Self Improvement Newsletter
Issue # 506, May 20-21, 2008
FREE Self
Improvement Newsletter, Click here!Please Visit Our Sponsors
Self Improvement Newsletter
Issue # 506, May 20-21, 2008
FREE Self
Improvement Newsletter, Click here!
Please Visit Our Sponsors
* Self
Improvement and Personal Growth Weekly Newsletter *
Issue # 506, Week of May 20-21, 2008
Publisher: David Riklan -
http://www.SelfGrowth.com
In this issue:
-- Quotes
of the Week
-- Recommended Product of the Week
-- Article:
The Impact of Lacking Self-Esteem on
Business Professionals - By Dr. Joe Rubino
-- Article: What's Taking Up the Much Needed Room in Your Life? - By Caroline
Jalango
-- Book Review: Glossary of
Terms from 'A Course in Miracles': Nearly 200 Definitions to Help You Take an
Active Role in Your Study of the Course - By Robert Perry
-- Brief News of the World
-- How to Subscribe and Unsubscribe from this Newsletter
Current
Subscribers - 266,753 subscribers
Removal instructions are listed at the end of the newsletter.
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*** Quotes of the Week ***
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When ideas fail, words come in very handy. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832, German Poet/Dramatist/Novelist
Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air. They are where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. - Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862, American Author/Critic/Naturalist
Great minds have purposes,
others have wishes. - Washington Irving, 1783-1859, American Author
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*** Recommended Product of the Week
***
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* How To Find Your Way Back Home *
We live in a world that often focuses on the importance of making money. For many people, it has become their obsession... But for many of us, we have a stronger inner need, a desire for Spiritual Enlightenment. Let Bess Permut lead you along a beautiful pathway to a heavenly life! Buy her book today and get over $239 worth of FREE gifts! Go here for all the information.
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*** Article: The Impact of Lacking Self-Esteem on Business Professionals - By
Dr. Joe Rubino ***
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Studies show that at least 85% or more of the world's people suffer from some degree of lacking self-esteem. Although one might think that such challenges are only characteristic of the poor, uneducated, or lower socio-economic members of society, people from all walks of life can suffer situational or more widespread challenges with their levels of self-esteem.
Many very successful businesspeople lack self-esteem in some areas of their lives. Perhaps they feel socially challenged or they have difficulty establishing close or intimate relationships. Perhaps they experience low self-esteem with regard to their physical appearance or their health. Perhaps they are not having any fun in their lives, maybe devoting too much attention to their work. Many "successful" people are driven to succeed. They compensate for feeling deficient in other areas of their lives by working harder and finding a place they can excel through their work. This provides them with a new focus where they can win, but it doesn't fulfill their neglected needs in other areas like relationships, recreation, personal and spiritual development, health and appearance, and their ability to lead balanced, fun, and fulfilling lives.
It's not that there is something wrong with finding an occupational niche where one can be successful and feel good about oneself. However, many of those lacking self-esteem in other areas find themselves driven to accomplish, driven to prove their worth. Since business is an area where they can shine, they neglect other areas to focus excessively on business.
However, since their actions are built upon the erroneous belief that they are somehow not good enough, somehow defective or unworthy of being fully loved and accepted, there is little lasting satisfaction even in the arenas where they can excel. It's as though they are climbing a ladder with the top of the ladder in the clouds. They think that if they can just climb high enough, they will be successful. They will have proven their worth. They will find satisfaction, happiness, and fulfillment. However, as they climb higher and higher, they never seem to arrive. There are always new goals and objectives challenging them to prove their worth. The more they achieve, the more they have yet to go. Try as they will, they never seem to fully measure up. Or, if they do, it is short-lived and fleeting at best. There is no arriving to the point where they find what they long for so badly -- the peace of mind that comes from self-love and self-acceptance.
Because the foundation of their ladder is grounded on quicksand, they often find themselves sinking as rapidly as they climb. In fact, from their perspective, they will never reach the perfection they seek so badly. They will always find evidence to highlight their flaws and reinforce their fears of being unworthy, unlovable, defective in some way.
In addition to the cost of never finding true happiness, long-term fulfillment, or peace, lacking self-esteem impacts businesspeople in many other ways. For example, by not getting to the source of their self-esteem issues, they sacrifice their personal power, their ability to best pursue their life purpose and fully manifest their gifts in the world. If our energy is spent by being preoccupied with our weaknesses or being incomplete with our past, we can never be fully present to today and so we sacrifice our true potential to be our very best. Our relationships suffer as we will misinterpret the words and actions of others in a way that invalidates us and has us feel badly about who we are. We may be so driven to prove we are good enough that we sacrifice our personal effectiveness and charisma by focusing on ourselves and our deficiencies rather than on the wants and needs of others. We may play small and hide out in social situations or whenever the possibility of looking bad or "being found out" comes up for us. Or, we may overcompensate and turn to workaholic tendencies out of a desire to prove our worth to others or to ourselves. Because of this misdirected focus, we trade our ability to impact others maximally and to best contribute our gifts to the world.
By raising self-esteem, we will realize a wide variety of benefits in our professional and personal lives. Those with high self-esteem are more effective in their communication and more likely to establish richer, more rewarding relationships. People with greater self-confidence possess a more positive expectation for the future. They feel good about their ability to accomplish a result and so they are more proactive, are in more focused action, and have less of a tendency to sabotage themselves along the way as those lacking self-esteem typically do. Those believing in their abilities are less driven to prove themselves as worthy and so they are less prone to burnout. They relax more and tend to have fun more often and are less stressed since they have less to prove. Those with a higher self-image are also more likely to savor their accomplishments rather than find ways to invalidate them.
In their personal lives, people with elevated esteem tend to be more at peace. Couples possessing high self-esteem typically fight less with each other and tend to do better in sustaining long-term relationships. Because they are less likely to be invalidated at the slightest provocation and are less likely to fear being dominated by their peers, they tend to get along better with others. Being less scarcity-based, they tend to make time for work, as well as recreation and passions, rather than being driven to prove themselves worthy in those areas where they feel deficient.
The message of "The Self-Esteem Book" is simple. No one needs to settle for a dimmed existence due to a lacking sense of self-worth. Most people either make up or buy into thoughts that there is something wrong with them, that they are somehow inadequate, not good enough and not worthy of being loved and accessing all the good things that life has to offer. If they are willing to examine their past to get to the source of their resignation and diminished self-esteem, they can reinterpret what happened to them in such a way that they can heal and complete the past and eliminate negative self-talk while making a conscious decision to live their lives from a decision to strive for excellence and contribute to others. By developing a firm belief that they can impact people and the world around them and that they are, in fact, very worthy of receiving life's blessings, they will manifest happiness and fulfillment.
The answer to escaping the vicious cycle of lacking self-esteem, diminished confidence, and the never-ending, frustrating quest for fulfillment lies in the 3-step process as laid out in detail in "The Self-Esteem Book." The process starts with healing one's past so that it no longer robs us of energy and consumes our attention. We do this by reinterpreting the upsetting events of our childhood in a way that involves empathy, forgiveness, and gratitude. We create empathy for those who said or did things that hurt us and caused us to lose esteem by asking the question, "What could it have been like in this person's world for them to have acted as they did?" This is not the same as condoning hurtful behavior. It is simply making the observation that they acted in alignment with how they viewed the world. As a child we gave these happenings meanings that resulted in our decision that we did not measure up in some way to the standards of perfection we set for ourselves. We can then make a conscious decision to both forgive those who hurt us and forgive ourselves for the mistakes we made. And lastly, rather than focus on our weaknesses, we can decide to be grateful for our strengths and gifts. We can learn to acknowledge ourselves for the things we do well and for the unique, special gifts we bring to the world.
Once the pull of past ghosts is complete, we can then turn our attention to properly analyzing our present state of affairs. We can identify what's working in our lives and what's missing to support living an upset-free life in choice, a life that honors our most important values and inspires us to live passionately. We can analyze each of the six predominant areas of our lives: our health and physical appearance and makeup, our occupation or life's work, our wealth and finances, our relationships and family, our spiritual and personal development, and our fun, recreations, and passions. We can highlight our strengths and decide to work to improve upon the things that we see as lacking in each area.
And finally, we can take that magic wand that is our birth-right, wave it over our lives, and design our future deliberately. We can choose to do so in a way that excites us, as we cast off that gloomy state of low self-esteem, unhealthy resignation, and self-pity that no longer supports us. We can create a vision for who we are and the qualities for which we wish to be known. We can decide how we will spend a typical day at work or at play. We can envision the things that we will have around us in our lives, including such things as where we will live and with whom. And we can decide how our lives will be spent so that we honor our most important values, who we will contribute to, and what passions and gifts we will focus on manifesting. We can decide to read such a written vision daily and replace our negative self-talk with powerful affirming statements that support our self-worth. In short, we can live with the intention to honor our God-given magnificence and lead happy, fulfilled lives that fully contribute to others as we embrace our humanity and share the unique and special person we are with the world.
About the Author:
Dr. Joe Rubino is an internationally acclaimed personal development trainer, a life-changing success coach, and best-selling author of 9 books and 2 audio sets on topics ranging from how to restore self-esteem, achieve business success, maximize joy and fulfillment in life and productivity in business. An acclaimed speaker and course leader, he is known for his groundbreaking work in personal and leadership development, building effective teams, enhancing listening and communication skills, life and business coaching, and optimal life planning.
Dr. Rubino is the CEO of The Center for Personal Reinvention, CenterForPersonalReinvention.com, an organization committed to the personal excellence and empowerment of all people. He has impacted the lives of more than 1 million people through self-esteem work, personal and group coaching, and personal and leadership development. Dr. Joe offers powerful personal coaching to support business success and life fulfillment. To contact him, call 888-821-3135 or email drjrubino@email.com. Learn more about his life-changing work in championing people to restore their self-esteem at SelfEsteemSystem.com and receive the free insightful audio program "7 Steps to Soaring Self-Esteem" and a 1-year subscription to "The Success Achievers' Club"...a $129 Value!
Check out the Experts page for Joe Rubino, the Official SelfGrowth.com Guide to Self-Esteem.
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SPECIAL BOOK OFFER!
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*** Article: What's Taking Up the Much Needed Room in Your Life? - By Caroline
Jalango ***
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You say you want "stuff"...but do you have room in your life to receive it?
You want to be loved, to be at peace, have wonderful relationships, look and feel good, find a better job, be respected and recognized for your work, make more money, grow your business, advance your career and so forth -- but have you "emptied out" the unproductive aspects in your life to make room for your new desires?
If you haven't:
What's currently taking up the much needed space in your life?
Emotional clutter, baggage, tolerations, hang-ups, fixed perspectives, belief systems, attitudes, excuses, fears, or debilitating habits can occupy a large part of your life and prevent you from pursuing or receiving anything new -- even if you wanted to!
Even when you somehow manage to achieve your desire, you might still grapple with thoughts about how to "squeeze this new thing" into your already "overcrowded life" and how to make everything else work smoothly at the same time. If you fail to effectively manage your "overcrowded life," you become stressed and may involuntarily sabotage the very thing you've worked to achieve.
For instance, many people want loving relationships and yet they end up sabotaging them because they haven't yet made "room" for that kind of love in their lives. Their lives are so overcrowded with "baggage from past relationships" that when they eventually meet someone new, they are not ready to love and be loved. It's not that they don't want this new and beautiful relationship -- it's that they simply are not ready! They haven't gotten rid of emotional baggage from past relationships, closed certain chapters of their old lives, worked on themselves, or even adopted new positive attitudes. As a result, they remain stuck in undesirable situations.
When you have no room for the "stuff" you want, you become conflicted because on one hand you want to achieve your heart's desires, and on the other, you don't feel 100 percent committed to receiving it. When you are not fully committed, you lose motivation. When you lose motivation, you struggle to achieve your goals, and this often leads to self-sabotage and a feeling of being stuck.
Ponder Point:
Are you stuck in the same undesirable situation?
What do you need to get rid of today?
It's important to constantly evaluate your life to see what's working and what's not working. Today is the perfect time for some personal "spring cleaning."
Out with the old and in with the new, fresh, and inspiring life you want!
Consider your life for a moment...
Is your life full to the brim? How can you make room for the things you want?
Dealing with a bad boss? How can you make room for a better working relationship?
Frustrated with your career? How can you make room for a more fulfilling one?
Stressed at work or at home? How can you make room for peace?
Want a loving relationship? How can you make room for love?
Want to get out of debt? How can you make room for financial freedom?
Want to lose weight? How can you make room for a healthier lifestyle?
Want to feel good about yourself? How can you make room for self-respect?
Want to succeed in business? How can you make room for growth?
Make room!
About the Author:
Caroline coaches women, provides strategies and solutions, motivates and helps women who want to do better for themselves. She is the author of "Settle for Less No More," a motivational book for women. For more topics like this, visit http://www.motivationzone.com to gain the momentum to do better for yourself and get the results you want!
Check out the Experts page for Caroline Jalango.
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* Your Life Has a Purpose -- Find It In This Book *
It's rare when something
comes along so powerful and so deep that you can literally have the best part of
you awakened. That something is Bess Permut's How To Find Your Way Back Home.
Get this 237-page book and 11 bonus gifts for only $16.95!
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*** Book
Review: Glossary of Terms from 'A Course in Miracles': Nearly 200 Definitions
to Help You Take an Active Role in Your Study of the Course - By Robert Perry
***
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Everyone who owns a copy of "A Course in Miracles" should also own a copy of Robert Perry's "Glossary of Terms from 'A Course in Miracles.'" In my opinion, it's that kind of a love-inspired document.
For years now, I have had a copy of the first edition of this glossary on the night table beside my bed, along with the three-volume Course and its two supplements, primarily because I experience all of these documents as complementary treasures for my own salvation.
The introduction to the glossary begins with these words: "'A Course in Miracles' is a modern spiritual path. Designed as an educational program in spiritual development, its aim is to completely reverse the way we perceive the world." The glossary reflects that goal on each and every page.
My dictionary describes the word "glossary" in the following way: "a collection of difficult or special terms with their meanings." It is that, of course; but also much more.
How to use the glossary is explained in six short pages of the introduction. Following what is suggested in the introduction, however, is entirely up to the student or learner. Just as with the Course itself.
Robert makes quite clear that an entire book could be written about each definition found in the glossary, and one gets the impression that Robert has most probably already done that -- at least in his mind. Which means, almost two hundred definitions equals almost two hundred books! And all in the compact form of just 115 pages, attractively demonstrated through a range of interesting approaches. In short, a very readable document.
For me, it even reads like a book of poetry at times, just as the Course does.
Because of the way the glossary is written and organized, one gets the impression that true mastery of the Course and its principles, while seemingly a never-ending process, is leading us to nothing less than a true personal transformation, ending with God in Heaven. Nothing less.
Just as with the Course itself, the glossary is a holistic document, meaning the parts and the whole are fully integrated and are never in conflict. Total congruency in thought can be experienced with each definition.
Again, as with the Course, the glossary feels to me like a truly guided piece of spirit-based work under the Holy Spirit's direct guidance. That is why I feel it is a document I can fully trust and embrace for the purposes of my own Atonement.
The definitions speak for themselves but, in my opinion, need to be personally experienced in order to be fully appreciated. Since I am limited to a certain number of words in this review, I can only offer some brief commentary. What I noticed in particular was that there was, at least for me, no difference in experience between the first and second editions of this glossary; simply an extension of thought and deeper insights.
The following definitions I found especially meaningful: Atonement; being; call for love/help; delusional system; eyes of Christ; freedom; "God's Son is guiltless"; heart; holiness, holy; holy relationship; impossible situation; law of love; making error real; pupil; script; teaching-learning situation; treasure house.
In particular I liked some of the subtleties I found in some of the commentaries.
For example, under "Atonement," I notice in a parenthetical remark that "it thus refers to the recovering of at-one-ment, not the state of at-one-ment."
Under "impossible situation," we find these two sentences: "This is why the world is depressing, because the whole world is an impossible situation. Yet we can develop our abilities and follow our Guide to the point where we can actually get out."
Under "making error real," we are reminded that this "does not refer to making the error of the separation real; the phrase 'making the error real' does not appear in the Course."
On the subject of "pupil," we find this "also speaks of pupils of a teacher of 'A Course in Miracles' (see M-17, 18, 23, 24, 29)."
All of which I see as subtle teaching/learning points, just as in the Course itself.
And there is more much more. As I said at the beginning of this review, "Everyone who owns a copy of 'A Course in Miracles' should also own a copy of Robert Perry's 'Glossary of Terms from 'A Course in Miracles.''" Own one, and find out directly if this is also true for you. --Val Scott
About the Author:
Robert Perry is one of the most respected interpreters of "A Course in Miracles." He has been teaching since 1986, is the author of nineteen books and booklets on the Course, and is the founder of the Circle of Atonement, a teaching center in Arizona dedicated to serving students of the Course. Visit the Circle of Atonement's website at http://www.circleofa.org, or contact the Circle at P.O. Box 4238, Sedona, AZ 86340. Email: info@circleofa.org, or phone: 888-357-7520.
Check out
the Experts page for
Robert Perry, the Official SelfGrowth.com Guide to A Course in Miracles.
*****
The list price of this book is $12.95. To purchase it from Amazon.com for
$10.36, a 20% discount,
go here.
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*** Brief News of the World ***
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Positive:
* Actor-activist Sheen receives honor at Notre Dame *
The University of Notre Dame has honored actor and activist Martin Sheen with its Laetare Medal for his humanitarian work. The 67-year-old Sheen received the award Sunday during the school's commencement. The award is Notre Dame's top honor and is given annually to a Catholic "whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the church, and enriched the heritage of humanity." (Click here for complete news story)
* Soldiers shave heads to support cancer kids *
Under a huge tent just outside the medical unit at Camp Liberty, shielded from the blazing sun, soldiers watch and cheer as two men at a time get their heads shaved. Clumps of hair fall to the hot sand below. But they're not just fighting the Iraqi heat. They're showing solidarity with sick kids they don't even know. (Click here for complete news story)
* Marine Scientists Discover Millions of Starfish Inhabiting Undersea Volcano *
Marine scientists surveying a large undersea mountain chain were amazed to find millions of tiny starfish swirling their arms to capture food in the undersea current. An expedition by 19 scientists, including five from Australia, studied the geology and biology of eight Macquarie Ridge sea mounts. (Click here for complete news story)
** For more positive news, please visit http://www.selfgrowth.com/news.html
Other:
* Why Mars remains a mystery: Where's the water? Where are the Martians? *
With the dozens of orbiters, landers and rovers that scientists have sent to Mars, you would think we'd have a good handle on just what makes our planetary neighbor tick. But even with all the pictures snapped of its rocky terrain, all the measurements taken from orbit and the soil samples scooped up, we've still barely begun to solve the puzzle that is the Red Planet. (Click here for complete news story)
* Causes of morning sickness revealed: Despite the misery, nausea and vomiting actually serve a useful purpose *
As irritating as morning sickness may be for pregnant women, it may protect embryos. Doctors have long known that morning sickness -- the nausea and vomiting usually experienced in early pregnancy -- is actually a good sign of a healthy pregnancy, despite the discomfort it brings. (Click here for complete news story)
* What puts you at risk for high cholesterol? *
Blood cholesterol is a risk factor for coronary artery disease and heart attack, so reducing your risk of high cholesterol is a worthy goal. However, the next time you brag that your cholesterol is nice and low -- or lament that your number is in the mid-200s -- know this: "Your total cholesterol is a pretty meaningless number," says Maureen Mays, M.D., a preventive cardiologist and lipid specialist at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. (Click here for complete news story)