Self Improvement Newsletter
Issue # 515, July 21-22, 2008

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* Self Improvement and Personal Growth Weekly Newsletter *
Issue # 515, Week of July 21-22, 2008
Publisher:  David Riklan - http://www.SelfGrowth.com

In this issue:

-- Quotes of the Week
-- Recommended Product of the Week
-- Article:  The Necessity of Taking Time for Yourself -- And How to Really Do It - By Sedona.com
-- Article:  Spiritual Intelligence: A Road Map for Self Improvement and Overcoming Despair - By Rabbi Yaacov J. Kravitz, Ed.D.
-- Book Review:  Poetry as Spiritual Practice: Reading, Writing, and Using Poetry in Your Daily Rituals, Aspirations, and Intentions - By Robert McDowell
-- Brief News of the World
-- How to Subscribe and Unsubscribe from this Newsletter

Current Subscribers - 269,011 subscribers
Removal instructions are listed at the end of the newsletter.


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*** Quotes of the Week ***
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Be true to your work, your word, and your friend. - Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862, American Author/Critic/Naturalist

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. - Walt Disney, 1901-1966, American Film Producer/Director/Animator 

There is little success where there is little laughter. - Andrew Carnegie, 1835-1919, American Industrialist and Philanthropist

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*** Recommended Product of the Week ***
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*** Article:  The Necessity of Taking Time for Yourself -- And How to Really Do It - By Sedona.com ***
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So many of us feel guilty if we're not busy all the time and pat ourselves on the back for working like crazy. This, we feel, shows what type of person we are: one who puts others first, and isn't afraid of a little hard work.

Yet, where does this martyr-type attitude really get us?

For one, it gets us plenty of stress, which we all know can lead to heart disease, diabetes, depression, and more illnesses in general. It also gets us feeling downright harried on most days of the week, so much so that our days whiz by without so much as a stroll through the park or an hour with a really good book.

"Many of us live a life filled with doing things for others while forgetting ourselves," says Hale Dwoskin, CEO and director of training of Sedona Training Associates. "And even if you are not a caregiver or someone who puts others first, you sometimes get so busy with the task at hand in your life that you forget that you also need to take care of and nurture yourself."

Indeed, the more you focus on others at the expense of yourself, the more likely you are to become burned out, bitter, and possibly even resentful. Clearly, this is not a favor to anyone in your life.

"It is critically important to remember to take care of yourself," Dwoskin says. "If you're not taking care of yourself, you deplete your own energy and you also prevent yourself from enjoying whatever it is that you are doing in life."

How to Take Time for Yourself

It's not always easy to set aside "me" time, particularly if you're used to always giving. But here are some tips that can help:

1. Look at "me" time as a priority. Schedule it into your day like you do eating, sleeping, and working.
2. Make a list of various things you'd enjoy doing during "your" time and refer to it whenever you have a free moment.
3. Trim your schedule of activities you don't find fulfilling, along with people who drain your energy. Use the time you'd spend on them for yourself.
4. Realize you don't have to be perfect. If you've been spending loads of time preparing elaborate dinner parties or baking for your son's school bake sale, relax. Order a pizza next time you have friends over, and pick up some cookies from a local bakery for your son. Voila! Instant "me" time.
5. Make it a routine. It takes about three to six weeks to make something a habit, so commit to your scheduled "me" time for that long, and it should become second nature.
6. Release. Anytime you're feeling overwhelmed or tempted to over-commit yourself, release those feelings using The Sedona Method.

"As you do take time for yourself, you find the time actually expands," Dwoskin says. "Even when you're engaged in other actions that may not appear to be for you, you'll find your efficiency level going up dramatically because you have taken a timeout. By the way, one of the best ways to take a time out is to spend some time releasing."

About the Author:
Hale Dwoskin is the author of the New York Times best seller "The Sedona Method," and he is one of the 24 teachers from the movie "The Secret." Hale is the CEO and Director of Training of Sedona Training Associates, an organization headquartered in Sedona, Arizona. He has trained thousands of people worldwide to release limiting and unwanted thoughts and feelings using the powerful Sedona Method techniques. To learn how the Sedona Method can help YOU, visit http://www.selfgrowth.com/products/sedona.html

Check out the Experts page for Hale Dwoskin, the Official Guide to Anger Management, Anxiety, and Happiness & Self Improvement.

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*** Article:  Spiritual Intelligence: A Road Map for Self Improvement and Overcoming Despair - By Rabbi Yaacov J. Kravitz, Ed.D. ***
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Some time ago I was preparing a presentation for my Toastmasters group. I wasn't feeling particularly excited about or inspired by anything at the time. I was actually feeling pretty down, so I decided to meditate for a while and see what was going on for me. The answer came quickly. I had been reading the new papers, and I was feeling overwhelmed and despondent about recent developments in the environment, the economy, and the turmoil in the Middle East.

At that moment I realized I could speak about how I was going to use the skills and abilities of Spiritual Intelligence® to help me overcome the despair, anger, and cynicism I was feeling. Spirituality refers to what is most essential to the heart of human experience. Spiritual Intelligence® is about moving powerfully toward your life goals with a HEART that is open and flexible, with Enthusiasm, with Awareness of your present experience and of the presence of the divine, with Respect for and service to others and the world, and guided by the Traditions of your highest values and ethics.

The skills, abilities, and characteristics of Spiritual Intelligence (SI) are derived from the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, and are divided among the three realms of mind, emotion, and action. Accepting and acknowledging my negative feelings of overwhelm and despondency was an important first step in the spiritual healing process called Tikkun (the Hebrew word for "repair"). Sitting with my feelings was essential to opening my heart to a more expansive consciousness that included elements of all three realms of SI. To move from despondency to joy and from overwhelm to focused action required moving through all three realms and utilizing a variety of spiritual practices, a process that I would like to share with you now. As we go through this process, I want to invite you to consider an area of your life where you feel things are not quite as they should be, where you are experiencing anger, cynicism, despair, or any other negative emotion and go through the process with me.

Following the first step of mindful acknowledgement of my feelings, I moved to reflection on my GOALS and values. Acknowledging the presence of a higher power or higher purpose in life and the need to align with that purpose provides the energy for moving out of the pit of despair. For me, the most important values I contacted were my commitment to social justice, equal economic opportunity for everyone, and environmental sustainability in personal and business activities.

If values and goals are unclear, you may need to access your intuitive inner wisdom. One way to access intuitive inner wisdom is to use meditation to quiet the mind. Nature abhors a vacuum. So into that quiet space of the mind usually comes a storm of ideas, which we can harness by brainstorming solutions to whatever problem we confront. The idea I had to use this topic for my talk came from my intuitive wisdom.

Next in my Tikkun process came understanding, working out the details of whatever intuition has revealed. Understanding includes the abilities to analyze, make distinctions and judgments, and discern the meaning of what we have intuited. For me this meant working out the details of this article so that I could share my ideas.

When we combine wisdom and understanding we create knowledge. True knowing something involves speaking from the heart and the head at the same time. It is also about being mindful that the results of intuition and analysis are still in line with my Ultimate Goals.

Just below the branch of intuitive wisdom on the Tree of Life is the branch of expansive love. Wisdom and love share a quality of an abundant flow of energy; the former intellectual energy, the latter emotional energy. This is where I use meditation to tap into the flow of life energy, passionate commitment for social justice, and love.

To make sure that all that exuberant energy didn't get out of hand, I had to balance it with Gevurah, restraint. This ability is about applying discipline and knowledge of ethical boundaries and limits to focus the abundant flow of love. That meant keeping my exuberance in check, not telling others what to do, but doing whatever I could to change things within the limits of the law.

Sometimes it's a struggle to balance the expansive flow of love and the restraint of discipline. Sometimes anger, cynicism, and despair block the flow of positive emotional energy. Examining our unrealistic expectations and not taking things personally are two of many strategies related to the next branch of the Tree, healing and forgiveness.

Finally we move to the realm of action, transforming energy into deed. If I want to change things and don't like what I read in the newspaper, I have to do something. I can donate money to candidates I support and to organizations that do work that I endorse; I can send letters to all my congressmen and senators; I can join organizations.

I have to be careful, though, not become too self-righteous. To balance my zealous action, I have to develop the qualities of dignity and empathy. I have to make sure that I listen to people on the other side of the issue and treat them with respect.

When I talk and listen to others, and when I connect with others for collective action to achieve our goals, I have come to the root of the Tree of Life, which is creativity and connection. Utilizing the various branches of the Tree of Life ultimately brings you to a place where you can exercise spiritual and emotional leadership for yourself and for others.

Having worked through this process of spiritual soul-searching and development, I let go of my despair, cynicism, and apathy because I knew that I was doing my part to create a better world. You too can use this brief outline of the Tree of Life as a roadmap to work through any personal, relationship, or business problem.

My challenge to you to never let yourself be overwhelmed by cynicism or despair, and to remember that there are tools and skills that you can use to confront and overcome any obstacle.

© 2008, Rabbi Yaacov J. Kravitz, Ed.D.

About the Author:
Yaacov Kravitz, Ed.D., president of the Center for Spiritual Intelligence® Inc., is a rabbi, pastoral counselor, coach, and certified Toastmaster who has spent 30 years working on the integration of spirituality and psychology. He is the author of "Spiritual Pathways to Recovery," and "Mindfulness, Spiritual Meditation and Kabbalah." Read about his latest project at http://www.selfgrowth.com/products/mastersofsi.html

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*** Book Review:  Poetry as Spiritual Practice: Reading, Writing, and Using Poetry in Your Daily Rituals, Aspirations, and Intentions - By Robert McDowell ***
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Poetry is the language of devotion in prayer, chant, and song. Reading and writing poetry creates clarity, deepens and expands spiritual inquiry, and cultivates wisdom, compassion, self-confidence, patience, and love. In author Robert McDowell's words, poetry makes you into a tuning fork of the Divine.

But poetry has disappeared over the centuries from religious ceremonies, academic curricula, and public discourse. In "Poetry as Spiritual Practice," the first inspirational and instructional guide to combine poetry and spirituality, McDowell restores poetry as the natural language of spiritual practice and invites you to recognize poetry as "the pure sound and shape of your spirit."

Vividly illustrated with a wide range of poems from all historical eras and poetic traditions, numerous religions and faiths, and McDowell's own and his students' work, "Poetry as Spiritual Practice" will reintroduce you to the unique pleasure of verse. And meditations throughout will allow you to integrate reading and writing poetry into your spiritual journeys and daily life.

Since many of us have long forgotten, or never learned, the mechanics and terminology of poetry -- trochaic feet and tropes trip us up; we can't tell a villanelle from its shorter cousin, rondeau; and a terza rima may as well be a tanka -- this is also an instructional handbook on reading and writing poetry. An engaging guide through the landscape of world poetry, McDowell argues along the way for the many practical benefits of poetic literacy.

Making poetry an essential part of daily rituals, aspirations, and intentions will put you on the path to greater meaning, growth, and peace in your life. At once an engaging technical primer, a profound meditation on the relationship between poetry and the Divine, and an inspirational guide for integrating poetry into spiritual practice, "Poetry as Spiritual Practice" will become a cherished companion.

*****
Learn more about the book at http://www.poetryasspiritualpractice.com/

The list price of this book is $20.00. To purchase it from Amazon.com for $13.60, a 32% discount, go here.

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*** Brief News of the World ***
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Positive:

* Lost & Hound In Queens: Returns 5 Yrs., 850 Miles Later *

When her beagle, Rocco, squeezed himself under the backyard gate and disappeared into the streets of Queens, 5-year-old Natalie Villacis refused to believe - as her parents reluctantly told her - that she would never see the puppy again. That was in 2003. Last weekend, Rocco came home - after being found in Georgia. (Click here for complete news story)

* Web star famed for silly dance aims for charity: Matt Harding to use celebrity status to raise money for laptops for the poor *

Matt Harding has won cult celebrity status by filming himself dancing badly around the world to the amusement of millions of Internet viewers but now he wants to get serious -- raising money for laptops for the poor. Harding, 31, began his unusual route to fame five years ago when he quit his job as a video game maker and set off to travel the world, with a traveling pal suggesting he do the same jig he used to do in the office and film himself in different spots. (Click here for complete news story)

* Dogs work 'magic' on kids with autism *

"It's the magic of dogs." That's how Karen Shirk explains the ability of service dogs to help children suffering from autism. "I'm sure there's some sort of scientific explanation," she says. "But I call it magic." Since 1998, through her nonprofit 4 Paws for Ability, Shirk has helped partner service dogs with people with a wide range of disabilities. It was Shirk's own challenge in getting a service dog that led her to start 4 Paws. (Click here for complete news story)

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

Other:

* Scientists tap motion in the ocean for energy: Wave power, dolphin flukes and humpback whale fins among inspirations *

A sea of potential is lurking just beneath the waves. In a sinuous rubber tube dubbed the Anaconda and in the unusual features of dolphin flukes and humpback whale fins, scientists are looking to the ocean and its inhabitants for a little alternative energy inspiration. For Frank Fish, humpback whales are inspiring new designs for more efficient windmills and industrial ceiling fans. Why humpbacks? "They actually have these very elongated flippers, about one-third the body length of the animals," said Fish, a biomechanist at West Chester University in West Chester, Pa. (Click here for complete news story)

* New York City Taxis Going Green: 3 Major Auto Makers Promise to Reserve 300 Hybrids Each Month for City's Yellow Cab Fleet *

Three major auto manufacturers are promising to reserve 300 new hybrid vehicles each month exclusively for the city as it replaces its entire fleet of yellow cabs. Nissan North America, General Motors and the Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday that they are setting aside the environmentally friendly cars to help the city reach its goal of making all yellow cabs green by 2012. Today there are about 13,000 cabs on the street and more than 1,300 are hybrids. (Click here for complete news story)

* Fish pedicures: Carp rid human feet of scaly skin *

Ready for the latest in spa pampering? Prepare to dunk your tootsies in a tank of water and let tiny carp nibble away. Fish pedicures are creating something of a splash in the D.C. area, where a northern Virginia spa has been offering them for the past four months. John Ho, who runs the Yvonne Hair and Nails salon with his wife, Yvonne Le, said 5,000 people have taken the plunge so far. "This is a good treatment for everyone who likes to have nice feet," Ho said. (Click here for complete news story)

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