Myths of Strengths and Weaknesses

The following is more information that resulted from my good Friend Mr. Jay Niblick's The Genius Project. The findings are pretty astounding. The implications are even greater!

The Myths of Strengths and Weaknesses

There is a myth about strengths and weaknesses, which states that we all possess them naturally. In reality, we don't. No human possesses any single weaknesses. What we do possess are natural talents and non-talents. Now don't get him wrong, he's not one of those that think it is too negative to tell someone they have a weakness and wants to call them "opportunities for development". He actually hates this term because more often than not it supports the incorrect view that one can fix a weakness by developing natural talents. If one of his clients is suffering from a weakness he tells them so straight up, but the key is that this weaknesses isn't natural, it is manufactured. Weaknesses and strengths don't exist naturally, only talents and non-talents do. If, however, one relies on a non-talent, they turn it into a weakness. Likewise, if one doesn't rely on my talents, they are never a strength for them.

In other words, you are ultimately in control of your strengths and weaknesses. Granted you have to work with the potential strengths you have, in the form of what natural talents you possess, but it is totally up to you as to whether you allow yourself to be dependent on a non-talent - or try to rely on a talent. You may be born with talents and non-talents, and there is nothing you can do about that, but you are in charge of whether those talents and non-talents become strengths and weaknesses. If you allow your success to depend on your talents, you create a strength. If you allow your success to depend on your non-talents, you create a weakness.

This might seem like he's talking about some minor difference of semantics, but I assure you that this is much more than a simple play on words. Understanding this concept requires a total change of perspective. Most people buy into the myth that they possess their strengths and weaknesses and fail to understand that they don't actually possess them, they create them. The power is theirs as to whether they exist or not.

The key is how you apply yourself, and the impact of this understanding is incredibly important because once you realize that you create your strengths and weaknesses, you realize that you are in control. You realize that you don't have to suffer from weaknesses which were given to you and about which you can do nothing. You are in control because while you definitely have non-talents, nothing in the universe states that you have to depend on them and if you don't depend on them, then they aren't weaknesses now are they? Make sense? Both talents and non-talents are only "potential". Natural talents are only potential strengths and non-talents are only potential weaknesses. The thing that controls how these potentials turn out is how you apply yourself.

If one fail because of their weaknesses, it is their own fault. Not because they didn't fix their weaknesses, but because they allowed their success to depend on my non-talents. They created a scenario where their weaknesses outweighed their strengths. Either way, the control lies with them and no one else.

Geniuses understand this. Their locus of control lies internally within them. They know that they are the only ones responsible for whether they benefit from strengths or suffer from weaknesses. They manage to turn potential strengths into actual strengths by relying on their natural talents and they manage to leave potential weaknesses as just that - potential weakness. They do not allow their success to become dependent on their non-talents, which would manufacture a weakness. Their primary focus is on maximizing their dependence on talents and minimizing their dependence on non-talents. Peter Drucker said, "your job is to make the strengths of your people effective and their weaknesses irrelevant." While obviously influenced by the industrial era mindset, because he's talking to management not the individual, the message is none-the-less spot on. The key is the focus on minimizing dependence on weaknesses, not eliminating them.

Geniuses don't have more talents than anyone else. They are just as flawed and imperfect in their natural abilities as the next man. Geniuses don't have fewer non-talents, they just have fewer weaknesses because they are very aware of their non-talents and they do a damn good job of not depending on them. To quote Dr. Marshall Goldsmith again, "there are a whole lot of things I stink at Jay. I just make sure I don't have to do them to be successful." The level of success these Geniuses achieve is hard to argue with. They achieve significantly more success with less effort, while finding more passion, satisfaction and happiness.

The Numbers

From a pure statistical perspective, Geniuses are quite rare but they significantly outperform the non-geniuses across the board. The percentage of 5th level performers in the study was only 9% of the total population (n=300,000+) but the difference in their results was astonishing:

The most successful people outperformed the next closest level not by 10 times, nor by 100 times, but by as much as 1,000 times in some cases

The average level of self-awareness for the 5th level performers in the study was 92% compared to 62% for the 4th level performers and less than 47% for the 1st through 3rd level performers

Those who were 5th level performers had levels of authenticity that were 91% versus the levels of authenticity seen in the 4th level performers of 79% and in the 1st through 3rd level performers who were at 63%

The differences between the level of self-awareness and degree of authenticity, and the correlation of these two factors with performance, make a very compelling argument for

The data showed us that there is a direct and positive correlation between the levels of awareness you have for your own abilities, the degree to which you are authentic to them and your overall level of performance. These data showed that those who performed at the lower levels had lower levels of self-awareness and authenticity. The higher people were in performance the greater their level of self-awareness and authenticity became. The great news about this is that self-awareness and authenticity are acquired talents and as things you can develop - you can develop your ability to reach the 5th level of performance AKA The Genius Level.

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

Finding Homes Using the Internet - Home Shopping

You can simply type the words real estate or homebuying into any search engine on the World Wide Web and you will come up with hundreds, maybe even thousands of websites that are extremely helpful and full of great information. Like the one you're on right now.

Finding homes with the internet, combined with a skilled real estate salesperson, provides you with the most effective technology available today. Most websites start out, having you select a state you would like to search in and then, select a city, with your price range.

By answering their questions, this narrows the search down to all of the homes available in the area. The internet has made home shopping very simple. Considering what you had to go through in the 1970s. You found a realtor or by looking in the yellow pages, sometimes you found a good realtor and if you are lucky, maybe you would find you a good home.

Most of the time, the first homes you would look at, were owned by the real estate professional you were working with.

There are however a couple of problems with using the internet to find your dream home. Some of the verbage used and photographs taken can create a wonderful illusion of a tropical paradise but the reality, it's a regular home in a decent neighborhood.

Some of these photos are taken by skilled photographers who take advantage of every angle and tend to give an illusion of grander. When you actually start driving around and looking at these homes, only then will you get a reality check, of what the home actually looks like. You'll get used to it.

After you've looked at a few of your future dream homes, you will get a better idea of what I'm talking about with these wonderful pictures and the extraordinary home descriptions like "Beautiful Three Bedroom House with an Ocean View." When reality it's a two-bedroom house with an extra closet for the third bedroom and the ocean is 45 miles away, but you can see it on a clear day if you actually climb to the top of the largest tree on the property.

Take your time when searching for your dream home and don't let any one push you into making a decision if you're not ready. If you find your real estate professional a little too aggressive or pushy, get out of your contract, if you've signed one and find another, more helpful real estate salesperson to help you with your home purchase.

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.

Find other real estate tips and great advice, from another one of the Internet's best website creators.

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Making Rejection Work for You in Your Creative Life

No matter what your art form or field of expression: visual arts, performing arts, or writing--one thing is for certain: you will encounter rejection. When you do, what is the most healthy and useful way to respond? Eden Maxwell, author of "An Artist Empowered" offers these suggestions:

1. Know why you are an artist.

2. Know your purpose and the value of your process.

3. View rejection as a mirror that reveals truth about your dedication.

4. Confront yourself and this moment of awareness.

5. Use rejection as a moment of awareness, not a pool in which to drown.

6. Stay focused on results, but unattached to the results of your efforts.

7. A daily spiritual practice helps you keep life, art, and rejection in perspective.

Eden expands here on these seven suggestions.

Janet: Eden, talk about your approach to rejection in the arts. How does this relate to your spiritual practice?

Eden: As a writer and a painter, I have been on the receiving end of both acceptance and rejection and each has its own set of issues. It all comes back full circle to the core question: Why am I an artist?

If you know your purpose and the value of your process, then nothing will deter you from your mission, your dharma.

Janet: What is the true purpose of rejection, in your view?

Eden: Rejection, as it turns out, isn't the bane most artists believe it is; rejection is a mirror that reveals truth about your dedication; you are compelled to confront your own self and that is a moment of awareness.

Janet: How can the creative person learn from rejection?

Eden: If you are to learn from rejection, use the experience as a moment of reflection, not a pool in which to drown.

Should my art be rejected, I understand that if they could see it, could appreciate it, then they would. Also, a rejection from an anonymous party is no cause for faltering. I have seen great art ignored, and mediocre embraced.

Janet: How can the artist balance the need to have goals and yet to hold these goals lightly?

Eden: Having goals is good; wanting to share your unique gift is good; making art is good. Keeping these desires in mind, I also realize that getting attached to any outcome is a self-made prison. Releasing your attachment to an outcome frees you to see other opportunities.

I strive to have no attachment in how a particular outcome manifests. I work; I create; I have faith in fulfilling my dharma; and my evolving strength tells me the Universe is handling the details.

So, no matter what is happening, I focus on the true goal, and the goal is this: understanding.

Visit Janet Grace Riehl's blog "Riehl Life: Village Wisdom for the 21st Century" at http://www.riehlife.com for more thoughts and information about making connections through the arts, across cultures, generations, and within the family. You can also read sample poems and other background information from "Sightlines: A Poet's Diary" on Janet's website.

Mental Fitness - Social Stress - Contributory Factors

In relation to mental health, it was estimated ten years ago in our country, that one in six people in the community suffered from anxiety, depression and other symptoms. Now in 2008 the proportion has risen to one in four.

Statistics also tell us that one in four will get cancer, one in four will suffer heart disease, and another one in four will suffer from kidney disease, leaving a small quarter of the population to contract and die from other complaints!

Faced with this, it is difficult for us to have an attitude other than that of real concern. We are all affected by a social climate where such information increases our disease awareness and strengthens the evidence that we are living in a very unhappy society under stress.

We would all like to avoid suffering. But it is the increase of mental diseases that causes us real pessimism about our own chances to avoid not only physical disease but the possibility that we may need psychotherapy and treatment for mental disorders.

We are wise to be cautious about this relatively uncharted field of healing. Although earlier, primitive methods have been replaced by chemical drugs, but this method that produces side effects, incurs the additional risk of addiction.

Through the press we hear of many serious health concerns in the community including the general lack of mental fitness. Our anxiety is intensified by hearing of all the disasters, violence and unnatural crimes committed in environments that are suffering mental pollution.

Our young people have an unfortunate example before them, of their potential future if they live expecting to suffer the same with a final loss of dignity should they lose their mental faculties or suffer mental disease in their last years.

There is a need to focus upon building health naturally. We need to eradicate the poisonous ingredients and pollutants in the environment. We need also to re-constitute our ideas and principles of our culture to exemplify a civilized way of life, else all of us are likely to be deprived of any joyful anticipation of a future as a happy, healthy and stress-free society where mental fitness is the norm.

Sally Janssen is an writer and educator who from an early age trained in Raja Yoga--that branch of the ancient science that deals with the mind and its complexities. She subsequently gained an international reputation for her skills and her wisdom in the training of the mind.

In her wonderfully readable book entitled Mental Fitness: The Complete Self-help Guide she presents simple, self-help practices that help to generate and maintain mental fitness just as the natural principles for physical fitness can be personally applied by us all.. The book may be found here: http://www.mentalhealthandfitness.com This is a must-read book for us all. You can also visit her blog at http://www.mentalhealthandfitness.com/blog

10 Significant Tips For Positive Thinking

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle by positive thinking will help you to neutralize negative thoughts, develop positive affirmations, build self-image and confidence in yourself and achieve success in life. There are situations sometimes which may find that your career is not going in the proper direction and your income is not according to your expectations.

This situation is worse, if you find that your career even after trying many is not generating desired results. In such hard times habit of positive thinking can help you to fill your mind with good and productive thoughts which will give you peace of mind. Then why not to use God's precious gift to create true happiness in life?

You must have observed that when you wish to do something creative in your life, and if you think that 'I can't do this', it is sure that you will not! But when you say that ' I can do this', automatically, your job becomes easy and also gets over soon. This is called positive attitude. 'I Can do this' is the secret.

Most of us talk to ourselves and 90% of it is negative. We do this in our bad times just due to fear or frustration. It is possible to overcome such situations by way of positive thinking.

There are 10 ways to do positive thinking:

1. Discover the amazing power of Positive thinking.
2. Develop the habit of thinking positive only.
3. Find out why particular thing is not working.
4. Never lose confidence.
5. Efforts and hard work changes worst situations.. Think it will work for you too.
6. Maintain friendly relations with others.
7. Request someone to help you in times of crisis.
8. Find ways to change adverse situations. Never give up.
9. Practice techniques of 'Meditation' to get control over your body and soul.
10. Think that your best time is yet to come and it will.

Occupy your mind with pleasant, and productive thoughts. Just concentrate on the positive thoughts. This way negative thoughts will automatically begin to drop or you will never mind them. Remember those people are successful who work with spirit and excitement. If you check with history, you will find that positive thinking has produced wonders in life and have given a major contribution towards human progress.

Pankaj Mistry is a freelance professional copywriter and content developer. He has won couple of awards for his concepts and themes for various topics. You can contact him at: artystry@hotmail.com

Repairing a Leaking Toilet

Let me explain how a toilet works. First when you go to flush the toilet a little arm pulls a rubber flapper up and lets the water drain into the toilet bowl. The water draining into the toilet bowl forces the old water out along with the number two or number one waste and extremities.

If the toilet sounds like it is running there is a good chance that the seal between the rubber flapper and the plastic rain at the bottom of the toilet is broken somehow. The sound you are hearing is water running around this ring and in to the toilet bowl.

This leak is actually causing no damage to the toilet itself but is wasting water. Hence the water bill will be a little higher if you don't fix the leaking toilet. The best way to find out if this is actually your problem is to take the toilet tank lid off. Then stick your hand down into the toilet bowl and press gently on the rubber flap.

If the water stops leaking or starts running faster this is your problem. Turn the water off to the toilet. There will be a shut off valve on the wall under your toilet bowl in the bathroom. After you turn the water off removed the plastic flap and examine it.

You will be looking for a warped toilet flap or of some sort or grooves on the flapper itself. Take the toilet flapper down to your local home improvement store and buy a new one. Go home and replace the new toilet flapper and this should solve 90% of your leaking toilet problems.

There is one more thing it could be. With the toilet tank lid off, check to see if water is overflowing into the little round plastic pipe. This plastic pipe should have a small hose running from the float valve assembly into it.

If the water is over flowing from the toilet tank into this little plastic pipe you will need to adjust the float.

First thing you will need to do is while the toilet is running lift up on the float lever arm. If the water stops you can simply bend the metal arm of the float lever. The purpose of bending the arm will force the float deeper into the water there for stopping the water from rising over the small tube in the center of your toilet.

There are few parts to a toilet and most parts can be purchased at your local hardware or home improvement centers. Toilet repairs like this can be made simple and the parts used to replace are inexpensive.

Happy Toilet Repairing.

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 House 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 Some Great Plumbing Ideas

Motivate Teenagers to Achieve

I think most of parents agree that the cause of their children's underachievement in school is often simply a lack of motivation. What can parents do to motivate their teens? Here are some ideas I want to share with you.

1. Be your teenager's supporter
Teenagers are different with young kids. A teenager wants to be treated like an "adult". I think "respecting your teenager "is the key to build a trust relationship between parents and your teens. Parents should give your teenagers as much support as you can, not control but guide your teens.

2. Expose your teenager to various ideas and areas
Sometimes a teenager lacks motivation because he or she hasn't yet been exposed to what might be a life passion. Look for different programs, give your teen a chance to try them, and keep an open mind, to help your teen to find his or her interests and passion.

3. Help your teenager make connection between schoolwork and his interests
Sometimes children lack motivation because they do not see a connection between the work they are being asked to do and their interests and goals. A teenager who wants to be a doctor should know that math and science is important in those jobs. Parents may give examples how these courses help.

4. Teach your teenager responsibility
Parents should try to make your teenager understand that freedom and power brings along some responsibilities. If your teen wants to make his or her decisions, the teen will have to take the responsibility for them.

5. Guide your teenager to find his or her goals
Individuals who have goals are highly motivated because they know what they want and work hard towards the goals. For most of teenagers, they do not know what they want to be yet, they are exploring and trying to find their values and believes and their future paths. They are usually driven by the sheer joy of participating in something they love now, and do not consider them in a long run. Parents should talk to your teens about things they enjoy right now and guide them to find what they believe about their life and set up their goals as soon as they can.

6. Set high expectations
High standards lead to high performance. If parents set clear goals and expectations for their teens and support them to achieve their goals, the teenagers become successful. This success motivates teens to feel fulfillment and do even better.

7. Use short-term goals and rewards
Sometimes a teenager gets overwhelmed by a large task and gives up before he or she even begins. Help your teen separate the task into a series of smaller tasks. Make each small task a goal and try to setting an age-appropriate reward for that goal may help.

8. Help your teenager learn to manage time
When they start school, some children usually had few problems keeping up with school work because they could learn quickly and easily, so they did not get chance to learn to manage their time in order to get work done. After they become teenagers, they face more challenge tasks, they may feel overwhelmed by the work they need to complete and do not know how to set time aside to complete their tasks. Teaching your teenager how to create and use a time-management schedule will be helpful.

These are 8 Ways to motivate teenagers. As parents, we should be good models as well. Think positively, learn and make progress constantly lifelong. Keep ourselves motivated, then we can motivate our children more effectively.

Cana has a PhD and passion on education. She believes that Kids Are our Future, she is focusing on cross-culture parenting and education. The motivation for her is to learn and explore some parenting and educational issues in order to help children to achieve in the global society.

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Priming the Passion Pump

Clarifying your life purpose is a team effort between your rational and intuitive minds. The following exercise is an effective way to combine these two powerful resources to help you move forward toward a life on purpose. Engaging in the following questions utilizes your memory and your rational nature to prime the pump, making it easier to access the intuitive or creative nature. Write down your responses in a journal, adding whatever comes to you as you are writing. Asking people who know and support you what they see about you in regards to these questions will add grist to the mill.

What do you love to do? When have you felt most alive, excited, in love with life? What were you doing during those moments? Who were you with? Ask people who know you when theyve noticed you most alive and enthusiastic.

What kind of people do you love to be with? Answer this both specifically (specific people) and in general (types of people you enjoy). What are some of the things you could do in your life that would give you the opportunity to spend more time with these people?

If money, time, energy, and talent were unlimited, what would you do with your life and who would you be? If its difficult to imagine any of these being unlimited, make a note of this. Then, let go of that concern and continue the exercise.

Who are some people that you greatly admire? These may be celebrities, people from history, family members, or friends. What is it about them that you admire? Is it a way of being, or a set of values, or what they do in life? Be as specific as you can.

What values are most important to you? Its important to distinguish between the values you think you should feel are important and the ones you choose of your own free will.

2003 Brad Swift of Life On Purpose Institute, Inc.
This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article and this resource box are included.

Dr. Brad Swift founded Life On Purpose Institute in 1996 with the vision of creating a World On Purpose by assisting people like yourself to clarify their life purpose & live true to it. Determine how on or off purpose your life is with the fun & insightful Self Test at: http://lifeonpurpose.com/_forms/self-test.php?source=ezart Inspire yourself with a fr.ee subscription to Purposeful Pondering Ezine: http://lifeonpurpose.com/index.php?dir=_ezines&task=view-ezines

Getting Your Mojo Back

Motivation can be defined as momentum that stimulates action. It comes from within you. Nobody can "make" you be motivated. It's up to you. So, how do you keep your motivation on a daily basis, and especially during these economically hard times?

First, let's go there and talk about where LACK of motivation comes from and how it manifests itself into your life. Lack of motivation is usually caused by fear and lack of self-confidence. I've seen this so many times when working with under-producing sales professionals. Maybe you've been on a roll. Sales have been great. You've been the "golden players" on the sales team. Maybe you're struggling just to get out of the gate.

All of a sudden somebody or many people say "no." The economic climate changes. You lose a client or maybe more. Prospects dry up. Fear begins to set in about job performance, money, etc. If you are being highly scrutinized because of falling sales, fear and self-confidence set in and begin to spin out of control.

Fear and lack of self-confidence will paralyze you from doing what you need to do to move forward. Where there is fear and lack of self-confidence, there cannot possibly be motivation.

Ok. Enough of that! We all know what LACK of motivation can do. But when you're down there, how to get up again? How do you keep your self-motivated day after day in a tough marketplace full of competition and rejection?

Let me give you 4 steps to recover your motivation, get out of the rut and get your "Mojo" back!

1. Make A List: When you've fallen into a slump you might feel as though you're at the bottom looking up ad you can't dig yourself out. Your thoughts are spinning about all the things you should do, and need to do. It's impossible to figure out what to do and how to do it when your head is spinning! Make a list. Sit down someplace quiet, breathe and write down everything that is spinning around up there. After you've made the list you can then start to prioritize. If sales are down and you need to make 10 sales, the goal is to make sale. Notice I said "a sale" not 10, not 2, not 6. ONE. Whatever your goal is, chunk it out into smaller, more reasonable pieces that will give you success quickly. When you succeed at the first goal that success will spur you on to the next.

2. Post Your Goal: Make your first goal real by putting in front of you. Also, put a positive spin on your goal. Don't just write, "One Sale" or "I need to make one sale." Instead write something like, "I can make one sale." Then post ion your bathroom mirror, on your refrigerator, in your car, in your home office, etc etc. Make this goal your mantra.

3. Don't Quit! Make a list of 4 or 5 ways you can get to your goal. Who do you need to see? What referral do you need? Who in your network can you call on for help? Keep putting one foot ahead of the other, one step at a time. This is the most important step to get where you want to be.

4. Squash Negative Thoughts:. For every negative thought that pops into your head and runs around in there, identify where that thought comes from. For instance, if you are thinking, "I'm a loser."

Who said that to you? Why to you feel that way? When you've identified where the negative thought comes from, select an opposing thought to replace it. Instead of, "I'll never make my sales goal" think I will make my sales goal because sales is a numbers game I know I can win!

Remember that sales is a numbers game. By setting goals and being consistent your Mojo will return and not only will you make your sales goals, you'll beat them! You are a winner. Act as if you are!

Jill Freeman is a dynamic and motivational coach with over 20 years of sales, marketing and business development experience. She has been called "The Go-to Sales and Marketing Maven" by Stacey Kelly, founder and CEO of PM Squared in Houston TX. Jill is the founder of ROAR! Growing Your Business With Pride. She is a graduate of Eastern Mennonite University and holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Organizational Development. Jill lives in South Central PA with her husband and children. You can learn more about ROAR! by visiting http://www.roarcorps.com

Wishing For Riches - Self Help Tips

Anybody can wish for riches, and most people do, but only a few know that a definite plan, plus a burning desire for wealth, are the only dependable means of accumulating wealth.

This statement is at the beginning of Chapter 13 from the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill.

There are so many different methods, from so many different people, but most people don't know where to start, or plan their way to success.

I have heard some people mention the hardest part is actually starting, while others say you have to start somewhere, anywhere but start. Starting is usually the hardest part for most people, they get defeated by their own beliefs and of course never even start.

Fear of failure and fear of success, seem to be at the top of the list when thinking about starting a business. It's always been hard to imagine people being afraid to succeed, when this is what they seem to desire the most.

Wishing for riches can motivate you to start, thinking about the many different ways to succeed can motivate you to plan. A burning dire to succeed well often motivate you to start and create a plan eventually.

The key to creating wealth is developing habits and good daily habits performed over a lifetime, most of the time, will lead you to wealth beyond your wildest dream's. Sometimes this wealth is going to have nothing to do with money.

Get some books, talk to some people, watch some biographies about successful people throughout history, find out what they did and start paving your own trail. But you're going to have to start somewhere.

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.

Planning Your Bathroom Remodel Budget - Home Improvement Ideas

As a bathroom remodeling contractor, I get calls from people, that have no idea what they want or how much anything is going to cost. Here's some simple tips that can be very helpful when planning a bathroom remodel budget.

Bathroom Remodeling Investment

In 2008, the average mid-range bathroom cost around $16,000 and you could recoup around $12,000 of your original investment upon the sale of your home. According to a popular remodeling magazine, larger bathrooms using expensive fixtures, tile, bathtubs, woodworking, toilets and showers had an average of $52,000. Upon the sale of a home, you could recoup around $36,000 of your original investment.

Finding out How Much Things Cost

My first suggestion, would be to visit your local home improvement center, lumber yard or plumbing supply warehouse. Larger stores like Home Depot and Lowe's, seemed to provide you with value pricing but don't have a large selection. While doing some research on the Internet I noticed that some of their pricing is outrageously, outrageous. Some plumbing supply warehouses can provide value but beware others won't.

Create a List of Bathroom Remodeling Parts

You can get a good idea of your bathroom remodel costs for your budget by making a list of bathroom parts with pricing and then adding them up for a grand total. If you're a total bathroom remodel budget is $15,000 and you have a $6,000 bathtub with $4000 worth of tile, you could have a budget problem.

Figuring out the Labor

You will have to contact a contractor to get an actual cost for the labor. Sometimes you can double the cost of your bathroom remodeling parts to get a rough idea. If you have a list or a couple of lists and a few pictures of some sample bathrooms, this will make the contractor's job easier and often they can give you a labor price within a few days.

Give Yourself a Cushion

I would suggest leaving yourself a small financial cushion for any additional remodeling items. For example, you could see a different toilet, or instead of painting the walls, you now choose to wallpaper, you could incur additional expenses that you haven't planned for. If you know exactly what you want and stick to the original bathroom remodeling plan, you shouldn't need the cushion.

Financial problems often transfer into construction problems, so spend some time figuring out, how much money you want to spend on the bathroom remodel and try not to go overboard on the budget. I hate to see homeowners struggling with home improvement loan payments. Try to create a bathroom remodeling budget that is realistic and will not create a financial burden upon you or your family.

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.

The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle

Jim Rohn has been writing and speaking on success for over 40 years. He has been called America's Foremost Business Philosopher. He does not disappoint in his little book, The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle.

For those familiar with Rohn's work the themes and stories in this book will be mostly familiar. Even if you have heard Rohn speak you will benefit from reading this book.

Rohn approaches success through five factors, or pieces of the puzzle. They are Philosophy, Attitude, Activity, Results and Lifestyle.

Jim Rohn's chapter on Philosophy can be summed up in his quote: To have more we must first become more". He teaches that we make our own future. Like many other authors of note he stresses taking responsibility for our lives. He teaches that to have more we must be more. He reminds us to work on ourselves first and foremost to make ourselves more valuable in the market place and to achieve more. He then takes the reader down a road teaching how you can and should improve yourself so you can be more.

In his chapter on Attitude he stresses the importance of our attitude in all things. He teaches the value of being present, of learning from the past, and of applying those lessons to the future. He teaches how to plan for the future building on the lessons learned in Philosophy.

In Activity he tells us that no matter how well we plan and how clever we are if we do not act on our plans no progress can occur. All achievement is the product of our action. He stresses the need for sound planning and discipline.

In Results he discusses the measurement of what we do to learn how to improve on our results. He then discusses the importance of expanding our capacity and improving our results.

In Lifestyle Rohn points out that you do not need to be rich or powerful to enjoy life and live with a touch of class. He gives good examples of this and how to enjoy life without the need for conspicuous consumption.

In his conclusion Rohn discusses the importance of a sense of urgency in what we do. Our time is limited and our opportunities are numbered. He stresses that we must exploit that time and opportunity for once it passes it is lost. He also compares the level of success of those who have a sense of urgency with those who do not.

In these 121 short pages Jim Rohn teaches many of the most important principles of success and achievement. This little book is worth its weight in gold.

1991 Jim Rohn
Dickinson Press Inc.
Southlake, Texas

Daniel R. Murphy -- helping people build wealth through self education and development. For more Free Special Reports and other information leading to personal success and financial independence visit http://www.books2wealth.com.

Check out what we have to offer. Sign up for the free ezine, Creating True Wealth, bringing you book reviews and helpful articles twice per month to help you build wealth, manager your time and achieve success. You will secure your future through your continued education and self improvement.

Spreading the Good Word of God Gently

The other day I was walking through the park when I saw a man, an extremely large man reading the Bible. I was minding my own business like I normally do in full observation mode, just simply enjoying life. When what I thought was a tree reading the Bible, moved and scared the crap out of me. This man was about 6'9" and look like he played professional football but when he spoke it was nonthreatening and very gentle.

Have you read the Bible he said. I thought to myself, you have got to be kidding me. Couldn't this person have been smaller and what's he going to do when I tell him that I have but no longer follow Christianity. I liked my face and the rest of my body, should I lie to this man to save my own life or would he be understanding about my beliefs.

I threw the dice out on the table and told him that I have read the Bible and do not believe it is the word of God, the Creator of the universe. I explained to him that, there is a lot of useful information and some wonderful stories in the Bible but that it could not completely be proven as factual information. I continued to explain to him that there was a lot of information in the Bible that contradicted itself and some that simply wasn't true.

He sat back down on the park bench and asked me to join him. I couldn't resist as I always have enjoyed talking about religion and ready to learn something about this man and why he is a Christian. He started to tell me about some recent events that have happened in his life, some bad, some worse and of course some that he didn't want to talk about. However, he did mention a trip to church a few Sundays ago that changed his life.

I was happy for him that he had found peace but explained to him that he is extremely vulnerable to anything right now that can make a little sense out of his life. Be careful I told him, because you could get caught up in something that feels and sounds good, only to find out later in life, that you have questions about Christianity that can't be answered.

I had a very pleasant conversation with this person and I believe he appreciated a few of the points I made. When people are down and out and their lives seem to be really messed up, they're extremely vulnerable to others religious beliefs, whether they're right or wrong.

Don't force your religious beliefs onto others, be kind and courteous to those who are on the edge and having difficulties in life. Explaining to them about your religion and how it has benefited you is wonderful but it might not be as beneficial to someone else. The next time you plan on converting someone who is down in the dumps, make sure that you understand your own religion before you pass false beliefs onto others.

It's like a cancer spreading through the body, most of the cancer cells don't know what they are doing or how much damage is going to be done until it's too late.

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

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. Check out one of his recommended books, You Can Have It All

Greg is currently working on a self help library filled with great subjects 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.

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How to Breathe Health into Your Body Through Conscious Breathing

A look at how the breath can be used to bring balance into area of our Body and Mind.

The Breath is very powerful it has been used for centuries by Yogis to create different effects on the body and mind.

Before we start to discuss the different techniques, which can be used to balance the body. Lets look at normal breathing. It is good from time to time to make sure that you are using the full capacity of our lungs when breathing.

Lets take a few deep breaths, breathing in through the nose with the mouth closed; if this is possible for you to do comfortably. It is important to breath deeply right down into the abdomen and then to fill the chest. It is also important to breath out fully using the diaphragm to empty your lungs fully, as unless you get most of the stale air out you cannot breath in fresh air.

Even using just normal breathing like this and staying conscious of the breath, as it enters and leaves the body, can be very powerful.

To effect healing in any area of the body, stay conscious of the breath, and take your awareness to the dis-eased area; spend a few minutes with your awareness in that area being conscious of the feelings and emotions, which come up. Keep being conscious of the breath as you breathe.

The breath uses Air, one of the five elements, to connect with your source energy. The source energy comes into your body through the breath. This is sometimes referred to as Prana. When you stay conscious of your breath while breathing you get control over this prana or life force, and can direct it using your awareness, to different parts of the body to bring healing and balance into that region.

Even spending a few minutes a day doing this type of conscious breathing can make major changes in the health of your body and mind.

When major events happen in your life it is quite often a good idea to take a few deep breaths before we choose how we would like to react to that situation. It gives us time to think and quiets the mind and connects us to source energy, so that our reaction is coming from love and from our heart.

Message channelled by George Lockett (C) Copyright 2006, All Rights Reserved.

* New book * "A Journey into the Self -- the multi-dimensional nature of being human": HealerGeorge Web Site and New Book

Description: What is this book going to do for YOU? For those who are seeking a complete energetic makeover, as you read it you will feel a stirring and awakening in the depths of your heart. For those who have questions about Shifts in Consciousness, Energy Balancing and Healing within the body, you will find clear answers.

Read HealerGeorges Blog: Curezone Blog or ask at question at: Ask HealerGeorge

Chronic Guilt

What we commonly refer to as 'chronic guilt' could more accurately be described as 'habituated guilt' or 'patterns of guilt'. Because 'chronic' almost implies illness or disease; something we have no control over.

When it comes to guilt, nothing could be further from the truth.

No one is born with feelings of guilt. Guilt must be learned. Over time, it becomes habituate. Which means patterns become laid in the subconscious. Usually this happens in childhood, but the 'chronic guilt' can last a lifetime if no steps are taken to end it.

But before it can be ended, you first need to understand why you might want to keep it around. Even though you were taught and conditioned to feel guilt, you're also getting something out of your guilt. It serves a purpose. It provides a payoff.

When you understand your payoff for feeling guilty, you've just taken the first step to ending it.

In a general sense, we use guilt as a way to avoid the intensity of our own feelings. It's a way to avoid the responsibility of feeling our true feelings.

More specifically, guilt often comes down to anger we don't have a right to have. Somebody gives you a hard time. And darn it - they're right. You're wrong. Rather than feeling the anger that naturally arises - you feel guilty instead. That's one example.

When it comes to chronic guilt - you find yourself continuously creating scenarios where it seems the most appropriate response involves feeling guilty. It becomes a pattern.

You keep finding yourself in situations that 'make' you feel guilty. The settings may change - the people may change - but the energy behind the guilt goes on and on.

"Why in the world do I keep feeling guilty??!", you may ask.

The answer lies with two factors:

1. Your payoff; what you secretly 'get' out of feeling guilty rather than feeling your true, intense feelings that lie beneath the guilt.

Often it's simply a fear of intensity... and a fear of feelings in general. So your payoff would be avoidance - avoiding your own intensity.

2. Your subconscious patterns; which become neurological pathways of 'least effort'.

Just as it's often easier to take the interstate when you wish to visit another city, so it's easier to feel guilt rather than to relish and savor the depths of your true feelings.

Not because guilt is inherently easier. It's not. Quite the opposite, in fact. Guilt took a lot of effort. It never comes naturally. You had to work at it over and over and over.

Guilt took practice. It also required a teacher. You had to be molded and shaped and formed.

Since the training to feel guilt began so early in life, you may remember very little of it. But it's important to keep in mind: your brain started as 'virgin territory'... just waiting for those pathways to be laid. And now, you have many, many different kinds of pathways.

Chronic guilt serves as only one of countless examples.

When you think about it, even your 'payoff' for guilt sources itself in your subconscious pathways. So even when you WANT to end the guilt, it seems impossible. Not because you're weak or defective, but due to the nature of the subconscious.

Your subconscious seeks consistency. And the consistency is enforced by your neurological pathways. But there are ways to change. It starts by looking at your own unique payoff for feeling guilty. Understand how it contributes to the problem Then work on creating new pathways.

By creating new pathways of 'least effort' you'll naturally feel your true feelings rather than the current default of chronic guilt.

You create new pathways in two main ways:

1. Develop the habit of making powerful choices.

One powerful choice can change your life. In fact, it already has. You made many powerful choices and decisions as a child which profoundly shaped the direction of your life.

2. Work with your subconscious mind.

Your subconscious exerts a powerful influence over your life right now. It's hard to fight it. You'll be much better off working WITH your subconscious - harnessing and directing it's power.

If you feel chronic guilt, and you can't seem to change it - then you're seeing an example of the power your subconscious holds over you.

Fortunately, your subconscious can become one of your greatest allies in life. Don't fight it. Let it serve you- as it was intended to do.

To learn how to work with your subconscious, as well as learning about powerful choices, go to http://www.create-reality.com

To learn more about getting rid of guilt, go to http://emotional-times.com/2008/08/getting-rid-of-guilt.html

Mark Ivar Myhre, The Emotional Healing Wizard

Installing a 32 Inch Back Door

In some older houses you will find a 30 inch back door. Have you ever tried to move a refrigerator or some large furniture through a 30 inch door? Keep in mind most bedroom doors are 30 inches wide and are in 36 inch hallways. 30 inch doors and bedrooms make it tough to move some furniture in too.

Let's start with the price difference between a 30 inch door and a 32 inch door. The cost difference is usually going to be around $20. If you are building a hundred homes this could become quite an additional expense. So we can understand why the home builder installed a 30 inch door in the back of our home.

He got the extra money in his pocket, you got a headache.

Here's the big problem. If you ever want to install a larger door you will need to replace the structural door framing. Now this is where you could run into a little bit of an expense. Changing the framing for a wider door could become quite costly. It could actually cost over $1000 in some cases.

Now if the homebuilder would have originally installed a 32 inch door in your house it might have ran him as high as an additional $45. How can this be? I will give you the first clue. There is a good chance the homebuilder will not be moving into any of these houses. If for some strange instance he did move into the house, he would learn the same lesson whenever he needed to move a large item into the house.

I'm a contactor and learned this lesson in a long time ago.

If you are building a new home you might even want to consider installing a 36 inch back door. This door will give you plenty of room when it comes to moving large items in or out of your house. The cost difference between a 36 inch door and a 32 inch door is usually around $20 also.

When building a new home most people don't give very much thought about their interior or exterior doors. Here's a simple chart I made to help with some basic door decisions.

Bathroom Doors Should Be 28 Inches Wide Minimum.
Bedroom Doors Should Be 30 Inches Wide Minimum.
Front Doors Should Be At Least 36 Inches Wide
Back Doors and Garage Doors Should Be At Least 32 Inches Wide

If you are a professional football or basketball player don't use these numbers above.

If you have large sliding glass doors or French doors throughout your home and can use them to move large items into the house you can install whatever size doors you choose that are comfortable to walk through.

Give some thought when installing a new door on your next project and keep some of the above tips in mind..

If you are designing a home give some thought to the stairways and hallways in the home as well.

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 Bay Window Ideas

Simple Tips for Increasing Your Psychic Awareness

In my psychic development course, I focus mainly on mental exercises and meditation techniques which quickly help to increase psychic abilities. The following article outlines some simple and practical ideas which will help to increase your intuitive abilities as well as nurture your spiritual self.

Turn off the television. Designate at least one day of the week as a media free day. Keep the radio off and skip reading the evening newspaper, ignore magazines and other forms of advertising. Limit your exposure to mass media as much as possible. This will greatly help to reduce the background chatter of the conscious mind. Communicating with the intuitive mind is all about quieting the conscious or upper mind. You may be very surprised to learn just how much your intuitive mind is suppressed by a constant bombardment of media and information. In fact most advertising is designed specifically to grab your attention and appeal to your outer senses. It may even be argued that some advertising is designed to inhibit the intuitive mind directly.

Keep a journal. Spend a few minutes each day jotting down whatever ideas or thoughts come to you. These can be words, sentences, doodles, whatever happens to enter your mind. This information doesnt have to make sense; it doesnt have to follow any particular pattern. Simply write what comes to you, no matter how random or unintelligible it may seem. The point here is to establish a channel of communication with the intuitive mind. With time, as the connection to the intuitive mind is strengthened, the information that you record will begin to make more sense.

Most of us are in a constant state of over stimulation. The intuitive mind usually cannot be heard properly above the dull roar of daily activity. Create an environment that is designed to encourage the intuitive self to communicate more freely. Surround yourself with natural colors and materials. Reduce the amount of plastic and other synthetic materials in your living areas. Sooth your senses with any items that provide a calming effect, such as incense, music and comfortable clothing.

Set aside a certain amount of time each week to focus on meditation and periods of relaxed awareness. Spend time simply listening to the sounds of your environment. Try to pinpoint as many different sounds as you can within a ten to twenty minute period. Begin by closing your eyes and focusing your awareness on your own breathing and the sound of the air as it enters and leaves your body. Expand your awareness outward and focus on the sounds within close range. You may notice things like your refrigerator humming in the kitchen, water pipes, air conditioning units and other common household noises.

Attempt to isolate as many sounds as possible, also attempt to determine the location of the noises and their distance from you. Expand your awareness outwards once again to focus on noises that may be heard outside of your dwelling. Birds, neighborhood pets, cars, distant highway traffic all of these things and many others may be noticed at this time. Notice the variations, timings, directions and patterns of the noises within your environment. Again, try to isolate as many different sounds as you can. Now expand your awareness outwards again. You may begin to notice very distant sounds at this time such as passing airplanes and distant factory noises. This depends on your location; you may also notice noises which have no easy explanation or description, things like very low hums or vibrations, rhythmic tapping or other odd noises. Again make the attempt to isolate as many sounds as you can and try to gauge the physical direction that these sounds are coming from as well as their distance. End this exercise by quickly shifting your awareness back to your own breathing.

These simple yet effective tips for increasing your psychic awareness can easily be incorporated into your lifes schedule. Remember, that as the avenues of communication with the intuitive mind are widened, the clarity, detail and quantity of the messages received form the inner mind will increase.

Jeffry R. Palmer is the well known author of several books dealing with the subjects of metaphysics, paranormal phenomena and psychic development. His articles and columns have been featured in several popular international magazines. His accurate and detailed psychic predictions, including Hurricane Katrina and the Indonesian tsunami have captured the attention of an international audience.

Personal psychic readings by Mr. Palmer are available through the http://the-psychic-detective.com web site. These psychic readings are kept in strict confidence, cover all aspects of life, are extremely accurate and detailed and are very simple to purchase. Mr. Palmer even offers a 100% money back guarantee to clients if they aren't completely satisfied with their readings.

Online Psychic Readings

Fighting Depression - Your Best Defense is a Body, Mind, Spirit Approach

With the number of people who claim to be depressed at near epidemic proportions, it's time to take a step back and ask ourselves: Why are so many people are depressed and why are women significantly more depressed than men? Better yet, if you're depressed, or know someone who is, what is the best course of treatment to beat the blues so you can begin to lead a happier, more productive life?

There are different factors that contribute to depression. Too many challenges in life (and not enough coping skills) are certainly factors. Un-related health problems, such as hypothyroidism or a vitamin D deficiency, can also make you feel depressed. And a chemical imbalance within the body can lead to depression.

Although many cases of depression are treated with medication, drugs alone rarely get to the root of the problem. Anti-depressants attack the symptoms of depression from a chemical perspective. But if you don't address the other factors that contribute to depression, you may end up being medicated for a very long time. That's why the best defense against depression is a wellness plan that takes a body, mind, spirit approach.

Body

If you're taking medication for depression, you've begun working on the Body part of the whole person approach toward wellness. But there are other aspects of your body that you should address. Diet is a huge defense mechanism when fighting depression. Proper nutrition - including plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and adequate amounts of lean protein - are critical to the optimal functioning of your body. Filling your stomach with fast food and refined sugar will only increase the chemical chaos in your body, making it more difficult to reset the balance. Consider taking a high quality vitamin supplement each day to support adequate vitamin and mineral intake.

Exercise is another important aspect of the Body equation. Studies have shown that 30 minutes of light aerobic activity like walking can help your body product natural antidepressants, called endorphins. Getting some sort of exercise every day is very important if you're depressed.

Mind

Next up in the fight against depression is the Mind. Negative, self-defeating thoughts are learned over time. And with hard work, they can not only be un-learned, but they can be replaced with positive, nurturing attitudes.

Although immersing yourself in self-help books can help, re-training your mind often requires outside assistance. A therapist or personal coach will have many skills, tips, and tricks to help you overcome the internal mind games that we all play. It's important to find someone you can trust so that you can be honest about your thoughts and feelings without feeling judged. Because of this, you probably shouldn't fill this support role with a friend or loved one. The people you are close to often can't be objective in this role and may not tell you what you need to hear.

Spirit

Finally, it's vital to feed your Spirit when fighting depression. Although taking a more active role in religious activities can help some people, feeding your Spirit goes well beyond this structured environment.

There are countless ways to bring more spirit into your life. Here are just some examples:

• Take a class
• Read an uplifting book
• Take up meditation or yoga
• Do volunteer work
• Practice random acts of kindness
• Get a massage
• Take a long, hot bubble bath
• Hug your children or spouse more often
• Call in sick and take a "mental health" day

Feeding your Spirit simply involves taking action or doing activities that makes your soul feel good inside.

Not an Easy Road

Taking a proactive, mind-body-spirit approach to fighting depression is not an easy road to follow, especially when you can't even bring yourself to get out of bed in the morning. But if you truly want to heal yourself from the inside out, you really need to address all aspects of who you are: body, mind, and spirit.

Begin by taking baby steps and incorporating a little bit of each aspect into each day. And be sure and reach out to your health care provider and other trained professionals to ensure that you get the loving support you need as you begin the road to recovery.

Patty Harder is a Reiki Master, ordained S.H.E.S. minister, and the founder of 5 Minute Self-Help, an online community and personal coaching program for women who want to feel better, look better, and live better fast. To learn how you can improve your life in just 5 minutes a day, visit http://www.5MinuteSelfHelp.com

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Reinventing Yourself - Six Ways to Become More of Who You Really Are

Reinventing yourself, in the best sense, is a process of becoming more of who you really are. There may be times when you experience life-changes that force you to reinvent yourself, but you don't have to wait for a transition. You can reinvent yourself anytime you choose.

It doesn't have to be a total reinvention; you can reinvent just a part of yourself. The goal is to become more and more aware of, and in alignment with, your true self. Here are six things you can do to reinvent yourself, bit-by-bit, in a way that feels right for you.

#1) Stop and Take Stock of Where You Are Out of Alignment With Yourself

How do you do this? It's easy. Just identify the areas of your life that don't feel as good as you want them to feel. These will be the areas where you are out of alignment with your true self.

#2) Assess The Roles You Have Taken On

Take a look at the different roles you play, and see if any of them make you feel constricted, or trapped.

#3) Awaken and Develop One Aspect of Yourself at a Time

Identify the parts of yourself that are dormant and, one at a time, determine what each part needs to be fed in order to grow to its full potential.

#4) Be Your Own Mirror

Stop asking permission to be who you are, and become the only judge of what is right for you.

#5) Be Proactive and Empowered as The Creator of Your Life

Choose what you want to create in your life, instead of just responding to life's changes.

#6) Let The Process be Organic

This is a process of awakening from within, so let it happen naturally, without feeling you need to push. Think of reinvention as personal evolution, and begin creating a life in which you thrive in every way.

Kimberly Wilborn is the host of The Women's Transformation Show on BlogTalkRadio.com.

Begin your own reinvention at http://www.Womens-Transformation.com

Window Header Framing Problems

As a building contractor it is my job to assemble the house to meet the specifications from the architect and the structural engineer. I do this by looking at the building plans and installing the specified lumber sizes. I can take it upon myself to install a larger size wood beam or window header adding an additional cost to the job of course. I don't think so.

It's not uncommon for a framing contractor that has an additional 5 foot scrap piece of 4 x 8 left over that he now has no use for. He can then choose to use the 4 x 8 instead of a 4 x 6 for the window header. This type of building is common and acceptable.

If the structural engineer calls out for 4 x 6 window and door headers do not take it upon yourself to replace the 4 x 6 with a 4 x 4. I have seen too many framing contractors or carpenters make an on-the-job judgment like this.

A good example would be a single story house with 2 foot wide windows that require a 4 x 6 window header. As the carpenter builds homes over the years he can come to his own conclusion that a 4x4 will work fine for this application. Again keep this in mind as a framing contractor and a carpenter you are assembling the home not designing it.

Do not change the sizes of any headers or beams.

A long time ago carpenters used a standard rule of thumb, you could go up two sizes larger than the window opening for your header. Let me give you an example of what I'm trying to explain.

A 4 foot wide window opening would require a 4 x 6 window header. A 6 foot window opening would require a 4 x 8 window header. This should give you an idea of what I mean by going up two sizes larger than the window opening to figure out the lumber necessary to use for your window header.

This rule of thumb does not necessarily apply in today's building industry. The reason for this is structural changes from earthquake damage. The structural requirements that are required for building a home require a lot more metal bracing and strapping. Therefore some of the lumber requirements for beam sizes and window headers will be different.

This message is for general contractors, framing contractors and carpenters. When installing a window header and you take it upon yourself to change the size you also assume the responsibility if the building fails. This type of mistake is common and you guys know what I'm talking about.

It's not worth it. Keep in mind you are the assembler and not the designer of the building you are working on.

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 House Framing Structural Repairs

The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle

Jim Rohn has been writing and speaking on success for over 40 years. He has been called America's Foremost Business Philosopher. He does not disappoint in his little book, The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle.

For those familiar with Rohn's work the themes and stories in this book will be mostly familiar. Even if you have heard Rohn speak you will benefit from reading this book.

Rohn approaches success through five factors, or pieces of the puzzle. They are Philosophy, Attitude, Activity, Results and Lifestyle.

Jim Rohn's chapter on Philosophy can be summed up in his quote: To have more we must first become more". He teaches that we make our own future. Like many other authors of note he stresses taking responsibility for our lives. He teaches that to have more we must be more. He reminds us to work on ourselves first and foremost to make ourselves more valuable in the market place and to achieve more. He then takes the reader down a road teaching how you can and should improve yourself so you can be more.

In his chapter on Attitude he stresses the importance of our attitude in all things. He teaches the value of being present, of learning from the past, and of applying those lessons to the future. He teaches how to plan for the future building on the lessons learned in Philosophy.

In Activity he tells us that no matter how well we plan and how clever we are if we do not act on our plans no progress can occur. All achievement is the product of our action. He stresses the need for sound planning and discipline.

In Results he discusses the measurement of what we do to learn how to improve on our results. He then discusses the importance of expanding our capacity and improving our results.

In Lifestyle Rohn points out that you do not need to be rich or powerful to enjoy life and live with a touch of class. He gives good examples of this and how to enjoy life without the need for conspicuous consumption.

In his conclusion Rohn discusses the importance of a sense of urgency in what we do. Our time is limited and our opportunities are numbered. He stresses that we must exploit that time and opportunity for once it passes it is lost. He also compares the level of success of those who have a sense of urgency with those who do not.

In these 121 short pages Jim Rohn teaches many of the most important principles of success and achievement. This little book is worth its weight in gold.

1991 Jim Rohn
Dickinson Press Inc.
Southlake, Texas

Daniel R. Murphy -- helping people build wealth through self education and development. For more Free Special Reports and other information leading to personal success and financial independence visit http://www.books2wealth.com.

Check out what we have to offer. Sign up for the free ezine, Creating True Wealth, bringing you book reviews and helpful articles twice per month to help you build wealth, manager your time and achieve success. You will secure your future through your continued education and self improvement.

Is Only 24 Hours in a Day - Time Management Tips

We only have 24 hours in each day, if we're working 12 hours each day, six days a week, planning the time required to create a habit will be a little more difficult, than someone who works four hours a day three days each week.

If you're one of those overachievers and can't seem to rest or sit down for even five minutes a day. This tells me, we need to change this habit first. Most people that tell you, they just don't have any time during the day, for anything. These people usually have a lot more time than others.

Their time is normally unstructured and they often find themselves running around like a chicken with its head cut off. They are not organized or very efficient at most things that they do. Keep in mind that there are some extremely successful people that only work four hours each day and some of these people take vacations every other month.

Structuring your time will allow you the extra time you need during the day.

If you have a daytime organizer, use this to figure out, if there is any wasted time during the day. Pay strict attention to any wasted time and make a list you can evaluate at the end of the day. Do this for one week and at the end of the week evaluate your weekly activities.

If you don't have a daytime organizer, carrying around a scrap piece of paper to keep track of your daily activities. If you don't have a daytime organizer or if this is too much work for you, simply pay attention to any time you might feel, has been wasted during the day.

If we can create better time management habits, it won't be long before we have more time than we ever imagined.

Have you ever thought about Getting up Earlier.

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.

Prayer In My Earlier Life and Its Effects

Overcoming Limited Beliefs
Can You Change Your Life
We Know More About What We Dont
Make A Live Out Of Your Life

How Setting Goals and Following Through With Them Can Help You Achieve Success in Your Sales Career

Have you ever dreamt about what you would like to become and what you would like to be doing? Have you ever wished you had an unlimited source of money and could make decisions based on choice not dollars?

Now wishing and dreaming are things most people do every day. It's like buying a lotto ticket, hoping you'll win. That's why the majority of people are just surviving, getting by. They wish and hope that their luck will change and until then they settle for mediocrity, second best.

However, the small minority who make it to the top have one thing in common. They take action! Not just any kind of action, planned action, action based on predetermined goals.

It's true! Successful people can tell you where they are going, how long it will take and what they plan to do along the way. They are experts at goal setting. Their goals are specific, measurable relevant and trackable. They map out every part of their life, regularly reassess and fine tune for success.

Most people know the story about the Harvard class of 1954 where they tracked those who made goals and those who didn't.The small percentage that made goals on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis made more money, had more free time and more happiness than the others.

Well that same study has been replicated using a group of sales people. They found that 6 out of 10 do not set outcome-based goals at all and this group earns the least amount of all salespeople! Three out of 10 set earnings goals and as in the Harvard study, this group earns double the income of the no-goals group. Only 1 in 10 people sets specific goals but they earn 3 times as much as those who set no goals at all.

So if you want the kind of success in your career that only a minority have then becoming a master goal setter is the key.

Knowing how to set goals and then following through with them of course, guarantees to improve your career. It's the way to bridge the gap between what you are now and what you truly want to be.

Goals are really stepping stones to success. When you first start out learning how to set goals and follow through with them there are a few things you must keep in mind.

1. Make your goal achievable in the near future. It's all very well setting a goal that is just way out there....totally huge and fantastic. The problem with doing that however is that you can become overwhelmed and frozen into inaction. The task, although something you want to achieve may seem just too hard and you don't end up even taking the first step towards it. Better to break the major goal down into small steps that you can work on day by day and which lead to the bigger goal.

2. Write your goals down and share them with someone you trust or admire. This will help you stick to what you have said you will do and keep you accountable.

3. Celebrate your successes along the way. Each time to complete one part of the major goal or any of the goals you set, congratulate yourself. This can be done by actually saying positive things to yourself or giving yourself little rewards, like a night out at the movies, a takeaway dinner or a bunch of fresh flowers. Too often we are quick to berate ourselves when we don't finish a task or complete a goal rather than taking the time out to acknowledge the things we did do well.

4. Reassess your goals regularly to see if you are still heading in the right direction and rewrite them if necessary. It is better to do this than stick doggedly to something that is actually getting you nowhere.

Remember the wise saying of Confucius..... A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

We all have to start somewhere and taking that first step can be the beginning of something great! So start writing down your goals and remember it's okay to just start with small ones. When you achieve them you will feel so much better and be able to keep moving forward.

Donna Cox and Dayle Walker are the brains behind Success In Sales For Women. With more than 60 years experience between them in sales and educating people from all walks of life to achieving their true potential, Donna and Dayle now specialize in inspiring women who are keen to excel in the sales world. Learning how to set goals and follow through with them is one of the topics they cover in their membership Course. If you want to find out more go to http://www.successinsalesforwomen.com or contact them at dayle@successinsalesforwomen.com or donna@successinsalesforwomen.com

Religious Views Based on Hoping

I was told by an advertising executive one day that all of your advertisements need to deliver some sort of hope for the people you're trying to persuade into buying your products. Funny, if you think about it, I got some and great advice about life from someone in the advertisement business.

Most people are looking for hope, in everything they do. Most of our daily activities revolve around hope and this gives our lives some sort of direction. If you believe in an almighty being and creator of the universe, often you will try to please him, ....or her, ....or it, in hopes of entering the kingdom of heaven or the promised land after you die.

Often our fears will increase our levels of hoping, the fear of doing something against your religion can often inspire you to become a more spiritual person, a good and moral person. Fear of making the wrong choices will inspire us to make better, moral choices, all for the sake of acquiring a ticket to Heaven or Nirvana. You're hoping, your good deeds on earth will earn you a place in heaven.

Most people are afraid of dying and leaving this world, for good. They don't know where they're going and that seems to scare most people. If we can offer someone a little hope, that they are going to a much better place than here, we can often ease the pain and suffering associated with death. I have to admit, most religions of the world promise another world, after we're done with this one.

If you're living a honest and moral life with the hopes of living a bountiful life in heaven, could you be wrong. What if you're seeking Hope in the wrong religion? If you're a Christian and the Hindus are right and you're wrong, do you get to enter there eternal kingdom.

Think about this question, I'm about to ask you. What if spend your whole life studying your religion and it's wrong? There is no heaven and when you die, that's the end of your existence

Have you ever wondered why you believe in your religion and someone in another country or even a couple of miles away believes in something entirely different.

Don't get mad at me or yourself, simply think about the question for a while, this question has transformed my life and put me on a wonderful spiritual path of learning.

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. Check out one of his recommended books, The Power of Intention

If you want to read something funny and get your daily laugh in, you need to read this, it's funny Using Religion Responsibility. It's based on overindulgence

The Importance of Goal Setting

The whole point of setting a goal is to help you bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be. If you set goals and work toward them diligently, you can have all the things you want. People who set and achieve their goals are people whove decided what they want, committed themselves to going after it, and havent let anything stand in their way short of violating the rights of others.

A proper goal gives you all the incentive you need to grow in your awareness of being a perfect expression of an Infinite power, designed for excellence and abundance. As you become more welcoming and aware of your relationship with God, and of all the potential thats been built into you, youll function more effectively in harmony with the laws of the universe. Living in synch with all of this will yield results youve never dreamed possible.

They say that awareness is curative. It gives deep meaning to life because it spells the end of your robotic existence no more walking in the deep ruts formed by your harmful programming and counterproductive thought life. These old ways of thinking arent ways youve chosen they were planted in your heart when you were young by your parents, teachers, and religious leaders. While some of these programs serve you well, many of them are harmful and ready to be replaced. The old way of living has kept you from a truly abundant life.

But, in order to truly change, your old habits have to be replaced with new, healthy practices. Having a solid goal in place serves as a constant help as you do this. In fact, without a specific goal, youre unlikely to ever make a significant change in your life. While youre on your way toward achieving your goals, you learn to choose which thoughts youll allow into your mind. Youll see the connection between these thoughts, the feelings and attitudes they produce, and ultimately the results they yield. Its not something someone else can do for you.

Ever notice how your life never really stays the same? Youre either improving it or damaging it your actions arent neutral. As a spiritual being, your spirit constantly seeks expansion and greater expression. When this deep desire is thwarted, you experience a feeling of dissatisfaction. That feeling is unpleasant enough to serve as a good motivator. We hate feeling unfulfilled, and work diligently to escape such an unpleasant feeling. Well do pretty much anything to satisfy this need.

This need for fulfillment goes way beyond just things and money although they are important. They give you comfort and opportunity. It goes beyond happy feelings or a sense of peace although theyre important, too. Our drive for complete fulfillment includes these things, but goes so much further its a deep desire for a big purpose, something that catapults you into creativity, into meaningful and effective service.

Great you were created to pursue worthy goals. How do you set them? How do you go after them? What can you do to make sure you achieve these grand goals?

Half the battle with goal-setting is determining exactly what it is that you want. Sounds easy enough you answer that question just fine at a restaurant, on your birthday, when you get your hair cut. But when it comes to the big what do you want question, minds go blank. We dont know whats okay to ask for. Whats too much? Am I overreaching? How am I going to feel if I ask for something thats beyond possibility?

Wow, such bad programming we pick up! Ask any little kid what they want to be when they grow up and youll hear answers like: the President, an astronaut, a gazillionaire, a cat, a rock star. Nothing seems impossible; nothing seems like itll come back to haunt you if it doesnt work out.

Deciding what you want is risky. Telling someone else can feel uncomfortable. You might feel like youve got to preface it with something like, Please dont tell anyone Can you keep a secret I know it sounds crazy, but But you know what? People who set and achieve awesome goals are risk takers theyve learned to be. They know that theyve got the privilege and duty to design their own lives, make their own decisions. They dare to dream, and dream big. The power is in going after what you want, not in going after what you need.

Think you dont have what it takes to meet your goals? Then heres some great news youve already got everything that could ever be necessary to produce amazing results in your life. Youve got access to all you need whether you see it right now or not. So, dont worry about that as you choose goals. Assume you have every resource you need, right at your fingertips because you do.

Andrew Cocks and Terry Zambri are Certified Life Success Consultants, Network Marketing and Internet Marketing Coaches. Their exclusive 3 step marketing system, combined with their unique home based business training program is creating massive success for their team. Visit: http://www.AndrewAndTerry.com/incomeaccelerationsecrets.html to learn how you can be coached by them for FREE.

Copyright, MMVVII- AndrewAndTerry.com. All rights Reserved

When We Choose Misery Over Happiness

I am not one to feel sorry for most people. They seem to have a unique ability to cause themselves the most damage during certain parts of their lives. I have met some pretty self destructive people in my life. Being raised by a mother that lived in misery and love.

My mother had a difficult childhood. It seemed as if every corner she turned there was a obstacle either right in front of here or waiting just around the corner. Her father died when she was 12 year old. He was a farm laborer and didn't make much money. In other words they were poor...... She got sent to live with a few foster families and according to her she was molested by one of the fathers she lived with.

Soon her older sister invited her to live with her. My aunt was married to the owner of a pottery business and had 2 children about 10 years younger than my mother. My aunt soon realized she had a live in baby sitter that allowed her to stay out drinking most of the day.

My Uncle was what you would call a drunk back then, now we call these people alcoholics. Well any way I think you are starting to get a picture of my mothers life up to this point. It is probably safe to assume that this isn't the ideal life for a young woman.

The next event to happen in my moms life was for my uncle to fall in the shower one night after tying one on that night. He died soon after but my aunt seemed to make a another good choice and ended up marring the owner of the bar that they spent most of their time in.
The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. Allan K. Chalmers

By this time my mom was in High School and met my future father. It wasn't exactly a marriage made in heaven. My dad was always an easy going man. He seemed to let most stuff go in one ear and out the other.

As you guessed it they had a few children. Nice one Dad and Mom. According to the books I have read on Angelic beings. People that believe in the after life and angels. They tell me I had a choice and was able to choose my parents....... What was I thinking...... I should have choose someone with some money and a couple of parents that were deeply in love .

How did I end up here in this situation.

I ended up loving my parents like most of us. They seemed to be doing the best that they could possibly do raising me, my bother and my sister. My mom and dad ended up getting a divorce and I went to live with my father.

My Father is remarried to a wonderful woman that seems to bring him a lot of happiness.
I haven't seen my mother for a while now. She lives with a life of excuses and misery. Her childhood was not the greatest but that doesn't give her the right to bring misery into other peoples lives. She has made a conscious choice to live what seems to be a painful life. Maybe her choices in life have made me choose happiness over misery.

I have always wondered what it is that motivates someone to live a life of true unhappiness when it takes the same amount of energy to live a life of joy. Life is meant to be full of joy and happiness so start today by making the right choices to live a fulfilling life of happiness.

If you are reading this and can't make up your mind what kind of life you truly want to live visit me at http://live.spiritualideas.com/ . Change your thinking and change your life.

Greg Vanden Berge will help you create a new approach to life and discover talents you never knew you had. We can help you get the most out of yourself all the time. Start developing your innate strengths and abilities to start enriching your life TODAY !

Getting Comfortable With Change: 5 Easy Steps

"Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change." - Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

When something happens to you that might be labeled as negative, how do you react? The initial reaction for most of us is to run or hide, look for someone to blame, come up with excuses, wonder what we could have done differently, shift into a fear mode or do all of the above.

Whether the situation revolves around health issues, finances, work or relationships, the tendency is to dwell in the past or worry about the future. When we have one foot in the past and one foot in the future, it leaves nothing for the present! We spend our time, fearfully saying "What if .... happens?" And it's this focus on the future that causes feelings of fear and anxiety.

Here's a quote from The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle that applies to this topic: "Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry - all forms of fear - are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence."

Fear-based thinking is widespread in our society; fear of failure, of rejection, of poverty, of the unknown and of death. If we were to sum all this up in one word - it would be fear of change. We fear change because it takes away our feeling of security. So how is the best way to handle change, deal with so called negative circumstances and banish fear? There are five things you can do:

1. Practice gratitude. Make a list of all the things for which you are grateful. Doing this practice attracts more positive things into your life. Add to your list everyday.

2. Put both feet in the present! When you catch your mind drifting in to the past or the future, gently bring it back to the present moment. Put your attention on where you are NOW. Get quiet and ask your inner guidance for clarity and direction.

3. Accentuate the positive. Look for the opportunity in the situation. Drop negative words like not and don't. So rather than say, "I don't want to be broke", say "I want to be financially secure" or better still say " I am financially secure" or best ask, "In what ways, am I financially secure?"

4. Create a clear vision of what you want. Imagine it happening and experience the feeling of what it would be like to live your vision.

5. Let go of the outcome. Clinging too tightly to a particular outcome limits other possibilities . Know that following the previous four steps is attracting what you want, so just relax!

Following these five steps takes practice and diligence. It is natural to slip back into old patterns when unexpected events happen - that's okay. Just shift your thinking to these new steps when you catch yourself staddling the past and the future. You'll know when this happens because your body will tell you with various reactions!

Copyright October 2005

As a Life Transition Coach I work with clients to identify what's most important to them and to prioritize around these values. I help my clients identify and remove obstacles in the way and bring clarity and focus to their dreams. What is your dream? Are you undergoing a major transition and not clear where to turn? Call (972-306-4489) or email me, (coach.v.miller@verizon.net), to set up a complimentary, no obligation 30 minute telephone coaching session. Download my FREE e-Book, 12 Fun Ways to Change Your Life, or sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter at http://www.thrivingthroughchange.com