Empowerment Articles

Setting is where the story and each scene take place, which you know. But do you grasp that setting can set the tone and mood readers experience, and can reveal and or trigger characters’ moods? You want to give enough (not too much) description for each scene to set the appearance, atmosphere, and mood for readers so they are clear enough in their own minds about the general or specific image you intend for them to have. It may help to create a list or essay description for your scenes (like a character sketch) and keep these handy so you stay consistent throughout the scenes and story.

"He who fears he will suffer, already suffers from his fear." - Michel de Montaigne (1553 - 1592)nnFear is a sneaky emotion. Fear causes us to stop taking action. When we stop taking action we reinforce the fear. This way of being becomes an endless loop to get caught up in.nnFear is the empowered Inner Critic.nnLet's take a look at the word FEAR. FEAR can be thought of as an acronym for:nnFEAR: False Evidence Appearing RealnFEAR: False Emotions Appearing RealnFEAR: False Exp

If you are at all familiar with the story of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz you know that among Dorothy's fellow travelers along the yellow brick road to find the great and powerful Wizard was the Lion. The Lion wanted the Wizard to give him courage as he was afraid of nearly everything he faced in his life. Here he was the king of beasts yet he cowered and hid from any ever so slightly perceived threat to his survival. The Lion believed that if he had the gift of courage he would be able to step into his role as the almighty king and ruler of the forest, respected by all.

What does healing your past have to do with getting and keeping your life on track? Just think of the last time something just slightly bad happened to you and how it ruined your day. (Like getting a speeding ticket, or having an argument with your best friend.) How much energy and time did you ...

For many the word journey conjures up unrestrained emotions and grand visions. It stirs up images of exotic locations, faraway places, or tropical locations. The idea of climbing the Himalayas or sailing down the Amazon River brings a sense of excitement anticipation, and adventure. Yet you can bring this same type of exhilaration to every single daily experience you have. Every day is a journey uniquely you own, whether it’srna journey to explore far-off places or a differ

The Power of Focus and The Law of Attraction cannot be separated. Whatever you are focusing on, you will eventually attract into your life, be this on an individual, group or a mass level. In the light of that statement, do you think it is harmless to fill your subconscious mind with all the latest negative events on ...

In our society today, “connections” is a huge buzz word. If you are connected, you are someone who has access to and influence with the “right” people. The “right” people will vary depending on certain situations that arise. At times, we may desire ...

Based on the book, “Visualize Confidence: How To Use Guided Imagery to Overcome Self-Doubt” Perhaps you’ve heard the old phrase, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Have you ever remodeled a room? Planned a vacation? Have you ever applied for a new job, asked the boss for a raise, ...

"Let us use our lives more wisely to chase our dreams, find our true purpose, and be as happy and successful as possible." -- Malcolm X

“I’m ambitious enough to want to live the life of my dreams. And the life of my dreams is a laid-back, relaxed life.” - Marc Allennnnn‘Your Mental Beliefs Skewed My Model of Reality….’ I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that you strive to make your actions congruent with your ...

“LIFE IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES”nn by Dr. Erika Duffy Is life so unpredictable? Why do we feel so out of control? Do alte ate realities really exist? Why do some people struggle so much while others seem to have it so much easier? You ...

Some people live their lives stuck in an exhausting treadmill. Too tired to change course they tolerate seeing the same sights, having the same experiences over and over again. I know a few people who lost or quit a job every couple of years with the excuse that their boss is a jerk or they're bored out of their minds. I was one of those people.

“When you have come to the edge...and are about to drop off into the darkness of the unknown, Faith is knowing...that there will be something solid to stand on -- or you will be taught how to fly.” Patrick Overton When life’s circumstances seem overwhelming, when life has got us down, we often wonder: “Why is this happening to me now?” We are confused. We question our possible role in the situation. Did our behavior directly or indirectly cause this? Or is this due simply to a random series of events? Why is it that we seem to encounter similar difficulties over and over?

Benjamin Franklin once said, “There are two ways to acquire wisdom; you can either buy it or borrow it. By buying it, you pay full price in terms of time and cost to learn the lessons you need to learn. By borrowing it, you go to those men and women who have already paid the price to learn the lessons and get their w

We have all experienced moments of frustration in modern life. Frustration is usually associated with not achieving what you want in a particular situation. Some level of frustration is expected in our lives, and can even be a useful sign to stop and see if we need to make some adjustments. However, if your frustration level is too intense or you are frustrated so often that it moves you into a place of frequent anger or explosive reaction, you may need to take a deeper look

Jewel of the Month: Petrified Wood Petrified Wood is formed when dead wood gets saturated with silicic acid and in the absence of air, solidifies through the loss of water. Depending on the circumstances of its formation, its substance is replace by agate, quartz or more rarely, opal. ...

One of the most emotionally crippling aspects of unemployment is the sense of powerlessness it engenders. Job layoff triggers financial pressures, emotional distress, family turmoil, and dashed career hopes. It is forced on us by unrelenting fate, an emotionally disengaged employer, and economic currents that have little to do with us personally. We feel that we have no control over our situation, our lives, our future. As we work through the anger, resentment, depression, a

We all have goals – some are very difficult, while others are less so. How do you keep on track with all of your goals? What is the secret to meeting every goal every time? One of the biggest challenges we face in setting and reaching our goals is that many of us have too many goals going on at the same time. I call it goal clutter.

If one thing is for certain, each of us will experience some form of adversity while we are still breathing on this Earth. Unfortunately, some of us will experience more than our fair share of adversity, either in the workplace or in our personal lives. Over the years, I feel I have been fortunate to experience unpleasant and often times, life-altering situations. Although at times I find it difficult to sustain a positive attitude while working through adverse situations, w

June 22nd, 1993 … A day I will never forget. A day edged in my mind but continues to change with time. nnI was an RN working in critical care and I had decided to become a travel nurse and had only two weeks to go before my son Dishan, daughter Barbara-lee and myself would leave to start our new & exciting adventure. My other two children were in college. Divorced and a single parent for the last 12 years, I had finally made it to the point where my children and I could sta

I was minding my own business recently when someone close to me called me stupid. I’d lapsed into ignorance, slipped up, made a mistake, forgotten something important – because I’d been distracted by something more interesting. I’d chosen wonder over logic.

I’m sure you’ve seen the DVD “The Secret” and you noticed the part when the elephant was instantly manifested. Maybe you thought you were glad instant manifestation doesn’t occur, or maybe you thought that actually you would prefer instant manifestation and that the ...

In many cultures assertive behaviour is misunderstood as aggressive behaviour because it is not the usual way that people interact with each other. It’s not something that people are taught in school. It's not the way that people generally behave toward each other. People tend to be either passive or aggressive, and so they play their roles accordingly.

There is no need to work longer hours, take on 2nd jobs, set up strict budgets or sell personal property in order to stay afloat. Money problems are not causing your stress. Stress is causing your money problems! My goal is to help you remember the key to financial freedom and release your ...

Does the idea of a change in your life or career send you running for the hills? Do you get nervous; feel unsettled or anxious about change? Would you prefer that things just stay the same? Well you are not alone. Millions of people feel the same way you do. Why is Change so Difficult to Embrace? Change often stirs up feelings of uncertainty, doubt, fear and trepidation. Emotions most of us don't like to experience very much. Change can be scary as it sometimes means you h

The EGO has landed… In Your Workplace! We spend on average a third of our daily lives in our workplace. Many of us have little choice but to work to live, while others more fortunate, work for them is a vocation – their work is their life! Whatever your position is, the dynamics within the workplace will have a distinct effect on you to a greater or lesser degree, and moreover the fortunes on whether the enterprise is one of long-term success, a constant struggle or failure will rely on the what, where and who rule.

I often forget how miserable I was before I did the Avatar Course. No matter where I looked in my life, things seemed pretty bleak. Don’t get me wrong, just because I was miserable doesn’t mean I was a failure -- I was very successful according to worldly standards. My wife and I owned a business, made quite a good income, had some real estate, went on trips and all that. But I felt very separate and alone, and I never fully appreciated how good my life was. You know how

COMPASSIONATE CURIOSITY

The difference between a winner and an 'also ran' isn't extra ordinary skills or talents. Let's face it, people who are at the top of their field excel at their game be it sports, business or personal achievement. In the sports world there are two champions, titans of athletes, who share one ...The difference between a winner and an 'also ran' isn't extra ordinary skills or talents. Let's face it, people who are at the top of their field excel at their game be it sports, business or personal achievement.

One of my great joys lately is getting a pedicure. This treat used to be reserved for special occasions. I had one the day before I got married and then didn't have another one until almost 20 years later. I'm a frugal person, and out of the desire to use my discretionary income for things that I need and not necessarily for things that I want, I denied myself a regular pedicure.

Events in and of themselves do not create stress. It is the meaning you give to these events that causes the stressful reaction. What you have something mean about you or your possibilities is what spins you into a cycle of reactive stress - or a calm deliberate thought process that leads to a healthy outcome. There are two ways you react to stress: emotionally and physically. Emotional reactions to stress are as varied as there are perspectives on any of the events of your life. The bodily reaction to stress triggers, however, is more hardwired.

Your most important aim in life is to be happy, to be calm, confident and relaxed and to feel in complete control of every aspect of your life. Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when ...

There is a phrase, “That person rubs me the wrong way,” that basically means the person (though it also could be a situation) doesn’t make you feel good. You, at times, do this with your thoughts (most of us do); so what works to shift this? Esther Hicks of Abraham fame has a video on YouTube, “Now Is Where All Your Power Is, Part 2,” where she likens feeding negative thoughts—any thoughts that take you out of feeling good—with rubbing your hand on sandpaper.

A group of anthropologists at Cambridge were conducting research on the concepts of pessimism and optimism. Their subjects were two young boys: one a pessimist and the other an optimist. The pessimistic boy was put in a room full of wonderful toys. The optimistic boy was put in a room with nothing but a barrel of manure. When the scientist looked in on the pessimistic boy one hour later they found him complaining about this toy that didn't work, that one needed fresh batteries, the next one wasn't the rights color, etc., etc. Recording their findings, they moved on.

Quite often in life, those things which are most simple and obvious are also the most profound and difficult. Things like love and money. And jou aling. Taking the time to pause and reflect, to focus on yourself, and to express to yourself what you find couldn't be a more natural impulse. Most people, while hurtling pell-mell through existence, want to take a breather now and then. But getting there, actually stopping other things in order to sit down with a journal, seems

Just about every small business owner I know wants a successful business because they value freedom. Most of us have been employed at some point in our lives and know what it’s like to work for someone else – you’re accountable to them, all your efforts conspire in the direction of making them successful and furthering their vision. Remembering what it’s like to be employed by someone else offers a stark contrast that probably contributed to the decision to start your business or downright pushed you there. Your time and freedom is a highly valued asset.

The quality of your life is greatly impacted by the quality of your thoughts. Your thoughts are capable of empowering you or demoralizing you. Your thoughts can lead you to greatness or they can lead you to depression. You are the only person who can control the quality of your thoughts. Why ...

The purpose of this article is to discuss what we at Protect consider the first stage of real self defense/personal protection; Avoidance through awareness and intuition. Often in our industry there is a lot of lip service paid to avoidance and awareness, but not too many really understand the depth of what this means or just how vital this aspect of training really is. This is self defence in its purest form. There is no way we can cover anywhere near the full scope of this

The year is 2008, and we move forward toward a new beginning with the onset of spring, longer days and warmer temperatures. We have weathered many emotional and spiritual storms this past year and emerged stronger, with more resolve to take charge of our lives. Take Charge: So how do we take ...

“Self-sabotage is when we say we want something and then go about making sure it doesn't happen.” - Alyce P. Cornyn-Selby Unde eath any unwanted self-sabotaging pattern of behavior is fear. These undesirable experiences can include career self-sabotage, any form of addiction, workaholic or ...“Self-sabotage is when we say we want something and then go about making sure it doesn't happen.” - Alyce P. Cornyn-Selby

Spring has finally here in Atlanta and that always means changes. Those changes have already started, we just don't see them. They're taking place deep underground where roots are spreading, plants are drawing the nutrition they need to flower and flourish. Whether you like it or not change is always happening aro

Harry was an average twenty-eight year old male who was enjoying his life. He had had his share of difficult experiences but had come through it all unscathed and now anticipated the life ahead of him with his many dreams. As he set out on this particular day, just an average day, he fully ...

You Have What It Takes: Getting ahead in business is not just about technical or sales know-how or knowing the ins and outs of your company. It’s about people to people. No matter what business you’re in, you’re in the relationship business. Making a positive and a lasting impression on the people you do business with is critical to your success. So first take a look at what people skills you do have that will win people over.

Bridge the gap from failure to success with scheduling. Time management! What a concept! I think everyone loves to have their hand and their control on the dials and control of their time. Don’t you? In this short article, I do my best to give you some access to the way you are relating to your time and your schedule that might make a difference for you. I will not tell you how to do it, but I will assist you to see how you relate to your time and your schedule.

“Innovation,” “Collaborative Leadership,” and “Trust” are three terms I’m seeing tossed around quite a bit in the articles and books I’m coming across. I agree that we are in need of change—in fact, transformation—but what I’m not seeing much of is how to confront reality. What does it take to develop innovation, collaborative leadership, and trust?

Are you working your tushie off - always going, going, going and never getting anywhere? Are you doing everything you can to grow your business or move up the corporate ladder yet are stuck on pause? Are you uncomfortable or anxious when discussing money with your partner? Are your bills paid at late or at the last minute? Are your financial and business (revenue generating) documents disorganized? Do you wake up in the middle of the night worrying about your financial future? If you answered yes to any of these questions you may be a money avoider.

A famous billionaire once said that even ordinary streets are paved with gold if only one will spend the time to see why. Everyone could make wealth but the problem often is that a person is too preoccupied with negativity that the eye fails to see. The following are misplaced belief systems that are firmly established in the human psyche that blinds the eye hindering the possibility of creating wealth. The creation of wealth is directly proportional to the amount of hard work that a person is willing to take.r

In his book Public Speaking For Success, Dale Carnegie gives accounts of many people of knowledge who did not publicly share what they knew, purely because they were gripped by the fear of public speaking. When I first stepped into the public speaking arena, I thought that confidence was all that I needed to become an impactful speaker. That was far from the truth.

When failure comes, be more determined than ever to succeed. The more feeling there is in your thought the greater its power. You steadily and surely become in the real what you constantly and clearly think that you are in the ideal. The more you believe in yourself the more of your latent powers and possibilities you place in action. And the more you believe in your purpose the more of your power you apply in promoting that purpose. To him who thinks he can, everything is an