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Browse published articles attributed to cedric rice, with full-archive search.
There is a new mentality in the industrialized world which I call the microwave mentality. It is a result of the information age and will only grow with industrialization. I call it the microwave mentality.
How many times have emotional outbursts destroyed a life or career? Our emotions can either work for us or against us depending on how we handle them. Gaining control of your emotions is a practice which requires maturity and experience. We have to learn to recognize the emotions which seek to propel us into action and respond accordingly rather than to react as they tell us which is often not good. We can’t prevent emotions but we can choose to not allow them to cause us to perform negative behaviors.
For the purpose of this article let me give you my definition of situational stress. Situational stress is the stress associated with being near or around a particular person, place, or thing. There will always be a negative event associated with this type of stress. One example for me was an event which happened when I was a karate student. One night we were doing a running jump kick into a punching bag and I kicked up instead of into the bag. This caused me to have a terrible fall which was extremely painful.
I just want to take this time and opportunity to write this article to the friend that I have never seen. One thing about life is that we can live for all of our life and think that we don’t have any friends but regardless of who you are you do have one friend that you have not seen. Thank you so much for protecting me over the years, even when I didn’t know that you were there. I am still standing here today only because you have been there for me. Now I trust you more because you have brought me through so much. I have learned to trust you with all things that pertain to my life.
A practical article connected into the broader SelfGrowth topic graph.
Do you want to have a multitude of friends? If you don’t the only reason is that you haven’t invested the amount of time that you need to. It doesn’t matter how you look. Whether you are attractive or not or how big or small that you are not things that add to or detract from the equation. Have you ever known someone who was not good looking at all but had a multitude of friends? The only thing that made that person popular was the fact that they invested their time in the making of friends. The bible says that he who has a multitude of friends must show himself friendly.
This is an article that I can write with some authority because I have been there and done that. I used to have a serious anger management problem. It was so serious that it encompassed all areas of my life and had serious negative effects on my friendships. This problem was not natural and not normal but as with all people who have an anger management problem I felt in every case that the anger was justified. I would get angry at perceived indiscretions of other people. Most of the time the indiscretions were real, some times they were imagined.
Tips to Overcoming Anxiety Anxiety can rob us of much of the pleasure that life entitles us to. In most cases it can be helped by combining a few changes in your daily routine. Anxiety can be handled like any sickness or disease although I wouldn’t classify it as a mental illness. There are times however when it should be considered a mental illness but most times it depends on the situation. Prolonged anxiety or stress can lead to long term health and mental illness problems.
The biggest hindrance that most of us face in not achieving our goals and objectives is that we don’t act aggressively enough to accomplish them. I used to think that if God is on my side every accomplishment would be easy. There is nothing further from the truth and I have learned better now. I have missed out on many opportunities in life and many accomplishments because I would falter at the first sign of difficulty and figure that since there were so many problems I must be doing the wrong thing.
The brain is a muscle which needs to be nourished just like the rest of the body. The brain needs nutrition and oxygen just like the rest of the human body. If the cells are not fed they will atrophy and die. When we exercise the rest of the body the heart pumps blood to the entire body including the brain. The blood flowing to the brain feeds the brain with oxygen and nutrients while it removes waste products. This is vitally important to brain function and is an overlooked aspect of brain condition.
Some people are effective listeners and some are not. The difference between being a good listener and a bad one lies in the way that you interact with the speaker. A good listener is intimate with the speaker in that he or she listens on a whole different level. An average listener will hear with the ears but a great listener listens with the entire soul.
The true leader is the one who is more self motivated out of the group. If you can’t motivate yourself there is no way that you will be able to motivate subordinates. Sometimes the leader motivates by actions rather than words. When you look at the leader on athletic teams you will note that they are normally the best athletes on the team. They are the ones who will whip the team up to meet a challenge on the playing field.
Now in this article I will really put myself on the line because I am terribly guilty of being resistant to change. Change isn’t always good but it is good most of the time. I like to feel like I have mastered my daily routine which is the exact cause of my problem. We like routine because it gives us a sense of comfort. Living an ordered routine like is easy because it seems to put us in control of our situation. When change happens it upsets the apple cart and confuses our ordered mentality.
I got the idea for this article one day as I watched an older sitcom on TV. In the program a man was really pouring on the charm as he sought to create a relationship with a woman who was a housemaid. He thought that her self esteem needed to be boosted because when he met her and asked her what was her occupation her answer was that she was just a maid. He made it his duty to give her a better impression of who she actually was and the job that she did.
I think that we can all agree that there is only one superman. I think that we can also agree that it’s definitely not me or you. So since it ain’t me I don’t have to try to pretend like it is.
When I talk about a leader’s IQ I am not talking about the above average intelligence of the honor student. It is one thing to be an honor student but quite another to be an intelligent leader. Leadership sense is a combination of common sense, knowledge, and wisdom.
Decisiveness is more important than making good decisions many times. Most times people miss out when they make their decisions because they allow conditions to dictate their decisions. Yes we must pay careful attention to the conditions which will have an effect on our decisions but we need to remember that conditions will never be exactly what we need for them to be. We can end up waiting until the opportune time to make a decision has past.
Fear is a natural feeling and we can’t avoid it. The one thing that we can learn to do is control it when it happens. If we can learn to control our fear we can take a bad situation and turn it around for our good. Fear is a natural reaction which was given to us in order to help us to overcome adversity or escape from danger. Fear is not pleasant at all and the biggest danger is allowing ourselves to be overwhelmed by it. Fear can be one of the best things that ever happened to us if we allow it. It can also be one of the worst if we fail to control it.
Are you carrying around a bunch of excess mental baggage which you don’t really need to carry? You need to travel as lightly as you possibly can in order to make better distance. Mental baggage will slow you down and prevent you from reaching your goals just the same as a heavy physical load. I like to use the analogy of the jockey who guides a race horse to victory as well as the soldier or hiker who has to carry a heavy backpack. They can’t make good time if they carry excess baggage and neither can you.
Excuse me while I Kiss the Sky The words of the title of this article are words which were made famous by the late Rock musician named Jimmi Hendrix. He was talking about a totally different type of experience tha I am but I like the wording so excuse me while I kiss the sky. This has got to be the mindset that the winner maintains. If you look up you will go up, but if you look down you will go down. Keep your head up and you will remain in that realm. If you want to rise above you need to keep your mind above. Wherever the head goes the body will follow.
Most of you probably know this but a diamond is one of the hardest substances available to man. Most of you do know that diamonds are coveted above all natural precious stones. Women value diamonds and we see them on TV all of the time. The size of the diamond on a ring or other piece of jewelry is a status symbol which tells a story about the person who is wearing. Bigger diamonds are coveted by all and are used as a measure of high social standing. Most women will equate the size of their diamond engagement ring with the amount of love that their fiancée has for them.
I have to say that the saying that winners never quit is absolutely true. A winner must persevere in the face of overwhelming odds and be blindly determined to win whatever the encounter happens to be. A winner has to be totally sold out to the cause in order to win otherwise he or she will stop when the going gets too tough. The cause will have to be bigger than the person in the mind of the person before he or she will be willing to do everything necessary to win.
The man or woman who wants to get more out of life strives to become more productive. When we think of productivity we normally think of a workplace contribution but productivity can apply to our hobbies and also to sport. When we talk about being more productive we are talking about getting more bang for your buck so to speak. In other words we want to get more or better work done in less time or with less effort.
We all need to have some routine in our lives. Routine instills order and keep us on track when we have numerous obligations. Routine is very good in most situations and can be a lifesaver for most of us but there can be times when routine can be dangerous.
Let me clarify exactly what I mean when I talk about a correct frame of mind. When I say correct frame of mind I am referring to whatever frame of mind that it takes to help you get through a bad situation. A correct frame of mind has to be positive. I have heard of stories of people who were lost in the wilde ess. There are several accounts that I have read where those involved made up in their minds that they would not die. There was even one account where the lost gentleman repeated over and over to himself that he would not die.
I have settled for a lot less tha I should have on too many occasions in my life for me to count. When I look back at the things that I should have fought for I realize how much that I have lost over the years and I’m sure that you do also. Sometimes we can become complacent with our situation in life and begin to accept the status quo. I have done this and missed out on opportunities because I lost my hunger and my drive to be successful and when the opportunity had played itself out I was left holding the bag.
The biggest problems that we have in our lives originate in our minds. We may think that we have problems with people but the issues that we have with people are no more important than we allow them to be. The best way to combat anger is with kindness. It will squelch out anger like a blanket smothers a fire. Anger feeds on anger so if you don’t return a persons angry rhetoric they won’t have any oxygen left to fuel the fire. You can’t do this if your own mind is filled with anger also.
Have you ever heard the bible verse that says that whatever a man thinks in his heart defines who he is? The same is true of the words which come out of your mouth. They give an accurate picture of just what’s inside of your spirit man because they are the essence of your spirit. If you want to know exactly what you are made up of just listen to the words that you are speaking to others.
One thing that I believe many of us forget about is the fact that in order to be successful we need to have people to support us in our cause. In the military a paratrooper needs to have people who are specialists in packing parachutes to pack their chutes for them. The trooper does not have the time to learn how to pack his own chute because he has a million other conce s to worry about. This most critical operation has to be performed by someone who he doesn’t even know.
I’m not tooting my own horn here but one thing that I am learning is that life is much easier when you learn how to correct yourself. One thing is certain and that is that either you can keep yourself straight or life will straighten you out. Now I know that there are turns, knots, quirks, and curves in my own life. The beauty of me realizing that I have problems is that I know that there are places in my life where I need to be corrected.
The Power of Positive Thoughts Let me begin this article by saying one thing. Negative thinking will never do a thing to get you out of a negative situation. Even when things are bad and negativity is the order of the day it won’t help you at all to harbor negative thoughts. Negative thoughts will never ever help you out of a bad situation. You must think positively and aggressively pursue a course of action that will help you. You can’t allow the negative to get traction in your mind because if you do it will take control of the situation and take you down
When I use the term better life here I am not going to attempt to put my own definition on it for you. A better life for me may not be a better life for you. Some people see a better life as a life of luxury. Some see it as a life of comfort. It may be a life of happiness or contentment to others. My definition of a better life is a life of peace.
My answer to that question is a resounding yes! You can learn to be confident. As a matter of fact confidence is the result of learned behavior. We have either learned to be or not to be confident based on our experiences in life. The confident person has learned that they in fact can overcome adversity or the problems which people and circumstances in life will present to them.
This article is about biblical faith. Faith is so beautiful because it is the thing that makes all things possible. Many people have their own concept of faith but the only true faith is biblical. Faith is the knowledge that God can do whatever he wants to and that he is working in your favor. The bible describes faith as a substance. It is the substance of things not seen, the evidence of things hoped for. When we hope for a thing we believe that it will be physically manifested in our lives. Faith knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that it can be done.
Do you remember the movie titled Forrest Gump. His favorite saying was life is like a box of chocolates. In other words life is full of situations and circumstances but you won’t ever know what they are until the time comes. Life is full of surprises. Some of them are good but many are bad. We never know everything that we will encounter in life.
I don’t know how true that this saying is but I have heard that snakes can’t stand altitude. They story goes that a pilot was flying a plane only to discover that it was filled with rattlesnakes after he had taken off. When he called the control tower his instructions were to go higher because snakes can’t stand altitude.
Military discipline can be administered in many ways and it is normally a harsh discipline when administered by the military. The military administers discipline as a make or break type proposition. The troop who makes it through military training has learned to adhere to and embrace this new lifestyle. Embracing it enables the troop to survive and even flourish in his military environment. Military discipline is all encompassing in that it is designed to touch every aspect of the life of the soldier. When the soldier enters the military all vestiges of the old life are removed.
The world is made up of different individuals. No two people are exactly the same in any respect. This is the thing which makes life so wonderful and interesting. Your personality is the way that you think and act and it is unique to you. Experience plays a big part in personality development and no two people have the same experiences in life. Our personality is shaped by the things that we see and do from the time that we are born into this world. It is also shaped by the everyday encounters that we have in life.
The Development of Communication Skills Communication is nothing more than getting people to understand what’s on your mind or understanding exactly what they are thinking. The successful communicator is also able to get people to follow because they understand how to motivate people to do what they want. Communication skills begin to develop in childhood as soon as the baby understands that he or she is a person also and that they need to find a way to let people know exactly what’s on their mind.
Are you afraid to be the person that you really are? If so why? Most people will define themselves by the perceived reactions of others rather than their own individual accomplishments and abilities. Don't judge yourself by the actions of others. Many times other people have something to gain by putting you down and if you are not confident in your abilities you will fall prey to their devices. You are a unique individual and your uniqueness is what describes you.
This term has become popular within the last few years and makes a lot of sense but my question to you is this: Are you capable of thinking out of the box? We generally solve problems based on what we know to be true and what has worked or seemed to work in past experiences. Now generally this is good but at times it can be detrimental. If you look back at past armed conflicts you will see that most casualties occur during the first few months of the conflict.
Now I’m first going to say that there is no textbook answer here. A wife who seems to be good for one husband may not in fact be good for the next one. The thing which makes any mate good whether it be a husband or wife is their compatibility to the other. My trash may be your treasure. I’m not going to try to make a laundry list of qualities here for you to look at and check off to make sure that you are doing everything right. The right thing is whatever is right for you and your spouse.
Success is not something that is haphazard or that happens quickly in life. People who are successful generally find success after they have worked hard and persevered through many trying times. The thing that makes people successful is when opportunity meets hard work.
Organization in the workplace or anywhere else is crucial to our efficiency and peace of mind. There is nothing worse than being unorganized and running around looking for something wasting valuable time. There is a saying that if you want to get something done give it to a busy man. The busy man has probably learned to manage his work load so that you can count on him to come through. He is organized and doing a whole lot more than the lazy man. You can’t shake him off of his game because he is too organized. He is working while the lazy man has his heels propped up on the desk.
This article simply expresses my own thoughts and ideas on parent child relationships. It is certainly an intelligent dissertation based on my own education and experience. I would not however use my beliefs to counter anyone else’s beliefs. Relationships are not exact and can’t be approached with formulas which might work for mathematical equations and scientific experiments. Relationships are personal and there are too many variables involved for me to attempt to dictate what yours should be. Let’s keep those thoughts in mind as we go forward.
Many of us are just good natured people who don’t think twice about doing for others when they need help. There is nothing wrong with being good natured and we should maintain our integrity but there are times that we just need to learn to say no. We can be too giving in our relationships with others. Now I realize that many of you are givers by nature and that is perfectly fine. Giving is what you live to do. I’m not saying that you should attempt to change from what God has created you to be but you can certainly find people to give to who will appreciate the things that you do for them.
The first time a person looks at you and even talks to you he or she forms an impression of who you are and what you are about. You are the one who gives credibility to what that person thinks and contrary to popular belief it is difficult to change. The first impression is a lasting impression so if you make an impression on another person when you are having a bad day that impression unfortunately will follow you throughout the entire time that you are acquainted with that person.