Nine Ways to Explore Your Life Purpose
By: Amber Rosenberg
Do you ever feel stuck or confused about what your next step is in your career, relationship or life? If you’re like many of us, this confusion and indecision can drain your energy and motivation. One way to gain focus and clarity is to explore your life purpose.
According to Buckminster Fuller, a well-known inventor from the twentieth century, you can learn about your life purpose by exploring the life purpose of a honeybee:
"It is possible, just possible, that the honeybee has a life purpose. What would that life purpose be? To pollinate plants, to keep life on earth going. We wouldn't exist if it wasn't for honeybees."
"But do you think the honeybee gets up each morning and says to herself that she has to pollinate plants? No. She just has - what goal? To collect nectar to make honey."
"In the case of the honeybee, it's the smaller goal of pollinating plants that has the much larger side effect and the real impact - the maintenance of life on earth."
Following this theory, I invite you to take the emphasis off of discovering your life purpose – which can be daunting and overwhelming – and, instead, simply focus on getting into action with small goals and noticing what brings you joy. It's easy.
Following are a few ideas to get you moving:
1) Research local non-profit organizations and volunteer for one whose mission really inspires you
2) Learn a new language, musical instrument or how to draw or paint
3) Go to events where you meet people with similar interests
4) Start a garden in your back yard or on a community plot
5) Explore your ancestry and travel to track down your roots
6) Teach a continuing education class on a subject in which you’re knowledgeable
7) Attend conferences and seminars on topics that interest you
8) Get involved with your child's school or team
9) Train for an athletic race or join a sports team
As you get into action, simply be aware of what you do best (your gifts, talents and skills) and explore with your coach what brings you joy, satisfaction and fulfillment. Chances are, they’re related.
If you explore that which brings you joy, the universe will respond well. This doesn’t mean that all of your feedback will be positive. On the contrary, getting flak is a sure sign that you’re really exploring your life purpose and not sitting quietly on the side-lines. It's good to stir things up a bit.
When you really commit to exploring your life purpose, eventually, you will find that you shine with an unmistakable light. Explore your light. Uncover your light. The more you truly explore that which brings you joy, the more focus and clarity you will have in your career, relationships and life.
About The Author
Amber Rosenberg is the principal of Pacific Life Coach, a life and business coaching company that guides entrepreneurs, small business owners and other professionals to success on their own terms doing what they love. She is a contributor to the book 'Inspiration to Realization', a self-help book for women, a popular speaker, a writer for Know Yourself Magazine and will soon appear in Real Simple Magazine. She also has 10 years marketing and PR experience for Fortune 500 companies and non-profit organizations. To sign-up for a COMPLIMENTARY half-hour phone coaching session, order a signed copy of her book or sign-up for the Confident Woman FREE monthly e-zine, go to http://www.pacificlifecoach.com .
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Books Can Fill the Spiritual Well Today
by: Chris Robertson
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to speak to clergy from a variety of Christian denominations. Early on, it came as a surprise to me that members of the clergy sometimes find themselves at a loss about how to add inspiration to their sermons, how to best counsel their lay leaders, and how to best utilize the seniors in their congregations. I came to realize that a pastor is, first and foremost, a human being. As such, he inevitably experiences times when his well of wisdom and inspiration run dry. The more conversations I had with clergy members, the more I came to understand that they use a variety of tools to help fill and enhance their wells of spirituality - including reading books, attending retreats, and writing in journals.
Books are probably the single most important source of inspiration to members of the clergy. In addition to the Bible, a pastor often turns to both the writings of great theologians and books written by present day authors who discuss the human condition and the means by which we can find comfort and solace. Biblical references might give a pastor the foundation of his sermons, but books by psychologists, sociologists, and Christian authors can inspire him to enhance his sermons with material that is relevant to the lives of his congregants. The spiritual challenges faced by today's church members - whether they're just entering college or just entering retirement - may have roots in ancient times, but may be affected by the complexities inherent in our culture of globalization.
Writing is often a wonderful resource for those people - whether they're clergy members or lay leaders - who find that their spiritual wells are running low. I've spoken to people who use journals to reflect upon Scriptural verses, and who find that writing about the meaning of a certain passage puts them back in touch with their spiritual core. Others write stories of their own spiritual awakenings, and in turn inspire others to reach to God for clarity and insight. Still others use writing as a means of revealing to themselves how the hand of God works in their everyday lives. By reflecting on one's day and understanding the points at which faith influenced choices, one can understand how God provides enrichment in their lives.
Reading books and writing are but two ways to keep one's spiritual well brimming with hopefulness and good will. Yet, both are paths to leading a fulfilled life and being able to communicate with others along the way.
About The Author
Chris Robertson is a published author of Majon International. Majon International is one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing and internet advertising companies on the web. Visit their main business resource web site at: http://www.majon.com
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to speak to clergy from a variety of Christian denominations. Early on, it came as a surprise to me that members of the clergy sometimes find themselves at a loss about how to add inspiration to their sermons, how to best counsel their lay leaders, and how to best utilize the seniors in their congregations. I came to realize that a pastor is, first and foremost, a human being. As such, he inevitably experiences times when his well of wisdom and inspiration run dry. The more conversations I had with clergy members, the more I came to understand that they use a variety of tools to help fill and enhance their wells of spirituality - including reading books, attending retreats, and writing in journals.
Books are probably the single most important source of inspiration to members of the clergy. In addition to the Bible, a pastor often turns to both the writings of great theologians and books written by present day authors who discuss the human condition and the means by which we can find comfort and solace. Biblical references might give a pastor the foundation of his sermons, but books by psychologists, sociologists, and Christian authors can inspire him to enhance his sermons with material that is relevant to the lives of his congregants. The spiritual challenges faced by today's church members - whether they're just entering college or just entering retirement - may have roots in ancient times, but may be affected by the complexities inherent in our culture of globalization.
Writing is often a wonderful resource for those people - whether they're clergy members or lay leaders - who find that their spiritual wells are running low. I've spoken to people who use journals to reflect upon Scriptural verses, and who find that writing about the meaning of a certain passage puts them back in touch with their spiritual core. Others write stories of their own spiritual awakenings, and in turn inspire others to reach to God for clarity and insight. Still others use writing as a means of revealing to themselves how the hand of God works in their everyday lives. By reflecting on one's day and understanding the points at which faith influenced choices, one can understand how God provides enrichment in their lives.
Reading books and writing are but two ways to keep one's spiritual well brimming with hopefulness and good will. Yet, both are paths to leading a fulfilled life and being able to communicate with others along the way.
About The Author
Chris Robertson is a published author of Majon International. Majon International is one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing and internet advertising companies on the web. Visit their main business resource web site at: http://www.majon.com
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Your Habits
HABIT
...I am your constant companion. I am your greatest helper...or your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure. I am at your command.
Half the tasks you do you might just as well turn over to me, and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly. I am easily managed. Show me exactly how you want something done. After a few lessons, I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great men and alas, of all failures as well.
Those who are great, I have made them great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, but I work with all the precision of a machine, plus the intelligence of a person. You may run me for profit or run me for ruin. It makes no difference to me.....TAKE ME....TRAIN ME....be firm with me, and I will put the world at your feet.
Be easy with me and I will destroy you.
Who am I? I am HABIT.
...I am your constant companion. I am your greatest helper...or your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure. I am at your command.
Half the tasks you do you might just as well turn over to me, and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly. I am easily managed. Show me exactly how you want something done. After a few lessons, I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great men and alas, of all failures as well.
Those who are great, I have made them great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, but I work with all the precision of a machine, plus the intelligence of a person. You may run me for profit or run me for ruin. It makes no difference to me.....TAKE ME....TRAIN ME....be firm with me, and I will put the world at your feet.
Be easy with me and I will destroy you.
Who am I? I am HABIT.
Friday, December 14, 2007
The Quest For Home Business Success
by: Wendy Betterini http://jobsearchideas.blogspot.com/
When most of us dive into our first home business venture, we are filled with visions of wealth, comfort, security and freedom. We have a general idea of where we'd like to end up financially, and we work hard to get there. Some of us make it there quickly, while others may take a little longer. But at what point would we consider ourselves to be "successful?" Once we're earning a million dollars a year? Once we can afford that mansion we've had our eye on? Once we're wearing designer clothing? Of course, success means different things to different people.
Perhaps to you, success means earning a little extra money to help with household extras. To me it might mean earning more. To someone else, success might have nothing to do with money at all. They might strive for professional or personal accomplishments. The meaning of success can vary from person to person, as can our beliefs about what it takes to truly be successful.
I had an interesting experience last week. I submitted a request for work at home success stories to be featured on my website, and the response was quite surprising. Not one response. That's right, zero! I submitted this request to several popular work-at-home communities, and I purposely placed no restrictions on what "success" meant. I was quite surprised by the lack of response. Are there NO work at home successes out there? I don't believe that for a minute; I know there are many, MANY people working successfully from home. So why wouldn't they want to be featured? What could prevent them from believing they qualify as a "success story?"
Income - Many of us don't feel "successful" until we're raking in massive amounts of money and can afford to buy whatever we want without glancing at the price tag. While money is certainly one measure of success, it isn't the only one. Most of us have an idea of how much we'd like to be earning from our home businesses, but does it mean we're not successful until we reach that point? Of course not! We can be successful regardless of how much we earn. Just because you are earning $500 a month instead of $50,000 doesn't mean you're not a success. In order to earn $50,000, you must first earn $500!
Status - If we haven't quite reached the "level" we're striving for in our home businesses, we may not allow ourselves to feel like a success. "Once I get 1,000 customers, then I'll be successful," we say. Or once we get 100,000 subscribers to our newsletter, or hire our first employees. Whatever status we're trying to reach, we place requirements upon ourselves and won't consider ourselves successful until we meet them. The problem with this is that home businesses (or businesses in general) are not static. We don't just "get there" and then call it good. We will always be striving to gain more customers, recruit more agents, sell more products, earn more money, set goals and reach them. We will always be pushing ourselves to do more, be more. This is a good thing!
Perfectionism - We are so much harder on ourselves than we are on anyone else. Does one little thing keep you from feeling like a success? Perhaps you're earning as much as you want to with your home business, but there are also things you struggle with. Like organization, finances, or coming up with new ideas and seeing them through. Rather than thinking of yourself as successful, you allow those little things you don't do perfectly to hold you back. You berate yourself, "I would be successful if it wasn't for my messy filing system!" or "Will I ever learn how to do this right?" No one is perfect. We all have things we're good at, and other things we're not so good at. Accept that about yourself. It's really not important to do everything so perfectly. We can only do our best and have fun with it.
Modesty - It's true that no one likes a braggart. Perhaps the people who read my request didn't want to appear boastful or conceited by submitting a success story. While modesty is a good thing, is it possible to carry it too far? Does being modest mean we can't take pride in our own accomplishments? Does it mean we have to hide our success? No. There is a very big difference between sharing our success and bragging about it. Braggers try to make themselves appear better than others and put themselves up on a pedestal, while people who share their success in a genuine way strive to inspire others. By sharing our successes, we encourage people to make their own success stories! We demonstrate that it is indeed possible to be successful working from home. What a gift that is!
You may be surprised to learn the actual definition of Success: 1) a favorable result; 2) the gaining of wealth, fame, etc. Most of us use the second definition more often than the first. But take a close look at that first definition. A favorable result. How easy is it to attain a favorable result? Very! Just because your results may not be as large as you'd like them to be doesn't mean you're not successful. If you've attained ANY favorable results, you are a Success!
The most important aspect of success is believing we deserve it. So many of us struggle with worthiness issues. Some of us were told as children that we'd never amount to anything; we internalized that message and continue to carry it with us to this day. Others might be afraid to try because we've never felt quite "good enough." As soon as we start working toward our goals, self-doubts come creeping in and our inner critic starts harping at us: "Who are you kidding? You don't have what it takes to be successful. Just give it up and get a real job!" So we sabotage ourselves, create obstacles to block our way, and continue our never-ending quest for success.
The truth is, we will only be as successful as we ALLOW ourselves to be. The human mind has amazing power. Whatever we consistently tell ourselves is what we will create in our lives. If we don't believe we deserve success, we will avoid it (even though we trick ourselves into believing we're working toward it). If we tell ourselves we're not good enough, we will act in ways that prevent good things from happening to us. The good news is that this also works in reverse. If we tell ourselves we're successful, we will be. If we keep affirming that we're good enough, strong enough, capable enough, we will be. Think about the significance of that. It means it's ALL WITHIN OUR CONTROL. Whatever we want to be, we can.
Don't be afraid to embrace your success, no matter how small you perceive it to be. Remember, any favorable result equals Success!
About The Author
Wendy Betterini is a freelance writer, web designer and owner of http://www.CreativeWorkAtHome.com , a resource center for home business owners and telecommuters. Visit today for information on how to make your work at home experience successful.
When most of us dive into our first home business venture, we are filled with visions of wealth, comfort, security and freedom. We have a general idea of where we'd like to end up financially, and we work hard to get there. Some of us make it there quickly, while others may take a little longer. But at what point would we consider ourselves to be "successful?" Once we're earning a million dollars a year? Once we can afford that mansion we've had our eye on? Once we're wearing designer clothing? Of course, success means different things to different people.
Perhaps to you, success means earning a little extra money to help with household extras. To me it might mean earning more. To someone else, success might have nothing to do with money at all. They might strive for professional or personal accomplishments. The meaning of success can vary from person to person, as can our beliefs about what it takes to truly be successful.
I had an interesting experience last week. I submitted a request for work at home success stories to be featured on my website, and the response was quite surprising. Not one response. That's right, zero! I submitted this request to several popular work-at-home communities, and I purposely placed no restrictions on what "success" meant. I was quite surprised by the lack of response. Are there NO work at home successes out there? I don't believe that for a minute; I know there are many, MANY people working successfully from home. So why wouldn't they want to be featured? What could prevent them from believing they qualify as a "success story?"
Income - Many of us don't feel "successful" until we're raking in massive amounts of money and can afford to buy whatever we want without glancing at the price tag. While money is certainly one measure of success, it isn't the only one. Most of us have an idea of how much we'd like to be earning from our home businesses, but does it mean we're not successful until we reach that point? Of course not! We can be successful regardless of how much we earn. Just because you are earning $500 a month instead of $50,000 doesn't mean you're not a success. In order to earn $50,000, you must first earn $500!
Status - If we haven't quite reached the "level" we're striving for in our home businesses, we may not allow ourselves to feel like a success. "Once I get 1,000 customers, then I'll be successful," we say. Or once we get 100,000 subscribers to our newsletter, or hire our first employees. Whatever status we're trying to reach, we place requirements upon ourselves and won't consider ourselves successful until we meet them. The problem with this is that home businesses (or businesses in general) are not static. We don't just "get there" and then call it good. We will always be striving to gain more customers, recruit more agents, sell more products, earn more money, set goals and reach them. We will always be pushing ourselves to do more, be more. This is a good thing!
Perfectionism - We are so much harder on ourselves than we are on anyone else. Does one little thing keep you from feeling like a success? Perhaps you're earning as much as you want to with your home business, but there are also things you struggle with. Like organization, finances, or coming up with new ideas and seeing them through. Rather than thinking of yourself as successful, you allow those little things you don't do perfectly to hold you back. You berate yourself, "I would be successful if it wasn't for my messy filing system!" or "Will I ever learn how to do this right?" No one is perfect. We all have things we're good at, and other things we're not so good at. Accept that about yourself. It's really not important to do everything so perfectly. We can only do our best and have fun with it.
Modesty - It's true that no one likes a braggart. Perhaps the people who read my request didn't want to appear boastful or conceited by submitting a success story. While modesty is a good thing, is it possible to carry it too far? Does being modest mean we can't take pride in our own accomplishments? Does it mean we have to hide our success? No. There is a very big difference between sharing our success and bragging about it. Braggers try to make themselves appear better than others and put themselves up on a pedestal, while people who share their success in a genuine way strive to inspire others. By sharing our successes, we encourage people to make their own success stories! We demonstrate that it is indeed possible to be successful working from home. What a gift that is!
You may be surprised to learn the actual definition of Success: 1) a favorable result; 2) the gaining of wealth, fame, etc. Most of us use the second definition more often than the first. But take a close look at that first definition. A favorable result. How easy is it to attain a favorable result? Very! Just because your results may not be as large as you'd like them to be doesn't mean you're not successful. If you've attained ANY favorable results, you are a Success!
The most important aspect of success is believing we deserve it. So many of us struggle with worthiness issues. Some of us were told as children that we'd never amount to anything; we internalized that message and continue to carry it with us to this day. Others might be afraid to try because we've never felt quite "good enough." As soon as we start working toward our goals, self-doubts come creeping in and our inner critic starts harping at us: "Who are you kidding? You don't have what it takes to be successful. Just give it up and get a real job!" So we sabotage ourselves, create obstacles to block our way, and continue our never-ending quest for success.
The truth is, we will only be as successful as we ALLOW ourselves to be. The human mind has amazing power. Whatever we consistently tell ourselves is what we will create in our lives. If we don't believe we deserve success, we will avoid it (even though we trick ourselves into believing we're working toward it). If we tell ourselves we're not good enough, we will act in ways that prevent good things from happening to us. The good news is that this also works in reverse. If we tell ourselves we're successful, we will be. If we keep affirming that we're good enough, strong enough, capable enough, we will be. Think about the significance of that. It means it's ALL WITHIN OUR CONTROL. Whatever we want to be, we can.
Don't be afraid to embrace your success, no matter how small you perceive it to be. Remember, any favorable result equals Success!
About The Author
Wendy Betterini is a freelance writer, web designer and owner of http://www.CreativeWorkAtHome.com , a resource center for home business owners and telecommuters. Visit today for information on how to make your work at home experience successful.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
If a Good Muslim Can't Be a Good American, Neither Can a Good Fundamentalist Christian Be One
Recently someone came up with an explanation as to why someone of the Islamic faith cannot possible be a good American. This is in response to that ignorance. The writer asks..
"Can a good Muslim be a good American?" In doing so, he sets himself up for a fall.
"Consider the following:" And of the Christian Fundamentalist, consider the following as well.
"Theologically - no. Because his allegiance is to Allah, the moon god of Arabia."
And of the Christian Fundamentalist...Theologically- NO Because his allegiance is to God, the Sun God of Egypt. This is why God is Most High (At Noon), Jesus can be seen as an archetype Son of the Sun God and the Gospels are the account of a one year trip of the Sun Jesus through the signs of the Zodiac, and I ain't kiddn! The origin all gods in the human psyche is the SUN and all that it does for humans. This is why in the Old Testament it says in Malachi that the "sun will rise with healing in his wings," which is statement about the messiah to come. In Revelation, Jesus is also called the "son of the morning star," which of course is the SUN, or the Planet Venus depending. Long story. Don't sweat Allah the moon god.
"Religiously - no. Because no other religion is accepted by his Allah except Islam (Quran, 2:256)"
And of the Christian Fundamentalist...Religiously- NO Because "there is no other name under heaven, (Jesus) by which a man can be saved. There is one true Christian Church and whoever believes on the name of the Lord..Jesus Christ, shall be saved, while others are condemned. Fundamentalist Christians do NOT accept any other religious beliefs as valid to theirs, so no difference here.
"Scripturally - no. Because his allegiance is to the five pillars of Islam and the Quran (Koran)."
And of the American Fundamentalist...Scripturally NO because his allegiance is to the Ten Pillars of Christianity, which they tend to modify according to the need, and the Bible, which is neither always historically accurate nor inerrant, no matter what they say! There is nothing in America that says you have to be a Bible believing Christian to be a true American. It is freedom of religion here...all religions. If Fundamentalists have their way, we might all want to amend the Bill of Rights to say "freedom FROM religion."
"Geographically - no. Because his allegiance is to Mecca, to which he turns in prayer five times a day."
And of the American Fundamentalist...Geographically No because his mental allegiance is to Jerusalem, Israel and the Holy Land at least twice a week, about which they talk all the time as if they have ever been there, know the real history of, or think they would be welcome. Millions of Christian Americans have a soft spot for Rome too...
"Socially - no. Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews."
And of the Christian Fundamentalist...Socially NO because his allegiance to Christianity forbids him to make friends with "the world" (love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, whoever loves the world, the love of the father is not in him.") Paul cursed the Jews in the New Testament, and hoped they'd cut their private parts if they wanted to be circumcised. Martin Luther , a Christian, taught they should be killed like pigs. Lots of places in NT tell the church to have no relationships outside the church. including not being "unequally yoked with unbelievers."
"Politically - no. Because he must submit to the mullah (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and Destruction of America, the great Satan."
And of the Christian Fundamentalist...Politically No because he must submit to the ministry, ( "obey those that have the rule over you, {ministers}, for they watch out for your souls"). Many Fundamentalist Christians teach and hope for the annihilation of everyone outside of Israel. Christians often attribute anything against them as of the Great Satan Christian fundamentalists call Roman Catholicism, the Great Whore, so don't sweat someone calling America or Washington the Great Satan. Paul cursed anyone who did not believe his true gospel and called the people of Crete, liars. Jesus is said to have said the Pharisees were "of your Father the Devil." Name calling envoking the name of Satan to define the enemy is a fundamentalist art form. It's what you do when you are afraid of the unknown.
"Domestically - no. Because he is instructed to marry four women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him (Quran 4:34)."
And of the Christian Fundamentalist...Domestically no because a fundamentalist Christian is instructed to marry only one which is his property, but cannot talk in church and can only ask her husband bible questions at home. A christian believes if you "beat (spank)a child with a rod, it won't kill him." Fundamentalist Christian women are to keep silence in the church, obey their husbands as unto the Lord, and call him "Lord" as did Sarah (all in NT). They are to give him sex as a part of her duty and submit. The Koran and the Bible sprang from the same culture, which few Fundamentalist Chrsitians realize or think about. In many respects the Taliban are to the Koran what the Fundamentalist Christians are to the Bible. PS...Lots of Fundamentalist Christian men abuse their wives with the word.
"Intellectually - no. Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt."
And of the Christian Fundamentalist...Intellectually no, because he can't accept that the American Constitution was NOT predicated on founding fundamentalist, Old Covenant believing Fathers. I would not use the word "intellectual" with Christian fundamentalists either, as critical thinking or the examining of evidence that runs contrary to their established belief system is not encouraged. This was called the Dark Ages in the European past.
"Philosophically - no. Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran do not allow freedom of religion and expression. Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist."
And of the Christian Fundamentalists...Philosophically no because Christianity, Jesus and the Bible do not allow freedom of religion if you take the Old and New Testaments as the only way to be or literally enforceable in our culture today. Fundamentalists look to the commands of "God" in the Old Testament, to kill unbelievers, just as much as they think Islamics do in reading the Koran. Fundamentalist would only tolerate Christian values, which can be atrocious at times, and morality, which can be appalling. True Democracy and Biblical Christianity cannot co exist either. Someone would insist on someone else losing their rights to free thought. "My Kingdom is not of this world, if my kingdom was of this world, then would my servants fight," said Jesus in Matthew. No military solutions were encouraged by Jesus unless there was only one sword per 12 disciples allowed. Turn the other cheek, Love your enemies, don't slay them. Christian Fundamentalism is a good example of the mess you get when you mix Old Testament politics with New Testament sentiments, thinking it takes both to make up a proper Christian text. It's old wine in new wineskins.
"Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic."
And of the Christian Fundamentalist...Every Christian Fundamentalist government is either dictatorial or autocratic too. This statement shows the ignorance of whoever made it up. The Christian Kings of Europe didn't do to badly in the dictatorial or autocratic department, and might we mention the Popes?
"Spiritually - no. Because when we declare "one nation under God," the Christian's God is loving and kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to as heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in The Quran's 99 excellent names."
And of the Christian Fundamentalists...Spiritually no because the God and Jesus of the Book of Revelation drowns the world in blood, plagues, signs, trumpets, vials and slaughter. The Christian Jesus is loving but no one does what he really says as it really is too hard. The Christian God the father is absent mostly, but is angry, jealous, and is patterned after the war gods of paganism every bit as much. I suggest a good read of Karen Armstrongs. History of God. The Fundamentalist Christian God is 'loving" only to the degree you obey and fall in line. If not, you are toast just as with any other "god" The Jesus of the Gospels is NOT the same being in the book of Revelation. The fundy Jesus comes back with a Rod of Iron to threaten and beat the poop out of those that don't obey and love God #1 the father and God # 2 himself...we won't get into God #3. Monotheism is basically divisive by nature, even if the one God is three, co-this and co-that.
"Therefore after much study and deliberation.... perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS in this country. They obviously cannot be both "good" Muslims and good Americans. Call it what you wish.... it's still the truth."
And of Christian Fundamentalists..Therefore after much study and deliberation..perhaps we should all be very suspicious of ALL, and I Mean ALLLLLLLL Christians in this country. They obviously can't be both good Christians and Good Americans. Call it what you will, it's still the truth.
Side note: Whoever actually came up with this ignorant and insane list of reasons why an Islamic cannot be a good American is deluded, ignorant, self absorbed, mistaken, misinformed and the reason we'll end up with nothing but a sanitation problem to fix and where will we be then? Actually they are FunnyMentalists, which was nicely coined by someone recently.
"If you find yourself intellectually in agreement with the above statements, perhaps you will share this with your friends. The more who understand this, the better it will be for our country and our future."
Actually if you find yourself in agreements with the above statements about why a Muslim cannot be a good American, you will have to also conclude that neither can a good Christian fundamentalist be one.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
5 Steps to Finacial Freedom
Singapore's Self-Made Millionaire Teaches The 5 Steps To Financial Wisdom
Singapore's Self-Made Millionaire Adam Khoo teaches you the 5 steps to financial wisdom... If he can do it as a broke guy who barely passed high school, you can too.
1. When hiring a person to work for you, hire one who is more knowledgeable in the position you intend to hire him/her for. Make sure your employees are SMARTER THAN YOU ARE! This way, you will have less worry if they are able to perform the job. You get to learn from them, and you’ll have more time to attend to other ventures. As long as you compensate them well, EVERYTHING should be fine, so don't worry about being "taken over" or anything silly like that.
2. Changes that involve bargains can spell p-r-o-f-i-t. Take for example in a supermarket where there is a “sale.” People’s most likely reaction is to buy and stock up. It is normal reaction but peculiar when analyzed. In the stock market, when there is a price crash, people tend to shy away. This is contrary to what happens in the supermarket. Why?
Perhaps, we will never know. On the other hand, when prices in a supermarket go up, people shy away. Again, in the stock market, when prices go up, people start buying which shouldn’t be the case.
3. Financial knowledge is knowing the difference between assets and liability.
Well.
Go ahead.
Look it up. Dictionary.com. I will wait.
Actually, an asset or a liability depends on the PERSPECTIVE. What you think is an asset, could be a liability to another person. As mentioned before, anything you own that earns is an asset; otherwise, it is a liability.
4. Oftentimes, we stick to the conventional way of doing business: “This is the way it is done here.” For all we know, the conventional way might not be the best way. Look at it another way, the unconventional way. It could save money, and money saved is money made. In other words, although it is a cliche of sorts...THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX!
5. High emotions (fear included) can sometimes cripple financial knowledge. Do not let your financial ability submit to your emotions. Similarly, making financial decisions without proper training on finances is disastrous.
Money comes and goes. But unlike money, financial knowledge stays. The nourishment it needs to stay keen is to keep it accurate and up-to-date.
If you feel like you’re being pushed around, stay smart, exercise self-discipline, and keep updated.
The basics of financial knowledge should have been taught in school; instead you learned how to sit down, be quite, and take notes. This explains why the poor and middle class comprise the majority of the populace with its gap from the rich ever widening.
If a person winds up with a lot of cash without financial ability, this person is bound to find his/her money gone soon. TRUST ME, it's happened to me already and I'm only 24! We’ve heard of athletes who earned millions during their prime and movie stars who amassed untold fortunes only to grow old broke.
Having financial knowledge is truly vital to maintain and grow your wealth.
Ben Rosario is an aspiring entrepreneur and NLP enthusiast residing in South Texas. He hopes you appreciated the contents of this article. For more info, please visit:
Book Review
The Five Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me-
Richard Paul Evans possesses the ability to simplify important ideas to make them easy to understand. He applies that ability to the lessons that he has learned over the years about creating wealth. Evans has also demonstrated the ability to clearly tell a story and that ability is also applied to the subject of creating wealth. The result is the very informative and easily understandable book, “The Five Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me.â€
This is a good self help book about some basic principles of creating wealth and what to do with it once it has been created. Evans introduces the topic with some personal stories from his childhood and how the lessons affected his attitude toward building wealth in his life. The next five chapters reveal the five lessons that he learned about wealth building, lessons which Evans wishes to pass along to others.
One of the teaching techniques in the book that I appreciated was Evans’s wise choice of quotations from noted wealthy people. The quotes were used to introduce topics that Evans wished to discuss and also to create a conclusion to topics that were well covered.
Evans talks about the creation of and growth of a nest egg throughout the book. I enjoyed the way he solidified the concept when he suggested that a person should purchase some precious metals such as silver or gold coins. The lesson is that the physical possession of these precious metal pieces keeps a person focused on their progress toward their financial goals.
The longest chapter, which has also proved to be the most popular chapter, is the chapter about the concept of winning in the margins. Evans does not define the concept but illustrates it with a handful of real life stories that are very effective. In this chapter Evans talks about four different mindsets that help to focus one’s mentality toward wealth. Evans also talks about his favorite question, seven golden words which helps to create a winning margin in many financial transactions; “Is that the best you can do?â€
One of my favorite sentences in the book comes during a discussion of the idea that sincere gratitude for what one has will serve as an antidote to the problem caused by our tendency to over consume. Evans says, “Those who forget to be grateful for what they have often waste their lives and wealth looking for more.â€
Evans concludes the five lessons with a discussion of the opportunity that the creation of wealth provides for us to give back to others. Evans says, “Ultimately, the most honorable and enjoyable use of money is in serving others.†He wisely says, “Hoarding wealth will make your life small and cold. Giving will warm and expand it.â€
Evans includes a call to action by challenging the reader to teach the five lessons to someone they know within 24 hours and to share the book with others. When it comes to creating wealth and sharing it, Evans points out that it is never too late to start.
“The Five Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me About Life and Wealth†by Richard Paul Evans, published by Aurcadia Press. ISBN 1-930817-16-9.
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Garry Gamber is a public school teacher and entrepreneur. He writes articles about politics, real estate, home businesses, poetry, and books. He is the owner of Good Politics Radio Alaska and a BookWise information lens on Squidoo.
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