It's the holidays again. A time of such joy and celebration. Not to mention Food, Egg Nog and PRESENTS!
But for many, the Holidays are a time of loneliness and sadness.
Even when life is great and you have many many great memories, the older you get, the more bad memories and loss there is that you've experienced.
I won't dwell on those. Each of you knows what things you are sad or melancholy about.
But I have news for you. There are people thinking about you all the time. Maybe not at exact moments when you are feeling blue...but sometimes there are. Friends and family are there watching over you. Maybe from afar. Maybe in another state. Maybe they are with their own blossoming families wrapped up in the Christmas spirit while paper and ribbons fly through the air.
But they do think about you. And all it takes is a call to reconnect and be right there with them.
You see, it's okay to be sad and lonely and miss people and think about the past.
But don't stay there too long.
Refocus about the many great times you had with the people you missed (even if you are estranged from them) and think of all the wonderful holidays you've had. Or even the weird ones! Those are fun to remember TOO!
Then focus on the people in your life today.
Even if you're alone, on these few days of the year, remember that people care about you as much as you care about them. Call them. Go visit. Drop in unannounced and plan on only staying thirty minutes. Take some cookies or snacks to leave behind. They'll be surprised to see you, but in a short time, they'll have loved to have seen you and wished for more time. Then, move on to the next friend. Even if you haven't seen them in a while.
Look ahead and see what more you can do.
For it is a time of rebirth. Whether you believe in the birth of Christ or if you recognize that the beginning of winter is the Earth's march towards Spring and new life. The days will get longer now and the days warmer (unless you're in Arkansas and no telling what will happen).
Make sure the seeds you have planted for your future are well nourished from here on out. And with the beginning of Winter, the New Year is not far behind.
Feed your mind, body and spirit over the next few weeks. Give yourself presents of happiness and discard the sad and lonely wrappings that aren't the real you anyway. Remember how it felt to open that gift as a kid on Christmas morning that you just KNEW held the ONE THING you had been asking for. Feel like you did then by remembering that moment.
Soon you'll find that you're not so blue after all.
And with the new days ahead come possibilities unbounded.
Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! Wonderful Winter! And Happy New Year to everyone out there in the Universe.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Friday, July 21, 2006
Limbo and Waking from "The Dream" by Eric Huber
Hello faithful readers!
Going into the corporate world. Wow...what an adventure! I have, for a long time, suggested to graduating graphic designers that they try to get some corporate experience. To see how the big dogs structure things down to the most minor detail. To experience the workflow. And while the creativity may be limited, they can hone their technical skills and methods, not to mention having a "big name" on their resume.
However, I myself had never had a corporate job. I was self taught with only a liberal arts degree in art. Mind you, I TRIED to focus on graphic design in college, only to be scoffed at. I had to design my own courses. But, a liberal education trains you to find the answers you seek everywhere.
And I did. I learned how to learn. To find the answers and paths I needed to develop the skills I needed to become what I wanted.
Today the corporate company I work for initiated over 840 jobs eliminations. 140 will be in the offices I work in. We'll know who the axe falls on by tomorrow at 11:00. Part of me wants to be let go. To see what else the world has to offer. Part of me wants to stay and learn.But work is not life. As my father constantly points out to me, "No one looks back over their life at the end and says, 'I wish I had spent more time at the office.'"
Balance is the key. Work. Play. Love. God (whatever you may or may not believe). Family. Life. Travel. Movies. Scrabble. Strip Sorry.
But sometimes we get stuck. Caught in something we cannot escape from even though we know it is not right and doesn't feel right.
Some call it Limbo. I know I do.
However...
The mind can make a heaven out of hell or a hell out of heaven
~ Satan - by John Milton.
I was quoted in my high school yearbook as believing this quote. I forgot it until recently.
In "What Dreams May Come," both the extraordinary book and the amazingly beautiful movie (although VERY different stories), the main character's wife becomes trapped in her own "hell" and punishes herself for some assumed "sin."
It is with faith that the next day will bring something better and the help of those who love you, that we make it through our own self imposed "hell" or "limbo." And make NO mistake... there is ALWAYS someone out there that cares about you, whether they actively tell you or not. Ever!
"Never give up! Never surrender." ~ Tim Allen, "Galaxy Quest"
Why am I writing about "Limbo" and "Waking from 'The Dream'"?
Many reasons. And we all have them in our own lives. Change is the ONE constant in life. We can complain and struggle, or we can turn our surf boards and catch what could be the "perfect wave."
Sure, we may wipe out. But another wave will come.
Tonight, in the midst of a sea of doubt, change and turmoil, I caught a perfect wave. And although the wave has passed for the evening, another one is coming. Watch as I turn my board.
"There are moments when one feels free from one's own identification with human limitations and inadequacies. At such moments one imagines that one stands on some spot of a small planet, gazing in amazement at the cold yet profoundly moving beauty of the eternal, the unfathomable; life and death flow into one, and there is neither evolution nor destiny; only Being."
- Albert Einstein
Going into the corporate world. Wow...what an adventure! I have, for a long time, suggested to graduating graphic designers that they try to get some corporate experience. To see how the big dogs structure things down to the most minor detail. To experience the workflow. And while the creativity may be limited, they can hone their technical skills and methods, not to mention having a "big name" on their resume.
However, I myself had never had a corporate job. I was self taught with only a liberal arts degree in art. Mind you, I TRIED to focus on graphic design in college, only to be scoffed at. I had to design my own courses. But, a liberal education trains you to find the answers you seek everywhere.
And I did. I learned how to learn. To find the answers and paths I needed to develop the skills I needed to become what I wanted.
Today the corporate company I work for initiated over 840 jobs eliminations. 140 will be in the offices I work in. We'll know who the axe falls on by tomorrow at 11:00. Part of me wants to be let go. To see what else the world has to offer. Part of me wants to stay and learn.But work is not life. As my father constantly points out to me, "No one looks back over their life at the end and says, 'I wish I had spent more time at the office.'"
Balance is the key. Work. Play. Love. God (whatever you may or may not believe). Family. Life. Travel. Movies. Scrabble. Strip Sorry.
But sometimes we get stuck. Caught in something we cannot escape from even though we know it is not right and doesn't feel right.
Some call it Limbo. I know I do.
However...
The mind can make a heaven out of hell or a hell out of heaven
~ Satan - by John Milton.
I was quoted in my high school yearbook as believing this quote. I forgot it until recently.
In "What Dreams May Come," both the extraordinary book and the amazingly beautiful movie (although VERY different stories), the main character's wife becomes trapped in her own "hell" and punishes herself for some assumed "sin."
It is with faith that the next day will bring something better and the help of those who love you, that we make it through our own self imposed "hell" or "limbo." And make NO mistake... there is ALWAYS someone out there that cares about you, whether they actively tell you or not. Ever!
"Never give up! Never surrender." ~ Tim Allen, "Galaxy Quest"
Why am I writing about "Limbo" and "Waking from 'The Dream'"?
Many reasons. And we all have them in our own lives. Change is the ONE constant in life. We can complain and struggle, or we can turn our surf boards and catch what could be the "perfect wave."
Sure, we may wipe out. But another wave will come.
Tonight, in the midst of a sea of doubt, change and turmoil, I caught a perfect wave. And although the wave has passed for the evening, another one is coming. Watch as I turn my board.
"There are moments when one feels free from one's own identification with human limitations and inadequacies. At such moments one imagines that one stands on some spot of a small planet, gazing in amazement at the cold yet profoundly moving beauty of the eternal, the unfathomable; life and death flow into one, and there is neither evolution nor destiny; only Being."
- Albert Einstein
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Hypnosis - 5 Principles for Maintaining a Successful Relationship by Pradeep Aggarwal
Why is it that so many relationships, which start off with such energy and enthusiasm, seem to lose their glitter just a few weeks down the road? Studies have shown that there are five basic principles, which govern the quality of a relationship in the long run:
Principle #1: Knowledge of the other person's preferences
How does your husband or wife like to be told that you love him or her? How would you like to be told that your lover or spouse loves you. Would you like to touched in a certain way, or would you like to be embraced in a certain way, or would you like love to be expressed in words, or would you like to be looked in the eyes in a certain way? Love is a very delicate affair, and the surest way of sabotaging your relationship is to be aloof of the others person's preferences.
Over the months and years, most people realize, what is it that makes their lover express love. But, some don't and this can be fatal for the relationship. If you think you haven't yet discovered your partner's preferences, this is the first thing you should do. Often called the "Love Strategy," you must make a conscious effort to discover it, and meet it on a consistent basis.
Principle #2: Relationship is a place to give, not take
Often, people approach a relationship as a place to solve their problems. While a relationship could definitely solve problems, this approach tends to disempower both the people involved in it. If you have not been cuddled or pampered as a child, and use a relationship as a place to receive such treatment, you are disempowering yourself of your ability to take any initiative, because you are constantly looking for your partner to treat you in a certain way.
Instead, what one should do in such a case is, concentrate on giving something into the relationship. Such contribution of love and affection will automatically elicit the kind of treatment you desire.
Principle #3: Learn to communicate your problems with your partner
Dr. Barbara De Angelis, in her best selling book, "How to Make Love All the Time," identifies four stages in a relationship that can kill it. And, by identifying it, one can immediately intervene and eliminate the problems before they become unmanageably large.
Phase 1: Resistance This is the first phase of challenges in a relationship. It occurs when you take exception of something your partner said or did which you did not like. Maybe, it was a joke, which you didn't find very tasteful, or a statement that offended you, or something else, which you wished hadn't happened. Of course, resistance is bound to happen in a relationship between two human beings, but the secret is to talk it over, and settle it before it reaches the second phase.
Phase 2: Resentment Resistance, if not handled properly, can lead to resentment. Now, your irritation with your partner grows into anger, and a communication barrier is erected between you and him/her. In this phase, you begin to avoid your partner, and the intimacy that you both enjoyed is virtually over.
Phase 3: Rejection If resistance is not eased, or if you and your partner do not talk the matter over, you may move into the third phase: rejection. This is the beginning of the physical separation from your partner. Coupled with emotional separation, in this phase, you begin to find everything about your partner annoying and irritating.
Phase 4: Repression This is the most dangerous phase of the demise of your relationship. In this phase, you stop communicating with your partner altogether. There is an emotional numbness between the two of you. Slowly, you just become a roommate of your partner, not concerned of what he or she is doing or feeling.
So, what is the way to avoid this dangerous trap? Dr. De Angelis says, it's simple: Talk. Talking one's problems, one's concerns and one's likes and dislikes is the only way to ensure smooth sailing. Adequate and meaningful communication is an essential component of any relationship.
Principle #4: Never threaten your relationship
A lot of couples have the habit of saying things like, "You do that, and I am leaving you." This can be disastrous, because, although most of the time such a statement is not supposed to be taken very seriously, but what if one day, your spouse said, "Go ahead and leave. I will do things my way." If such a case arises, one's ego may often force him or her to follow up on their threat (of leaving), and that is the end of the relationship. See, the point is that no matter what situation arises, there is no justification for threatening your relationship if you want it to last a lifetime.
Principle #5: Strive to constantly add glitter to your relationship
Just like any other emotion, a relationship also needs to be constantly propped up. You need to constantly excite your partner, and ignite his or her desire for you. One way to reinforce your feelings of connection and renew your feelings of intimacy and attraction, is to constantly ask questions that would make your partner express love; something like, "How did I get so lucky to have you in my life?" Try to surprise each other. Do outrageous things, like arranging an outing at a place where your partner would have never even imagined. Express love in an out-of-the-way manner, and have fun doing it.
__________________________________________________________________
About the Author
Pradeep Aggarwal is a renowned Hypnosis & NLP guru with career spanning two and half decades He is also a much sought after speaker and peak performance consultant for Sport Teams and organizations. Visit http://www.hypnosisglobal.com for free 6 part mini course to learn Self Hypnosis and Personal Transformation.
Principle #1: Knowledge of the other person's preferences
How does your husband or wife like to be told that you love him or her? How would you like to be told that your lover or spouse loves you. Would you like to touched in a certain way, or would you like to be embraced in a certain way, or would you like love to be expressed in words, or would you like to be looked in the eyes in a certain way? Love is a very delicate affair, and the surest way of sabotaging your relationship is to be aloof of the others person's preferences.
Over the months and years, most people realize, what is it that makes their lover express love. But, some don't and this can be fatal for the relationship. If you think you haven't yet discovered your partner's preferences, this is the first thing you should do. Often called the "Love Strategy," you must make a conscious effort to discover it, and meet it on a consistent basis.
Principle #2: Relationship is a place to give, not take
Often, people approach a relationship as a place to solve their problems. While a relationship could definitely solve problems, this approach tends to disempower both the people involved in it. If you have not been cuddled or pampered as a child, and use a relationship as a place to receive such treatment, you are disempowering yourself of your ability to take any initiative, because you are constantly looking for your partner to treat you in a certain way.
Instead, what one should do in such a case is, concentrate on giving something into the relationship. Such contribution of love and affection will automatically elicit the kind of treatment you desire.
Principle #3: Learn to communicate your problems with your partner
Dr. Barbara De Angelis, in her best selling book, "How to Make Love All the Time," identifies four stages in a relationship that can kill it. And, by identifying it, one can immediately intervene and eliminate the problems before they become unmanageably large.
Phase 1: Resistance This is the first phase of challenges in a relationship. It occurs when you take exception of something your partner said or did which you did not like. Maybe, it was a joke, which you didn't find very tasteful, or a statement that offended you, or something else, which you wished hadn't happened. Of course, resistance is bound to happen in a relationship between two human beings, but the secret is to talk it over, and settle it before it reaches the second phase.
Phase 2: Resentment Resistance, if not handled properly, can lead to resentment. Now, your irritation with your partner grows into anger, and a communication barrier is erected between you and him/her. In this phase, you begin to avoid your partner, and the intimacy that you both enjoyed is virtually over.
Phase 3: Rejection If resistance is not eased, or if you and your partner do not talk the matter over, you may move into the third phase: rejection. This is the beginning of the physical separation from your partner. Coupled with emotional separation, in this phase, you begin to find everything about your partner annoying and irritating.
Phase 4: Repression This is the most dangerous phase of the demise of your relationship. In this phase, you stop communicating with your partner altogether. There is an emotional numbness between the two of you. Slowly, you just become a roommate of your partner, not concerned of what he or she is doing or feeling.
So, what is the way to avoid this dangerous trap? Dr. De Angelis says, it's simple: Talk. Talking one's problems, one's concerns and one's likes and dislikes is the only way to ensure smooth sailing. Adequate and meaningful communication is an essential component of any relationship.
Principle #4: Never threaten your relationship
A lot of couples have the habit of saying things like, "You do that, and I am leaving you." This can be disastrous, because, although most of the time such a statement is not supposed to be taken very seriously, but what if one day, your spouse said, "Go ahead and leave. I will do things my way." If such a case arises, one's ego may often force him or her to follow up on their threat (of leaving), and that is the end of the relationship. See, the point is that no matter what situation arises, there is no justification for threatening your relationship if you want it to last a lifetime.
Principle #5: Strive to constantly add glitter to your relationship
Just like any other emotion, a relationship also needs to be constantly propped up. You need to constantly excite your partner, and ignite his or her desire for you. One way to reinforce your feelings of connection and renew your feelings of intimacy and attraction, is to constantly ask questions that would make your partner express love; something like, "How did I get so lucky to have you in my life?" Try to surprise each other. Do outrageous things, like arranging an outing at a place where your partner would have never even imagined. Express love in an out-of-the-way manner, and have fun doing it.
__________________________________________________________________
About the Author
Pradeep Aggarwal is a renowned Hypnosis & NLP guru with career spanning two and half decades He is also a much sought after speaker and peak performance consultant for Sport Teams and organizations. Visit http://www.hypnosisglobal.com for free 6 part mini course to learn Self Hypnosis and Personal Transformation.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Motivational Sayings - Ten Great Ones by Steve Gillman
Why read motivational sayings? For motivation! You might need a bit, if you can use last year's list of goals this year because it's as good as new. All of us can benefit from inspirational thoughts, so here are ten great ones.
"Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are." - Dale Carnegie
"Do not wait; the time will never be 'just right.' Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along." - Napoleon Hill
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Some men see things as they are and say, "Why?" I dream of things that never were and say, "Why not?" - George Bernard Shaw
"A small trouble is like a pebble. Hold it too close to your eye and it fills the whole world and puts everything out of focus. Hold it at a proper distance and it can be examined and properly classified. Throw it at your feet and it can be seen in its true setting, just one more tiny bump on the pathway of life." - Celia Luce
"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." - Carl Bard
"I'm not telling you it is going to be easy - I'm telling you it's going to be worth it" - Art Williams
Motivational Sayings - Attitude
Attitude "There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative." - W. Clement Stone
"Nothing on earth can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." - Thomas Jefferson
"A person cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances." - James Allen
"Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning." - Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi
These are quotes that mean something to me. Hopefully one or two of them are also inspiring to you. If not, maybe they will motivate you to create your own motivational sayings.
____________________________________________________________
Steve Gillman has been studying brainpower and related topics for years. For more on a Better Life Through Brain Power, and to get the Brain Power Newsletter and other free gifts, visit: http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com
"Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are." - Dale Carnegie
"Do not wait; the time will never be 'just right.' Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along." - Napoleon Hill
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Some men see things as they are and say, "Why?" I dream of things that never were and say, "Why not?" - George Bernard Shaw
"A small trouble is like a pebble. Hold it too close to your eye and it fills the whole world and puts everything out of focus. Hold it at a proper distance and it can be examined and properly classified. Throw it at your feet and it can be seen in its true setting, just one more tiny bump on the pathway of life." - Celia Luce
"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." - Carl Bard
"I'm not telling you it is going to be easy - I'm telling you it's going to be worth it" - Art Williams
Motivational Sayings - Attitude
Attitude "There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative." - W. Clement Stone
"Nothing on earth can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." - Thomas Jefferson
"A person cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances." - James Allen
"Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning." - Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi
These are quotes that mean something to me. Hopefully one or two of them are also inspiring to you. If not, maybe they will motivate you to create your own motivational sayings.
____________________________________________________________
Steve Gillman has been studying brainpower and related topics for years. For more on a Better Life Through Brain Power, and to get the Brain Power Newsletter and other free gifts, visit: http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Be Careful What You Wish For by Amanda Shertzer
Okay, you've been focusing on your goals, you're looking for positive signs that you are about to receive everything you have ever wished for... and then.... BOOM! Something just awful happens - or things just get worse! What the heck is going on? "Thanks a lot God, Universe, whatever" you think. You may even take it as a sign that the universe is telling you that you can't have what you want. Well I'm here to tell ya' it's not true.
One of my best friends just emailed me to tell me she had lost her job. Not only that, but in such a way as to make her feel like an absolute horrible person - a criminal even. Immediately it occurred to me that she had been expressing an interest in finding a more creative job. Ah ha. Gotcha!
I have read endless counts of people getting the opposite result of what they were wishing for. In her book "God Doesn't Have Bad Hair Days", Pam Grout tells of how she point-blank asked God for a sign that she should start a freelance writing career. The next day she got fired. How's that for a sign?
It doesn't stop at jobs either. I decided a couple of years ago that what I most wanted was to get married and have children. Immediately my relationship of 4 years fell apart. That'll teach me, eh?
Now, I don't mean to negate anyone's feelings upon learning they no longer have a job or a relationship that has been their foundation for so long. If you didn't have at least a bit of "freak out" time, if you didn't have a moment or two of "why me?" you wouldn't be human. However, my favorite thing about life is that you just don't know what fantastic thing could be right around that next corner that you can't see yet. I live for those times when I finally get to go around the corners!
It's kinda like expecting Christmas. It's guaranteed to be there, so if your sled breaks, go ahead and cry, but remember too that there are so many Christmases in your future in which you could get a brand new sled that's even better!
So what happened to Pam? The week after she got fired she received calls from 2 magazines requesting freelance articles from her. She's now a successful writer with 13 books under her belt. And what about me? I got married in February to the perfect man for me and we are expecting our first child.
If bad things seem to happen as a result of your wanting something better for yourself, just remember that it could be a means to a better end. And... Hey - what's that up there around that next corner?
One of my best friends just emailed me to tell me she had lost her job. Not only that, but in such a way as to make her feel like an absolute horrible person - a criminal even. Immediately it occurred to me that she had been expressing an interest in finding a more creative job. Ah ha. Gotcha!
I have read endless counts of people getting the opposite result of what they were wishing for. In her book "God Doesn't Have Bad Hair Days", Pam Grout tells of how she point-blank asked God for a sign that she should start a freelance writing career. The next day she got fired. How's that for a sign?
It doesn't stop at jobs either. I decided a couple of years ago that what I most wanted was to get married and have children. Immediately my relationship of 4 years fell apart. That'll teach me, eh?
Now, I don't mean to negate anyone's feelings upon learning they no longer have a job or a relationship that has been their foundation for so long. If you didn't have at least a bit of "freak out" time, if you didn't have a moment or two of "why me?" you wouldn't be human. However, my favorite thing about life is that you just don't know what fantastic thing could be right around that next corner that you can't see yet. I live for those times when I finally get to go around the corners!
It's kinda like expecting Christmas. It's guaranteed to be there, so if your sled breaks, go ahead and cry, but remember too that there are so many Christmases in your future in which you could get a brand new sled that's even better!
So what happened to Pam? The week after she got fired she received calls from 2 magazines requesting freelance articles from her. She's now a successful writer with 13 books under her belt. And what about me? I got married in February to the perfect man for me and we are expecting our first child.
If bad things seem to happen as a result of your wanting something better for yourself, just remember that it could be a means to a better end. And... Hey - what's that up there around that next corner?
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Manifesting Creativity by Amanda Shertzer
About six months ago my friends/business partners and I decided to really focus on a way to make our wildly popular and free genealogy site DeadFred.com profitable. After 4 years of volunteer effort on all our parts we decided it was about time for us to recoup our expenses and reap a little reward.
One afternoon we sat down and brainstormed about how to make money for the website without compromising its amazing research value and without charging our visitors. What was it that we could offer which wouldn't cost us much to produce, but would be of great value to them and would also support the archive?
First we set a monetary goal and decided to focus on this goal and let the answers come to us. Every evening I would read the goal over and over for about 15 minutes before I went to bed and also when I first woke up in the morning. If I had any free "brain time" during the day (standing in line, on hold, etc.) I would focus on it again.
Suddenly I seemed more aware of opportunities and "clues" that came my way that we could use to help us attain our goal. One night I listened in on a free business marketing tele-conference where the speaker talked about how to create an e-book to sell. My mind started spinning and I stopped listening to the speaker and started wildly writing notes to myself about a new project which would surely meet with great success.
Thus, our "Desperate" project was born. "What if..." I thought "we emailed all the most prominent authors and experts in the genealogy field and asked them to contribute just one article for an eBook to support the archive"? When I got to work the next day, my friend and business partner Jeannette and I sat for a couple of hours and brainstormed again to knock out the details. We had to decide what kind of articles to ask our experts to contribute and we had to come up with a title so catchy, no one could resist finding out more about it.
The email to our experts list was met with great enthusiasm about the project and before long we had an unbelievable collection of the most fabulous genealogy articles from the greatest genealogy authors around. Our design genius Eric formatted the book and cover (150 pages!) and Jeannette expertly arranged and edited the articles. As a thank-you, we offered our contributors 30% of the sales of the eBook through affiliate links. After all, it wasn't costing us a thing to produce except our own time.
Early next week we'll be officially launching the anxiously awaited eBook: "The Desperate Genealogist's Idea Book: Creative Ways to Outsmart Your Elusive Ancestors". We've already had our first official sale (we let our contributors announce the eBook to their lists 1 week ahead of our official release as another thank-you) and are expecting so much success that we're already planning a print release.
I have absolutely no doubt we'll make our monetary goal and feel good about giving something of value to our visitors and promoting our great authors who contributed to the book and made the project so successful.
If you're a Desperate Genealogist, or know one, you can get the eBook before its official release on DeadFred.com by visiting www.desperategenealogist.com.
Good luck to you in your manifesting goals!
One afternoon we sat down and brainstormed about how to make money for the website without compromising its amazing research value and without charging our visitors. What was it that we could offer which wouldn't cost us much to produce, but would be of great value to them and would also support the archive?
First we set a monetary goal and decided to focus on this goal and let the answers come to us. Every evening I would read the goal over and over for about 15 minutes before I went to bed and also when I first woke up in the morning. If I had any free "brain time" during the day (standing in line, on hold, etc.) I would focus on it again.
Suddenly I seemed more aware of opportunities and "clues" that came my way that we could use to help us attain our goal. One night I listened in on a free business marketing tele-conference where the speaker talked about how to create an e-book to sell. My mind started spinning and I stopped listening to the speaker and started wildly writing notes to myself about a new project which would surely meet with great success.
Thus, our "Desperate" project was born. "What if..." I thought "we emailed all the most prominent authors and experts in the genealogy field and asked them to contribute just one article for an eBook to support the archive"? When I got to work the next day, my friend and business partner Jeannette and I sat for a couple of hours and brainstormed again to knock out the details. We had to decide what kind of articles to ask our experts to contribute and we had to come up with a title so catchy, no one could resist finding out more about it.
The email to our experts list was met with great enthusiasm about the project and before long we had an unbelievable collection of the most fabulous genealogy articles from the greatest genealogy authors around. Our design genius Eric formatted the book and cover (150 pages!) and Jeannette expertly arranged and edited the articles. As a thank-you, we offered our contributors 30% of the sales of the eBook through affiliate links. After all, it wasn't costing us a thing to produce except our own time.
Early next week we'll be officially launching the anxiously awaited eBook: "The Desperate Genealogist's Idea Book: Creative Ways to Outsmart Your Elusive Ancestors". We've already had our first official sale (we let our contributors announce the eBook to their lists 1 week ahead of our official release as another thank-you) and are expecting so much success that we're already planning a print release.
I have absolutely no doubt we'll make our monetary goal and feel good about giving something of value to our visitors and promoting our great authors who contributed to the book and made the project so successful.
If you're a Desperate Genealogist, or know one, you can get the eBook before its official release on DeadFred.com by visiting www.desperategenealogist.com.
Good luck to you in your manifesting goals!
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
All Sentient Beings Want Happiness and Peace by Jeannette Balleza
“In life we face constant change and the influx of happiness and suffering. This cycle is like waves on the ocean, one phenomenon coming after another. This neverending drama of apparent phenomena is exhausting. Without breaking this cycle of vacillating back and forth between hope and fear, stress continues mounting in our minds and bodies resulting in endless suffering, not allowing us to rest in peace and happiness. Spiritual practice is the only means to ease and transform the stress and suffering into happiness and well-being for immediate benefits and beyond.”
~Lopön Jigme Rinpoche
Last week I attended an event at Giffells Auditorium in Old Main at the U of A called “Quintessential of the Spiritual Path in Life.” Lopön Jigme Rinpoche, a prominent Buddhist Nyingma Master, delivered the public talk to an audience of 50 or so people.
He began the presentation with a long period of silence, sitting and staring ahead from behind a table with two simple flower arrangements. He prefaced his lecture by saying that he was not to speak about anything unusual. In fact he wanted to address what he considered to be commonplace concepts.
“All sentient beings want happiness and peace,” he asserted.
He described the statement as a universal truth. Simple, yes. True? I’m a believer. However, each one of us is left to contemplate how to define “happiness” and “peace.” Cultural backgrounds, religious beliefs and individual preferences influence our interpretations of those two ideas, but in essence we are all connected in that we ALL long for these same objectives in life.
He emphasized the importance of meditation—taking in and releasing breath at a normal pace, quietening the mind and orchestrating a spaciousness into which thoughts can flow in and out with freedom. He likened the mind to a pool of water. When the water is not at rest, reflection is impossible because of the constant activity and distorting ripples. But when water is still, it becomes possible to view a reflection of an image, clear as day.
He continued that the spiritual practice of meditation is a very natural way to experience inexpressible joy, the true nature of God. However, he also warned against attempting to grasp this joy. Instead he proffered to simply allow the joy to manifest within the spaciousness of our minds. He summed up the lesson with yet another pithy saying. “Rest,” he uttered. “Then manifest.”
As I was leaving the lecture I recalled a past conversation with my very good friend Amanda about the allegedly elusory quality of “happiness,” no matter how one might define it. We’d often heard others (and one another) say things like, “All I want is to be happy,” “Why can’t I be happy?” or even “If ___ happens, maybe then I could be happy.” Amanda pointed out that the problem did not so much lie in the fact that “happiness” is that evasive; instead, she believed that those who seek “happiness” and come up empty-handed every time have never really taken the time to define what “happiness” and “peace” mean to them.
It makes sense. Hitting a target is hard enough. When the target’s moving, your chances of impact become seriously compromised. Now, just think about aiming for a target that changes form constantly or worse, is completely invisible. The likelihood of a bullseye is little more than a pipe dream at best. How can we expect the universe to deliver exactly what we want to achieve happiness and peace when many of us have never really made up our minds in the first place about what it is that we’re chasing?
I asked yet another friend whether he could make a list of things to add, modify or subtract from his life in a way that at the end of the list, if he were to check everything off as “done,” he would be happy. An exercise in bottom-line happiness, if you will. He said it would take a long time to compile the list, but he definitely thought it was possible to do. It seems like a strange assignment, but why not? Perhaps even just working drafts would bring our respective happiness targets into our line of sight.
Forming this working draft, your own personal interpretation of “happiness” and “peace,” will require meditation. Quietude. Reflection. Spaciousness. But you can begin by taking the simple advice of Lopön Jigme Rinpoche: Rest. Then manifest.
The resulting manifesto will be yours to keep and to revise when necessary, a guide towards the makings of your own happiness and peace.
____________________________________________________________________
Copywriter/editor Jeannette Balleza owns Scribe Marketing, Inc. (http://www.scribemarketing.com), which offers content development and refinement. You may contact her for creative concept development, copywriting, editing and research at jeannette@scribemarketing.com.
~Lopön Jigme Rinpoche
Last week I attended an event at Giffells Auditorium in Old Main at the U of A called “Quintessential of the Spiritual Path in Life.” Lopön Jigme Rinpoche, a prominent Buddhist Nyingma Master, delivered the public talk to an audience of 50 or so people.
He began the presentation with a long period of silence, sitting and staring ahead from behind a table with two simple flower arrangements. He prefaced his lecture by saying that he was not to speak about anything unusual. In fact he wanted to address what he considered to be commonplace concepts.
“All sentient beings want happiness and peace,” he asserted.
He described the statement as a universal truth. Simple, yes. True? I’m a believer. However, each one of us is left to contemplate how to define “happiness” and “peace.” Cultural backgrounds, religious beliefs and individual preferences influence our interpretations of those two ideas, but in essence we are all connected in that we ALL long for these same objectives in life.
He emphasized the importance of meditation—taking in and releasing breath at a normal pace, quietening the mind and orchestrating a spaciousness into which thoughts can flow in and out with freedom. He likened the mind to a pool of water. When the water is not at rest, reflection is impossible because of the constant activity and distorting ripples. But when water is still, it becomes possible to view a reflection of an image, clear as day.
He continued that the spiritual practice of meditation is a very natural way to experience inexpressible joy, the true nature of God. However, he also warned against attempting to grasp this joy. Instead he proffered to simply allow the joy to manifest within the spaciousness of our minds. He summed up the lesson with yet another pithy saying. “Rest,” he uttered. “Then manifest.”
As I was leaving the lecture I recalled a past conversation with my very good friend Amanda about the allegedly elusory quality of “happiness,” no matter how one might define it. We’d often heard others (and one another) say things like, “All I want is to be happy,” “Why can’t I be happy?” or even “If ___ happens, maybe then I could be happy.” Amanda pointed out that the problem did not so much lie in the fact that “happiness” is that evasive; instead, she believed that those who seek “happiness” and come up empty-handed every time have never really taken the time to define what “happiness” and “peace” mean to them.
It makes sense. Hitting a target is hard enough. When the target’s moving, your chances of impact become seriously compromised. Now, just think about aiming for a target that changes form constantly or worse, is completely invisible. The likelihood of a bullseye is little more than a pipe dream at best. How can we expect the universe to deliver exactly what we want to achieve happiness and peace when many of us have never really made up our minds in the first place about what it is that we’re chasing?
I asked yet another friend whether he could make a list of things to add, modify or subtract from his life in a way that at the end of the list, if he were to check everything off as “done,” he would be happy. An exercise in bottom-line happiness, if you will. He said it would take a long time to compile the list, but he definitely thought it was possible to do. It seems like a strange assignment, but why not? Perhaps even just working drafts would bring our respective happiness targets into our line of sight.
Forming this working draft, your own personal interpretation of “happiness” and “peace,” will require meditation. Quietude. Reflection. Spaciousness. But you can begin by taking the simple advice of Lopön Jigme Rinpoche: Rest. Then manifest.
The resulting manifesto will be yours to keep and to revise when necessary, a guide towards the makings of your own happiness and peace.
____________________________________________________________________
Copywriter/editor Jeannette Balleza owns Scribe Marketing, Inc. (http://www.scribemarketing.com), which offers content development and refinement. You may contact her for creative concept development, copywriting, editing and research at jeannette@scribemarketing.com.
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