Self Improvement Newsletter
Issue # 483, December 11-12, 2007

FREE Self Improvement Newsletter, Click here!

Please Visit Our Sponsors

* Self Improvement and Personal Growth Weekly Newsletter *

Issue # 483, Week of December 11-12, 2007
Publisher: David Riklan - http://www.SelfGrowth.com

In this issue:

-- Quotes of the Week
-- Personal Growth Products and Services
-- Article: And Your Point Is? - By Meryl Runion
-- Article: Dare to Imagine - By Marc Allen
-- Book Review: Eat Right -- Your Life Depends On It - By Kathleen Becker, M.A., R.N. and Coreen Reinhart, Certified Nutritionist
-- How to Subscribe and Unsubscribe from this Newsletter

Current Subscribers - 262,989 subscribers

Removal instructions are listed at the end of the newsletter.


------------------------------------------------------------
*** Quotes of the Week ***
------------------------------------------------------------

Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later. - Og Mandino, 1923-1996, American Motivational Author and Speaker

It is better to understand little than to misunderstand a lot. - Anatole France, 1844-1924, French Author

Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see a bird that had the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses. - Dale Carnegie, 1888-1955, American Author and Achievement Expert


------------------------------------------------------------
*** Personal Growth Products and Services ***
------------------------------------------------------------

* Acne and Skin Blemishes Banish in 3 Days! * All-natural science gives you clear skin in 3 days no matter what you have tried. Do what drugs and over-the-counter products can't do and get the answer to having beautiful skin. FREE report tells what you need to know to get results today!
http://www.acnefreein3days.com/selfhelp.html 


* You Can Break The Paralyzing Grip Of SOCIAL ANXIETY Forever * Conquering Social Anxiety Now! is a learning program that helps permanently abolish thoughts & beliefs that create shyness, self-consciousness, embarrassment & panic without drugs or therapy. It works like nothing you've ever tried. Easy. Safe. Effective. Continue => http://www.thinkrightnow.com/r/si-121007-soc-anx.asp


I WENT FROM $6 AN HOUR TO OVER $200,000 A YEAR
I have no job to tie me down. No bosses, no commute. I work when I want, for
whomever I want. And it's all because I discovered a "profession" I didn't
even know existed... http://www.thewriterslife.com/sga/findout/


* Enlightenment Training with the Masters, Yucatan, Mexico - May, 2008 *
Experience Sacred Memory Awakening & Kundalini Acceleration with Enlightened
Master Peace Mother Geeta Sacred Song, Mayan Shamans & Hindu Priests.
Participate in Enlightenment instruction, Sacred Ceremony, Mantras and
Healing Work. Become bliss-fully balanced, triumphant in your Life Path and
learn to dissolve the negative mind and limitations!
Sacred Peace Center - Shamanic Training & Healing Institute,
info@sacredpeace.org , http://www.sacredpeace.org


* The Ultimate Self-Help Power Tool. Mobile Support for mobile lifestyles. *

'Power Develop' your wellness skills, habits, and diet through your cell
phone. Make it easier to achieve and stay on track with any self-improvement
program or system. Clinically proven concept. Automated web service. No
hardware to purchase. First month Free! http://www.ihelpwellness.com
 

* If you love making money while helping others...
Discover the Secrets of "How To Quickly and Easily Get Started in
Professional Coaching And Build A 6 Figure Income From Home" Click Below now
and Download my FREE 25 page "Thinking of Becoming a Coach" Special Report
sent immediately to your email.
http://www.on2url.com/app/adtrack.asp?MerchantID=120557&AdID=350539


** How to Add a Description of Your Website Here **
If you want to share information about your website, your business or your
book in our newsletter, please go to the following webpage and fill out the
form. Visit our website at http://www.selfgrowth.com/form-ad-newsletter.html


----------------------------------------------------
*** Article: And Your Point Is? - By Meryl Runion ***
----------------------------------------------------

Janet found that her boss, clients, and vendors all interrupted her
continually. She thought they were rude until she realized she was using too
many words. When she told her boss that she was putting the holiday candles
on her office budget instead of the holiday budget, she began by explaining
all the reasons she had considered in making her decision. She followed by
giving counterarguments to the arguments that she had just made.

She then explained that if her boss didn't care for her decision, she could
change it. Once she finally made her point, her boss had lost patience.

Most people would have interrupted her much earlier in the conversation.
Janet needed to communicate using PowerPhrases, which are short, specific,
targeted expressions that say what you mean and mean what you say without
being mean when you say it.

People who make their point without rambling are considered much more
powerful and professional. So power up, stand up, and speak strong. Get to
the point before the listener gets so frustrated they no longer care.

Janet would have been better off saying, "I have decided to put the holiday
candles on our office budget," and then letting her boss decide if he needed
more information.

Imagine that you have a 16-year-old daughter who is two hours late in
returning the car. When she returns, if you give her an hour lecture on the
importance of responsibility, will she hear you? No.

If you say, "I'm so glad you're safe. You broke the rules, and you know the
consequences. Hand over the keys," she will hear every word.

Do you find that even when you think you are being perfectly clear, people
often don't get the point? Jon discovered that when he kept his description
of what he required short, the end result was always closer to what he
wanted.

Does it take an act of Congress to get in to see your boss? Dana found that
to be true for her until she started making her trips into his office very
brief. She would tell him, "I have three points I need to make, and I need
four minutes of your time." Then she always left at the stated cut-off time
no matter what. Her boss grew to welcome her visits.

How do you make your points in as few words as possible? Distill your
message to three important concepts. What do you think, what do you feel,
and what do you want? Once you have those three points, you may want to edit
your message to only one or two points.

When you communicate with brevity, you come across as someone with places to
go, things to do, and people to see -- which, of course, you are.

Review the next e-mail you send and cut out at least one-third of it. Review
the next flyer you create and cut out one-third of that. The next phone call
you place, be prepared in advance and make it one-third as long as usual.
You will no longer be a person people interrupt. You will become a person
people will want to listen to.

About the Author:
Meryl Runion is author of "How to Use Power Phrases to Say What You Mean,
Mean What You Say, & Get What You Want!" She is the founder of SpeakStrong
Inc., a company that helps individuals and organizations say what needs to
be said. She can be reached at MerylRunion@SpeakStrong.com . Sign up for her
weekly e-mail newsletter, "A PowerPhrase a Week," at
http://www.SpeakStrong.com

Check out the Experts page for Meryl Runion, the Official SelfGrowth.com
Guide to Management Skills:
http://www.selfgrowth.com/experts/meryl_runion.html


----------------------------------------------------
*** Article: Dare to Imagine - By Marc Allen ***
----------------------------------------------------

I turned thirty. I woke up in a state of shock, finally realizing I wasn't a
kid anymore. I had no job and no savings or any other assets except an old
torn-up electric piano. I was scrounging (a word we used often) to come up
with money every month for rent for my little studio apartment in a funky
part of Oakland, California.

That day changed my life because I began to apply some ideas in some new
ways, ideas that before had just been occasional floating thoughts,
ephemeral and remote possibilities in my mind. I sat down and wrote on paper
what became -- for me, in my words -- the first secret of manifestation:

The first step to discovering the secret of manifestation is to write your
ideal scene on paper, your dream life five years in the future. Begin with
the end in mind, and keep it in mind.

The day I turned thirty, I sat down and took a sheet of paper and wrote
Ideal Scene at the top. I imagined everything had gone as well as I could
possibly imagine, and somehow, over the next five years, I was able to
create the ideal life for me. What would it look like? What would I do and
have, and who would I be? I was surprised, even shocked in a strange way, at
what came spilling out on paper. I imagined I had a publishing company,
successfully publishing books and music, including my own books and music.
Before I sat down and wrote out my ideal scene, I had absolutely no interest
in business. I had never taken a business course. I had never written a book
or recorded my music. The words that spilled out when I wrote my ideal scene
surprised me as much as they were to surprise just about everyone else I
knew.

I imagined I wrote successful books and recorded beautiful music as well. I
imagined I had a lovely white home on a hill in northern California, one of
my favorite places on earth. I imagined I had a wonderfully loving relationship.

I dared to imagine my ideal, so I imagined I had plenty of time for it all:
creativity, a successful business, friends and family, and plenty of free
time alone for myself as well.
And I added something else that changed my life dramatically: When I dared
to think of
my ideal, the kind of life I would have if I could have anything at all, I
realized what I really wanted was a life of ease. I didn't want to work too
hard. The few forty-hour-a-week jobs I had tried hadn't worked out, and
working that many hours felt inhumane to me. Ideally, I wanted plenty of
time for ease and relaxation, plenty of time for my creative life, spiritual
life, and personal life with friends and family.

That was my ideal: success with ease, and success without compromising the
other things that were important to me in life. I wanted to do what I loved,
and not have to do anything I didn't really enjoy.

I didn't know it at the time, but I was beginning to learn secrets that were
far greater than the secret of manifestation.

The simple step of writing down my ideal scene led me to discover the
unfailing natural laws of manifestation.

I stared at that sheet of paper awhile and realized that within it was a
list of goals. I took a
second sheet of paper and listed all the goals I could think of. There were
twelve of them, at first. (Now I'm down to six.)

It was thirty years ago, but I remember it clearly: As I was writing my
goals, I was assaulted with doubts and fears. I wrote, "Start and build a
successful company," and my thoughts were churning -- You? Who are you
trying to kid? You have no money, and you need money to make money! You know
nothing of business! You don't even like business! And it'll wreck your
creativity! It'll destroy your soul! Money is the root of all evil! The rich
man has as much chance of entering the Kingdom as a camel does of going
through the eye of a needle! On and on it went -- an endless stream of
doubts, fears, and darkly negative thoughts.

But then I remembered something I had read in a book by Catherine Ponder, a
Unity Church minister. She wrote about the power of affirmations -- simple
statements or declarations that your dream or goal is now coming into being.
They work best when they're in the present tense, worded in a way that your
subconscious mind can accept and begin to absorb and play with.

The most vivid phrase I remember from Catherine Ponder's writing has become
part of my daily life. She said that affirmations are even more effective if they
start or end with this phrase: In an easy and relaxed manner, in a healthy and positive way...

So I took another sheet of paper and rewrote each goal as an affirmation,
beginning with that phrase. I worded my goal of starting and building a
successful business like this: In an easy and relaxed manner, in a healthy
and positive way, I am now building a successful business.

The second step to discovering the secret of manifestation is to write your
goals as affirmations, beginning with "In an easy and relaxed manner, in a
healthy and positive way..."

Years later, looking back, I realized how powerful those words were -- so
powerful, in fact, that by repeating them daily, I overcame many of my
doubts and fears. What, after all, are our doubts and fears whispering to
us? It isn't easy; it's very difficult! It certainly isn't relaxed; it's
stressful! It's not healthy for you, not even positive. You'll fail! You
don't know what you're doing! You're a fool!

That powerful little phrase - "in an easy and relaxed manner, in a healthy
and positive way" -- repeated thousands of times, overcame a lot of those
doubts and fears. It took me
about five years, but I finally got it through my thick skull that it was
possible to create a great deal of success in the world in an easy and
relaxed manner, in a healthy and positive way.

Don't underestimate the power of those words -- or the power of any words
you repeat to yourself. Our thoughts determine our actions. And our actions
lead, inevitably, to success or failure, fulfillment or frustration.

I typed up my list of goals as affirmations and carried it around with me in
my back pocket. I often began the day by reading that list. I read it at my
desk as I started to work. I read it in the bathroom sometimes.

Some deep part of me knew that if I kept reading and rereading that list, my
subconscious mind would absorb it sooner or later, and I would eventually be
able to turn those distant, ephemeral dreams into solid intentions -- and
once that happened, those intentions would soon become reality.

Excerpted from "The Greatest Secret of All" - By Marc Allen

About the Author:
Marc Allen co-founded New World Library with best-selling author Shakti
Gawain. As president and publisher, New World Library has become one of the
leading independent publishers of personal growth titles in the country. He
is author of several books, including "The Millionaire Course" and
"Visionary Business." A popular speaker and seminar leader, Allen is also
recognized for his musical talent. He has produced several albums, including
"Breathe," "Petals," "Solo Flight," and "Awakening." He lives with his wife
and son in the San Francisco Bay area.

*****
Check out a special offer for a WONDERFUL gift you can give your family,
friends, and yourself for the holidays -- Marc Allen's powerful new book,
"The Greatest Secret of All." Go to
http://greatestsecretofall.com/specialoffer

The list price of this book is $18.00. To purchase it from Amazon.com for
$14.31, a 21% discount, go directly to
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1577316193/selfimprovemeonlA/


------------------------------------------------------------
*** Book Review: Eat Right -- Your Life Depends On It - By Kathleen Becker,
M.A., R.N. and Coreen Reinhart, Certified Nutritionist ***
------------------------------------------------------------

We now know that when "inflammation" (a normal immune system response to
illness and injury) becomes chronic rather than acute, it can be the major
underlying factor in the increased incidence of coronary artery disease,
cancer, type II diabetes, obesity, and many other chronic inflammatory
disease processes. Eating the type of diet recommended in "Eat Right -- Your
Life Depends On It," an anti-inflammation diet, can keep a person looking
and feeling healthy for years to come.

The body was designed to be in a constant state of balance and harmony. When
the human body is given the right blend of nutrients to function well, it
will stay in balance. Every human being, young or old, needs the right
amount of purified water daily and the right mixture and amount of favorable
proteins, carbohydrates (fruits and vegetables), fats, and most certainly,
purified pharmaceutical grade Omega 3 fish oil. Illness, disease, and aging
can cause the body to spiral into a state of chronic inflammation, but
making the right food choices that keep the immune system strong and the
body in harmony can dramatically help a person stay healthy, look good, and
be well nourished for the duration of their lives.

"Eat Right -- Your Life Depends On It" supplies the reader with a weekly
grocery shopping list, a weekly grocery cost comparison chart, a daily menu
plan, and many wonderful recipes for the period of six weeks. The book also
explains in great detail the basic facts about nutrition, the process of
inflammation, and why eating an anti-inflammation diet for life will make a
person look good, feel good, and give them the energy required to do good
things for themselves and for others. Eating correctly for a more beautiful
you and a healthier and happier tomorrow can start today with "Eat Right --
Your Life Depends On It."

*****
Also take a look at http://www.ehealthspan.com/

The list price of this book is $29.95. To purchase it from Amazon.com, go
directly to
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1424324750/selfimprovemeonlA/


------------------------------------------------------------
*** Brief News of the World ***
------------------------------------------------------------

Positive:

* A Sister's Dream: 10-Year-Old Raises Thousands for Autism Research -- An
Experimental Treatment Helped Her Brother And Inspired Michala Riggle *

After being inspired by her younger brother's progress with an experimental
autism treatment, 10-year-old Michala Riggle decided to find a way to help
other children who struggle with autism. Michala, whose 7-year-old brother,
Evan, has the disorder, and her parents were impressed with changes they saw
after Evan was injected with an amino acid and antioxidant called
Glutathione. (Click here for complete news story)
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=3950843&page=1


* Twin sisters receive kidneys from same donor: Chicago-area trauma victim
gives gift of life to 10-year-old girls *

It had been snowing in Chicago when the call came from the hospital telling
Rachel Dalomba that transplant teams had acquired two kidneys from a trauma
victim -- one for each of her twin, 10-year-old daughters. "The snow and
everything this time of year -- it really felt like we were getting a great
Christmas gift," Dalomba told TODAY's Ann Curry during an appearance on
Monday. (Click here for complete news story)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22182506/


* Tribute gala honors CNN Heroes *

An Ecuadoran lawyer leading a landmark environmental lawsuit, a U.S.
expatriate who encourages attendance at rural African schools and a Ugandan
missionary who runs a boarding school for girls abducted by the Lord's
Resistance Army were given special recognition at "CNN Heroes: An All-Star
Tribute" Thursday night. Actor Jimmy Smits, talk show host Tyra Banks and
actress Kyra Sedgwick presented the honors to "Fighting for Justice"
finalist Pablo Fajardo, "Championing Children" finalist Steve Peifer and
"Community Crusader" finalist Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe. (Click here for
complete news story)
http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/12/06/heroes.show/index.html


** For more positive news, please visit http://www.selfgrowth.com/news.html


Other:

* Widow leaves Chinese eatery owners $21M *

Think of it as a giant tip. A wealthy widow repaid the kindness shown to her
by a family that runs a Chinese restaurant she frequented by leaving them
$21 million, and a High Court judge ruled Friday that her will was legal.
Golda Bechal's 1994's will said she wanted Kim Sing Man and his wife, Bee
Lian, the owners of a Chinese restaurant northeast of London, to inherit her
money. She died at age 88 in January 2004. (Click here for complete news
story) http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071208/ap_on_fe_st/odd_widow_s_will_3


* Your initials may spell success: If your name begins with a 'C' o 'D' you
may not fare as well in school *

If your name begins with a "C" or a "D" you may not fare so well in school,
but don't think about changing your name to one beginning with an "A" or "B"
-- it won't boost your GPA. This relationship between a person's initials
and how well he or she performs in school was recently determined in a
series of psychological studies examining how the so-called "name-letter
effect" influences performance in different situations. (Click here for
complete news story) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22185233/


* Enjoying Movies Is Contagious: Your Movie Date May Shape Your Views
Without Saying a Word *

Seeing a movie this weekend? The person sitting next to you may affect how
much you like the movie, even if they're a complete stranger. People give
movies higher ratings if they're in sync with the people they sit with, a
new study shows. The study comes from the University of Chicago, where pairs
of students watched the same video clip or short film at the same time.
(Click here for complete news story)
http://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20071207/enjoying-movies-is-contagious

RETURN TO SELFGROWTH.COM