead.

However, there's only one small problem: we don't seem to get good news as regularly or as consistently as we need it.

That's why we have to take special measures to MANUFACTURE it.

It is simply too important to our mental health to be allowed to occur merely by chance. And it is too powerful to place entirely into the hands of other people.

So, how can we create good news every day?

Here are some tips:

(1) Remember past successes. Get that sweet taste of what it has been like to achieve your goals. Savor these memories.

(2) Consider everything for which you can be grateful.

(3) Think of all of your current initiatives that can pay off. Imagine them, one by one, doing so.

(4) Think of at least one new initiative that you can inaugurate, today.

(5) Mentally see yourself harvesting seeds that you have planted long ago, that are dormant, from which you've seen no visible signs of growth. Sprinkle them with your attention, now. Select one or two to nurture with your current energy, knowledge and abilities. Imagine it blooming into something magnificent.

Good news wants to happen, and we want it and need it!

So, if you don't feel it's imminent, for any reason, manufacture it!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com , is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone®, You Can Sell Anything By Telephone! and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

Self Confidence - Expressing Your Uniqueness Is Important and Necessary

The most critical characteristic in achieving any level of success in life is self-confidence. It is the secret to succeeding in both the business world, relationships and personally in your life. But unfortunately, confidence and low self-esteem problems are all too common in society today, and leave many individuals without the necessary self acceptance and strength of character to live their life on their terms.

So what does it mean to "live life on your terms?" This means expressing your natural strengths and attributes without fear or trepidation. And it is only through expressing what is natural in you -- your innate skills, characteristics and desires -- that you can really "succeed" in any area of life.

The opposite of expressing your personal uniqueness is to be found in many people suffering with self-confidence problems. These individuals -- often unknowingly -- have a habit of attempting to "cover up" who they really are, and deny their true personalities. When this happens it is a real loss not only for the individual affected, but for the rest of us as well. Here's why:

Each of us is unique -- we have our own unique strengths, weaknesses, preferences, talents and points of view. When we attempt to hide or cover up our uniqueness, we deprive both ourselves and those around us of an important part of nature. That's right; I used the word "nature."

You see, who you "naturally" are is important, both to you and to the world at large. Think about the old biblical quote encouraging you to not "hide your light under a bushel." This means, don't hide who you truly are from the world, because who you truly are is an important part of the overall whole. It can be no other way.

The problem is that we live in a world where a competitive mindset is rampant. This mindset assumes that you must conform to certain social norms in order to have any value. Hogwash! You have value simply because you are a part of nature and you are here. You can stop your internal dialogue right there -- no further explanation is necessary.

The secret to success in life is to be MORE of who you already are. This means expressing your uniqueness to its fullest, or letting the whole world see your light. Self-esteem issues often cause people to fear rejection, and to believe that they will not be accepted if they let the world know exactly who they are. This belief is one the primary cause of poor self-esteem and confidence issues.

And it is important to keep in mind that when a person subjugates their natural characteristics in an attempt to "fit in," they make themselves miserable, and they make the world a poorer place. Why? Because they are denying the rest of us what is unique about them.

What I'm trying to say is, we (the world) need your uniqueness. The world needs my uniqueness, and every single person's uniqueness. It is critical that we each understand that our natural characteristics and unique qualities are important to the world. Once an individual understands this, self-confidence issues tend to fade rather quickly.

After all, it is difficult to maintain a poor self image when you understand that who and what you are is important to the life of the world.

Jon Mercer is the director of UltraConfidence.com Build Confidence Quickly Using "Positive Brainwashing."

Unusual Traits Of Highly Successful People!

We've all heard about the successful people of this world. We've heard of people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobbs, Richard Branson and so on.

We have also heard what it takes to be successful like these people. We heard you have to save, you have to start your own business, you have to own properties, you have to be prudent with your finances and so on.

While all these are true (they are time tested), there are other traits that I've noticed about many successful people. They are traits people don't notice. They are traits people don't talk about. Traits that make them succeed where many others have failed.

I'm going to share those traits with you today. Make sure you learn from them and more importantly act on them.

Trait One: Successful People Are Always Learning

I was at a seminar not too long ago and I was seated beside a fine gentleman. After the seminar, I gathered he was a multi millionaire that specializes in importing goods from China. I know a lot of people will wonder why someone who is worth over hundred million dollars will be doing in a seminar.

The truth is that most successful people are permanent learners. They always want to learn new things that will give them new ideas as well as new insights into how things are done.

Trait Two: Successful People Always Ask Questions

I've never met any successful person that claims to know it all yet I've met many average people who claim to be experts on all issues on the face of this planet.

Most successful people ask questions about many things. They don't pretend to know it all. In fact, they don't attempt to know it all. That is why they surround themselves with attorneys, accountants and so on.

Trait Three: Successful People Desire More Success

I've met many people that say they will stop working or stop trying to achieve things once they make a million dollars. Most successful people don't think like that. They are always looking for new challenges.

I bet we've all heard of poeple who sold their companies for millions and then start a new business from scratch. That is the spirit and that is why they seem to be forever successful.

I stongly believe these little tricks can help all of us move towards our dreams of becoming extremely successful. Let us make use of them.

We Can All Succeed!

Akin Alabi

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Healthy Self Esteem Allows You The Pleasure Of Enjoying Success

If you remember anything from this article, please remember this: Healthy self-esteem allows you the pleasure of enjoying and appreciating success.

You can acquire years of education, accumulate wealth, win prestigious awards, be blessed with the most loving relationships and still self-sabotage. Outside barometers of success and happiness won't satisfy you unless and until you like and approve of yourself.

Unhealthy self-esteem sabotages education, wealth, awards and relationships. You'll only achieve what your healthy or unhealthy self-esteem allows you to achieve.

Healthy self-esteem is the backbone of your success. Your self-esteem determines the level of success in both your personal and professional life.

Healthy self-esteem is not an automatic in life. It comes from how you are judging yourself as competent in the important areas of your life. Current self-esteem is based on what you're holding out to be important in your life today.

When working toward your goals, healthy self-esteem allows you to strive for greater success by:

* Giving you more energy and enthusiasm

* Accepting constructive suggestions with an open mind

* Controlling emotions to come from a stronger place of empowerment

* Allowing you to choose how you're going to achieve your goals

* Being a more accepting person

* Knowing who you are and what you want in life

* Having more self-confidence in yourself and your ability to succeed

Why are all those attributes important?

Let me share a story I remember reading a few years ago.

A few years back, during a figure skating championship, a highly ranked skater took a nasty fall at the every end of her original program. The crowd reacted negatively and she quickly became embarrassed, discouraged and disheartened.

Her coach was alarmed by her negativity and took her to a sports psychologist for a battery of tests. After several psychological exams it was reported to the media that each exam showed she was suffering from poor self-esteem.

During the second round of the competition, this magnificently talented skater lost her flair for the dramatic. She refused to try anything too risky and settled for safe. It was amazing how one fall changed the perception she had of her ability as a champion.

She ended up finishing far below her expectations, natural abilities and talents despite many flawless performances in the past.

A retired champion made an interesting observation. He said that if you want to be a champion, you can't allow outside negative forces to influence the mental picture you have of yourself.

He went on to say that this highly talented skater not only allowed the reaction of the crowd to affect her skating performance but, more importantly, she turned out to be her own worst enemy.

Food for thought: No opinion of you is more important than your own.

What's the internal picture you have of your ability to succeed and thrive? I'll say it again; healthy self-esteem allows you the pleasure of enjoying and appreciating success!

Sharon A. Michaels is an e-mentor to women who want to work for themselves. Sharon has over 20 years of business, speaking and writing experience on issues of ending self-sabotage, living in abundance and wealth and making money in network marketing. Sharon offers books, webinars and tele-conferences on how to give yourself the power to succeed. You can learn more about Sharon Michaels at http://SharonIsMyMentor.com Sharon A. Michaels is also the Editor of the Abundance and Wealth site on http://www.BellaOnline.com To read more of Sharon's articles and sign up for her weekly newsletter go to http://abundanceandwealth.bellaonline.com Copyright Sharon A. Michaels - When using this article please give full credit to Sharon Michaels and use the bio as written above.