Want to Know More About Guided Meditation? Read On!

One of the most significant devices in self help in order to accomplish inner calm and peace of mind is through meditating. In view of the hectic and stressful lifestyle of today, the increasing popularity of this activity is growing, day by day as more and more individuals discover about its marvelous advantages and benefits. And guided meditation is one of the most well known types of meditating being utilized by countless of people on a daily basis. In this article, we will talk about guided meditation and the technique or style of performing it. Guided meditation, in its most basic and simplest form is a form of meditating where the subject is guided on each and every process of his meditative practice.

Right from the initial step of sitting in a meditative position up to the last stage of completing and finishing the process, someone guides you along the way. Guided meditation instructions could be of several varieties and it depend on the methods being given and imparted by the teacher. Some of the very famous meditating methods applied in guided meditation are Vipassana-which includes contemplation on the breathing processes, dancing and prayer meditation, mantra recitation, visual imagination and mindfulness meditation, etc. The most effective and the best way of using guided meditation is trying to listen to the live instructions from a master.

However, if that is not at all possible, the second best option is recording all the written instructions of a meditating process in your own voice and then listen into it in your meditative practice. What truly takes place in a guided meditation is that an instructor or teacher provides some step-by-step coaching on what to do whilst on the process of meditating. Well, this is a very archaic way of giving meditative education and instructions to students. Yes, in those age-old times, this activity was trained or taught in groups or teams using this technique. But these days, many thanks to the progress of technology, we don't need to have the physical presence of the guru to lead us in meditative state.

By making use of pre-recorded DVDs or CDs, we could now listen to the guided instructions of a guru and then, voila-we could then perform our meditative practice. Nevertheless, without any of those professional CDs or DVDs or a guru or master, you could record in you very own voice the written tips of this type of meditation from a book and you can play them afterwards. Furthermore, if someone doesn't have the convenience of a DVD player or a voice recorder, a person could always ask his relatives and pals to speak verbally the written meditating order during the session.

In this way, we could make use and apply the benefits of the guided meditation even in the absence of any technical help. It also helps you reaping its benefits and advantages even though you're alone. If you have not yet tried this type of meditative practice yet, I suggest that you give it a try.

The author of this article Amy Twain is a Self Improvement Coach who has been successfully coaching and guiding clients for many years. Amy recently decided to go public and share her knowledge and experience through her website http://www.innerzine.com You can sign up for her free newsletter and join her coaching program.

Dream Big - Self Help Tips

If you are going to dream you might as well dream big. Too many people want to play it safe. You have to have enough confidence or belief in yourself to take a chance. No one ever became successful by playing it safe. Playing it safe will get you just that, safe. If you want the big pay off you have to take the big risks. You have to be able to dream big and plan to fail. Everywhere you look there are examples of this. Let me share just one story of many. We all know who Rocky is or should we say Sylvester Stallone.

If you don't know his story it is one to be respected. Rocky/Sly as most people call him, had a dream. He wanted to make it in Hollywood. He wanted to be a famous movie actor. So he wrote this thing called a screenplay about this kid named rocky that had a dream to make something of his life. Sly packed up everything he had into his broken down station wagon and headed off to Hollywood. When he arrived in Hollywood he started to shop around his script. Everywhere he went people turned him down. Many even scoffed at him. Then one day a big movie producer said they would buy the script and offered Sly a million dollars for it.

The only catch was they were going to hire someone else to play the part of Rocky. He turned it down. At that time he had no money, was living in his car and someone just offered him a million dollars and he turned it down! Why, because it wasn't his dream. It wasn't about the money. You see he wasn't just dreaming, Sly was dreaming big. He could've played it safe and took the million dollars but fast-forward a bit. Someone eventually did buy the script with the conditions he wanted and he did play the role of Rocky. He was also the 1st actor to demand 20 million dollars a movie and the rest is history.

Oh, by the way I had a small role in the movie Rocky V so I did get to meet him and Sylvester Stallone, in my opinion, is a true leader, difference maker, and a Champion.

And by the way, he really does talk like that... "Yo Adrian" LOL

Sylvester Stallone wasn't afraid to dream big, he wasn't afraid to fail.

Are you willing to dream big?

Are you willing to fail?

Real is an expert at helping people achieve their dreams & Goals.

You might recognize him as Lt. Taggert from the ABC Show General Hospital.

http://www.realandrews.com

http://www.realmlmsolutions.com

"THERE IS NO SUCH WORD AS CAN'T!"

"Oh by the way. YOU are a CHAMPION!"

Outdoor Feng Shui

Many homeowners pay careful attention to designing the inside of their homes and forget to take a good look at the outside. What does the exterior of your home look like? Does it convey a feeling of success and wealth, or does it suggest a feeling of poverty and misfortune?

I recommend you go outside and pretend you're seeing your house for the very first time. How does it look? Is there paint peeling? Are there things to be repaired, cleaned, planted, mulched or trimmed? If so, that's negative energy. It's important to create positive outdoor energy to allow new "opportunities to knock."

In Feng Shui, your front door is known as the "mouth of chi." It's the most important part of your home because this is where the energy enters. Your front entrance must be inviting. Is your front door clearly visible or is there confusion on where to go? Is there a clear pathway to your door? Is it well lit? If you gave me directions to your house can I find it easily? Is your house clearly numbered? If your pathway is blocked energy can't flow in. Since the front door is known as the "door to opportunity" if your front entrance is uninviting, cluttered or blocked you might be having financial difficulties, poor health, unhappy relationships, or constantly have obstacles get in your way.

Here are some Feng Shui Tips to get you started.

A painted front door can uplift the energy outside your home and also dazzle your entrance. A green door symbolizes money, a red door represents good fortune, a purple door signifies spirituality and a gold door welcomes prosperity.

Welcome mats are great for welcoming friends as well as new opportunities to come your way. Or if you prefer, you can even hang a welcome sign on your door at eye level.

Placing plants and flowers at your front entrance in beautiful, rich-looking containers can give your porch a facelift. Just be sure to stay away from unfriendly cactus or plants with pointed, spiky leaves.

Wind chimes are great for circulating the energy outside your home. You can place them anywhere on your property. I have one on my front porch to keep the positive energy ringing in.

Water fountains are considered to be lucky elements outside your home. They can be placed in your front or back yard. Since flowing water is associated with money, abundance and prosperity, the water should always flow towards your house. Just make sure that the water stays clean and flowing.

By now you have a few Feng Shui ideas to get you started on sprucing up your outdoors. It's important to beautifully "dress" the outside of your home and have fun in the process!

If you enjoyed this article, you'll love "Feng Shui Made Simple: Room By Room" ebook. Since your home mirrors your life it's important to create an environment that supports your goals and dreams. You have the power to create your best life yet and this book will give you the tools. Click this link to read more about this book: http://tinyurl.com/98rtkb

Crystals for Sun Sign in Taurus

APRIL 20 - MAY 20

Birthstone: Emerald

Abundance Stone: Peridot

You are ruled by Venus, which is the goddess of love. It is said that the Emerald, your birthstone is her favorite stone. You love all the finer things in life, you love comfort and Emerald encourages these traits.

Wearing Emeralds helps you find a loyal and true love, the kind that is associated with domestic bliss. It also encourages your strength of character and diminishes any negatives in life that could come up. Taurus does not like change and Emerald keeps your life and being balanced.

Emeralds when worn have been know to change color when there is unfaithfulness around them, and as a Taurus you have a true problem forgiving once someone is unfaithful to you. This stone can also encourage patience and diminish negativity.

Your main strengths are determination, common sense and thoroughness; the best crystal for you to balance these characteristics out is Malachite, it can release your inhibitions and push you on forward in a smooth easy way, sort of like going before you.

Your major challenges are stubbornness, possessiveness, inflexibility; the best crystal to balance out these characteristics is Rhodonite, it is an emotional balancer that will nurture your softer love side and heals emotional scars. Jealousy is also an emotion that shows up on a regular basis for you and Peridot is good for releasing jealousy and looking at the positive side to situations and people.

Carry an Aquamarine with you, as it will balance out your tendency toward intolerance, conflict and contradictions with others in your daily life whether it is family, co-workers or the general public. This will make your life flow much smoother and easier.

Your sun sign can be a powerful asset when it is channeled in a productive manner, you can be very creative, you love the earth and can be very intuitive once you master the feeling of being able to trust the universe, Rutilated Quartz gives you the ability to stay connected to your inner spiritual self.

Thought for the Day: " In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind, there are few." --Suzuki Roshi--

Darlene has researched, practiced and implemented many spiritual and personal growth paths: Crystal Readings for Vibrant Living; Feng Shui for personal tranquility; Sacred Movements for a disciplined life; Gentle Touch Energy Healer; Whole and organic food advocate-Food as Medicine; Artist of hand woven and beaded amulet basket necklaces. She resides in California in her own personal wellness center and sanctuary. She brings her wisdom, knowledge and spiritual self to you in all that she does. Darlene's mission is to teach and encourage individuals how to find and maintain their balance in mind, body, spirit connection, which brings peace, joy and prosperity into their lives. They learn how to experience the joy of balanced living. She accomplishes this thru her Crystal Readings for Vibrant Living and her Wellness Coach Program, which is offer to individuals and corporations. Receive her f.ree report "Learn 7 Ways to Manifest Abundance With Crystals" at Spirited Boutique Darlene Siddons

When I Am an Old Woman, I Shall Wear Purple

Why purple you ask?

Purple is a symbol of:nobility, spirituality, royalty, courage, death, sacredness, wealth, virtue and faith.I see purple as the colour of life, of passion, of storms and of warmth.

I found this book while sitting in the office of an old friend.I was hooked with the very first story!I fell in love with every word that was written and every story told.Some of these stories brought tears to my eyes while others made me laugh out loud.It provoked thought and allowed me to place myself in the shoes of each old woman.Through these women I thought of my own grandmothers, my mother and then ultimately, myself.What happens to us as we get older?Why do some of us travel through old age gracefully while others curse and fight it the entire way?

Through a series of short stories and poems by various authors, this book introduces its readers to many old women and their personal stories of each journey, (known best by each author), who descriptively allows us a glimpse inside of each life with feelings and details that draws us in.Along with some of these stories are photographs of older women who clearly show their character, laugh lines, their frown lines and their own personal unique sense of style.What becomes of some of us in our old age is comical while with others you all you can see is the incredible loneliness and struggle.

It gives some honest descriptions of how others view the aging process, what becomes of an aging population, and how it affects our families.The Hospitals, nursing homes, home care, etc.How our roles reverse slowly through our life time with those that care for us.

It gave me a clearer view of aging with more respect, knowledge and compassion.It gave me renewed interest and love for my own grandmother and all the stories she would tell me over and over again as though she had never told them before.She would pull me onto her knees; even as an adult and tell me she loved me.When she saw me, she still saw that 5 year old little girl inside me and I loved that.She would laugh through her stories until she had to remove her glasses to wipe her tears.She's been gone from this world for 14 years and I still miss her dearly.

This is one of those books that you will love for many years.As you get older and a little closer to wearing purple, it provokes so many thoughts of our own lives and what stories we will have to tell.

Everyone has a story.

One day I will tell mine and hopefully someone will be listening.

"In my old age, I too will proudly wear purple.You will recognize me from the others by the volume of my voice, my loud laughter, my bright orange handbag and the glass of red wine in my hand!"

2007 Silvana Rosati-Capizzano

Silvana is a well respected Interior Decorator, International Feng Shui Expert and the Principal of the Award Winning Home & Life Design Firm: Blue Avalon. Along with her years of study in Home Decor and Feng Shui, she has the unique ability of being able create luxurious interiors with balance and optimum energy flow thus creating a beautiful environment of positive energy, balance and harmony.

Silvana also devotes her time to her Holistic Practice at the Dove Spa, Canada. She is a well respected Reiki Master and Certified in Reflexology. Her love of Universal Energy in our environment and in body and mind led her to add to her practice of Feng Shui along with Reiki, Reflexology, Indian Head Massage and Hopi Ear Coning.

Blue Avalon specializes in Interior Decorating, Feng Shui and Abundant Living. Blue Avalon is the publisher of The Blue Avalon Journal; a monthly e-zine packed with ideas, tips and insider secrets! To subscribe, log onto our website today at http://www.blueavalon.com and you will receive a bonus book, The Number One Feng Shui Secret That Will Transform Your Life!

Blue Avalon - "Harmony for your home...Balance for your life http://www.blueavalon.com

Feng Shui - Property, Home, Land and Office Shapes

It can be said that the most important factor cited in opening up a restaurant or eatery is "Location, Location and Location". So is the concept of "Shape" when it comes to Feng Shui. In dealing with the advanced concepts of Feng Shui "shape" is not one small factor.
Rather shape is everything.

The shape of your block. Your house, your rooms and even your furniture play a most important component and together play a more than important part in the Feng Shui of your home, your abode or your working areas. Generally it can be stated that symmetrical shapes are considered most ideal. If on the other tack or side one considers the "L-shape" of a room - then the basis of the "L-Shape" can, will and does poses problems because at its very core the "L-shape" is unbalanced and incomplete. If and when you have not primary, basic, balanced shapes, you will need to look, think and ponder at how to balance these shapes. It's all at the beginning and basis of Feng Shui and the practice of Feng Shui.

In dealing with the shape of your land or property, wider on the northern and southern ends is considered to be best. If your block is not a true triangle then try to choose or even arrange your property lines so that the back is wider than the front or the converse that the front is narrower than the back end. What to do is this is not the case? First you might want to place a live plant or even a lamp in the very opposite corner if there is a corner portion that juts into your land. If there is planting space or soil around the offending corner then planting a hedge, hedges or even creeper plants up the walls to counter any of the sha qi offending energies that these corners might be emitting or generating. Lastly if your property of plot of land is based on a triangular shape then in order to fill out these corner areas in order that qi does not get trapped there.

When it comes to the shape or shapes of your home or office building then the wisest choice of all is basic rectangular shape. With simple rectangular shapes you can be assured that all rooms and their corner areas will be covered and not left exposed outside the basic areas of the flow of vital "qi". If you not fortunate enough and your home, abode or office structure does have "L shapes" then these missing corners again can again be covered with the use of trees or plants being planted in critical areas. A spotlight, lamp or even a skylight on the roof can be utilized. Alternatively mirrors can fill the void, or as an alternate the beautiful sound of wind chimes a be used to fill the voids.

In a similar manner rooms with L-shapes can be trouble. These can be enclosed with partitions, standing bookshelves or if necessary furniture itself or plants can be used to close the loop to shield and keep out negative sha qi.

If there is one word when it comes to shapes apparent in your rooms and their arrangement it is the word "symmetry". Symmetry means a whole by itself, and balance. Each room, each piece of furnishing, each accessory should call out by itself "symmetry".

The whole can never be greater than its parts. Work to choose furniture and accessories that are symmetrical in their own right. This way these components can both stand alone, build and contribute to the peace, serenity and arrangement of the rooms of your home, office or abode that you occupy. Feng Shui.

Morris E. Brown Winnipeg Wedding Catering King Cole Catering

Winnipeg South Hotel

Hooray For Little Ones

Life is full of challenges and some heartache. We can't always have what we want all the time and there are some things that just seem to pass us by. But, one of the greatest moments in life isn't that promotion at work, or getting that first pension check, it is the birth of a grandchild.

It is just that moment that we have been waiting for as we peddle our way through the various streams of life anxiously awaiting the arrival of our grandchild; in fact, our first grandchild.

My niece recently gave birth to a cuddly, little girl and we became a great aunt and a great uncle. We were absolutely delighted for her and her husband and welcomed this little grand niece to the loving family. As much as we extend our love to her, there is still the expectation of our own first grandchild.

For me, what lies ahead will be more than delight; more than love alone; and more than sharing in the care of a grandchild whether that be a granddaughter or a grandson. The more, to me, is cherishing the responsibility for demonstrating the love and commitment that is an integral part of an extended family. It is the on-going desire to help, give advice, and to be part of the up bringing a fantastic gift.

For many grandparents, it is the chance to give again without the daily stress of going to work and to have to leave a child in the care of a non-family member. For other grandparents whether they are called a nanny or grandfather, or a host of other nicknames, it is the offering of a safe haven for both new parents and grandchildren. It is a home that extends the responsibility without undue concern from parents of raising a grandchild to be the best they can, to be cared for beyond just providing toys, or someplace to drop a child while parents go about other business.

The 'hooray' for little ones is to be needed, to be fondly and lovingly beckoned by that little voice as they toddle within protected environments, where they frolic and play within a secure home, and where attentiveness is combined with adoring love. It is the chance to share all over again hopefully a little wiser; the opportunity to play again as if you were younger and full of fantasy where the wonders of the world unfold in make believe games, or where a simple cardboard box provides hours of make believe castles, or a little tea house, or a grand home filled with all kinds of adventure.

And, all through this time of joy is the opportunity to provide unquestioning love and to share in being part of the rising bubbles of life as a grandchild grows into maturity.

Looking for nicknames to call Grandmothers, here you will find names for your grandchildren to call you. Browse our list and pick one that best describes you as you become a grandparent. Nicknames for Grandmothers.

Bulk Candy

We all love candy, in fact the mention of it makes our mouth watery. This sweet tasting snack comes in different types such as chocolates, toffees, licorice e.t.c and normally a vegetable or fruit coating is applied to give it a shine. It's made from a solution of sugar and water or milk. The mixture is boiled until the desired thickness is obtained. However, to make the mixture soft or hard will depend on the temperature. Basically different types of textures such as soft, chewy, hard and brittle can be obtained.

The total time taken for boiling and the ingredients used also determines the final product. The thickness and consistency on the other hand depends on the quantity of sugar in the mixture. Different temperatures used in boiling sugar are thread, soft crack and soft ball. In thread, 230-233F, 110-111 C is used for 80% sugar concentration. 270-290F, 132-143C in soft crack with sugar concentration of 95 % and in soft ball, 234-240 F, 112-115 C, with sugar concentration of 85 %.

Different bulk candy packs such as Swedish fish, caramels, salt wafer taffy, Pixy stix, wax bottles, rock candy and so on are available and can be ordered from various stores or online services. The special ones include; jelly beans, Jordan almonds and Candy corn. However, if you wish to try branded bulk candy packs they'll include; three muskateers, Tootsie Rolls, Laffty Taffy, Mentos, Sweettarts, Starburst e.t.c.

If your child's birthday is just around the corner, bulk candy pack of chocolate will do the magic in adding that caring and loving touch. They're in packs of forty eight pieces per pound and there is also an option of chocolate of persons suffering from diabetes.

Peter Gitundu Researches and Reports on Candy. For More Information on Bulk Candy, Visit His Site at BULK CANDY You Can Also Add Your Views About Bulk Candy At My Blog here BULK CANDY

Stairway to Improved Health

You might not realize it, but where your staircase is located within your home, and the type of staircase you have, can dramatically impact your family's health. According to feng shui, staircases act as channels for energy flow, and can create environments where positive energy in your home becomes disturbed or is drained away, leaving you and your family vulnerable to poor health and disease.

According to the principles of feng shui, there are three main scenarios in which your staircase can disrupt the flow of positive energy within your home:

1) A staircase that is directly opposite your front door. This creates an environment where the positive energy in your home is channeled down the staircase and away from your home. This can leave you and your family feeling drained, and can suppress your immune system.
If you have a staircase facing your front door, there are several things you can do to correct this situation. First, you should hang a mirror on the inside of your front door or just above your front door, facing towards the stairs. This will help to stop the flow of energy away from your home. You can also hang uplifting pictures or artwork along the walls of your staircase - pictures of trees, birds, mountains, and other uplifting images will also maintain positive energy flow. If you have more than one picture make sure you hang them in a straight line. If you stagger them they will add to the flow of energy going down the stairs.

Hanging a round, multi-faceted crystal above your staircase is another important feng shui technique. Crystals are excellent for circulating positive energy, and will make your entire home a more comfortable place.

2) A staircase that is located in the center of your home. Your home's center is one of the most important areas of your home for health and good energy. If you have a staircase in the center of your home, try to place objects that represent the earth element near, under, or around your staircase.

You can easily use color to bring the earth element into this area. Earthtones, such as yellow gold and earthy colors, help to ground the energy and keep positive flow in your home.

You can also use earthen pots, such as terra cotta planters, to improve the energy around your staircase. Plants and pictures of plants or landscapes will also lift the energy in this area.

3) A spiral staircase. This is one of the worst situations for maintaining positive energy in your home, because spiral staircases create a corkscrew effect that disrupts your home's energy and creates a feeling of chaos.

Placing plants and earthen pots beneath your staircase is an excellent way to ground the energy in this area. Also, hanging a crystal at the top of your spiral staircase will help to restore calm, nurturing energy to create an environment for optimal health. You could also wrap something around the railing of the staircase, such as a silk vine.

Staircases can be challenging and have a negative impact on your health, but these challenges can always be overcome, if you follow the recommendations above.

Linda Binns shows you how to be more successful in all areas of your life by working with your environment. Sign up for her free 9-step E-course at http://www.HarmoniousLifeChoices.com

Linda Binns is author of Feng Shui for Your Relationships: Changing Your Environment to Create Better Relationships. She has been a Feng Shui Practitioner, Author, Speaker and teacher for over 10 years. She has appeared internationally on television and radio and in local publications. Linda is also the founder of The Feng Shui Success Institute - which teaches in-depth Feng Shui training and practitioner certification.

Removing Interior Walls

Here's a word of advice for any contractor, Carpenter, handyman or homeowner that is planning to remove an interior wall from your home or someone else's. Beware of removing interior walls, to eliminate your fears of the house collapsing. Some of the interior walls inside of the house are important structural components of the building.

Some of these walls hold up floors, roofs and other loadbearing sections that could create safety problems within the structure of the house itself. This is an area where an expert with framing skills should be consulted. What is the definition of someone with excellent framing skills? Some one with at least 10 years as a master framing carpenter.

My home building experience consists of three decades for over 30 years of assembling some of the most difficult sections of a home. During these years I have seen damage done to houses from removing structural interior walls. Most of this damage could be repaired with a little structural engineering. Some of the damage could not be repaired and caused other damage to different sections of the house. The damage caused in some cases to the floor and the roof framing had to be completely rebuilt.

I'm not telling you about every single thing I have ran into but you would be surprised if I started to make a list of all the homeowners and professionals in the building industry or home selling and buying business that contacted me to remove a structural component of a building. There have even been a few of these people that told me everything was going to be okay just go ahead and remove the structural building component.

Needless to say I would leave these people very irritated but I'm sure they found someone to do the job. The bad news is I was normally the person they would hire to go back and repair the damaged building after these people were gone and out of business. There have been cases where people have removed an interior walls against my better judgment and over the years of driving by in these homes I personally got to witness the structural damage that was occurring on the outside of the house.

I have no idea what the inside of the house looked like but could only imagine. My advice again when removing interior walls is to hire an experienced contractor or at least get some advice from an experienced framing carpenter. This does not include your basic know it all that has basic construction experience like your father in law, parents, friends, golfing associates or people you work with that tell you not to worry about it, just do it, everything will work out just fine.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and What Does A Shear Wall Do

Should The Bible Be Edited

Why You Shouldn't Hate Math

People hate math, at least that's what they're always telling me. Of course, being the way that I am, I have to make converts of everyone. I don't know what my passion is exactly, that drives me to convert the "math haters," but I simply cannot overcome the compulsion to do so. To me, there is not just beauty in mathematics but something else which is spiritual. It's as though God speaks to us through this strange and mysterious language. For this reason, I always approach the subject with a certain degree of humility and reverence, knowing that I can be both abased and exalted by its magnificence.

But why try to make math converts? Why not simply preach to the choir of that rare group of math lovers? Well firstly, the latter group is minuscule in comparison to the former, and secondly, there has always been something noble in trying to make a "believer" out of a "doubter." Moreover, I have this firm belief that our society advances or stands still according to the progress of its children. If the children of society are reared properly, then the future success of such a society is strongly enhanced. If the children are adulterated, ill-educated, and poorly motivated........well, then guess what? Do you really expect a brighter future for mankind? Hardly.

It is for this reason that I go around preaching the importance of mathematics, particularly the foundations of arithmetic. To this day, when I work with a student and see him or her struggling with the topic at hand-whether it be algebra, geometry, or even a higher branch such as calculus-I come to observe that invariably a weak foundation is the root cause of the struggle. In addition, the student's lack of confidence makes the fight even more challenging. The struggle having increased without remedy, the student eventually succumbs and adopts an "I hate math" attitude.

What is encouraging for such cases and certainly worth stressing is that all of mathematics hinges on the basics of arithmetic. It is unfortunate that much of a student's frustration in his studies later on is the result of poor mastery of arithmetic. For this reason I say, "Soundly drill this discipline into the minds of our children and the chances of success in higher mathematics is dramatically increased." A good analogy to make would be with sports and professional athletes. Expert athletes master the basics. The Tiger Woods of the world spent countless hours practicing the fundamentals of golf swinging. The ace pitchers of baseball worked on mastering the mechanics of certain pitches. In both cases, these athletes practiced endless rounds with a keen focus on both speed and accuracy. Even great coaches understand the importance of the fundamentals: this is why athletes spend countless hours in training camp going over the basic exercises and drills. This same concept applies to mathematics. Master the basics and the chances of success later on are increased dramatically.

Consequently, in mathematics, once the foundations are mastered, success comes in this discipline as easily as it does in others. Okay. Maybe not as easily, but certainly success will come nonetheless. And as mathematics is so powerful in helping us march forward as a society-indeed mathematics unfolds to us mysteries of the very universe itself-there really is no need to hate this most awesome subject, but rather love it.

See more at Math Ebook Online Bookstore

Joe is a prolific writer of self-help and educational material and an award-winning former teacher of both college and high school mathematics. Under the penname, JC Page, Joe authored Arithmetic Magic, the little classic on the ABC's of arithmetic. Joe is also author of the charming self-help ebook, Making a Good Impression Every Time: The Secret to Instant Popularity; the original collection of poetry, Poems for the Mathematically Insecure, and the short but highly effective fraction troubleshooter Fractions for the Faint of Heart. The diverse genre of his writings (novel, short story, essay, script, and poetry)-particularly in regard to its educational flavor- continues to captivate readers and to earn him recognition.

Joe propagates his teaching philosophy through his articles and books and is dedicated to helping educate children living in impoverished countries. Toward this end, he donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every ebook. For more information go to http://www.mathbyjoe.com

Dog Creates Remodeling Nightmare

How many homeowners normally leave their dog in the backyard or they have full time access to the backyard through a doggie door. You're probably wondering how can a little dog create a remodeling nightmare for any contractor.

This wasn't the case this dog was a large Labrador retriever and tore up everything in the backyard constantly. The house remodel we were working on was a two story room addition over a single story house. This job lasted around six months and the dog was a daily reminder of how much attention a large dog actually needs.

Let's start with the first item of value the dog actually destroyed. It was my favorite tool bags of course that I have taken care of for over five years and deeply appreciated the fact that they were broke in just the way I wanted them to be. Kind of like a baseball mitt that doesn't quite fit right because of how stiff it is until you break it in.

While the homeowner of course apologized and never even offered to replace them. Oh but after that he did mention never to leave anything lying around in the backyard. Lesson learned of course and never forgotten. Well to make a long story short this large dog could chew up tools, lumber, plumbing pipes, electrical wire and was even able to destroyed the plywood fencing we would use to keep him away.

I'm going to stop right there with the remodeling nightmare created from this dog in hopes that other contractors can learn from my valuable lesson. As a contractor you should never assume that a homeowner will replace any damaged or broken tools and materials.

As a homeowner with a dog reading this article, think about having a place to enclose the dog if necessary while remodeling work is done on your home.

I love being around dogs and other animals but sometimes a problem like this can make life extremely miserable for both parties.

Greg Vanden Berge has been building and remodeling for over 30 years and his information has proven valuable to most contractors and homeowners all over the world. He usually tries to write at least two articles a day on home improvement or remodeling problems.

Greg is in the process right now of working on a home inspection website that will revolutionize the home inspection business. He is also working on a book to help homeowners and contractors as well as other home related professions in dealing with the home inspection process.

You can visit the home inspection website currently under construction at Home Inspection Help

Personal Development

Your Blissful Life - Your Definition

The beauty of your blissful life is the simple fact that it is all yours! You, and only you, define exactly what it means to you, in every part of your life. There have never been two individuals wanting exactly the same thing in every part of their lives. While they may share some common desires, they will have unique meanings for their respective blissful lives. Just as each of us are a unique beautiful people, so is our definition of our blissful life! As you execute the process of defining your blissful life, you are creating a work of art that is all you. Your work of art is you in all your beauty and glory.

How can each of us have such a unique definition for the same object of our desires? Let me explain;

As I discussed in earlier articles, we are all made up of many components or parts. Recall also that all of these aspects or parts are unique to each and every one of us. It is because of this that we all place different values on our various parts. l place a certain value or importance on my professional career while you place a completely different value or importance on yours. You may place greater importance on your relationship with your friends (your friends part) as opposed to your professional career. Everyone you know such as your significant other, mother, father, and siblings, acquaintances etc. will all place various parts higher or lower on their importance scale when compared to yours.

The importance that we each place on our various parts uniquely defines not only who we are and how we act; it also uniquely defines your blissful life. The reason that you are currently reading this article is you, for some reason, feel a need to redefine, re-rank, resolve a conflict within or between your parts, or to define new parts and integrate them into yourself. This is your unique definition. This is how you identify, compare, and take action on a daily basis, in every moment. Everything you do is driven to satisfy and achieve the definition you have for your parts which, when combined, define yourself as a person.

After completing my this and my next two articles, you will have identified all of your parts, ranked them in order of importance to yourself and your life, and what you want your blissful life to look, sound, and feel like to you.

For me, your blissful life means a balance between my parts that allowed me to assist others in achieving their goals while providing a satisfactory standard of living. It also means that I have the freedom and permission from myself to continue to grow and discover more about myself and the world I live in, no matter what! To me this means that there are no silly or ridiculous ideas or paths. I have given myself permission to explore all of them, no matter where they might lead. I have learned that in order for me to live my blissful life, I must be true to myself, my ideals, my thoughts, my intuition, and my feelings. When I do this, I can do anything, be anything, and discover anything I desire. When I am doing this and helping others enrich their lives that I am truly living my blissful life.

Take some time now to reflect;

Review your list of parts my previous article Your Blissful Life: The Struggle Within.

Review all of the parts you identified after reading the article.

Have you discovered any other parts? If so, note them here.

Mr. Timothy A. McGinty is the published co-author of the highly regarded Wake Up... Live the Life You Love series. This series is a collaborative effort with such inspirational leaders as Tony Robbins, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Brian Tracey, Steven E, and Lee Beard.

Mr. McGinty is also the author of "Your Blissful Life", a book which takes the reader by the hand and walks them through a process for defining their "Blissful Life" and the action plan for achieving it.

Imagine Yourself... is an organization focused on enabling clients "breakthrough" in achieving their success. Mr. McGinty has helped many organizations and individuals discover their passion, define the life balance they seek, develop strategies for achieving that balance, and held them accountable for reaching their goals. His clients have been so successful that Mr. McGinty is known as "The Breakthrough Guy"

Imagine Yourself...
13477 Prospect Rd. Suite 204
Strongsville, Ohio 44149
Telephone: 440-236-6519
Web: http://www.timothymcginty.com
E-mail: tim@timothymcginty.com

Attic Odors and Strange Smells

If you've ever opened up your attic access hole, only to find one of the worst odors you have ever smelled in your whole life, I've been there too. What causes these horrible smells and what can you do about them?

Let's start with the cause of these smells, moisture, dirt, mold, mildew, dead animals, animals that make their home in your attic and the biggest problem of all is normally poor ventilation.

Poor ventilation is the biggest problem with musty smells in the attic. These smells are often caused from moisture accumulating in the building materials over time. If there is enough moisture in the attic, the wood will start to rot but this wouldn't be a normal situation, unless there was a roof or water leak.

Roof leaks can cause a constant supply of water to one part of the attic. This constant supply of water will eventually rot the wood and damage the ceiling. Water leaks from pipes can provide a steady supply of water and the situation can attracts termites and mold. Not a good thing.

One of the worst possible smells or odors in your attic would be a dead animal. Don't under estimate the size of some of these animals, they have found dead raccoons, cats, snakes, large birds, squirrels, rats and mice in some attics. These animals usually enter through damaged access holes or vent blocks, roof vents, large gaps, holes and even fireplace chimneys.

Once these animals die, their bodies start to decompose and produce one horrible odor. Once the body is completely decomposed, the smell usually goes away if the attic is ventilated properly. These smells can seep into the homes living area, often creating a room that no one wants to enter.

Home peststhat make their home in your attics, often create smells from urinating and defecating in the areas around their nest. Large birds like owls can become a problem over time.

Now that we've figured out some of the causes for attic odors and strange smells, what can we do to prevent this from happening and if it's already happened, how can we get rid of the smell.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your having problems in your attic, find out more at pest control books and home building ideas.

If I Hate My Brother

Guide For Weight Loss Surgery Success

One of the most handed down, often-quoted quotations is that "If you change your thoughts, you change your life."

It is so true...

It takes a thought to create an emotion, which in turn drives a decision to take an action.

Simple, huh?

All the self-help books, tapes, seminars, etc. show you what to do, but not what to think or how to prioritize in order to do it.

How do you change your thoughts and lifestyle in order to make the right actions?

Nowadays, we live in such a fast-paced world that we don't take the time to 'stop and smell the roses.' We are on a fast-paced train that continually runs on a regular track of toxic habits and behaviors. Sound familiar?

Well then, how do we get off this lethal train?

The first step is to recognize how we neglected to take time - the time to become calm within ourselves. By doing this, we acknowledge how reckless our lifestyles have become.

You might be saying to yourself, "Yeah, but the kids need me to drive them to soccer practice," "I have to make dinner and do the laundry, not to mention the ironing," "Oh, I am so busy with my business and the PTA. Oh, and I can't forget my church group."

Do you see and hear the insanity of it all? If you want to change something in you life, how much of this mayhem do you think you are going to fit in with what you are wanting?

Do you remember that old Calgon commercial? It had the wife/mother frantic, trying to get everything done. With her children screaming and the phone ringing, she finally runs into the bathroom, locks the door, throws up her hands and looks up shouting "Calgon, take me away!"

This advertisement said it all. She just needed a moment of peace. When we are able to take just a few minutes to be with ourselves, we can take what I like to call 'ME TIME'.

Within those brief but valuable tranquil moments, we can start making conscious, clearer decisions about what we want. And remember, changing your thought patterns can create the change that you desire.

My challenge to you is to take a hard look at how often you seize that sacred moment to be with yourself. Is it once a week? Twice a week? Ultimately, my hope is that you become mindful to do this every single day of your life.

This means escaping from all of the chaos for a few minutes. Slowing down your pace; thinking of no one but you. Self- care is essential for life balance and when we forget about loving ourselves first, we can then tumble helplessly into possible burnout, depression, addiction, etc.

The second step is awareness. To realize the more often you think new thoughts, the more often they cross your mind, the higher your standards will be. More often you will be compelled to take the actions that will make you more and more successful in that area of your life.

Treasure in...treasure out.

Garbage in...(well, you get the idea).

For instance, you can have thoughts of being a thin person, but not think of being a financially stable person.

Simply, this means you can become so focused on your weight loss, that you completely neglect your financial goals. Remembering that your thoughts create standards that oversee your actions and decisions, you can have it all. This principle pertains to every aspect of your life, you just need to be aware and focus on your life's balance. Therefore, go ahead and think of what it would be like to lose weight but don't forget to also put thought into how you are going to keep your finances in order.

Once you start reflecting on the past, it is inevitable that your thoughts will create your destiny. I challenge you to set aside some time today to reflect on what is most important to YOU.

You CAN achieve your weight loss goals and enjoy a more balanced life.

"If you change your thoughts, you will change your life."

Copyright 2006 Jeff Cadwell Positive Coaching

Jeff Cadwell
Maximum Life Coach
714-669-2928
http://www.jeffcadwell.com

"Welcome to the beginning of the New YOU!"

I am a Life Coach who is passionate about empowering people to live more robust lives -physically, emotionally and spiritually. My specialty is people who are considering or have had Weight Loss Surgery.

New Versus Old Lumber - Structural Failure

During my 30 years of remodeling and building new homes. I have ran across quite a bit of structural framing failures. I find myself answering this question a lot when explaining to a homeowner about the structural failure I am repairing on their home, "Why Didn't They Use Better Lumber" or " Why Didn't They Use Larger Lumber." I really have a hard time answering these questions because I honestly don't know the answer.

However I can try to use some logic and reason to give these people an answer that seems to make sense to both of us. Why didn't they use better lumber, quite simply because, with most older homes that were built before the 1970s they actually do have better lumber. Now you're probably thinking how can these homes have better lumber when the lumber is old versus the new lumber used in a brand new house.

Most of the structural repairs I have made over the years has nothing to do with the lumber and whether it was new or old. A large number of these repairs were caused by neglect and poor maintenance.

The lumber in most older houses are from older growth trees. Some of these trees were extremely large and only the premium parts of the trees were used. The premium lumber is cut farthest away from the center of the tree. Now the larger the tree it makes sense that there will be more premium lumber.

A large majority of the newer lumber used in home construction comes from trees about 6 inches in diameter. Now you're probably wondering how can they cut a 2 x 8 piece of lumber out of a 6 inch tree. Of course they cannot, the larger lumber comes from larger trees.

Most 2 x 4's that are less than 8 foot long can be cut from these trees. This scrap or waste that comes from cutting these two by fours will now go into engineered building materials like particleboard, oriented strand board and engineered beams. Another name for an engineered been would be a paralam.

I hope you're starting to get the picture now when it comes to using new or old lumber. There are companies that are going into old logging rivers and retrieving old growth lumber. These were logs that sank to the bottom of the river's and were never retrieved because it was too costly.

The old growth lumber is quite expensive. Who's to say what problems we will happen in the future from the newer products created with modern day technology. When it comes to building houses it is not an exact science and as contractors we have been repairing the damage from poor engineering for years.

When I use the word poor engineering I am not pointing fingers at engineers. We now have more knowledge about home construction then we had years ago.

New versus old lumber, who wins the battle. Only time will tell.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and Structural Repairs.

Effects Of False Prophets

Through Any Obstacle - Self Help Tips

If there were no obstacles, I could accomplish anything. I'd just get up, do the things I needed to do and "viola!" one day my goal will be achieved. Unfortunately, the real world doesn't work like that. No path to success is smooth or easy; otherwise everyone would do it. Life throws obstacles in our way and the daily grind gets us down so that we have to continually motivate ourselves.

But what if you had a motivation that was so powerful, so ironclad, so inspiring to you that no obstacle couldn't be overcome or worked around? What could you accomplish then?

Oh, we think we have strong motivators. We think we're motivated by the benefits we're expecting from the actions that we take. These benefits might be more money, more time, the finer things in life, but these aren't the real, true, and strong reasons "why" we are going to get up and fight the good fight every day.

What is the reason why? I can't tell you because everyone's why is different. And sometimes it's hidden deep beneath consumer-cravings and societal pressure. So here's a no-fail, simple process to find your personally motivating why.

Steve Siebold, author of 177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class tells us that champions are driven by emotional motivators, not logical reasons or benefits. We're used to thinking of the benefits to our actions as enough motivation. But these are logic-based. Your inescapable "why" has to be an emotion behind your actions.

Here is the simple statement you need to complete to find your personally motivating why:

"I want to _____________, so that ________________ because _______________"

It's deceptively simple, but for the most powerful result, you will need to dig deep into your feelings and emotions.

Let's walk through the process. Start with a benefit that appeals to you. This is what gets you started. That goes in the first blank. For example, "network more to get more clients."

Your sentence now reads, "I want to network more to get more clients, so that ..." What? What is the purpose of having more clients? You will have more money, experience more stability, grow the business? Let's choose, "I can have more money."

Because why? What does the money do for you? What do you want from it? Perhaps you want to retire early. Now, our statement is "I want to get more clients so that I can have more money, because I want to retire early."

Are you done? Is that a strong enough motivating statement? No it's not because this is a logical statement, there is no emotion tied to it. If the "because" doesn't make your throat tighten, or your heart beat faster, or make your eyes tear up, this motivating statement will not work

If the "because" is not emotionally compelling to you, keep going. Repeat the "so that" and "because" statements until you have an absolutely ironclad, emotion-laden statement. You can repeat them in pairs or separately.

I want to get more clients so that I can have more money, because I want to retire early, so that I can travel the country with my wife because she's never traveled and because I love her and want her to experience the wonders of America by my side.

Which part of that statement would make you get up early every Tuesday for your leads club meeting? More clients? Or traveling the country with your wife?

Here's another example:

I want to expand my networking contacts so that I have a safety net because I'm concerned about layoffs so that I don't have to worry about finding another job because my children see the job losses on the news and ask me if I could lose my job because I don't want them to feel fear and because I want them to feel proud and confident that Mommy has lots of friends who would help her find a better job really fast.

The final statement must be a positive, love-based statement. Steve Siebold emphasizes that great people evolve from fear-based to love-based motivation. If your last "because" is fear-based, then you need to keep going until the last statement is full of love and gratitude. Fear will sap away your strength and reduce your enjoyment. You want to move "toward" something positive, not "away" from something negative. Your why must be positive-emotionally motivating if you want to achieve great results and break through any obstacles.

Follow the "I want to/so that/because" formula. Write it down, post it, and review it when you feel tired, or discouraged, or lack motivation. Your love-filled, emotional statement will give you strength and the ability to continue on toward your goal.

Beth Bridges is the Membership Director of the Clovis Chamber of Commerce in California. She has helped thousands of people get connected through hundreds of networking events with the Chamber and other organizations. For tips, tricks, and networking strategies, visit http://bethbridges.blogspot.com For more motivation and personal development training, access thousands of hours of top authors, speakers, and writers (including Steve Siebold) at http://www.NetworkWithILG.com

DIY Bathroom Remodeling Or Hiring a Contractor

The first question you need to ask yourself when remodeling a bathroom is can you actually do the work yourself or do you have someone that can help you with the remodeling. If you don't know anyone and can't do the work yourself, I would suggest hiring a contractor with experience remodeling bathrooms.

If you can do the work yourself or think you could do the work yourself, why not give it a shot. Any experience you have in construction or home remodeling, is going to be beneficial to your bathroom remodeling project. There is plenty of information on the internet or in your local libraries on bathroom remodeling and these often prove to be great resources for do it yourselfers.

As an experienced contractor I have gathered a great deal of information through books, at work and watching local home improvement shows. The biggest problem with the show's and quite a few of these books, is they don't provide enough information. Most of the time they provide you with the basics of bathroom remodeling and you could soon find yourself in trouble or seeking the advice from a home improvement professional.

The largest benefit for doing the bathroom remodeling project yourself, could be the money you save, along with the satisfaction of completing the project. It makes homeowners feel good when they've completed a large home remodeling project, like a bathroom remodel.

If you don't have the time, lack the experience or a combination of both, I would suggest hiring a contractor to relieve you from the stress and frustration of your bath remodeling project. The more complex your bathroom remodeling project is, the greater the degree of difficulty, the longer it will take to complete the project. Some of these projects can take up a lot of your time.

If you're working on galvanized water supply pipes or old cast iron waste pipes, you could find yourself hiring a plumber to install your bathtub and fixtures. These old pipes create problems for most do it yourselfers and I would suggest hiring a professional, whenever you run into a problem you don't feel comfortable with.

Choosing to tackle some of these difficult problems yourself, could lead to water leaks and more damage to the home eventually costing you even more money than the original cost of hiring an experienced plumber in the first place. When it comes to water, structural framing and electricity, think twice, especially if you're not experienced in these areas.

My advice to do it yourselfers is to hire a professional if you're not comfortable or seek the advice from a contractor or someone with considerable experience bathroom remodeling.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your looking for some more House Remodeling Pictures or home building ideas.

Does God Make Mistakes

Goal Setting For Changing Times

Have you noticed that you've experienced much change over the past year, months, weeks, and even days? Your situation may have changed due to the challenges presented by these changing times, and you may ask yourself if you have achieved your goals of the past year. How do we go about starting our goal-setting activity with all of this change happening around us?

The following seven goal-setting steps will help you successfully implement your goal-setting and achieve your dreams in the future in these changing times:

1. Successful Goal Setting Requires Thinking About Your Goals

You are told how to think and what to think about each and every day. From when we get up in the morning until we go to sleep at night, television, radio, personal computer, family, friends, managers, and colleagues tell us how to think, feel, and act.

Invest time fifteen minutes to an hour to think. Turn off all the external distractions, go to a quiet place (home, park, etc.), and think about your goals and how you want to accomplish them. Think about how you will feel when accomplishing them.

Your goal-setting thinking session should also include how you will benefit from these changing times. What special skills do you have or need to acquire to take advantage of these changing times?

2. Successful Goal Setting Requires Writing Your Goals

Nothing happens in goal setting unless you write your goals and put these goals on paper. Put a pen to paper and you are ahead of all ninety-five percent of other people because they do not write down their goals and then wonder why they are unhappy in their business, their career, and their life. Take the time to write down your goals. It doesn't need to be perfect the first time; successful goal setting is an ongoing process that will change as you accomplish your goals.

3. Successful Goal Setting Requires Shorter Time Periods

Break the length for your goals into shortened time periods. This allows you adjust as needed in changing times. For example, break your goals into twenty-year, ten-year, five-year, one-year, six-month, monthly, weekly, and daily increments. This will allow you to gauge whether you are on course to accomplishing your goals, or whether you need to make adjustments to get back on track.

4. Successful Goal Setting Requires Flexible Goals

You need to be flexible when goal setting more than ever in the past. As the world changes, planning for these changes is essential. An opportunity that is there today might not be there tomorrow. What are you going to do with shifting opportunities? When setting goals, successful people have a Plan A, Plan B, and even a Plan C for these changing times. Take time to think about what changes might happen in your business, your career, and your life and develop plans to overcome these obstacles.

5. Successful Goal Setting Requires Passion

Do your goals make you excited? If they do not, you are not setting goals high enough. Set your goals so that you are excited about accomplishing them. When you are excited about your goals, you create positive energy, and the energy creates passion. With this passion, you will find ways to remove any barriers to your success.

6. Successful Goal Setting Requires Embracing Technology

Many times in our workshops, we run across students for whom technology is a barrier to their success. Their jobs or industries have changed so that being proficient in technology is a requirement. Yet, these students resist learning the new technologies required for their success.

Include a section on what technologies you will learn in your goal setting so that you are successful. Overcome your fear and challenge yourself through these goals to learn how to master new technologies.

7. Successful Goal Setting Requires Balance

In these changing times, you are asked to do more with less. Whether in your business, your career, your community, or your family, you have ever increasing requests for your time and talents. Unless you include balance in your goal setting, someone else will create unbalance in your life which leads to stress and possibly illness.

Take back control of your life with successful goal setting. Make sure you set goals in the following areas:

* Family

* Health

* Education

* Technology

* Spiritual

* Career

* Community

* Business (if needed)

I am sure you can think of some others; however, these form the foundation of your goal-setting activities. Master these areas to be successful in achieving more in less time while staying in control.

Don't delay! Take the time to put think about what you want and deserve, then put a pen to paper. Invest in yourself and the seven goal-setting techniques discussed in this article and you will be successful in these changing times.

Ed Sykes is a highly sought after leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team building expert, success coach, professional speaker, and author of Jumpstart Your Greatness. You can e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at (757) 427-7032. Go to his web site,

http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for the free success newsletter, OnPoint.

Bathroom Faucet Leaks

Faucet leaks can waste more water than you think. Have you ever put a cup or bowl underneath a leaky faucet and actually seen how much water is wasted. Leaky faucets should be repaired as soon as possible to prevent the waste of water in your home. Water is a precious resource and should be used wisely.

One slow drip from the faucet can waste over 5 gallons of water per day. If you think that's not a big deal, let me put it in perspective for you. 5 gallons of water per day equals 35 gallons per week, times 52 weeks in a year, that equals over 1800 gallons of water, and that's a lot of water.

The problem with a faucet leak isn't just the amount of water it waste, it will soon start to deteriorate your sinks, bathtubs and showers and could damage other sections of the home, like the wood framing. I've seen a water drip in a steel kitchen sink, in just a few years, wear a hole right through it. Keep in mind water and wind formed the Grand Canyon, water can be extremely erosive.

Faucet leaks can attract house pests, like mice, flies, ants and a wide variety of other insects.

Most faucets can usually be repaired for under $20. Most of the time the problem will be in the valves or handles that turn the water on and on. If you're not familiar with plumbing parts, you could pick up a do-it-yourself home repair manual or go online and look up the manufacturer of your faucet, for more information.

Usually the manufacturer has a diagram of the faucet, broken down into sections and you could get a pretty good idea, what parts you will need to remove, in order to replace the damaged part or parts that are creating the water leak.

Calling a plumber seems to be most homeowners last resort. They only do it if they absolutely have to. If you don't understand how a faucet works and have no desire to learn how, I would suggest you call a plumber or contact someone who can help you with your faucet leak, but get the faucet leak fixed and quit wasting water.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.
If your looking for some more bathroom remodeling or home building ideas.

If I Hate My Brother

Collaboration Creates Harmony

Sometimes unwittingly you might engage in a power struggle, both at home or at work. These conflicts often stem from an unconscious desire to retain control of your circumstances or surroundings. However, your strong-willed and defensive approach to solving issues, may cause you to come up against a stronger resistance from perceived adversaries.

When you let go of your need to be in control and engage in a collaborative strategy that will help you work in tandem with others, rather than against, others you will notice that together you can create powerful solutions that allow you each to have your needs and desires fulfilled. You will feel your defensiveness disappear as you seek out a fair and balanced workable solution.

When you cease pushing against those with whom you are involved in struggles for dominance, the conflict dividing you from one another, eases, and you can begin working on an equitable solution to your differences. Hostility only engenders more hostility, blinding you to the cooperative and fair strategy you can use to diffuse aggression.

By avoiding to provide any more resistance, you create a situation in which cooperative energy can flow. Once the blockages that existed between you have been eradicated through the channel of your openness, you can begin communicating with your adversaries. As you gain a new understanding of one another, you are each empowered to devise a universally beneficial resolution. You will gain the power to dispel conflict when you recognize that letting go is the ultimate antidote to anger and conflict.

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, Life Coach, Hypnotherapist, Author, "101 Great Ways To Improve Your Life." Dr. Dorothy has the unique gift of connecting people with a broad range of profound principles that resonate in the deepest part of their being. She brings awareness to concepts not typically obvious to one's daily thoughts and feelings. http://www.drdorothy.net

Old Versus New Construction Adhesives

When I first started building in 1978 as a young carpenter and an apprentice to my father. I had the grand illusions of becoming what they call on the east coast a master carpenter and on the West Coast a journeyman carpenter.

Part of my training in construction was learning to use the proper adhesive and caulking for different parts of the building project. We used to use a standard solvent-based construction adhesive when we were building our stairs and they would also use this adhesive on the floors to eliminate squeaks.

This glue dried extremely hard and everyone thought the harder the better. This construction adhesive was great when I started using it in 1978. There wasn't the polyethylene super elastic expandable multi-use glue and caulking construction adhesives at that time.

We used this brittle glue and it always seemed like a waste of time. As the wood dried and started to shrink the brittle hard glue would crack and break away from the wood it was glued to. Normally the glue was breaking away from plywood floor sheeting. I have seen 2 x 12 shrink 3/8 of an inch before in as little as a few months during the summer.

Now as time went on the old construction adhesives were replaced with a new window sealant made by a company called TOPS. This stuff was the hottest and best product of the decade to me. I used this stuff for everything.

This new urethane glue was now being used for sub floors, stair treads, sealing the windows flashing and siding. This stuff is still in use today and is a great choice for all of the uses I mentioned above. The price for this sealant is about double that of most water-based or solvent-based glues. But it's worth it.

So there you have it I like the urethane glues because of their flexibility, elasticity, their ability to adhere to wood concrete or metal and their performance in the years ahead.

There is one thing to keep in mind when using construction adhesives. Most construction workers seem to ignore the fact that the wood needs to be dry and clean before applying the construction adhesive. There have been quite a few times I have witnessed carpenters working with me and ignoring my advice.

Don't put yourself into this category. Doing quality work and following the manufacturers recommended installation instructions for their product will decrease your liability if there is ever a problem. Read the instructions carefully on all of the building products you use.

The manufacturers of these construction adhesives have thoroughly tested them. So use them properly and follow all safety warnings.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and Carlsbad Structural Repairs

Impact Of Christian Mentors

Love Addiction, Approval Addiction

In my experience as a counselor for 40 years, I have found that love addiction and approval addiction are far more prevalent than any other substance or process addictions. We live in a love-addicted, approval-addicted society.

What does it mean to be love/approval addicted? Below is a checklist for you to see if you are addicted to love and/or approval. Believing any of these may indicate love or approval addiction.

I believe that:

* My happiness and wellbeing are depended upon getting love from another person.

* My adequacy, lovability, and feelings of self-worth and self-esteem come from others liking me and approving of me.

* Others disapproval or rejection mean that Im not good enough.

* I cant make myself happy.

* I cant make myself as happy as someone else can.

* My best feelings come from outside myself, from how other people or a particular other person sees me and treats me.

* Others are responsible for my feelings. Therefore, if someone cares about me, he or she will never do anything that hurts or upsets me.

* I cant be alone. I feel like Ill die if Im alone.

* When Im hurt or upset, its someone elses fault.

* Its up to other people to make me feel good about myself by approving of me.

* Im not responsible for my feelings. Other people make me feel happy, sad, angry, frustrated, shut down, or depressed. When Im angry, someone makes me feel that way and is responsible for fixing my feelings.

* Im not responsible for my behavior. Other people make me yell, act crazy, get sick, laugh, cry, get violent, leave, or fail.

* Others are selfish if they do what they want instead of what I want or need.

* If Im not connected to someone, I will die.

* I cant handle my pain, especially the pain of disapproval, rejection, abandonment, the pain of being shut out - the pain of isolation and loneliness.

Living as a love or approval addict is a very hard way to live. You have to constantly make sure you say the right thing, do the right, and look right in order to get the needed love and approval. Your feelings are on a roller coaster from feeling the wonderful feelings that come from getting your love or approval fix to feeling the despair that comes when your supply the source of your love and approval - shuts down, gets angry or judgmental, or goes away.

THE UNDERLYING CAUSE OF LOVE AND APPROVAL ADDICTION

Love and approval addiction is rooted in self-abandonment. Imagine the feeling part of you as a child your inner child. When you are love or approval addicted, you have handed your inner child away for adoption. Instead of learning to take responsibility for your own happiness by loving and approving of yourself, you have handed your inner child away to others for love and approval making others responsible for your feelings. This inner self-abandonment will always cause the deep pain of low self-worth, making you dependent upon others for your sense of worth.

The sad thing about all of this is that love is the most abundant thing in the universe. We live in a sea of love it is always within us and all around us. It is our Source. When you learn to open to Spirit/God/Source, you become filled with love, with peace, with joy. The empty place within that yearns to be filled becomes so filled with love that it overflows to others. You find yourself desiring to give love rather than always trying to get it.

As long as you make others your Source, you will not find the love, peace and joy that you seek. By learning and practicing the Inner Bonding process that we teach, you can learn to fill yourself with love and heal your love and approval addictions.

Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is the best-selling author and co-author of eight books, including "Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By You?" and Healing Your Aloneness. She is the co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding healing process. Learn Inner Bonding now! Visit her web site for a FREE Inner Bonding course: http://www.innerbonding.com or email her at margaret@innerbonding.com. Phone sessions available.

Slow Market Home Pricing Advice

Homes are going to be sold in good markets and bad. When times are good, people often forget that bad times will be coming eventually. During good times, people often get caught up in the hype of the real estate boom. During tough times, houses will be sold eventually, or taken off the market and sold later. If you need to sell the home as soon as possible, for financial or other reasons, you will have to adjust your price with the current market and don't get greedy.

This is the hardest thing for most people to do, lower the price of their home in order to sell it in a slow real estate market. Don't get caught up in the value of your home, six months or even a year ago. Last year's prices are not going to be this year's prices and you need to get that through your thick skull. If the average homes in your neighborhood are selling for $250,000 and you have a swimming pool or done some upgrades, maybe a room addition. Your home is going to be worth more than the average selling price.

Most real estate professionals will price your home according to the length of time you have to sell it. If you're in a hurry to sell, they don't have time to test the market. The price of your home would need to be competitive or lower than homes selling in the area. Whether homes are selling fast in a good market for selling slow in a bad market, if you have time, you can ask a little bit more for your home. If the market hasn't reached the bottom, waiting could actually hurt you, because the prices of the homes in the area would still be dropping.

Listen to your real estate professionals advice when pricing your home. That's what you're hiring them for, they are in the real estate business. Your neighbors, relatives, friends and people you work with, will probably be guessing if you asked for their opinion on pricing your house.

Your house is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Finding that person is the key to selling your home, finding that person as soon as possible could give you the illusion that you sold your home to cheap. Don't worry about it, your final objective is to sell the house.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a home buyers guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If you really think your home is safe, check out these pictures about home water damage.

What Happens To Nonbelieving

The Secret to Successful Use of Affirmations

Affirmations to attract prosperity, "Good Things" and to alter self-limiting thoughts are suggested by many teachers, books and resources that have to do with self-help, positive thinking, success, abundance and the like. They do have a place in attraction and for creating an atmosphere of positive thinking. However, they can be overused or used improperly. Not that this is going to hurt anything. . .but if you are going to use them, you may as well find out how to use them the most effectively. So here's the secret:

Work with only 2-3 affirmations at a time.

Too many daily affirmations that range from self-esteem, to financial goals/statements, success, prosperity, positive thinking, allowance and deservedness are not focused tightly enough to generate the kind of results you're probably looking for. You could recite this kind of list for years before it really starts to take hold in the subconscious and for you to really believe it on a conscious, sub-conscious and emotional level.

When you work with only 2-3 affirmations at a time, your focus and intent on the

desired results is more finely tuned and less scattered. Reciting a list of 20 affirmations is like putting 20 more things on your mind for it to try to problem solve. You may as well add, "I affirm to balance the checkbook," and "I allow myself to take out the trash."

This creates a psychological pressure to perform, as it is another "To Do" list in your conscious mind...and the sub-conscious mind will resist it. Both the conscious and sub-conscious mind would rather play and you're giving them more work with a long list of affirmations to process.

Working with just a few affirmations at a time, (and preferably, grouped within the same category), the conscious mind can easily process the thoughts and pass them through to the subconscious. The conscious mind is not overwhelmed and the subconscious mind is not over-stimulated.

This approach creates a more fertile and acceptable landscape for the affirmation to take hold in the sub-conscious mind, not unlike planting real seeds: sure, you can throw out a big handful of them and some will take hold. Most seeds, however, will be scorched by the sun, washed away by the rain or blown away by the wind. The ones that do manage to take hold have to struggle to grow because they were not planted properly in the first place.

A "big handful" of affirmations will struggle to grow. Two or three affirmations planted at a time, carefully and intent-fully, will flourish through attention and focus.

Maggie Ross works undercover as a suburban soccer mom who drives a late model foreign car and attends PTA meetings. Her "cover" is so well manufactured that no one suspects she spent several years under the tutelage of Vedic shamans, Wayne Dyer's personal guru and a little sweet Mambo who taught her the secrets of The Secret (long before it became popular) as well as other really cool esoteric knowledge about manifestation. She shares this knowledge in her enlightening articles and on http://prosperityhereandnow.com hidden from friends and family who do not suspect her secret life. They all just think she's really lucky ;)

Success Starting in Your 40s

You're going to find it hard to believe, but very seldom does an individual peak with creativity until they reach the age of 40. The average individual usually makes the most money between the age of 40 and 60. This doesn't have anything to do with retirement. Most highly creative people keep producing until they die.

If you're 55 years old and looking for a new career or can't seem to find a job in the profession you have worked at your whole life, don't be alarmed or fearful. Do you think you could start your own business? Is there something, you have always wanted to do but have put it off until retirement, or until you had enough time to do it?

Why wait, if you can't find a job in a business you never truly enjoyed, maybe you can find a new job doing something you love.

I have worked in construction for 30 years and at 44 years old started to pursue a career in writing and plan to create award winning websites and best selling books, for the rest of my life. This doesn't mean, I won't work in construction ever again, but I will become a best selling author within the next 20 years.

Most people don't take the time required to learn a new profession. If you're sincerely interested in another career, and you're 50 years old, there is plenty of people out there to give you hope and inspiration.

If you would like some proof, here's a couple successful American businessman who succeeded after the age of 40. Henry Ford is probably one of the most popular and became extremely successful after the age of 40. Andrew Carnegie, an American industrialists who transformed the steel business and did not start reaping the rewards of his efforts until he was well past the age of 40.

I gathered this information from the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. There is a section in the book where he talks about people after the age of 40 with phenomenal success. Anyone who's interested in gaining wealth through spirituality or finances should read this book.

I've often heard the statement, "People Often Over Estimate What They Can Do in a Year and Often Underestimate What They Can Do in a Decade." If you want to accomplish something after the age of 40, I would advise you to start with a plan and then put that plan and the action. Your plan could take five to 15 years to achieve or longer but think about the rewards, whether spiritual or financial.

Gregory Vanden Berge is working to promote personal development ideas and spiritual reform. He has started a web site for videos and articles based on current information about subject he is very familiar with.

"Education has freed me, to pursue other ideas and release me from the bondage and fear of organized religion."

Gregory Vanden Berge

Greg Vanden Berge Quotes

The Power of Positive Affirmations

Positive affirmations are powerful tools to help you manifest what you desire into your life. This is not a new concept but now that science has documented a new energy field, simply called The Field, that they say is the primary component of all things, positive affirmations have new and powerful meanings.

Everything that exists is made up of energy in the form of radiating wavelengths. The denser the form, a rock for example, the lower the energy levels, at the other end of the spectrum there exists things that have high levels of energy. These high energy level forms are things like light, colors, and thoughts.

Yes, thoughts!

You see, the things we think about are sent from us as energy and permeate the things and people around us. Everything starts as a thought! Ford motor company started as a thought in the head of Henry Ford, it was his idea of bringing the automobile to the masses that created the Ford Empire we know today. The skyscrapers that line our beautiful cities, at one time, were thoughts in an architects mind.

In order to understand the power of positive affirmations we need to better understand the power of our thoughts. The things we think about continuously will materialize in time. Therefore, it is important to always think positive thoughts. When you spend your time thinking about what you lack in life, all you will ever have is lacking. In order to acquire all that you wish for you must focus on it with laser accuracy and put a plan in place to achieve it. Affirmations give us this focus and keep us going in the right direction.

Thoughts, when focused on and combined with passion, in time, are manifested into reality. That is the power of positive affirmation, it is the repeated reading of a statement or thought that gets into the sub-conscious mind and radiates from us to attract the necessary means to bring forth that thought into reality.

It is the absolute knowing, with the absence of doubt, that you will acquire what it is you desire. It doesnt matter if it is a material possession, love, or spirituality; we become the things that we think about. Unfortunately, if all we focus on is negative things or wishes all we will ever have is negativity and mere wishes.

By using positive affirmations and repeating our desires and goals daily in our thoughts we begin to manifest them into reality. Suddenly, changes begin to happen in our lives that begin to bring forth our desires. If we want more financial freedom and use affirmations aimed at acquiring more wealth then, almost miraculously, we get the promotion we wanted or our business takes a turn for the better providing the added income we desire.

This must be done in the sense that what it is you desire has already manifested itself. Do not use an affirmation that is stated as a want or desire. A good example in the case of financial freedom would be:

Wealth flows into my life like the water of the streams and rivers to the oceans. I have plenty of income to meet my needs, with lots left over to help my fellow man.

You notice that there is no asking for wealth or money it is stated as if you already have it. By sending this message out into the universal intelligence, the field, it will attract like energies and manifest itself into reality. Things that we perceive as miracles are the fruition of thoughts that have manifested themselves into reality. That is the power of prayer and meditation, God gives us what we ask for, good or bad!

Use this simple guide to let the power of positive affirmations help you in your life.

1. Write down on paper what it is you desire. It is best to keep this personal, sharing it with others only allows negativity into your mind. Society, family, and friends like to tell us that things cant be done. They mean well but you do not want to let those thoughts enter your mind. Memorize the affirmation and remember to keep it in the sense that you already have what it is you desire.

2. In the morning when you have time to yourself repeat the affirmation 20 times. Make sure that it is stated with emotion and passion, not just stated out loud. Envision yourself with your desire and how you will be once it becomes reality. Repeat the process before you go to bed at night.

3. Any time you feel yourself doubting your desire or any negative thoughts enter your mind, clear your mind and repeat your positive affirmation. Do not let negative thoughts or setbacks deter your focus from achieving your desire.

4. Lastly, stay focused and be receptive to opportunities when they present themselves. The path to your desires may not come in the form that you envision! So pay attention and be alert to opportunity.

I hope this article has helped you see the potential in yourself and the power you have when you use positive affirmations. I promise, that if you will use these simple steps as outlined above you will see great changes in your life. It is important to understand that what we think about becomes our realities in life, so be careful what you think about.

Good Luck on your Journey!

There is unlimited power with Positive Affirmation Mark Williams has a web site that is full of Motivational Quotes and Personal Development Strategies that can help you reach your full potential.

Is Money a Big Part of Organized Religion?

Where do you think most modern day religious organizations would be without money? Is money really a big part of modern day organized religion or is that something in the past. Why do certain scriptures require their believers to donate a portion of their earnings?

Does this money improve the lives of religious believers? I'm asking these questions because most people won't. Most people don't even no where the money they earn is going. If you donate money to a religious organization and they choose to hire someone to install stained glass windows throughout the sanctuary, is this really going to help the congregation. Is this a want or a need?

When does a religious group become too powerful for its own good. Do you think the Catholic religion, which at the time of me writing this article, is the largest organized religion in the world, by itself, is very powerful or driven by finances. This organization has seeked wealth and power for centuries, creating an establishment that has its hands in everything all over the world.

Is it fair to have religious leaders living a life of luxury, while some of their followers suffer and go without food or shelter. Should some of this money go towards the aid of others who choose not to believe in the religious culture of their patrons?

Why do some people give money to their religious organization, even though they can barely survive. Are these people driven to contribute money because someone makes them feel guilty? Some of these people give money and time, even at the expense of their own family. It's just not fair, when I see people who are barely scraping by but give faithfully to an organization that promises them a better life after they die.

Your rewards for living a good life on Earth will be received after you die and are allowed to enter the kingdom of heaven. Does anyone have any proof of this? If you choose to base your life entirely on faith instead of seeking knowledge and wisdom, or even questioning your religious doctrine, you're not doing yourself any favors.

Money plays a big part in organized religion and honestly does a lot of good throughout the world. Christianity has had a large impact on the United States of America but only time will tell if it was a good thing or not.

If you have extra money and desire to give it to a religious organization of your choice, feel free, but if you're giving 10% of the money you've earned and really can't afford to, I wish you would take the time to research what your church actually spends it's money on. If your church is building another church in Mexico but you don't have enough money for food, clothes or other necessities, I would suggest that you let other people donate their extra money instead.

It might not be mentioned anywhere in your religion, but I'm sure your God or the ultimate Almighty power of the universe you believe in, does not want anyone to suffer or go without, because your religious organization chooses to make you feel guilty if you do not contribute a certain amount of money, for whatever reasons they can possibly come up with.

If everyone that believes in this interpretation has the keys to the kingdom of heaven, wouldn't Jesus be suggesting a life kind of like Mother Teresa but without any money. She wouldn't be allowed to ask any wealthy people for money, let alone use it if she acquired it somehow.

Have you ever ask yourself is there any Hope in Religion .

Would it be safe to a sound that by asking for money from a wealthy person would mean I would not be going to happen. Does it say anything in the Bible about using money from a wealthy person for great earthly deeds and you get to go to heaven but he does not. If this is starting to sound a little confusing, welcome to my world. There are very few people that follow organized religion, that even ask these questions, let alone seek the answers and find the truth and keeping an open mind to future information that possibly could change the old answer that they accepted as a truth but now realize, the possibility that the old information could be wrong.

If you were a religious leader and could not answer some of the major questions that you yourself had, would you continue living a life of confusion or seek relentlessly to find the answers until you are satisfied. Knowing that if you were satisfied with the answers to your questions and now your religious beliefs have changed considerably, would you retire or quit working with the religious organization you were involved with.

This is one of the biggest obstacles for most people that seem to get comfortable in their religious environments. If the interpretations of a you Bible verses are incorrect and can be proven, either scientifically or through translation errors, does this mean that there are more verses in the Bible that could be incorrect or misleading.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

If I Hate My Brother