Are you currently happy at your current job? If you are not, you are not alone. Before you start perusing the latest craiglist classifieds for a new job, consider this: Over 80% of Americans are unhappy within their current careers.
According the best-selling author and life coach Marcus Buckingham, part of the reason we “get stuck” within in our careers is that we are not fully playing to our strengths in the workplace and in life.
Buckingham recently appeared on Oprah discussing his methods and course on how to put your stengths to work to achieve more purpose, balance, and live a more full life. He also provided an amazing gift: this course for FREE online!!!
To take the Strengths finder course, visit: www.oprah.com/workshop
April 27, 2008
Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege. – John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
1.) Train for a Cause
2.) Volunteer work
3.) Donate $
- Donate to organizations that will not sell your name to other organizations (One such organization I donate to is A Single Light, which is currently forming a Cancer Resource Database: http://www.asinglelight.org/donation_buttons/mothlydonation.htm
- Donation cans (at your local convenience & grocery stores)
- Care package donations (at check-out stands in local Whole Foods stores)
- Tip: donations to large organizations like The AIDS Foundation, etc. are more likely sell your information to make up for marketing costs. Research these organizations ahead of time at: http://www.charitynavigator.org
You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give. – Winston Churchill
February 3, 2008
Another diet book? Not quite. This enlightening book is about making peace with your body, and dealing with weight issues from the inside out. In this book, the author, Deborah Low, discusses the importance of working on your mental game, rather than prescribing some fad diet.
In fact, the first several chapters of this book present questions that are geared towards making the reader assess his/her beliefs about dieting/maintaining a healthy lifestyle (and those issues that prevent most people from staying on a diet).
As a personal trainer that previously suffered from an eating disorder, Low is able to connect with anyone that has started a new diet to only “fall of the wagon” and return to bad eating habits. Low even states in her book for every new client, she initially assesses their diet hang-ups preventing them from losing excess pounds prior to prescribing a fitness program.
Improving your mental game as part of adopting a healthy lifestyle makes sense; however, how many of us start a diet by giving up our favorite foods cold turkey? The problem is once we start losing the weight, we might “reward” ourselves by eating those favorite foods we gave up. Low’s approach is to ask several questions that help guide the reader through body image, food, and emotional issues (related to dieting/maintaining a healthy lifestyle). The end result (hopefully) is to make the rewards of healthier lifestyle outweigh the temporary satisfaction of calorie-rich unhealthy foods.
The first exercise Low asks the reader to do is describe his/her life story in regards to food issues, diets, etc. This exercise is then followed by several questions including:
· Why do you want to lose weight?
· Are you willing to challenge yourself and work at your goal? (i.e., do you really want to change?)
· Are you willing to accept, love, and nurture you whole self – independent of weight loss?
· What does being fit and healthy feel like to you?
· What experiences or feelings emerge when you fail to take care of your health?
· Do you want to feel freedom? (what obstacles/challenges prevent you from a healthy lifestyle?)
These questions are followed by ways to integrate your answers into a healthy lifestyle, and give you tools in which to rely on when struggling with maintaining a healthy lifestyle. In addition to the questions above, Low also walks the reader through some exercises that help you identify the things that add joy and passion to your life; as well as helping to establish lifestyle goals.
Overall, I think this is a fantastic book, as it provides the reader a tool set to help maintain a healthy lifestyle.
If you are interested in purchasing this book, click on the following link for one of the most affordable deals online:
February 3, 2008
According to a studies conducted at Purdue University (i.e., http://www.ecgnaturals.com/Purdue%20University%20Study.pdf) , a natural remedy of Graviola leaves from the Pawpaw tree in the Amazons found that several of the components in Gravolia leaves were “. . . not only effective in killing tumors that have proven resistant to anti-cancer agents, but also seem to have a special affinity for such resistant cells.”
The interesting thing is that studies dating back as far as 1976 (National Cancer Institute, 1976), found similar findings before Purdue published this information in 1997!
So what is Gravolia?
According to www.gravolialeaves.com, Graviola is a “small, upright evergreen tree, 5–6 m high, with large, glossy, dark green leaves” that produces a large, edible fruit that is yellow-green in color, with white flesh inside. Graviola is indigenous to most of the warmest tropical areas in South and North America, including the Amazon. The fruit is sold in local markets in the tropics, where it is called guanábana in Spanish-speaking countries and graviola in Brazil. The fruit pulp is excellent for making drinks and sherbets and, though slightly sour-acid, can be eaten out of hand.
An article published by the Health Sciences Institute (2001), claims that extracts from Gravoila trees may:
- conquer cancer safely and effectively with an all-natural therapy that doesn’t cause extreme nausea, weight loss, and hair loss
- protect your immune system and evade deadly infections
- boost your energy and improve your outlook on life
While researching Graviola leaves, I came across several sites that claimed extraordinary findings such as graviola being “10,000 times stronger then chemotheraphy” without the side effects (see: http://www.ecgnaturals.com/hsi_graviola_alert.htm). One thing that was discussed was that although Graviola seems to attack cancer cells, healthy cells are not effected; which is what is so exciting about this natural remedy.
There are several Graviola products out there, among those products, the best deal I could find was:
For more information, check out these websites:
http://www.graviolaleaves.com/
http://www.rain-tree.com/graviola.htm
For information on Graviola studies: http://www.graviola.org/cgi/gpp.cgi?000001-000001-000000&../../1graviola/parsed_pages/graviola_clinical.htm
January 2, 2008
No matter how hectic the holidays may be, having friends and family to celebrate with makes everything worth while. My godmother’s family (or my second extended family) is featured in the video below. The song was written by one of the talented daughters of this amazing family. Hope this video inspires the holiday spirit in you.
Also, there is also a special contest on their website. For a chance to win, visit: http://www.mistletoekisses.net/
November 29, 2007
“How to Be That Guy (or Gal)”
Scott Ginsberg, Author, Speaker
What are YOU known for? Do you even know? It’s time to find out. Based on his successful third book, How to be THAT GUY, Scott Ginsberg shares the many ways to help individuals and businesses maximize their visibility, credibility, uniqueness, authenticity and memorability in the eyes of customers and prospects. The practice lessons he will share include:
- How to create an unforgettable personal brand
- How to position your value and increase visibility to magnetize more business
- Ways to facilitate authentic, approachable word of mouth about you, your company and your ideas
Notes (from a talk based on his book):
- First impressions are generated in seconds (vs. minutes as previously thought)
- Personal Brand comprises of the following:
a.) what are you known for?
b.) What are you known as?
- Customers will choose to do business with you for 3 reasons:
a.) They have heard of you
b.) They have heard of your company
c.) You are someone they trust
- Anonymity is the greatest barrier to success
- Website & Web Presence is key to becoming that guy/gal
Website vs. Web Presence
1.) Choices – The “best choice” usually means the first hit on google
2.) Competition – why you? Why is your competition attracting more attention than you?
3.) Communication – Meebo (ability to have instant support –think website IMing)
4.) Memorable Numbers: (think McDonalds “_ billions served”) – what numbers makes our company memorable (e.g., number of COBs…etc – people track the # to see where they are)
a.) What is your memorable number (e.g., Lambert’s Café is about how many rolls have been thrown
b.) revistiability – getting people to track your number (keep coming back to your site/location)
c.) memorability- numbers are anchors
d.) credibility – specificity is persuasion
5.) Websites are like newspapers. (If it’s over 2 years old – no one is interested)
6.) Enshrine your practice (see below)
7.) Separate portals (for candidates, for clients)
- Websites should be screaming here is what you are you looking for versus hey look
- Ezine articles – great way to get your name out there
- What word do you own? – Own a word that NO ONE ELSE owns – this is one way that people will come to you
a.) Example: Book called Dickless Marketing: Focused on Jane Not Dick – example of creating a great name
- Mind Share, not Market Share (who thinks of you first?)
- Enshrine your practice (e.g., Katz’s Deli – enshrined booth from When Harry Met Sally) Other examples: since 1984; over 140 stores; news coverage; watch 20/20 click here (on website); zagat rated; quotes clients/NACCB members, etc)
- Rather than a biz card, he has a philosophy card
Tip: If you sign up for Scott’s Blog, you can get his ebook 117 Phrases that Payses for free! Here is his blog site: http://hellomynameisscott.blogspot.com/
November 19, 2007
The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures. It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.
–Rabindranath Tagore
For more than five thousand years, the Vedic masters of India have taught that our essential nature is infinite, whole, and perfect. We have an innate impulse to grow and create health and fulfillment. To fully experience these gifts, the ancient sages offered that we embrace a holistic understanding of life that considers the whole person―the mind, body, and spirit. Rather than focusing on individual symptoms or aspects of our physiology, the body-mind can best heal itself using timeless tools that allow it to reconnect to its unconditioned self. Although the term “holistic medicine” is relatively new in the Western lexicon, the concept is ancient. Just as the planet’s ecosystems―including the oceans, atmosphere, land, plants, and animals―are interdependent, the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of our lives are intimately connected. When one system is out of balance, it affects the functioning of the whole.
(Continue to the full article here: http://www.chopra.com/namaste/september07)
October 21, 2007
The 400 Richest Americans
Secrets Of The Self-Made 2007
by: Lisa LaMotta
As kids, America’s richest entrepreneurs dreamt of curing patients, flying jets, writing plays and bagging base hits for the Chicago Cubs. Instead, they started hundreds of companies, employed hundreds of thousands of people and bagged $1.06 trillion.
Sure, there was some ducking and weaving. When asked for the next billion-dollar idea waiting to be exploited, Donald Trump replied, “If I knew, I wouldn’t tell.” Logging tycoon Tim Blixeth’s answer: “Stay tuned to 2008!”
One message came through loud and clear, though: It’s good to be the guy in charge–and the money’s nice too.
The top eight spots on the Forbes 400 belong to entrepreneurs, as opposed to well-paid corporate soldiers or the silver-spoon set. The combined net worth of the top eight hit $237 billion, or 15% of the whole pie. And of the entire list, 270 (or 68%) are self-made, up from 261 last year. Average net worth of all self-made members: $3.9 billion.
While their conquests run the gamut, from real estate and oil to media and technology, these billionaire-entrepreneurs also have a few things in common, according to our 20-question survey.
In the accompanying slide shows, 21 self-made members of the 2007 Forbes 400 list offer an exclusive, introspective and often playful peek into their best days, worst qualities and hardest lessons.
We also coaxed them into sharing their thoughts on how to invest $100,000 right now (a few said put it with them); luck’s contribution to their success (95%, says Kenny Troutt, founder of Excel Communications); and the pitfalls of leaving too much to the kids (money man Richard Rainwater says $50 million is too much, while $1 billion each works for supermarket and oil titan John Catsimatidis).
They even told us with whom they would most want to share a cocktail–two said “me.”
A healthy chunk admitted that they are impatient to a fault. (Patience might be a virtue, but it might not make you rich.) As for guilty pleasures, food was especially delicious–Sandy Weill, former head of Citigroup (nyse: C – news - people ), goes for chocolate sorbet and pizza with jalapeños.
Then again, who’s got time for guilt when you’re worth $2.4 billion? Says media mogul Mort Zuckerman: “There used to be guilt associated with most of my pleasures, and now there is none.”
When it came to best days in life thus far, weddings and births took the cake–with one glaring exception. Casino kingpin Phillip Ruffin’s best day ever: Aug. 10, 2007, when he says he put “$1.24 billion into my checking account
Other answers were all over the map. Favorite books ranged from, yes, War and Peace to The Black Stallion; some even cited books they themselves had written. The group’s study-to-party ratio in college bounced around too–not least because a few didn’t go to college.
Great wealth doesn’t come without a few bruises, and the group was fairly forthcoming–even poignant–when it came to sharing hard lessons learned. Manufacturing titan Michael Heisley had to admit that “wealth is one of the most corrupting influences in my life.” Kenny Trout’s epiphany: “Money does not buy happiness.”
Of all the respondents, though, 86-year-old James Sorenson, the largest shareholder in Abbott Laboratories (nyse: ABT – news - people ) and a junk-food enthusiast, perhaps best captured the fundamental spirit of entrepreneurship. Asked for the hardest lesson he had to learn, he replied: “To spend my energy and resources investing in my own ideas, rather than those of other people. I need to drive my own vision.”
And that’s why he’s worth $4.5 billion.
Slideshow can be viewed at: http://www.forbes.com/2007/09/19/secrets-self-made-ent-manage-cx_ll_richlist07_0920guiltypleasure_slide_5.html?thisSpeed=15000
Links to the full interviews: http://www.forbes.com/2007/09/20/citigroup-abbott-trump-ent-fin-cx_bn_richlist07_0920secrets_land.html
October 4, 2007
Are science and religion getting married? After centuries of fighting about who is right, quantum physics seeks to marry science and religion. What the Bleep? Down the Rabbit Hole explains some of the major concepts of Quantum Physics
Main points in Down the Rabbit hole…
· Science tells us that we are a “lonely mistake in the world” that we are genetic mishaps that happened, and that we mutate via evolution. We are alone in this lonely world in this lonely universe. The emphasis of alone, and separateness from the universe creates all the problems in the world. Quantum emphasizes that we are all one, and connected.
· New paradigm – consciousness is real, and we live by our senses (sight, feeling, etc) to perceive reality; yet, we process 4 billion bits of information per second, and only “perceive” 2,000.. This suggests that there is more beyond our perceived reality. (So, shift your reality, and read on…)
· Quantum mechanics – the belief that the world is not clockwork (machine), it is an organism that is interconnected and extends through space and time. From a basic standpoint, how I think, affects the world. This makes the idea that a world view is important.
- We can explain gravity, etc via traditional physics, however; at an atom –level the laws are different; thus, quantum mechanics comes in to explain at an atom level (See theories of superposition, entanglement, Bose – Einstein condensates, collapse of the wave function)
- We are made of a unified field
- What makes up things are ideas, information, and concepts.
- The atoms of things never touch each other (atoms of a basketball never touch the atoms of the ground)
- Waves of information happen (and I won’t even try to explain this one – I’ll leave it to Dr. Quantum’s Double Slit Experiment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfPeprQ7oGc )
· Thoughts and feeling effect physical reality. (Refer to Dr. Emoto’s study of water: http://www.whatthebleep.com/crystals/) http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-3632908240778323085) Makes you think, if this is what happens to water, and we are comprised primarily of water, then imagine how we are affected by thoughts.
http://www.youtube.com/v/EzMybuBMNVM
· What you focus on is what persists in your life (e.g., victim mentality keeps you experiencing events that make you a victim)
· The fundamental truth of unity, or Entanglement. There are different levels of worlds – the world we see through our eyes, our cellular world, etc). The theory of Entanglement states that at the subatomic level, we are united.
· Our observation has a very direct effect on our world (what we experience). Our observation consists of our senses, however; if we put out the intentions to change (e.g., becoming for fit), and focus on those intentions every day, and visualize, we can change (e.g., be more fit)
· Creating a different pattern and perspective (A new you):
- The frontal lobe of our brain allows us to change our mind (free will, inspiration, decision making). It is via the frontal lobe that we change our habits.
- Memory and emotions get hard-wired together (love gets wired with memories of heartbreak, etc), which then effects how we perceive certain things, and can create our identity (e.g., victim).
- Practicing changing our thoughts/beliefs creates new neuron pattern in our brain, which then makes it easier to adapt to a new outlook, habit, etc. Quantum physics relates this to praying – holding a thought.
- Change means leaving behind our identity (behavior) to become who we want to be (behavior modification)
· Each cell is alive, and has a consciousness. Each cell knows if it needs more chemical stimulation (e.g., signals brain “I’m hungry”/need that kind of stimulation if hungry/ over-eater). This process facilitates our patterns (overeating, depression, etc.)
· Addictions are driven by a lack of control of an emotional state. When we are addicted to our emotional state, the people we love are the people that sympathize most with our victimhood, etc.
- We can become addicted to stress, so we won’t quit a job, etc.
· A master “seizes the day”
· Sex (you just have to see this – your cells and sex/addictions).. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNbj8rqbRAk
· Aging is a matter of improper protein production
· Getting out of our traps – the universe brings teachings to our door that we if we listen, we can get into a place beyond our physicality, and start asking questions like “why am I here?” “what is my purpose?”. It is then we can live our full potential and live an extraordinary life, and advance spiritually. It can also change how we see ourselves, and feel about ourselves (e.g., from “I hate myself” to “I love myself”)
- Thoughts create our reality
- An enlightened person sees consequences for every action, and if he/she wrongs that will cause him/her to face it and resolve it
· They touch upon God, - that God is not outside of us, but a part of us. That we are connected by a “onemindedness”
· Precognition, telepathy, etc. are examples of entanglement (marriage of spiritual and science)
This article is merely to review ideas discussed in What the Bleep, however, if you would like reference information that goes into these ideas into depth, please visit the following sites:
· The Wikipedia for Quantum physics (http://www.quantiki.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page)
· Entanglement video: http://www.youtube.com/v/ja0UUKbVlhA
· What is Quantum Physics? http://www.jracademy.com/~jtucek/science/what.html
· The latest news on Quantum physics: http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/quantum_physics/
· Major theories:
http://theory.uwinnipeg.ca/physics/quant/node1.html
http://www.hpwt.de/Quantene.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/3487/qp.html
· http://www.thebigview.com/spacetime/
· Video clips (this person has almost the entire movie here): http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=setnor
· EFT: http://www.emofree.com/Articles2/what-bleep.htm
· Unified Field Theory:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/everything.html
http://www.beotel.yu/~mmalovic/boblock
September 29, 2007
Today, Dr. Oz appeared on Oprah to discuss some of the most common food myths, and showed the journey of his digestion track via a pill cam. His talk was a summary of his series now appearing through Wednesday called The Truth About Food featured on BBC.
Dr. Oz debunks some of the myths about detox diets, benefits of water (guess what? water doesn’t do as much as you think it might..) For a summary of the show, and the pill cam film follow this link: http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200709/tows_past_20070917.jhtml?promocode=incl20070917TD
Here is breakdown of the show series:
THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD Episode Descriptions (All times are ET/PT) THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD: How to Be Healthy Premiere: Monday, September 17, at 8 PM What we eat can change our lives. How to Be Healthy follows nine fast- food junkies to an enclosure at a British zoo as they crunch their way through half a ton of raw fruits and vegetables in just 12 days. Join two truckers who have to swallow an unusual pill to get their internal traffic jams moving. Learn how the bacteria in the gut also enjoy our food, and how it can lead to windy side effects.
THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD: How to Be Sexy
Premiere: Monday, September 17, at 9 PM
This episode puts our volunteers’ bodies on the line to discover just what effect food can have on our sex lives. Is the way to a person’s heart really through the stomach? Can fruit and vegetables boost sperm quality and quantity? How might cheese help relieve the symptoms of PMS? And can you tell if a woman is attracted to you by the contents of her dinner plate?
THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD: How to Feed Your Kids
Premiere: Tuesday, September 18, at 8 PM
In a warm-hearted look at children’s stubborn palates, this episode provides a guide on how to open kids’ minds and mouths to new foods. How did young Isaac break his broccoli boycott? Also, viewers will discover whether or not watching TV can trigger your child to put on pounds, and if sugar really makes kids hyperactive.
THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD: How to Be Slim
Premiere: Tuesday, September 18, at 9 PM
After trying every diet in the book, a family of dieters are about to give up until the latest nutritional science comes to their aid. Sit back as THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD reveals the foods that keep you feeling fuller for longer, how dairy products may hold the secret to reducing calorie absorption, and whether or not the speed of our metabolism really determines how fat we are.
THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD: How to Stay Young and Beautiful
Premiere: Wednesday, September 19, at 8 PM
In tonight’s fact-filled feast, discover how the mere color of some foods can fight the aging process. How to Stay Young and Beautiful reveals how eating tomatoes can help stop the progression of wrinkles, and looks at whether or not a stringent detox diet really does work. Our scientists also try to figure out if drinking two liters of water a day can give you younger, healthier-looking skin.
THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD: How to Be the Best
Premiere: Wednesday, September 19, at 9 PM
In this episode, a group of female vegetarian martial arts experts go back to eating meat to see if it makes them fitter and stronger. Also, get set to test whether the omega-3 in oily fish can give stressed-out cabbies a less taxing day, and whether or not firefighters in Montana are better placed to lick the flames after licking their lips over snacks rather than the traditional three meals a day.
To watch all the shows from the BBC Series: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/humanbody/truthaboutfood/flashapp/
September 17, 2007
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