Self Improvement Newsletter
Issue # 487, January 8-9, 2008
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Improvement Newsletter, Click here!Please Visit Our Sponsors
Self Improvement Newsletter
Issue # 487, January 8-9, 2008
FREE Self
Improvement Newsletter, Click here!
Please Visit Our Sponsors
* Self Improvement and Personal
Growth Weekly Newsletter *
Issue # 487, Week of January 8-9, 2008
Publisher: David Riklan -
http://www.SelfGrowth.com
In this issue:
-- Quotes of the Week
-- Personal Growth Products and Services
-- Article: Pump Up The Change Volume By Lynn Scheurell
-- Article: The Age of Miracles: Embracing the New Midlife [Excerpt] By
Marianne Williamson
-- Book Review: Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out
By Marci Shimoff with Carol Kline
-- How to Subscribe and Unsubscribe from this Newsletter
Current Subscribers 263,707 subscribers
Removal instructions are listed at the end of
the newsletter.
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*** Quotes of the Week ***
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Curiosity is one of the permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous
mind. Samuel Johnson, 1709-1784, English Author and Critic
Praise out of season, or tactlessly bestowed, can freeze the heart as much as
blame. Pearl S. Buck, 1892-1973, American Writer
You've got to get to the stage in life where going for it is more important than
winning or losing. Arthur Ashe, 1943-1993, American Tennis Player
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*** Personal Growth Products and Services ***
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*** Article: Pump Up The Change Volume By Lynn Scheurell ***
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"The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a
thing makes it happen." ~ Frank Lloyd Wright
Can you relate to this? You oversleep, which means you don't have time to
get ready and your hair doesn't want to cooperate. You have to take your
coffee in a to-go cup, which spills in your car on your new pants.
Meanwhile, you miss the call and discover a voicemail from your major client
who tells you they don't want your product after all. And when you finally
get to your meeting, you forgot all your materials at home. This, my friend,
is called the power of negative spiral thinking.
The good news about that is that where there is down, there is up. That is,
there is just as much, if not even more, power in positive thinking. You may
not notice it when it's working for you because it feels good. We tend to
notice what's not right because we are programmed from our Neanderthal roots
to filter out the familiar. And if the familiar means normal, then what is
abnormal is what stands out -- in this case, if things run smoothly, we get
comfortable and lax about really going for what we want in (or out of!)
life.
If your life seems to be consistently scenario one, it's time to make a big
change. Worse, if your life is routinely smooth and you're bored with it,
it's time to pump up the change volume!
So, how do you pump up the change? Here are three strategies to help you get
started...
1. Check your belief systems. Seriously, do a systems check on what's
happening underneath whatever you're thinking right now. If you're thinking
that's a silly idea, why do you think that? Isn't your life important enough
to take the time to find out what's underneath your thoughts? Because your
beliefs influence the thoughts you think, and the thoughts you think create
feelings. When you have feelings, you will experience emotions in your body.
And when you have emotions, you are likely to act on them. When you have
action, you have results. So, follow the formula... Beliefs cause Actions
which cause your Results. Think BAR. To get different results, it's time to
raise the BAR.
2. Look at your flock. Yes, it's true... the old adage says that birds of a
feather flock together. Who are you "flocking" with? Who is in your tribe,
chosen or inherited? If you aren't impressed with the five people closest to
you in your world for some reason, or if you don't feel like you fit with
them anymore, or you don't feel good around them consistently, or you feel
like you have to turn down your vibe so they don't feel bad, it's time to
get some new feathered friends.
3. Take a tour of where you live. Because though you live there, chances are
you aren't seeing your living space like other people do. Remember, we
filter out the familiar, so you probably aren't even seeing the broken thing
with the scratch on it, sitting on the floor collecting dust. If you have
burned out light bulbs, or some appliance that doesn't work, or clothes that
don't fit that you never wear, or stacks of magazines from 1972, you have a
flow problem. How can you bring in new stuff when you're full to the brim
with all that old stuff? How can you show people you're serious about
creating success when you aren't even taking care of your living space?
You CAN pump up the volume on change, but it takes raising the BAR, having
the right people in your life, and making sure your environment reflects
your self-esteem. Using positive spiral thinking will pump you up AND create
change in your life. Believe in yourself enough to take action TODAY!
About the Author:
Lynn Scheurell, Creative Catalyst, helps conscious entrepreneurs strengthen
their inner systems for faster business results. She teaches renaissance
souls how to gain clarity on their purpose, then aligning everything they do
with that to express their unique gift through their business. Register for
a free GEENI for Change e-course to learn how to upgrade your life in just
seven days at
http://www.mycreativecatalyst.com
Check out the Experts page for Lynn Scheurell, the Official SelfGrowth.com
Guide to Purpose of Life:
http://www.selfgrowth.com/experts/lynn_scheurell.html
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*** Article: The Age of Miracles: Embracing the New Midlife [Excerpt] By
Marianne Williamson ***
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I began my career giving talks about 'A Course in Miracles' in 1983. In
1992, I published my first book about it. In 2007, having been reading the
book for three decades and lecturing on it literally thousands of times, I
came out of meditation one day and thought, "I've become an advanced student
of the Course." Not an advanced practitioner, mind you, but an advanced
student. And that took 30 years.
What is it about spiritual knowledge that takes so long to digest? The
trendy nature of much contemporary seeking would lead you to think that you
spend a year or two at the ashram and voilΰ! -- you're at the mountaintop.
But my experience argues otherwise. It takes a decade to understand the
basic nature of spiritual principles, another decade while the ego tries to
eat you alive, another decade while you try to wrestle it to the ground, and
finally you begin to walk more or less in light. Anyone who thinks a
spiritual path is easy probably hasn't been walking one.
What does all this mean: to embrace the light, walk in the light, and so on?
What is all this light, light, light talk? In 'A Course in Miracles,' light
is defined as "understanding." What a beautiful thought, that to see the
light is to understand.
By midlife, you're probably aware enough to understand which of your issues
most need attention. You've learned where you're strong, but also where
you're weak. You know what parts of yourself to be proud of and what parts
of yourself should change. You know what your issues are this lifetime. It
might not be a time when you're learning new things about yourself so much
as understanding more deeply what you already know. And new levels of
self-awareness bring new opportunities for breakthrough.
This is not the time to stop working on yourself; it's the time when you've
finally accumulated enough clues to help crack the case and solve the
mystery of why and how you've sabotaged yourself for so long. It's not the
time to give up and say, "This is just how I am. It's too late to change."
Quite the opposite -- it's time to take a stand, once and for all, against
the enemy inside. Don't worry that it took you so long to get to this point.
It takes everyone this long. We know nothing until we know all the ways that
we're not who we should be. Only then do we have a chance at becoming the
people we've wanted to be, and God intended us to be, from the day we were
born.
For that reason alone, these are sacred years.
When you're young, you can't really imagine the ages of 50, 60, or 70 being
"cool." Actually, it often takes that long to understand what cool really
means. You can't really build a life till you've pulled together all the
things you've finally come to understand about yourself. Life would be cruel
if at just about the time you've finally figured it out, it reached some
sort of predetermined disintegration. Just as adolescents must separate from
their parents, you need to separate from the person you were before this
point, to whatever extent that that person was not the real you.
Finding out who we actually aren't, we begin to learn at last who we
actually are. In 'Beauty and the Beast,' a beautiful prince turns into a
horrible beast -- until finally unconditional love turns him back into who
he really is. Gee, that sounds like almost everyone I know.
Years ago, after my first book was published, my lawyer recounted to me a
conversation he'd had with my publisher. The publisher had made a comment
about my being a "spiritual teacher," to which my lawyer had replied, "She's
not! She writes books about spirituality, but she's not a spiritual
teacher." I remember wanting to say, "Actually, John, I think I am a
spiritual teacher," but I didn't, out of fear that it would appear immodest.
Who was I to call myself that? Yet as it says in 'A Course in Miracles,' we
create what we defend against; in an effort to dissuade people from thinking
I thought of myself as any big deal, I acted in a way that ensured they
would.
"Oh, you think I'm so spiritual? Watch this! I can be stupid, too!" Thinking
it was humble to do so, I dissociated who I was when I wasn't working from
the more enlightened persona that came naturally to me when I was. The ego
defends the "separate self," leading to thoughts that lead to behavior that
often reflect our "opposite." That is what many of us are doing in this
life: living the opposite of our truth, just as the beast was the opposite
of the beautiful prince in the fairy tale.
About the Author:
Marianne Williamson is an internationally acclaimed author and lecturer. She
has published eight books, four of which -- including the mega bestseller "A
Return to Love," and "Everyday Grace" -- have been #1 New York Times
bestsellers. A popular guest on numerous television programs such as "The
Oprah Winfrey Show," "Larry King Live," "Good Morning America," and "Charlie
Rose," Marianne Williamson has lectured professionally since 1983. In 1989,
she founded Project Angel Food, a meals-on-wheels program that serves
homebound people in the Los Angeles area. Today, Project Angel Food serves
over 1,000 people daily. Ms. Williamson also co-founded the Peace Alliance.
Check out the Experts page for Marianne Williamson:
http://www.selfgrowth.com/experts/marianne_williamson.html
*****
In her insightful new book, "The Age of Miracles," Marianne Williamson gives
us a refreshing look at the new midlife, showing us that the years ahead can
be something to celebrate and cherish, if we have the courage to take the
reins of consciousness and create something new for ourselves and the world.
Purchase Marianne's new book and also receive free access to her live online
event on HayHouseRadio.com. Learn more at
http://www.selfgrowth.com/products/williamson.html
The list price of this book is $22.95. To purchase it from Amazon.com for
$15.61, a 32% discount, go directly to
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1401917194/selfimprovemeonlA/
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*** Book Review: Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the
Inside Out By Marci Shimoff with Carol Kline ***
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What would it take to make you happy? The fulfilling career, a big bank
account, or the perfect mate? What if it didn't take anything to make you
happy? What if you could experience happiness from the inside out -- no
matter what's going on in your life?
In "Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out,"
transformational expert Marci Shimoff offers a breakthrough approach to
being happy, one that doesn't depend on achievements, goals, money,
relationships, or anything else "out there." Most books on happiness tell
you to find the things that make you happy and do more of them. Although
there's nothing wrong with that, it won't bring you the kind of deep and
lasting happiness most people long for -- the kind you'll never lose, no
matter what happens in your life. Based on cutting-edge research and
knowledge from the world's leading experts in the fields of positive
psychology and neurophysiology, plus interviews with 100 truly happy people,
this life-changing book provides a powerful, proven 7-step program that will
enable you to be happier right now -- no matter where you start.
Studies show that each of us has a "happiness set-point" -- a fixed range of
happiness we tend to return to throughout our life -- that's approximately
50 percent genetic and 50 percent learned. In the same way you'd crank up
the thermostat to get comfortable on a chilly day, you can actually raise
your happiness set-point! The holistic 7-step program at the heart of "Happy
for No Reason" encompasses Happiness Habits for all areas of life: personal
power, mind, heart, body, soul, purpose, and relationships.
In these pages you'll discover moving and remarkable first-person stories of
people who have applied these steps to their own lives and have become Happy
for No Reason. You'll read phenomenal tales from a former drug-dealer turned
minister, a hit filmmaker, and a famous actress who escaped a "family
curse," as well as stories from doctors, mothers, teachers, and business
executives. You'll learn practical strategies that will help you experience
happiness from the inside out.
You don't have to have happy genes, win the lottery, or lose twenty pounds.
By the time you finish this book, you will know how to experience sustained
happiness for the rest of your life.
About the Authors:
Marci Shimoff is a celebrated transformational leader and a #1 New York
Times bestselling author. The woman's face of the biggest self-help book
phenomenon in history, she is the coauthor of six of the top-selling titles
in the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series. She is also a featured teacher in
the international movie and book sensation, "The Secret." President and
cofounder of The Esteem Group, Marci delivers keynote addresses and seminars
to corporations, women's associations, universities, and professional and
nonprofit organizations. Over the past 25 years, Marci has inspired millions
of people around the world, sharing her breakthrough methods for personal
fulfillment and professional success. Carol Kline is a #1 New York Times
bestselling author and the coauthor of five books in the "Chicken Soup for
the Soul" series.
Check out the Experts page for Marci Shimoff:
http://www.selfgrowth.com/experts/marci_shimoff.html
*****
When you purchase Marci Shimoff's book, "Happy for No Reason," you'll
receive bonus items from more than two dozen top authors, thought leaders,
and teachers... all to support you having a wonderful, happy-filled life of
abundance and peace! These gifts alone are valued at over $3,000! Go now to
http://www.selfgrowth.com/products/shimoff.html
The list price of this book is $24.95. To purchase it from Amazon.com for
$16.47, a 34% discount, go directly to
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=141654772X/selfimprovemeonlA/
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*** Brief News of the World ***
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Positive:
* Aviation icon Curtiss gets hometown park *
A patch of lakefront property is being turned into a park honoring the
Wright brothers' archrival, Glenn H. Curtiss, after a lengthy feud over
whether to preserve it. Curtiss flew his bamboo-and-fabric June Bug over a
vineyard for 1 minute, 42.5 seconds on July 4, 1908, outside his tiny
hometown of Hammondsport in western New York. It was the nation's first
officially observed flight exceeding a kilometer (0.6 mile). (Click here for
complete news story)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080104/ap_on_re_us/aviation_icon_park_1
* NY subway hero marks 1 year in spotlight *
The train was bearing down, and Wesley Autrey Sr. was trying to lift Cameron
Hollopeter off the wet, slippery subway tracks where the young man had
fallen after suffering an epileptic seizure. Recalling the heroic act that
earned him the nickname "subway superman" one year ago, Autrey described how
he "bear-hugged" Hollopeter and told him: "Whatever you do, please don't
push me up. I'm going to be the one that's going to get it, and you're going
to be OK." (Click here for complete news story)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080101/ap_on_re_us/subway_rescue;_ylt=AunXEgHXAgPk4ego_C1NSw4DW7oF
* Long-Term Results With LASIK Good: Laser Surgery for Eyesight Safe and
Effective, Researchers Report *
New research should reassure the millions of people who have had laser
surgery to correct nearsighted vision over the last two decades. One of the
largest and longest follow-ups ever of patients who had LASIK for vision
correction showed a very low rate of complications and a high rate of
long-term satisfaction with the procedure. (Click here for complete news
story)
http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/news/20080102/long-term-results-with-lasik-good
** For more positive news, please visit
http://www.selfgrowth.com/news.html
Other:
* GM Envisions Driverless Cars on Horizon: Cars That Drive and Even Park
Themselves May Be on Market Within Decade, General Motors Says *
Cars that drive themselves even parking at their destination could be ready
for sale within a decade, General Motors Corp. executives say. GM, parts
suppliers, university engineers and other automakers all are working on
vehicles that could revolutionize short- and long-distance travel. And
Tuesday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas GM Chief Executive
Rick Wagoner will devote part of his speech to the driverless vehicles.
(Click here for complete news story)
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=4095437
* Naps May Boost Memory *
If you want to remember the information in this article, take a nap. New
research conducted by brain researcher Avi Karni of the University of Haifa
in Israel explores the possibility that naps help lock in sometimes fleeting
long-term memories. A 90-minute daytime snooze might help the most, the
study finds. (Click here for complete news story)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20080107/sc_livescience/napsmayboostmemory;_ylt=ArkvRvkEOc8GFWqPs72VEAEDW7oF
* Hiring may not be so great in 2008: Despite a few bright spots, workers
could find it tough to land dream job *
Gary, a laid-off mechanic for a major U.S. airline who is biding his time as
a casino worker, has been unable to find a job that pays him more than $8 to
$10 an hour. "I have over 25 years as a mechanic with electrical, hydraulic,
plumbing, carpentries, and some robotics," he says, adding that he's "a hard
worker." (Click here for complete news story)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22488600/