tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74652490509681259722023-11-16T07:47:21.101-08:00Life Learn TipsIn life, most of us take things for granted. Let us not live in the past, instead let the past be our lessons in life. Future will never change unless you do something about the present. I Share this to you because I care. Read,and make use of all that you have learned in my blog. It helped me a lot in my everyday life. Change is hard, but once you get use to it, it's a lot easier. Live life, live healthy. love your life...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-71220687347941613152013-05-08T07:18:00.002-07:002013-05-08T07:18:36.965-07:005 ways to get where you want to be?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
How did I wind up having my own business? It as not a miracle but it was my dream. To be my own boss. 11 years of working from different companies still, I never had the chance to be happy. However, two of the best companies I have worked with taught me how valuable life is. And from then on, it changed my life.<br />
<br />
As far as my career goes, I was very thankful to my two bosses, one from the Telecom Industry, Sir Jun Banaria and my other Boss, Sir Archie Velasco form Ayala Foundation which I considered as my Godfathers.<br />
<br />
I can still remember one of them saying " You are a nobody until you choose to be somebody with greater hopes and higher inspirations in life" and this I share to my fellow staff.<br />
<br />
And from all the lessons I have learned, 5 of them gave me the way to my dream.<br />
<br />
1.There is no secret to success, it is plain hard work, determination and prayer.<br />
2. Believe in yourself and your dream will follow you. - confidence is not a gift, it is learned<br />
3.LEARN, LISTEN, LOVE. - learn from other people's mistake. listen to other people's opinion and love what you are doing.<br />
4.RESPECT, TRUST, LOYALTY - TO YOURSELF, TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS<br />
5. KNOW WHAT YOU REALLY WANT. If you don't, the start thinking right now.<br />
<br />
life is so short to make yourself miserable.....<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-44803828929886816262012-09-30T19:08:00.000-07:002012-09-30T19:08:55.592-07:005 Easy Ways to Keep Your Brain Sharp By Woman's Day Staff<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
5 Easy Ways to Keep Your Brain Sharp<br />
By Woman's Day Staff<br />
Fri, Jun 18, 2010<br />
Everyone is forgetful, but as we age, we start to feel like our brains are slowing down a bit—and that can be the most frustrating thing in the world. Luckily, research shows there is a lot you can do to avoid those “senior moments." <br />
1. Chill Out<br />
The brain remembers better when it’s relaxed, say researchers at the California Institute of Technology, so take a few minutes each day to breathe deeply or meditate. "The positive of meditation is you have focused concentration and relaxation taking place at the same time," says Elizabeth Edgerly, PhD, spokesperson for the Alzheimer's Association. "Researchers believe those things are good because they're developing new connections for your brain cells."<br />
2. Focus on the Future<br />
People who regularly made plans and looked forward to upcoming events had a 50 percent reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a recent study. But don’t worry if your calendar isn’t overflowing with life-changing events. Something as simple as setting a goal to have a weekly coffee date with a friend (and keeping it) will do. "Psychologically it keeps us motivated," Dr. Edgerly says. "There's evidence that people who have a purpose in life or who are working on long-or short-term goals appear to do better." In other words, keep your brain looking forward.<br />
3. Go for a Walk<br />
Mildly elevated glucose levels (even if you don’t have diabetes) can harm the area of the brain that helps you form memories, say Columbia University researchers. Experts agree that physical activity can help get blood glucose down to normal levels. In fact, the strongest evidence is regarding the effect of physical activity on the brain. Dr. Edgerly says, "When you exercise, you release chemicals that are good for your brain. It's like a mini fountain of youth in your brain, and the only way you can get it is exercise." In other words, when you take care of your heart, you take care of your brain.<br />
4. Snack on Berries<br />
Blueberries have compounds called anthocyanins that help communication between brain cells and appear to improve memory, says Robert Krikorian, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati. In general, Dr. Edgerly says the darker the fruit or vegetable, the better. She adds, "It's a healthy, well-rounded diet, especially one that mimics a Mediterranean diet, and that's fish, lots of fruits and vegetables, and red wine, everyone likes the red wine part."<br />
5. Learn Something New<br />
Take a Spanish class online, join a knitting club, or learn to play poker. A UC Irvine study found that mental stimulation limits the debilitating effects of aging on memory and the mind. But the best thing for your brain, Dr. Edgerly insists, is when you combine learning something new with physical activity. "It should be something like dancing, or coaching a sport. Or go learn golf with your girlfriends. That sort of thing is even better for your brain than, say, a crossword puzzle.”</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-63653388748916171592012-09-30T04:08:00.000-07:002012-09-30T19:24:54.081-07:00I CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILTahNLXQe7fXmW4-nec71d8FuXsMBtv1M-XIp4u9jgYesI2YCtsioyPbJP9frh99_OM4sYxf6r8TBZB_AXYDSsOsROPpuRFqsCLnEp5ISpv1asCvwhUKiOnySe87Hw5Sl4D7jdVpd_AB/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILTahNLXQe7fXmW4-nec71d8FuXsMBtv1M-XIp4u9jgYesI2YCtsioyPbJP9frh99_OM4sYxf6r8TBZB_AXYDSsOsROPpuRFqsCLnEp5ISpv1asCvwhUKiOnySe87Hw5Sl4D7jdVpd_AB/s320/018.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
September 30, 2012<br />
<br />
Not all people know about how powerful a choice to be happy really is. I am not a good writer but I write from my heart and I just want to share this to all of you. I am not here to lure you into voting the best writer there is or prove to my professor that I can write.<br />
<br />
HHHhhmmm,anyway, I just read an article about congeniality of how to be liked by all?!! it's easy to said than done right???.... We always worry too much about small things and what people will think and say about our status in life, or how our relatives and family will react in our actions and decisions in life. I am not saying that you do what makes you happy, No... that is too much to ask.. rather Choose to be happy if that is what you want. Don't care less, that is so heartless of you. Give what you can give, take but don't take it all for you, share what you can share and keep what you must keep. Is this confusing for you? that's what I thought.... What I'm trying to say is that if everything falls apart, you have to make a choice to whether dwell on the past or move on. Life is not that easy. I know...<br />
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In every experience there will always be a good fruit and that is your choice whether to pick the good apples and throw the rotten ones.<br />
So how will you do it? Simple, get up and say to yourself. IT'S TIME TO CHOOSE MY HAPPINESS. WHATEVER ANXIETY YOU HAVE RIGHT NOW, DEAL WITH IT AND LET IT GO!!<br />
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it's cliche but true, we live only once... don't keep yourself waiting for nothing... you have a purpose, find that and you will find happiness... it's your choice!!! <br />
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-9318663417722334052010-12-02T21:12:00.000-08:002012-09-30T03:41:48.268-07:005 Foods That Help You Lose Weight<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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posted by <a href="http://www.caring.com/?utm_source=care2&utm_medium=partnership" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Visit Mel, selected from Caring.com's website">Mel, selected from Caring.com</a> Feb 23, 2010 5:01 pm</div>
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</div>
<div class="yiv1158323650story_wrapper" id="yiv1158323650GlStoryContainer">
By Melanie Haiken, Caring.com<br />
<br />
<br />
Don’t get sucked into the idea that food is your enemy when you’re trying to lose weight. In fact, it’s just the opposite: Befriend the right foods, and the pounds are much more likely to peel off than if you just try to cut calories across the board. Here, seven foods known by nutritionists to boost your body’s fat-burning potential<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>1. Oats</b></u></span><br />
Wait a minute; aren’t oats a carb? Yes and no. Oats are a whole grain, and they’re high on what nutritionists call the “satiety index,” meaning oats have tremendous power to make you feel full. Not only that, they’re also high in soluble fiber, so they cut cholesterol and blood fat. Oats digest slowly, so they don’t raise your blood sugar, and they keep you feeling filled up well into the late morning. Old-fashioned steel-cut and rolled oats, with up to 5 grams of fiber per serving, are best, but even instant oatmeal has 3 to 4 grams of fiber per serving.<br />
<br />
<u><b><span style="font-size: large;">2. Apples</span></b></u><br />
To keep the pounds at bay, eat an apple–or two–a day. Numerous studies have found that eating an apple a half hour to an hour before a meal has the result of cutting the calories of the meal. Why? The fiber in the apple makes you feel full, so you eat less. Recent research suggests eating apples has other benefits, too; the antioxidants in apples appear to prevent metabolic syndrome, the combination of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and prediabetes that tends to accompany thickening around the waist. Also, apples are high in pectin, which binds with water and limits the amount of fat your cells can absorb.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>3. Eggs</b></u></span><br />
Nutritionists have been trying for some years to restore the reputation of the lowly egg. No longer thought to be a cholesterol-booster (eggs contain a different type of cholesterol than that in humans), eggs are a concentrated form of animal protein without the added fat that comes with meat. Dietary studies have repeatedly found that when people eat an egg every morning in addition to (or instead of) toast or cereal, they lose twice as much weight as those who eat a breakfast that’s dominated by carbs.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>4. Cinnamon</b></u></span><br />
This simple spice appears to have the power to help your body metabolize sugar, according to surprising data that came out of a USDA study involving diabetics. Eating as little as 1/4 to 2 teaspoons of cinnamon a day was found to reduce blood sugar levels and cut cholesterol from 10 to 25 percent. So add cinnamon to smoothies, sprinkle it on your cereal, or flavor your coffee with it.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>5. Almonds and Almond Butter</b></u></span><br />
Another counterintuitive choice; aren’t nuts and nut butters supposed to be incredibly fattening? Well, almonds are calorie-dense, but they also pack a huge nutritional punch–and they’re particularly effective in counteracting cholesterol and triglycerides. One study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating almonds was as effective as taking a statin. Spreading almond butter on your morning toast gives you a nice protein boost while preventing the carbs in the toast from spiking your blood sugar.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-71791590141976675882010-12-02T17:45:00.000-08:002010-12-02T17:45:04.055-08:00WHAT IS URINARY TRACT INFECTION?<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span>Who is at risk?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Some people are more prone to getting a UTI than others. Any abnormality of the urinary tract that obstructs the flow of urine (a kidney stone, for example) sets the stage for an infection. An enlarged prostate gland also can slow the flow of urine, thus raising the risk of infection.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>People with diabetes have a higher risk of a UTI because of changes in the immune system. Any other disorder that suppresses the immune system raises the risk of a urinary infection.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>UTIs may occur in infants, both boys and girls, who are born with abnormalities of the urinary tract, which sometimes need to be corrected with surgery. UTIs are more rare in boys and young men. In adult women, though, the rate of UTIs gradually increases with age. Scientists are not sure why women have more urinary infections than men. One factor may be that a woman's urethra is short, allowing bacteria quick access to the bladder. Also, a woman's urethral opening is near sources of bacteria from the rectal and vulvar areas. For many women, sexual intercourse seems to trigger an infection, although the reasons for this linkage are unclear.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><br />
Source: <a href="https://owa.ayalafoundation.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/utiadult/" target="_blank">http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/utiadult/</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-43809517392100200362010-12-02T17:28:00.000-08:002010-12-02T17:28:43.967-08:005 Easy Ways to Keep Your Brain Sharp<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b><u><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><span style="font-size: small;">By Woman's Day Staff<br />
Fri, Jun 18, 2010</span><a name='more'></a></span></span></u></b></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><b><span>Everyone is forgetful, but as we age, we start to feel like our brains are slowing down a bit—and that can be the most frustrating thing in the world</span></b><span>. Luckily, research shows there is a lot you can do to avoid those </span><b><span>“senior moments."</span></b><br />
<b><span> </span></b><b><span> </span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span> 1. Chill Out</span></strong></span><u><span></span></u><br />
<b><span>The brain remembers better when it’s relaxed</span></b><span>, say researchers at the California Institute of Technology, so </span><b><span>take a few minutes each day to breathe deeply or meditate</span></b><span>. "The positive of meditation is you have focused concentration and relaxation taking place at the same time," says Elizabeth Edgerly, PhD, spokesperson for the Alzheimer's Association. "Researchers believe those things are good because they're developing new connections for your brain cells."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><span> </span></u><strong><span>2. Focus on the Future</span></strong></span><u><span></span></u><br />
<b><span>People who regularly made plans and looked forward to upcoming events had a 50 percent reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease</span></b><span>, according to a recent study. But don’t worry if your calendar isn’t overflowing with life-changing events. Something as simple as setting a goal to have a weekly coffee date with a friend (and keeping it) will do. "Psychologically it keeps us motivated," Dr. Edgerly says. "There's evidence that people who have a purpose in life or who are working on long-or short-term goals appear to do better." In other words, </span><b><span>keep your brain looking forward.</span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><span> </span></u><strong><span>3. Go for a Walk</span></strong></span><u><span></span></u><br />
<span>Mildly elevated glucose levels (even if you don’t have diabetes) can harm the area of the brain that helps you form memories</span><span>, say Columbia University researchers. Experts agree that physical activity can help get blood glucose down to normal levels. In fact, the strongest evidence is regarding the effect of physical activity on the brain. Dr. Edgerly says, </span><b><span>"When you exercise, you release chemicals that are good for your brain. It's like a mini fountain of youth in your brain</span></b><span>, and the only way you can get it is exercise." In other words, when you take care of your heart, you take care of your brain.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><span> </span></u><strong><span>4. Snack on Berries</span></strong></span><u><span></span></u><br />
<b><span>Blueberries have compounds called anthocyanins that help communication between brain cells and appear to improve memory,</span></b><span> says Robert Krikorian, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati. In general, Dr. Edgerly says the darker the fruit or vegetable, the better. She adds, </span><b><span>"It's a healthy, well-rounded diet, especially one that mimics a Mediterranean diet, and that's fish, lots of fruits and vegetables, and red wine</span></b><span>, everyone likes the red wine part."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><span> </span></u><strong><span>5. Learn Something New</span></strong></span><u><span></span></u><br />
<span>Take a Spanish class online, join a knitting club, or learn to play poker. A UC Irvine study found that </span><b><span>mental stimulation limits the debilitating effects of aging on memory and the mind</span></b><span>.</span><span> But the best thing for your brain, Dr. Edgerly insists, is <b>when you combine learning something new with physical activity. "It should be something like dancing, or coaching a sport. Or go learn golf with your girlfriends. That sort of thing is even better for your brain</b> than, say, a crossword puzzle.”</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-12115062216542358482010-09-14T20:18:00.000-07:002010-09-14T20:24:34.358-07:00How To Play Hard To Get And Still Get Him Or Her To Fall In Loveby <a href="http://searchwarp.com/Author18013.htm" title="Read: How A Short Below-Average Looking Man Fails To Attract Beautiful Women"><b>Yangki Christine Akiteng</b></a><br />
<a href="http://www.torontosnumber1datedoctor.com/" target="_blank">The Real People's Love Doctor</a> <br />
<a href="http://searchwarp.com/swa228593.htm">http://searchwarp.com/swa228593.htm</a><br />
<br />
Many men and women in an attempt to create that sense of mystery, unfamiliarity, and the thrill of the chase end up becoming too elusive (playing impossible to get) that the other person assumes they’re not interested or the other person after a while gets tired, gives up and moves on.<br />
<br />
The whole point of “playing hard to get" is to demonstrate your VALUE to others and you can’t do that by being too available (clingy, needy or eager to please) nor by simply making yourself unavailable (saying "no" all the time or making yourself too scarce) or even by being overly aggressive ( being manipulative, demanding or controlling). You demonstrate VALUE by creating a sense of exclusiveness (exceptional and extraordinary).<br />
<br />
<b>Creating that sense of “exclusiveness" requires:</b><br />
<br />
1) A wise and intelligent awareness about what you are doing Look at it this way—you’re the owner of a luxurious brand who wants to confer an image of superior quality to a buyer. You are not going to achieve this by using “open house," (I’m desperate, I will take anyone) or “permanently out of stock" (don’t take calls, cancel dates, try to make him or her jealous etc) methods. You confer an image of superior quality by a good understanding of yourself first and foremost.<br />
<br />
Self-awareness is the key. I cannot stress this enough. Self-awareness especially awareness of your sexual imprint (why you are attracted to certain people and not others, why you behave the way you behave, why you fear what you fear, why you believe what you believe and do what you do etc) will enable you direct your energy in positive ways, make the right decisions and maintain balance and moderation.<br />
<br />
<b>2) Knowledge of what appeals to a particular man or woman . </b>Each and everyone of us has a uniquely personalized set of things that naturally attract or repel us sexually and erotically. How do you figure out what attracts or repels a particular man or woman? One, by asking questions... lots of them. Ask questions with the intention of finding out what makes him or her tick - his or her own sexual imprint. And two, by doing things that make him or her feel that you truly and genuinely understand him or her as a unique individual. When you tap into the deepest and sometimes most forbidden desires, fantasies, and passions of a person, it is possible to spend just five minutes with him or her and create such strong attraction that he or she later on, on their own, recalls the experience with good feelings about seeing and being with you again. It's this "good feelings" that fuel the chase.<br />
<br />
<b>3) Ability to make someone feel special without seeming too needy or eager to please</b><br />
<br />
If somebody is going to chase you, they want to know with some degree of certainty that you are worth the chase. There’s nothing that is a bigger turnoff for both men and women than someone who is predictable, not much of a challenge, too rigid or controlling, desperate or too eager to please, incurably negative and downright boring. The person must feel that you’re worth his or her time and energy and what he or she is chasing is not something he or she can easily get on the street corner but rather something offered to only a “privileged" few. Men and women want to feel that you're valuable and only those who deserve it will earn you as a reward. It’s kind of like a “members only" exclusive club where the person being allowed in feels “they must be special". When you make someone feel special, they in return will feel you are also special.<br />
<br />
<b>4) Capacity to impact on someone's life so much that they are positively transformed as a result of knowing you</b><br />
Really savvy and skilled brand creators take “exclusivity" one step further. They just don’t stop at “by invitation only" phase, but instead create an entire lifestyle. That is, they challenge a man or woman pursing them to become more of themselves and do more than they’d dared to do before. If your words, actions, and behaviours can actually make the person experience a very strong state of arousal, excitement or deep sense of peace creating strong memories those memories will be added to the person’s sexual imprint and so will you - forever.<br />
Playing hard to get done the right way can be the most powerful form of seduction there is. And we all have the ability to craft transcendent experiences that can make our dates, lovers, and spouses feel they are flirting (literally!) with the unpredictable and the unknown in a most intense, agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, enticing, enlivening, and reality altering way.<br />
<br />
<b>Who wouldn’t want to spend eternity with someone like that?</b><br />
<br />
If you are just getting to know a man or woman and not sure whether he or she is “playing hard to get" or just "not interested" see my article: How Do You Tell If Someone Is Playing Hard To Get Or Just Not Interested? (article can be found in the Articles section of my website under sub-heading The Art Of Seduction).<br />
About the Author: Christine Akiteng is an internationally renowned Sexual Confidence/Dating Coach and author of eBook: The Art Of Seducing Out Of Fullness™. Her unique approach to dating has helped hundreds create positive, constructive, honest and fulfilling relationships.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-85280216622512681972010-07-07T00:57:00.000-07:002010-07-07T00:59:45.536-07:00Are You Looking For a Safe Skin Whitening Product for a Brighter, Lighter Complexion?by Linda Daniels<br />
for more info visit : /<a href="http://www.beautyviewpoints.com/skinbrightener/">http://www.beautyviewpoints.com/skinbrightener/</a><br />
Your medicine cabinet is probably full of liquids, creams, and powders designed to give your skin a more even appearance and hide imperfections. Unfortunately, even the best products don’t look natural. What if there was a way to get bright, smooth, peaches and cream skin for real? More and more, women are using skin lightening products to achieve long-lasting, natural-looking results. Let’s look a little closer at skin whitening products to find out why it’s so important to choose creams formulated with all-natural ingredients that are safe and effective. <br />
<br />
<br />
<img align="right" alt="Safe Skin Whitening" src="http://62.0.5.134/www.beautyviewpoints.com/images/brightskin.jpg" title="Safe Skin Whitening" />There are numerous issues that can cause skin to become unevenly pigmented and dull. The major ones that can be addressed through the use of a skin lightening product are: <br />
<ul><li title="">Liver spots, sun spots, and age spots: They’re usually harmless, but these black, brown, and grey areas of pigmentation can destroy the appearance of once flawless skin. Flat and typically oval in shape, these blemishes can be as small as a freckle or more than a centimeter in diameter. These spots are most noticeable on fair skin, are unfortunately very common, and are mainly caused by sun exposure. </li>
<li title="">Hyperpigmentation: When the body produces too much melanin, unsightly dark patches can appear on the skin, a problem known as hyperpigmentation. Sun exposure can cause or worsen this problem. Some medications, pregnancy, and certain medical conditions are also associated with hyperpigmentation. </li>
<li style="background-image: url("http://62.0.5.135/www.beautyviewpoints.com/wp-content/themes/bird/images/ul.gif_hyuncompressed");" title="please wait 2 seconds for an uncompressed image, or press
Ctrl+F5 for original quality page">Melasma: This is a specific type of hyperpigmentation that often occurs during pregnancy. It is characterized by brown or tan patches that typically appear on the face.</li>
</ul>Skin bleaching is one method that can be used to address the skin issues outlined above, and it’s also popular among women who simply desire a fairer, more luminous complexion. Anyone considering skin bleaching should be aware that some substances found in these types of products are associated with serious risks and side effects. Three ingredients in particular that should be avoided are hydroquinone, kojic acid and mercury. According to Dr. Bill Lloyd, M.D., a world renown doctor contributing expert on a variety of healthcare issues, “Hydroquinone has been on the cancer watch list for decades, both because of animal studies (rats given tons of hydroquinone to ingest) and retrospective health surveys that compared cancer risks by occupation/environmental exposure.” Over-the-counter hydroquinone products are banned in several countries, and those sold in the U.S. can contain only small concentrations of the substance. Kojic acid can be extremely irritating causing redness, itchiness, inflammation and tenderness. Skin can become sensitized with increased use. Products containing kojic acid should not be used with other skincare products containing salicylic acid, alpha hydroxy acid or retinol because the incidence and severity of adverse effects will be increased. Mercury, another ingredient found in some skin whitening products, can irritate the skin and damage the nervous system, brain, and kidneys. It also poses serious risks to unborn children. <br />
<br />
As unsettling as the above information is, it shouldn’t cause you to swear off all skin lightening products. Instead, read ingredient lists carefully, and look for natural ingredients that are gentle and effective, such as: <br />
<ul><li title=""><b>Gigawhite:</b> Derived from botanicals, this all-natural complex has been shown to noticeably brighten skin with regular application. An in-vivo study also proved that using Gigawhite on a regular basis caused age spots to fade and shrink. </li>
<li title=""><b>Biowhite: </b>Like Gigawhite, Biowhite is made from botanical extracts specially chosen for their skin whitening effects. These non-damaging and non-toxic ingredients – which include extracts of mulberry, saxifraga, and grape – have been shown through in-vivo tests to reduce skin pigmentation and boost luminosity. </li>
<li title=""><b>Sepiwhite:</b> Sepiwhite is a molecule that works by “antagonizing” alpha-MSH and inhibiting tyrosinase. Tyrosinase is the essential enzyme in the formation of melanin by converting DOPA to DOPAquinone. Therefore, reducing its activity is a principal method of improving skin tone.</li>
<li title=""><b>Alpha Arbutin:</b> Alpha Arbutin is a biosynthetic ingredient that blocks epidermal melanin biosynthesis by inhibiting enzymatic oxidation of Tyrosine and Dopa thereby reducing production of melanin or skin pigment.</li>
<li title=""><b>Hyaluronic acid:</b> This potent moisturizer found in the body won’t lighten skin, but it's plumping, toning, and smoothing effects make it an ingredient you should look for when you’re shopping for a skin lightening product. Hyaluronic acid will help keep lily-white skin looking youthful and flawless. </li>
</ul>Age spots, liver spots, sun spots, and other conditions that cause ugly dark patches or result in an overall irregular tone can make us feel older and less attractive. Skin lighteners are a great way to deal with these problems, but using some products containing hydroquinone and kojic acid simply isn’t worth the risk. To get that bright, radiant even skin tone effect you want without putting your health in jeopardy, choose products containing mild, plant-based ingredients that have been shown to work though clinical studies.<br />
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Due to the wide variety of skin lightening products being sold in department stores, pharmacies and on the internet, we scrutinized the most currently marketed skin bleaching lotions and looked at the most current research in order to assess which brightening products are most effective. The premier skin lightening products include quality ingredients that have the ability to lighten skin tone, reduce freckles, sun spots and liver spots, while promoting brighter and more radiant skin. A quality product will have the ability to promote skin clarity and improve skin's overall texture. As with all creams and lotions it is important to follow the directions for use to get maximal results.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-53660047624347618552010-07-05T08:51:00.000-07:002010-07-05T08:51:25.762-07:005 Common Habits That Cost You Dearly<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>5 Common Habits That Cost You Dearly </b></span><a name='more'></a>source: yahoo.com<br />
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Most of us are guilty of a few bad habits during our lifetimes. There's eating too much of the fun stuff, not exercising enough to burn it off, and spending tomorrow's paycheck today. Sure, <a href="http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/SIG=124q4dbmu/**http%3A/www.squawkfox.com/2009/01/06/free-printable-workout-log/">getting fit</a> and <a href="http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/SIG=11sh1cq4d/**http%3A/www.squawkfox.com/2010/04/26/budget-spreadsheet/">keeping a budget</a> can be tough habits to keep, but avoiding these five common bad habits can add some easy money to your bottom line. <br />
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1. Paying only the minimum balance. Paying just the minimum on your <a href="http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/SIG=128b8a2dk/**http%3A/www.squawkfox.com/2009/11/19/ways-to-screw-credit-card-debt/">credit card balance</a> every month may keep your creditors happy, but it's not helping you pay off the growing interest charges. <br />
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Credit card companies love to highlight the Minimum Payment Due on your monthly bills -- it's a trick they use to stretch out your payments for years, costing you hundreds and even thousands of dollars in interest. For example, a $5,000 balance with a monthly minimum payment of 4 percent and an APR of 18 percent will take you just over 11 years to pay off, costing you around $2,875 in total interest paid. <br />
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Don't believe me? Check out this <a href="http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/SIG=11r0iq4mn/**http%3A/www.squawkfox.com/tools/credit-card-calculator/">Credit Card Calculator</a> to get a head start today and see the real cost of paying only the minimum. Results are shocking, and you may just rethink your minimum payment habit since it can cost you thousands. <br />
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2. Buying a brand new car. If you love that new car smell then take a whiff of how much you've lost in depreciation just by driving it off the lot. According to popular car site Edmunds, "New cars depreciate very quickly when they are first sold. Drive a new car off the lot and it can lose 20 percent of its value." <br />
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The Edmunds <a href="http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/SIG=11njn2nc8/**http%3A/www.edmunds.com/apps/cto/CTOintroController">True Cost To Own</a> calculator shows the math behind this common depreciation. For example, a brand new 2010 Subaru Outback with a sticker price of $25,221 depreciates a startling $4,138 in the first year of ownership, $2,690 in the second year, and another $2,367 in the third. That's over a third of the car's initial value depreciating in three years. <br />
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Why pay such a steep price when there's a smarter driving habit to consider? Buying a used car can save you big! Opting for a used car over a new one will not only cost you thousands less on the initial price, but the depreciation is less drastic too. That same Subaru Outback only depreciates around $1,800 in year five, so skipping the new wheels and driving a gently used car will save you thousands of dollars a year. <br />
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If you're in the market for a newly used car, learn the gotchas in <a href="http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/SIG=121v125dg/**http%3A/www.squawkfox.com/2009/06/10/buying-used-cars-online/">How To Buy a Used Car (without sipping lemonade)</a>. This guide on <a href="http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/SIG=11uoopjti/**http%3A/www.squawkfox.com/2010/05/12/used-car-classifieds/">How to Sell Your Used Car Online</a> is helpful if you're looking to sell your clunker for something with fewer miles. <br />
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3. Smoking. We all know that smoking is terrible for your health, but have you considered what this deadly habit does to your wealth? By smoking one pack of cigarettes a day at an <a href="http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/SIG=124a216lq/**http%3A/www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0097.pdf">average</a> cost of $5.33 per pack, this common habit can cost $1,945 in just one year. After five years, you've burned through over $9,700 dollars just to light up. Not to mention the potential for steep health care costs down the road. <br />
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4. Keeping a drafty attic. If your house has an attic, then chances are it's leaking dozens of dollars a year in energy costs. Adding insulation and making the attic hatch airtight with weather stripping can reduce your year-round energy use between 20 to 60 percent, saving you hundreds a year. Try these easy <a href="http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/SIG=12ad8fo49/**http%3A/www.squawkfox.com/2009/05/29/diy-attic-insulation-ventilation/">3 Attic Insulation Methods to Seal in Savings</a> to cut these drafty leaks from your wallet. While you're looking for energy savings, consider buying a few inexpensive foam insulation gaskets and outlet plugs to <a href="http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/SIG=122effdr4/**http%3A/www.squawkfox.com/2009/05/11/child-proof-outlets-save/">Child Proof Your Electrical Outlets to Cut Energy Costs</a> -- this is a fun and easy DIY project. <br />
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5. Ignoring your student debt. You graduated how many years ago? Stop procrastinating and pay down that student loan already. Keeping that debt around for years isn't the best way to relive your college years, especially since it's costing you dearly in interest charges to carry the balance. If you don't have a plan to conquer the debt, grab a simple calculator and look at ways to increase your payments. I wrote about my own student loan experience in <a href="http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/SIG=12mqejj7j/**http%3A/www.squawkfox.com/2008/02/05/how-i-paid-off-my-student-debt-in-six-months/">How I Paid Off My Student Debt in Six Months</a>, and managed to break free from a $17,000 loan fast. You can do it too.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-43282899495757841242010-06-30T19:55:00.000-07:002010-06-30T19:55:14.893-07:00TAKE A BREAK AND READ THIS!<i style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>5 Easy Ways to Keep Your Brain Sharp </b></span></i><a name='more'></a><br />
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<b>By Woman's Day Staff<br />
Fri, Jun 18, 2010 </b><br />
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Everyone is forgetful, but as we age, we start to feel like our brains are slowing down a bit—and that can be the most frustrating thing in the world. Luckily, research shows there is a lot you can do to avoid those <span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">“senior moments." </span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">1. Chill Out </span></b></span><br />
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The brain remembers better when it’s relaxed, say researchers at the California Institute of Technology, <b><span style="color: red;">so take a few minutes each day to breathe deeply or meditate.</span></b> "The positive of meditation is you have focused concentration and relaxation taking place at the same time," says Elizabeth Edgerly, PhD, spokesperson for the Alzheimer's Association.<b><span style="color: red;"> "Researchers believe those things are good because they're developing new connections for your brain cells." </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">2. Focus on the Future </span></b></span><br />
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People who regularly made plans and looked forward to upcoming events had a 50 percent reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a recent study. But don’t worry if your calendar isn’t overflowing with life-changing events. Something as simple as setting a goal to have a weekly coffee date with a friend (and keeping it) will do. "Psychologically it keeps us motivated," Dr. Edgerly says. <b><span style="color: red;">"There's evidence that people who have a purpose in life or who are working on long-or short-term goals appear to do better." In other words, keep your brain looking forward. </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: red;">3. Go for a Walk </b></span><br />
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Mildly elevated glucose levels (even if you don’t have diabetes) can harm the area of the brain that helps you form memories, say Columbia University researchers. Experts agree that physical activity can help get blood glucose down to normal levels. In fact, the strongest evidence is regarding the effect of physical activity on the brain. Dr. Edgerly says,<b><span style="color: red;"> "When you exercise, you release chemicals that are good for your brain. It's like a mini fountain of youth in your brain, and the only way you can get it is exercise."</span></b> In other words, when you take care of your heart, you take care of your brain. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: red;">4. Snack on Berries </b></span><br />
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Blueberries have compounds called anthocyanins that help communication between brain cells and appear to improve memory, says Robert Krikorian, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati. In general, Dr. Edgerly says the darker the fruit or vegetable, the better. She adds, <b style="color: red;">"It's a healthy, well-rounded diet, especially one that mimics a Mediterranean diet, and that's fish, lots of fruits and vegetables, and red wine, everyone likes the red wine part." </b><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>5. Learn Something New </b></span><br />
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Take a Spanish class online, join a knitting club, or learn to play poker. A UC Irvine study found that mental stimulation limits the debilitating effects of aging on memory and the mind. But the best thing for your brain, Dr. Edgerly insists, is when you combine learning something new with physical activity.<b style="color: red;"> "It should be something like dancing, or coaching a sport. Or go learn golf with your girlfriends. That sort of thing is even better for your brain than, say, a crossword puzzle.” </b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-67697907352453551922010-05-04T03:28:00.000-07:002010-05-04T03:46:09.251-07:00sweet bites @ missy bonbon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBUREUX07lfQsQPbGUWkeiqhzWRDJ8jkmpQwvdHGakrp3473QDutaKSpUKS_GTYTAhTIwIHsSvM-P8k5LA_K5vvAxb_XDhDFEXYAUBRUsKZhJiN8FU3ZUb9h8eTJw4sDVsepq8W8FGcHF/s1600/n192170132536_9476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBUREUX07lfQsQPbGUWkeiqhzWRDJ8jkmpQwvdHGakrp3473QDutaKSpUKS_GTYTAhTIwIHsSvM-P8k5LA_K5vvAxb_XDhDFEXYAUBRUsKZhJiN8FU3ZUb9h8eTJw4sDVsepq8W8FGcHF/s200/n192170132536_9476.jpg" width="107" /></a></div><i><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"></span></i><br />
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<b><i><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> <u>Did you know?</u></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><u> </u></span></i></b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i><span style="color: red;">Missy BonBon <span style="color: black;">is known for homemade gelatos, great selection of breads and even breakfast treats. Visit the place at the corner of Rosario Drive, Limketkai Center, Cagayan De Oro City. It </span></span></i><i style="color: black;">open at 7 am and closes @ 10pm </i></b><b><i><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">daily.</span></span></i></b></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b><u>Hungry? or just hang out with friends.... </u></b></span></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnv5EsSh4S8ySr5cOLXTBPmMSxGeFhRBZtC2uliQYUEEX7xkePH7HTApOhK6vFcS2Z36u-2Jxg2bW02xPhV5weOtuTlzJJvuxWHUtix4gEz9nfq4tv4bk0F1yWQ9KxZ5G-Mmfa9HI7d92D/s1600/25092_10150154335650088_762175087_12169578_7164358_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnv5EsSh4S8ySr5cOLXTBPmMSxGeFhRBZtC2uliQYUEEX7xkePH7HTApOhK6vFcS2Z36u-2Jxg2bW02xPhV5weOtuTlzJJvuxWHUtix4gEz9nfq4tv4bk0F1yWQ9KxZ5G-Mmfa9HI7d92D/s320/25092_10150154335650088_762175087_12169578_7164358_s.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="color: red;">Have a bite and relax at Missy Bonbon <b><span style="color: black;">with different yummy flavors of ice cream you can choose from at a very affordable price. No need to worry about sugar and calories because in this place everything is nutritional and fresh. </span></b></span></i><i><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="color: black;">they also offer nutritional drinks, pastries, cakes, and even pasta. You can bring everybody including your lolo's and lola's, moms, dads even your yayas. Perfect not only for sunday gatherings but everyday of the week. </span></b></span></i></span><br />
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<div style="color: red;"><b><u><i><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">A unique experience</span></i></u></b></div><div style="color: black;"></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b><span style="color: black;">I have been living for three years in Cagayan de Oro City</span><span style="color: black;"> </span>and it's only now the I get to enjoy the breads that I really love. The taste of the bread is sweet and and the texture is soft and chewy. you'll be surprise how fresh they are. Everything is cooked and served in that place. and My most favorite is the bread with Blueberry filling. And believe it or not, as an illongga, I enjoy the sweetness of the bread. " Mahilig kasi kami sa maalat, and my dad loves bread and he always buys the ensaimada with cheese." Next time I'll bring him at the breadshop to taste the new bread in town.</b></i></span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGsOJMc9rP0onLi3tg2DxStYKIt9KDI8ikK89JF1mmgV38LNEu7xEKnw3Mejbzctv1EauWea5dzwBEQOfaLPgy-TC1UC0mlsaysRQplZ5oAYhE8m4O8IKiLs-YTzWeCQJJledlSKm-AsA/s1600/26732_373297622536_192170132536_3160482_6511587_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGsOJMc9rP0onLi3tg2DxStYKIt9KDI8ikK89JF1mmgV38LNEu7xEKnw3Mejbzctv1EauWea5dzwBEQOfaLPgy-TC1UC0mlsaysRQplZ5oAYhE8m4O8IKiLs-YTzWeCQJJledlSKm-AsA/s200/26732_373297622536_192170132536_3160482_6511587_s.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wixu-jriwUYdidkupnln4d8rSfO7nEMga8HNkDbXlL_6EFJd_EqutX0mtJ5H2BV9MBdWYIYrmf8EzmGvLPDyqBSNI3dPiMbnzVORagGFK-bicOs_V41Gtj__ouGFuoQ0-Bk0yAScCKts/s1600/missybonbon6-150x150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wixu-jriwUYdidkupnln4d8rSfO7nEMga8HNkDbXlL_6EFJd_EqutX0mtJ5H2BV9MBdWYIYrmf8EzmGvLPDyqBSNI3dPiMbnzVORagGFK-bicOs_V41Gtj__ouGFuoQ0-Bk0yAScCKts/s320/missybonbon6-150x150.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bo-HnXbG_La9pFbTajbEW6LzH7hOC7lk3Hd0R_ajP421P5H0XBkM5wnL9TxTLY8VdIzS18Rhidoe2rXYHdnAN9EMdn5p-2Rq8I8hF4e8boQHglU4a6n5l8SYLarz5LmaF3tzm5gkYZNS/s1600/missybonbon3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bo-HnXbG_La9pFbTajbEW6LzH7hOC7lk3Hd0R_ajP421P5H0XBkM5wnL9TxTLY8VdIzS18Rhidoe2rXYHdnAN9EMdn5p-2Rq8I8hF4e8boQHglU4a6n5l8SYLarz5LmaF3tzm5gkYZNS/s200/missybonbon3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYS-SwRJUfYfpIW0zo6fODkt46vFXEjGG8raj71D4ckRvi7wOMOzenPhUN5pvSd_yFCHhH45ODSk2Pe-VVN9X_zwQYak-c3XGOCnNigLKv4wym2nxbwFQYstjeyWttC-s3FGfexIjHg-c6/s1600/10942_194868687536_192170132536_2469695_3325260_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYS-SwRJUfYfpIW0zo6fODkt46vFXEjGG8raj71D4ckRvi7wOMOzenPhUN5pvSd_yFCHhH45ODSk2Pe-VVN9X_zwQYak-c3XGOCnNigLKv4wym2nxbwFQYstjeyWttC-s3FGfexIjHg-c6/s200/10942_194868687536_192170132536_2469695_3325260_s.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="color: red;"><b> Next stop...GELATOS</b></i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="color: red;">...<b style="color: black;">what's the difference?</b></span></i><b style="color: black;"><i> all came from pure cow's milk , fresh fruits and no preservatives...Now, where can you get that? of course, where else!!! only at Missy BonBon where they offer more than ten kinds to choose from. "the names are uniquely combined and the toppings are yum to the taste." I'm not a food critique but I know what a good food is when I see one and that is one fine Gelato...recommended to ALL AGES... I won't be surprised if my Lola would come to visitme here once I tell her that she can eat ice cream nah!!!....</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: black;"><i><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ3fAoQUexwohInVd089RFP8XVjrjCMlNO7JVHgnSRNJc_zRKy13krGIgqbwgK-CePqTTuGY5bXmzvqNhgvZAtiuyL9CWcnRSBxNnMWupaDu06L7cptg2sgrg_K-cQBRs7OXAjl-BvaxIF/s1600/26101_372393397536_192170132536_3139066_6686465_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ3fAoQUexwohInVd089RFP8XVjrjCMlNO7JVHgnSRNJc_zRKy13krGIgqbwgK-CePqTTuGY5bXmzvqNhgvZAtiuyL9CWcnRSBxNnMWupaDu06L7cptg2sgrg_K-cQBRs7OXAjl-BvaxIF/s320/26101_372393397536_192170132536_3139066_6686465_s.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="color: black;"><i><span style="color: red;">Looking for a good breakfast?</span>....After a long walk and stroll by the area why not relax at Missy Bonbon's veranda. get a copy of the newspaper and order at the breakfast menu. According to the Nutrition guide, Breakfast is the most important meal of the day... so don't skip instead eat here and they will cook everything in just 10 minutes. Experience the true way of morning delight.</i></b></span></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: black;"><i> <span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;">Henrick Yu together with his partners</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> made a statement in Cagayan De Oro City. the idea is serve the best food in town and they did succeed. Not only the food tastes very good but even the ambiance is very warmth and relaxing. The people who are working in that place have high spirits and I can sense that they love what they do. </span></i></b></span></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="color: black;"><i> To Missy BonBon congratulations... I give you five stars *****.... JOB WELL DONE!!!!</i></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJV5AwmbhdV4AvrZE3K5pymiOZddLosJmaUy9I0nPG6IIg_udGfzpqzvzmEoPruOs2vVs7gTAszs7fS0thluGnjJoPxyXgUkd4GZkxa74prIeaTTppb5oo3SDr1OFbotFbeHD3_bge1TNg/s1600/25092_10150154335645088_762175087_12169577_1619827_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJV5AwmbhdV4AvrZE3K5pymiOZddLosJmaUy9I0nPG6IIg_udGfzpqzvzmEoPruOs2vVs7gTAszs7fS0thluGnjJoPxyXgUkd4GZkxa74prIeaTTppb5oo3SDr1OFbotFbeHD3_bge1TNg/s320/25092_10150154335645088_762175087_12169577_1619827_s.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: black;"><i>Regards, </i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: black;"><i> </i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: black;"><i>Grace Abdon</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: black;"><i>Ayala Foundation </i></b></span><i><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> </span></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-40129447266964929232010-04-21T03:46:00.001-07:002010-04-21T03:46:51.180-07:00The main causes of liver damageThe main causes of liver damage are: <br /><br />1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late are main cause. <br /><br />2. Not urinating in the morning. <br /><br />3. Too much eating. <br /><br />4. Skipping breakfast. <br /><br />5. Consuming too much medication. <br /><br />6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring, <br />and artificial sweetener. <br /><br />7. Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce cooking oil use when frying, which includes even the best cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very fit. <br /><br />8. Consuming raw (overly done) foods also add to the burden of <br />liver. <br />Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store. <br /><br />We should prevent this without necessarily spending more. We just have to adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining good eating habits and time condition are very important for our bodies to absorb and get rid of unnecessary chemicals according to "schedule."Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-31198267613106158472010-04-21T03:45:00.001-07:002010-04-21T03:45:39.537-07:00BRAIN DAMAGING HABITSBRAIN DAMAGING HABITS <br /><br />1. No Breakfast <br />People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level. <br />This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration. <br /><br />2. Overeating <br />It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power. <br /><br />3. Smoking <br />It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease. <br />4. High Sugar consumption <br />Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development. <br />5. Air Pollution <br />The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency. <br /><br />6. Sleep Deprivation <br />Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells. <br />7. Head covered while sleeping <br />Sleeping with the head covered increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects. <br /><br />8. Working your brain during illness <br />Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain. <br /><br />9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts <br />Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage. <br /><br />10. Talking Rarely <br />Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brainAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-48066018703806931512010-04-21T03:44:00.001-07:002010-04-21T03:44:47.427-07:00Live Life Without Limits!Live Life Without Limits!<br /> <br /> <br />The top five cancer-causing foods are:<br /><br />1. Hot dogs <br />Because they are high in nitrates, the Cancer Prevention Coalition advises that children eat no more than 12 hot dogs a month. If you can't live without hot dogs, buy those made without sodium nitrate. <br /><br />2. Processed meats and bacon <br />Also high in the same sodium nitrates found in hot dogs, bacon, and other processed meats raise the risk of heart disease. The saturated fat in bacon also contributes to cancer. <br /> <br />3. Doughnuts <br />Doughnuts are cancer-causing double trouble. First, they are made with white flour, sugar, and hydrogenated oils, then fried at high temperatures. Doughnuts, says Adams , may be the worst food you can possibly eat to raise your risk of cancer. <br /><br />4. French fries <br />Like doughnuts, French fries are made with hydrogenated oils and then fried at high temperatures. They also contain cancer- causing acryl amides which occur during the frying process. They should be called cancer fries, not French fries, said Adams <br /><br />5. Chips, crackers, and cookies <br />All are usually made with white flour and sugar. Even the ones whose labels claim to be free of trans-fats generally contain small amounts of trans-fats.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-11419367874481128832010-04-21T03:39:00.000-07:002010-04-21T03:43:41.179-07:00Reasons for sleeping and waking up early.Reasons for sleeping and waking up early. <br /><br /><br />Evening at 9 - 11pm: <br /><br />is the time for eliminating unnecessary/ toxic chemicals (detoxification) from the antibody system (lymph nodes). This time duration should be spent by relaxing or listening to music. If during this time a housewife is still in an unrelaxed state such as washing the dishes or monitoring children doing their homework, this will have a negative impact on health. <br />Evening at 11pm - 1am: is the detoxification process in the liver, and ideally should be done in a deep sleep state. <br /><br />Early morning 1 - 3am: <br /><br />detoxification process in the gall, also ideally done in a deep sleep state. <br /> <br /> Early morning 3 - 5am : <br /><br />detoxification in the lungs. Therefore there will sometimes be a severe cough for cough sufferers during this time. Since the detoxification process had reached the respiratory tract, there is no need to take cough medicine so as not to interfere with toxin removal process. <br /> <br />Morning 5 - 7am: <br /><br />detoxification in the colon, you should empty your bowel. <br /> <br /> Morning 7 - 9am: <br /><br />absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, you should be having breakfast at this time. Breakfast should be earlier, before 6:30am, for those who are sick. Breakfast before 7:30am is very beneficial to those wanting to stay fit. Those who always skip breakfast, they should change their habits, and it is still better to eat breakfast late until 9 - 10am rather than no meal at all. <br /><br /> Sleeping so late and waking up too late will disrupt the process of removing unnecessary chemicals. Aside from that, midnight to 4:00 am is the time when the bone marrow produces blood. Therefore, have a good sleep and don't sleep late.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-10857626106998198392010-04-21T03:10:00.000-07:002010-04-21T03:38:02.338-07:00The Power of Concentration<span style="font-weight:bold;">The Power of Concentration</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">By THERON Q. DUMONT<br />Author of "Personal Magnetism"; "Practical Memory<br />Training"; "Mental Therapeutics"; "Successful<br />Salesmanship"; "Master Mind"; etc., etc.</span><br /><br /><br /><br />INTRODUCTORY<br /><br /><br />We all know that in order to accomplish a certain thing we must<br />concentrate. It is of the utmost value to learn how to<br />concentrate. To make a success of anything you must be able to<br />concentrate your entire thought upon the idea you are working<br />out.<br /><br />Do not become discouraged, if you are unable to hold your thought<br />on the subject very long at first. There are very few that can.<br />It seems a peculiar fact that it is easier to concentrate on<br />something that is not good for us, than on something that is<br />beneficial. This tendency is overcome when we learn to<br />concentrate consciously.<br /><br />If you will just practice a few concentration exercises each day<br />you will find you will soon develop this wonderful power.<br /><br />Success is assured when you are able to concentrate for you are<br />then able to utilize for your good all constructive thoughts and<br />shut out all the destructive ones. It is of the greatest value to<br />be able to think only that which will be beneficial.<br /><br />Did you ever stop to think what an important part your thoughts,<br />concentrated thoughts, play in your life? This book shows their<br />far-reaching and all-abiding effects.<br /><br />These lessons you will find very practical. The exercises I have<br />thoroughly tested. They are arranged so that you will notice an<br />improvement from the very start, and this will give you<br />encouragement. They point out ways in which you can help<br />yourself.<br /><br />Man is a wonderful creature, but he must be trained and developed<br />to be useful. A great work can be accomplished by every man if he<br />can be awakened to do his very best. But the greatest man would<br />not accomplish much if he lacked concentration and effort. Dwarfs<br />can often do the work of giants when they are transformed by the<br />almost magic power of great mental concentration. But giants will<br />only do the work of dwarfs when they lack this power.<br /><br />We accomplish more by concentration than by fitness; the man that<br />is apparently best suited for a place does not always fill it<br />best. It is the man that concentrates on its every possibility<br />that makes an art of both his work and his life.<br /><br />All your real advancement must come from your individual effort.<br /><br />This course of lessons will stimulate and inspire you to achieve<br />success; it will bring you into perfect harmony with the laws of<br />success. It will give you a firmer hold on your duties and<br />responsibilities.<br /><br />The methods of thought concentration given in this work if put<br />into practice will open up interior avenues that will connect you<br />with the everlasting laws of Being and their exhaustless<br />foundation of unchangeable truth.<br /><br />As most people are very different it is impossible to give<br />instructions that will be of the same value to all. The author<br />has endeavored in these lessons to awaken that within the soul<br />which perhaps the book does not express. So study these lessons<br />as a means of awakening and training that which is within<br />yourself. Let all your acts and thoughts have the intensity and<br />power of concentration.<br /><br />To really get the full benefit of these lessons you should read a<br />page, then close the book and thoughtfully recall its ideas. If<br />you will do this you will soon cultivate a concentrated mental<br />habit, which will enable you to read with ordinary rapidity and<br />remember all that you read.<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON I. CONCENTRATION FINDS THE WAY<br /><br />Everyone has two natures. One wants us to advance and the other<br />wants to pull us back. The one that we cultivate and concentrate<br />on decides what we are at the end. Both natures are trying to<br />gain control. The will alone decides the issue. A man by one<br />supreme effort of the will may change his whole career and almost<br />accomplish miracles. You may be that man. You can be if you Will<br />to be, for Will can find a way or make one.<br /><br />I could easily fill a book, of cases where men plodding along in<br />a matter-of-fact way, were all at once aroused and as if<br />awakening from a slumber they developed the possibilities within<br />them and from that time on were different persons. You alone can<br />decide when the turning point will come. It is a matter of choice<br />whether we allow our diviner self to control us or whether we<br />will be controlled by the brute within us. No man has to do<br />anything he does not want to do. He is therefore the director of<br />his life if he wills to be. What we are to do, is the result of<br />our training. We are like putty, and can be completely controlled<br />by our will power.<br /><br />Habit is a matter of acquirement. You hear people say: "He comes<br />by this or that naturally, a chip off the old block," meaning<br />that he is only doing what his parents did. This is quite often<br />the case, but there is no reason for it, for a person can break a<br />habit just the moment he masters the "I will." A man may have<br />been a "good-for-nothing" all his life up to this very minute,<br />but from this time on he begins to amount to something. Even old<br />men have suddenly changed and accomplished wonders. "I lost my<br />opportunity," says one. That may be true, but by sheer force of<br />will, we can find a way to bring us another opportunity. There is<br />no truth in the saying that opportunity knocks at our door but<br />once in a lifetime. The fact is, opportunity never seeks us; we<br />must seek it. What usually turns out to be one man's opportunity,<br />was another man's loss. In this day one man's brain is matched<br />against another's. It is often the quickness of brain action that<br />determines the result. One man thinks "I will do it," but while<br />he procrastinates the other goes ahead and does the work. They<br />both have the same opportunity. The one will complain of his lost<br />chance. But it should teach him a lesson, and it will, if he is<br />seeking the path that leads to success.<br /><br />Many persons read good books, but say they do not get much good<br />out of them. They do not realize that all any book or any lesson<br />course can do is to awaken them to their possibilities; to<br />stimulate them to use their will power. You may teach a person<br />from now until doom's day, but that person will only know what he<br />learns himself. "You can lead him to the fountain, but you can't<br />make him drink."<br /><br />One of the most beneficial practices I know of is that of looking<br />for the good in everyone and everything, for there is good in all<br />things. We encourage a person by seeing his good qualities and we<br />also help ourselves by looking for them. We gain their good<br />wishes, a most valuable asset sometimes. We get back what we give<br />out. The time comes when most all of us need encouragement; need<br />buoying up. So form the habit of encouraging others, and you will<br />find it a wonderful tonic for both those encouraged and yourself,<br />for you will get back encouraging and uplifting thoughts.<br /><br />Life furnishes us the opportunity to improve. But whether we do<br />it or not depends upon how near we live up to what is expected of<br />us. The first of each month, a person should sit down and examine<br />the progress he has made. If he has not come up to "expectations"<br />he should discover the reason, and by extra exertion measure up<br />to what is demanded next time. Every time that we fall behind<br />what we planned to do, we lose just so much for that time is gone<br />forever. We may find a reason for doing it, but most excuses are<br />poor substitutes for action. Most things are possible. Ours may<br />be a hard task, but the harder the task, the greater the reward.<br />It is the difficult things that really develop us, anything that<br />requires only a small effort, utilizes very few of our faculties,<br />and yields a scanty harvest of achievement. So do not shrink from<br />a hard task, for to accomplish one of these will often bring us<br />more good than a dozen lesser triumphs.<br /><br />I know that every man that is willing to pay the price can be a<br />success. The price is not in money, but in effort. The first<br />essential quality for success is the desire to do--to be<br />something. The next thing is to learn how to do it; the next to<br />carry it into execution. The man that is the best able to<br />accomplish anything is the one with a broad mind; the man that<br />has acquired knowledge, that may, it is true, be foreign to this<br />particular case, but is, nevertheless, of some value in all<br />cases. So the man that wants to be successful must be liberal; he<br />must acquire all the knowledge that he can; he must be well<br />posted not only in one branch of his business but in every part<br />of it. Such a man achieves success.<br /><br />The secret of success is to try always to improve yourself no<br />matter where you are or what your position. Learn all you can.<br />Don't see how little you can do, but how much you can do. Such a<br />man will always be in demand, for he establishes the reputation<br />of being a hustler. There is always room for him because<br />progressive firms never let a hustler leave their employment if<br />they can help it.<br /><br />The man that reaches the top is the gritty, plucky, hard worker<br />and never the timid, uncertain, slow worker. An untried man is<br />seldom put in a position of responsibility and power. The man<br />selected is one that has done something, achieved results in some<br />line, or taken the lead in his department. He is placed there<br />because of his reputation of putting vigor and virility into his<br />efforts, and because he has previously shown that he has pluck<br />and determination.<br /><br />The man that is chosen at the crucial time is not usually a<br />genius; he does not possess any more talent than others, but he<br />has learned that results can only be produced by untiring<br />concentrated effort. That "miracles," in business do not just<br />"happen." He knows that the only way they will happen is by<br />sticking to a proposition and seeing it through. That is the only<br />secret of why some succeed and others fail. The successful man<br />gets used to seeing things accomplished and always feels sure of<br />success. The man that is a failure gets used to seeing failure,<br />expects it and attracts it to him.<br /><br />It is my opinion that with the right kind of training every man<br />could be a success. It is really a shame that so many men and<br />women, rich in ability and talent, are allowed to go to waste, so<br />to speak. Some day I hope to see a millionaire philanthropist<br />start a school for the training of failures. I am sure he could<br />not put his money to a better use. In a year's time the science<br />of practical psychology could do wonders for him. He could have<br />agencies on the lookout for men that had lost their grip on<br />themselves; that had through indisposition weakened their will;<br />that through some sorrow or misfortune had become discouraged. At<br />first all they need is a little help to get them back on their<br />feet, but usually they get a knock downwards instead. The result<br />is that their latent powers never develop and both they and the<br />world are the losers. I trust that in the near future, someone<br />will heed the opportunity of using some of his millions in<br />arousing men that have begun to falter. All they need to be shown<br />is that there is within them an omnipotent source that is ready<br />to aid them, providing they will make use of it. Their minds only<br />have to be turned from despair to hope to make them regain their<br />hold.<br /><br />When a man loses his grip today, he must win his redemption by<br />his own will. He will get little encouragement or advice of an<br />inspiring nature. He must usually regain the right road alone. He<br />must stop dissipating his energies and turn his attention to<br />building a useful career. Today we must conquer our weakening<br />tendencies alone. Don't expect anyone to help you. Just take one<br />big brace, make firm resolutions, and resolve to conquer your<br />weaknesses and vices. Really none can do this for you. They can<br />encourage you; that is all.<br /><br />I can think of nothing, but lack of health, that should interfere<br />with one becoming successful. There is no other handicap that you<br />should not be able to overcome. To overcome a handicap, all that<br />it is necessary to do is to use more determination and grit and<br />will.<br /><br />The man with grit and will, may be poor today and wealthy in a<br />few years; will power is a better asset than money; Will will<br />carry you over chasms of failure, if you but give it the chance.<br /><br />The men that have risen to the highest positions have usually had<br />to gain their victories against big odds. Think of the hardships<br />many of our inventors have gone through before they became a<br />success. Usually they have been very much misunderstood by<br />relatives and friends. Very often they did not have the bare<br />necessities of life, yet, by sheer determination and resolute<br />courage, they managed to exist somehow until they perfected their<br />inventions, which afterwards greatly helped in bettering the<br />condition of others.<br /><br />Everyone really wants to do something, but there are few that<br />will put forward the needed effort to make the necessary<br />sacrifice to secure it. There is only one way to accomplish<br />anything and that is to go ahead and do it. A man may accomplish<br />almost anything today, if he just sets his heart on doing it and<br />lets nothing interfere with his progress. Obstacles are quickly<br />overcome by the man that sets out to accomplish his heart's<br />desire. The "bigger" the man, the smaller the obstacle appears.<br />The "smaller" the man the greater the obstacle appears. Always<br />look at the advantage you gain by overcoming obstacles, and it<br />will give you the needed courage for their conquest.<br /><br />Do not expect that you will always have easy sailing. Parts of<br />your journey are likely to be rough. Don't let the rough places<br />put you out of commission. Keep on with the journey. Just the way<br />you weather the storm shows what material you are made of. Never<br />sit down and complain of the rough places, but think how nice the<br />pleasant stretches were. View with delight the smooth plains that<br />are in front of you.<br /><br />Do not let a setback stop you. Think of it as a mere incident<br />that has to be overcome before you can reach your goal.<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON II. THE SELF-MASTERY: SELF-DIRECTION POWER OF<br />CONCENTRATION<br /><br />Man from a psychological standpoint of development is not what he<br />should be. He does not possess the self-mastery, the<br />self-directing power of concentration that is his by right.<br /><br />He has not trained himself in a way to promote his self-mastery.<br />Every balanced mind possesses the faculties whose chief duties<br />are to engineer, direct and concentrate the operations of the<br />mind, both in a mental and physical sense. Man must learn to<br />control not only his mind but his bodily movements.<br /><br />When the controlling faculties (autonomic) are in an untrained<br />condition, the impulses, passions, emotions, thoughts, actions<br />and habits of the person suffer from lack of regulation, and the<br />procedure of mental concentration is not good, not because the<br />mind is necessarily weak in the autonomic department of the<br />faculties, but because the mind is not properly trained.<br /><br />When the self-regulating faculties are not developed the<br />impulses, appetites, emotions and passions have full swing to do<br />as they please and the mind becomes impulsive, restless,<br />emotional and irregular in its action. This is what makes mental<br />concentration poor.<br /><br />When the self-guiding faculties are weak in development, the<br />person always lacks the power of mental concentration. Therefore<br />you cannot learn to concentrate until you develop those very<br />powers that qualify you to be able to concentrate. So if you<br />cannot concentrate one of the following is the cause:<br /><br />1. "Deficiency of the motor centers."<br />2. "An impulsive and emotional mind."<br />3. "An untrained mind."<br /><br />The last fault can soon be removed by systematic practice. It is<br />easiest to correct.<br /><br />The impulsive and emotional state of mind can best be corrected<br />by restraining anger, passion and excitement, hatred, strong<br />impulses, intense emotions, fretfulness, etc. It is impossible to<br />concentrate when you are in any of these excited states.<br /><br />These can be naturally decreased by avoiding such food and drinks<br />as have nerve weakening or stimulating influences, or a tendency<br />to stir up the passions, the impulses and the emotions; it is a<br />very good practice to watch and associate with those persons that<br />are steady, calm, controlled and conservative.<br /><br />Correcting the deficiency of the motor centers is harder because<br />as the person's brain is undeveloped he lacks will power.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Many have the idea that when they get into a negative state they<br />are concentrating, but this is not so. They may be meditating,<br />though not concentrating. Those that are in a negative state a<br />good deal of the time cannot, as a rule, concentrate very well;<br />they develop instead abstraction of the mind, or absence of mind.<br />Their power of concentration becomes weaker and they find it<br />difficult to concentrate on anything. They very often injure the<br />brain, if they keep up this state. To be able to concentrate you<br />must possess strength of mind. The person that is feeble-minded<br />cannot concentrate his mind, because of lack of will. The mind<br />that cannot center itself on a special subject, or thought, is<br />weak; also the mind that cannot draw itself from a subject or<br />thought is weak. But the person that can center his mind on any<br />problem, no matter what it is, and remove any unharmonious<br />impressions has strength of mind. Concentration, first, last and<br />all the time, means strength of mind.<br /><br />Through concentration a person is able to collect and hold his<br />mental and physical energies at work. A concentrated mind pays<br />attention to thoughts, words, acts and plans. The person who<br />allows his mind to roam at will will never accomplish a great<br />deal in the world. He wastes his energies. If you work, think,<br />talk and act aimlessly, and allow your brain to wander from your<br />subject to foreign fields, you will not be able to concentrate.<br />You concentrate at the moment when you say, "I want to, I can, I<br />will."<br /><br />Some Mistakes Some People Make. If you waste your time reading<br />sensational stories or worthless newspaper items, you excite the<br />impulsive and the emotional faculties, and this means you are<br />weakening your power of concentration. You will not be a free<br />engineer, able to pilot yourself to success.<br /><br />Concentration of the mind can only be developed by watching<br />yourself closely. All kinds of development commence with close<br />attention. You should regulate your every thought and feeling.<br />When you commence to watch yourself and your own acts and also<br />the acts of other people, you use the faculties of autonomy, and,<br />as you continue to do so, you improve your faculties, until in<br />time you can engineer your every thought, wish and plan. To be<br />able to focalize the mind on the object at hand in a conscious<br />manner leads to concentration. Only the trained mind can<br />focalize. To hold a thought before it until all the faculties<br />shall have had time to consider that thought is concentration.<br /><br />The person that cannot direct his thoughts, wishes, plans,<br />resolutions and studies cannot possibly succeed to the fullest<br />extent. The person that is impulsive one moment and calm the next<br />has not the proper control over himself. He is not a master of<br />his mind, nor of his thoughts, feelings and wishes. Such a person<br />cannot be a success. When he becomes irritated, he irritates<br />others and spoils all chances of any concerned doing their best.<br />But the person that can direct his energies and hold them at work<br />in a concentrated manner controls his every work and act, and<br />thereby gains power to control others. He can make his every move<br />serve a useful end and every thought a noble purpose.<br /><br />In this day the man that gets excited and irritable should be<br />looked upon as an undesirable person. The person of good breeding<br />now speaks with slowness and deliberation. He is cultivating more<br />and more of a reposeful attitude. He is consciously attentive and<br />holds his mind to one thing at a time. He shuts out everything<br />else. When you are talking to anyone give him your sole and<br />undivided attention. Do not let your attention wander or be<br />diverted. Give no heed to anything else, but make your will and<br />intellect act in unison.<br /><br />Start out in the morning and see how self-poised you can remain<br />all day. At times take an inventory of your actions during the<br />day and see if you have kept your determination. If not, see that<br />you do tomorrow. The more self-poised you are the better will<br />your concentration be. Never be in too much of a hurry; and,<br />remember, the more you improve your concentration, the greater<br />are your possibilities. Concentration means success, because you<br />are better able to govern yourself and centralize your mind; you<br />become more in earnest in what you do and this almost invariably<br />improves your chances for success.<br /><br />When you are talking to a person have your own plans in mind.<br />Concentrate your strength upon the purpose you are talking about.<br />Watch his every move, but keep your own plans before you. Unless<br />you do, you will waste your energy and not accomplish as much as<br />you should.<br /><br />I want you to watch the next person you see that has the<br />reputation of being a strong character, a man of force. Watch and<br />see what a perfect control he has over his body. Then I want you<br />to watch just an ordinary person. Notice how he moves his eyes,<br />arms, fingers; notice the useless expenditure of energy. These<br />movements all break down the vital cells and lessen the person's<br />power in vital and nerve directions. It is just as important for<br />you to conserve your nervous forces as it is the vital forces. As<br />an example we see an engine going along the track very smoothly.<br />Some one opens all the valves and the train stops. It is the same<br />with you. If you want to use your full amount of steam, you must<br />close your valves and direct your power of generating mental<br />steam toward one end. Center your mind on one purpose, one plan,<br />one transaction.<br /><br />There is nothing that uses up nerve force so quickly as<br />excitement. This is why an irritable person is never magnetic; he<br />is never admired or loved; he does not develop those finer<br />qualities that a real gentleman possesses. Anger, sarcasm and<br />excitement weaken a person in this direction. The person that<br />allows himself to get excited will become nervous in time,<br />because he uses up his nerve forces and his vital energies. The<br />person that cannot control himself and keep from becoming excited<br />cannot concentrate.<br /><br />When the mind can properly concentrate, all the energy of every<br />microscopic cell is directed into one channel and then there is a<br />powerful personal influence generated. Everyone possesses many<br />millions of little trembling cells, and each one of these has a<br />center where life and energy are stored up and generated. If this<br />energy is not wasted but conserved and controlled, this person is<br />influential, but when it is the opposite, he is not influential<br />or successful.<br /><br />Just as it is impossible for a steam engine to run with all its<br />valves open, so is it impossible for you to waste your energy and<br />run at your top speed. Each neuron in the gray layers of the<br />brain is a psychic center of thought and action, each one is<br />pulsating an intelligent force of some kind, and when this force,<br />your thoughts and motions, are kept in cheek by a conservative,<br />systematic and concentrated mind, the result will be magnetism,<br />vitality and health. The muscles, bones, ligaments, feet, hands<br />and nerves, etc., are agents for carrying out the mandates of the<br />mind. The sole purpose of the volitional faculties is to move the<br />physical mechanism as the energy travels along the wires of<br />nerves and muscles. Just for that reason, if you throw a<br />voluntary control over these messages, impulses, thoughts,<br />emotions, physical movements and over these physical instruments<br />you develop your faculties of self-mastery and to the extent you<br />succeed here in proportion will you develop the power of<br />concentration.<br /><br />Any exercise or work that excites the mind, stimulates the<br />senses, calls the emotions and appetites into action, confuses,<br />terrifies or emotionalizes, weakens the power of concentration.<br />This is why all kind of excitement is bad. This is the reason why<br />persons who drink strong drinks, who allow themselves to get into<br />fits of temper, who fight, who eat stimulating food, who sing and<br />dance and thus develop their emotions, who are sudden, vehement<br />and emotional, lack the power to concentrate. But those whose<br />actions are slower and directed by their intelligence develop<br />concentration. Sometimes dogmatic, wilful, excitable persons can<br />concentrate, but it is spasmodic, erratic concentration instead<br />of controlled and uniform concentration. Their energy works by<br />spells; sometimes they have plenty, other times very little; it<br />is easily excited; easily wasted. The best way to understand it<br />is to compare it with the discharge of a gun. If the gun goes off<br />when you want it to, it accomplishes the purpose, but if it goes<br />off before you are ready for it, you will not only waste<br />ammunition, but it is also likely to do some damage. That is just<br />what most persons do. They allow their energy to explode, thus<br />not only wasting it but endangering others. They waste their<br />power, their magnetism and so injure their chance of success.<br />Such persons are never well liked and never will be until they<br />gain control over themselves.<br /><br />It will be necessary for them to practice many different kinds of<br />concentration exercises, and to keep them up for some time. They<br />must completely overcome their sudden, erratic thoughts, and<br />regulate their emotions and movements. They must from morning to<br />night train the mind to be steady, and direct and keep the<br />energies at work.<br /><br />The lower area of the brain is the store house of the energy.<br />Most all persons have all the dynamic energy they need if they<br />would concentrate it. They have the machine, but they must also<br />have the engineer, or they will not go very far. The engineer is<br />the self-regulating, directing power. The person that does not<br />develop his engineering qualities will not accomplish much in<br />life. The good engineer controls his every act. All work assists<br />in development. By what you do you either advance or degenerate.<br />This is a good idea to keep always in mind. When you are<br />uncertain whether you should do something or not, just think<br />whether by doing it you will grow or deteriorate, and act<br />accordingly.<br /><br />I am a firm believer in "work when you work, and play when you<br />play." When you give yourself up to pleasure you can develop<br />concentration by thinking of nothing else but pleasure; when your<br />mind dwells on love, think of nothing but this and you will find<br />you can develop a more intense love than you ever had before.<br />When you concentrate your mind on the "you" or real self, and its<br />wonderful possibilities, you develop concentration and a higher<br />opinion of yourself. By doing this systematically, you develop<br />much power, because you cannot be systematic without<br />concentrating on what you are doing. When you walk out into the<br />country and inhale the fresh air, studying vegetation, trees,<br />etc., you are concentrating. When you see that you are at your<br />place of business at a certain time each morning you are<br />developing steadiness of habit and becoming systematic. If you<br />form the habit of being on time one morning, a little late the<br />next, and still later the following one, you are not developing<br />concentration, but whenever you fix your mind on a certain<br />thought and hold your mind on it at successive intervals, you<br />develop concentration.<br /><br />If you hold your mind on some chosen object, you centralize your<br />attention, just like the lens of the camera centralizes on a<br />certain landscape. Therefore always hold your mind on what you<br />are doing, no matter what it is. Keep a careful watch over<br />yourself, for unless you do your improvement will be very slow.<br /><br />Practice inhaling long, deep breaths, not simply for the<br />improvement of health, although that is no small matter, but also<br />for the purpose of developing more power, more love, more life.<br />All work assists in development.<br /><br />You may think it foolish to try to develop concentration by<br />taking muscular exercises, but you must not forget that the mind<br />is associated with muscle and nerve. When you steady your nerves<br />and muscles, you steady your mind, but let your nerves get out of<br />order and your mind will become erratic and you will not possess<br />the power of direction, which, in other words, is concentration.<br />Therefore you understand how important exercises that steady the<br />nerves and muscles are in developing concentration.<br /><br />Everyone is continually receiving impulses that must be directed<br />and controlled if one is to lead a successful life. That is the<br />reason why a person must control the movements of his eyes, feet,<br />fingers, etc.; this is another reason why it is important to<br />control his breathing. The slow, deep, prolonged exhalations are<br />of wonderful value. They steady the circulation, the heart<br />action, muscles and nerves of the mind. If the heart flutters,<br />the circulation is not regular, and when the lung action is<br />uneven, the mind becomes unsteady and not fit for concentration.<br />This is why controlled breathing is very important as a<br />foundation for physical health.<br /><br />You must not only concentrate your mind, but also the action of<br />the eyes, ears and fingers. Each of these contain miniature minds<br />that are controlled by the master engineer. You will develop much<br />quicker if you thoroughly realize this.<br /><br />If you have ever associated with big men, or read their<br />biographies, you will find that they usually let the others do<br />the talking. It is much easier to talk than it is to listen.<br />There is no better exercise for concentration than to pay close<br />attention when some one is talking. Besides learning from what<br />they have to say, you may develop both mental and physical<br />concentration.<br /><br />When you shake hands with some one just think of your hand as<br />containing hundreds of individual minds, each having an<br />intelligence of its own. When you put this feeling into your hand<br />shake it shows personality. When you shake hands in a listless<br />way, it denotes timidity, lack of force and power of personality.<br />When the hand grip is very weak and stiff, the person has little<br />love in his nature, no passion and no magnetism. When the hand<br />shake is just the opposite, you will find that the nature is<br />also. The loveless person is non-magnetic and he shows that he is<br />by his non-magnetic hand shake. When two developed souls shake<br />hands, their clasps are never light. There is a thrill that goes<br />through both when the two currents meet. Love arouses the<br />opposite currents of the positive and negative natures. When<br />there is no love, life loses its charm. The hand quickly shows<br />when love is being aroused. This is why you should study the art<br />of hand shaking and develop your social affections. A person that<br />loves his kind reflects love, but a person that hates reflects<br />hate. The person with a bad nature, a hateful disposition, evil<br />thoughts and feeling is erratic, freakish and fitful. When you<br />allow yourself to become irritable, watch how you breathe and you<br />will learn a valuable lesson. Watch how you breathe when you are<br />happy. Watch your breathing when you harbor hate. Watch how you<br />breathe when you feel in love with the whole world and noble<br />emotions thrill you. When filled with good thoughts, you breathe<br />a plentiful supply of oxygen into your lungs and love fills your<br />soul. Love develops a person, physically, mentally and socially.<br />Breathe deeply when you are happy and you will gain life and<br />strength; you will steady your mind and you will develop your<br />power of concentration and become magnetic and powerful.<br /><br />If you want to get more out of life you must think more of love.<br />Unless you have real affection for something, you have no<br />sentiment, no sweetness, no magnetism. So arouse your love<br />affections by your will and enter into a fuller life.<br /><br />The hand of love always magnetizes, but it must be steady and<br />controlled. Love can be concentrated in your hand shake, and this<br />is one of the best ways to influence another.<br /><br />The next time you feel yourself becoming irritable, use your will<br />and be patient. This is a very good exercise in self-control. It<br />will help you to keep patient if you will breathe slowly and<br />deeply. If you find you are commencing to speak fast, just<br />control yourself and speak slowly and clearly. Keep from either<br />raising or lowering your voice and concentrate on the fact that<br />you are determined to keep your poise, and you will improve your<br />power of concentration.<br /><br />When you meet people of some consequence, assume a reposeful<br />attitude before them. Do this at all times. Watch both them and<br />yourself. Static exercises develop the motor faculties and<br />increase the power of concentration. If you feel yourself getting<br />irritable, nervous or weak, stand squarely on your feet with your<br />chest up and inhale deeply and you will see that your<br />irritability will disappear and a silent calm will pass over you.<br /><br />If you are in the habit of associating with nervous, irritable<br />people, quit it until you grow strong in the power of<br />concentration, because irritable, angry, fretful, dogmatic and<br />disagreeable people will weaken what powers of resistance you<br />have.<br /><br />Any exercises that give you better control of the ears, fingers,<br />eyes, feet, help you to steady your mind; when your eye is<br />steady, your mind is steady. One of the best ways to study a<br />person is to watch his physical movements, for, when we study his<br />actions, we are studying his mind. Because actions are the<br />expressions of the mind. As the mind is, so is the action. If it<br />is uneasy, restless, erratic, unsteady, its actions are the same.<br />When it is composed, the mind is composed. Concentration means<br />control of the mind and body. You cannot secure control over one<br />without the other.<br /><br />Many people who seem to lack ambition have sluggish minds. They<br />are steady, patient and seemingly have good control, but this<br />does not say they are able to concentrate. These people are<br />indolent, inactive, slow and listless, because they lack energy;<br />they do not lose control because they have little force to<br />control. They have no temper and it therefore cannot disturb<br />them. Their actions are steady because they possess little<br />energy. The natural person is internally strong, energetic and<br />forceful, but his energy, force and strength, thoughts and<br />physical movements are well under his control.<br /><br />If a person does not have energy, both mental and physical, he<br />must develop it. If he has energy which he cannot direct and hold<br />to a point he must learn to do so. A man may be very capable,<br />but, unless he Wills to control his abilities, they will not do<br />him any good.<br /><br />We hear so much talk about the benefit of physical culture, but<br />the real benefit of this is really lost sight of. There is<br />nothing that holds the faculties at work in a sustained and<br />continuous manner as static exercises do. For, as stated before,<br />when you learn to control the body, you are gaining control over<br />the mind.<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON III. HOW TO GAIN WHAT YOU WANT THROUGH CONCENTRATION<br /><br />The ignorant person may say, "How can you get anything by merely<br />wanting it? I say that through concentration you can get anything<br />you want. Every desire can be gratified. But whether it is, will<br />depend upon you concentrating to have that desire fulfilled.<br />Merely wishing for something will not bring it. Wishing you had<br />something shows a weakness and not a belief that you will really<br />get it. So never merely wish, as we are not living in a "fairy<br />age." You use up just as much brain force in "vain imaginings" as<br />you do when you think of something worth while.<br /><br />Be careful of your desires, make a mental picture of what you<br />want and set your will to this until it materializes. Never allow<br />yourself to drift without helm or rudder. Know what you want to<br />do, and strive with all your might to do it, and you will<br />succeed.<br /><br />Feel that you can accomplish anything you undertake. Many<br />undertake to do things, but feel when they start they are going<br />to fail and usually they do. I will give an illustration. A man<br />goes to a store for an article. The clerk says, "I am sorry, we<br />have not it." But the man that is determined to get that thing<br />inquires if he doesn't know where he can get it. Again receiving<br />an unsatisfactory answer the determined buyer consults the<br />manager and finally he finds where the article can be bought.<br /><br />That is the whole secret of concentrating on getting what you<br />want. And, remember, your soul is a center of all-power, and you<br />can accomplish what you will to. "I'll find a way or make one!"<br />is the spirit that wins. I know a man that is now head of a large<br />bank. He started there as a messenger boy. His father had a<br />button made for him with a "P" on it and put it on his coat. He<br />said, "Son, that 'P' is a reminder that some day you are to be<br />the president of your bank. I want you to keep this thought in<br />your mind. Every day do something that will put you nearer your<br />goal." Each night after supper he would say, "Son, what did you<br />do today?" In this way the thought was always kept in mind. He<br />concentrated on becoming president of that bank, and he did. His<br />father told him never to tell anyone what that "P" stood for. A<br />good deal of fun was made of it by his associates. And they tried<br />to find out what it stood for, but they never did until he was<br />made president and then he told the secret.<br /><br />Don't waste your mental powers in wishes. Don't dissipate your<br />energies by trying to satisfy every whim. Concentrate on doing<br />something really worth while. The man that sticks to something is<br />not the man that fails.<br /><br />"Power to him who power exerts."--Emerson.<br /><br /><br />Success to-day depends largely on concentrating on the Interior<br />law of force, for when you do this you awaken those thought<br />powers or forces, which, when used in business, insures permanent<br />results.<br /><br />Until you are able to do this you have not reached your limit in<br />the use of your forces. This great universe is interwoven with<br />myriads of forces. You make your own place, and whether it is<br />important depends upon you. Through the Indestructible and<br />Unconquerable Law you can in time accomplish all right things and<br />therefore do not be afraid to undertake whatever you really<br />desire to accomplish and are willing to pay for in effort.<br />Anything that is right is possible. That which is necessary will<br />inevitably take place. If something is right it is your duty to<br />do it, though the whole world thinks it to be wrong. "God and one<br />are always a majority," or in plain words, that omnipotent<br />interior law which is God, and the organism that represents you<br />is able to conquer the whole world if your cause is absolutely<br />just. Don't say I wish I was a great man. You can do anything<br />that is proper and you want to do. Just say: You can. You will.<br />You must. Just realize this and the rest is easy. You have the<br />latent faculties and forces to subdue anything that tries to<br />interfere with your plans.<br /><br />"Let-the-troubles-and-responsibilities-of-life-come-thick-and-fas<br />t. I-am-ready-for-them. My-soul-is-unconquerable.<br />I-represent-the-Infinite-law-of-force,-or-of-all-power.<br />This-God-within-is-my-all-sufficient-strength-and-ever-present-he<br />lp-in-time-of-trouble.<br />The-more-difficulties-the-greater-its-triumphs-through-me.<br />The-harder-my-trials,-the-faster-I-go-in-the-development-of-my-in<br />herent-strength. Let-all-else-fail-me.<br />This-interior-reliance-is-all-sufficient. The-right-must-prevail.<br />I-demand-wisdom-and-power-to-know-and-follow-the-right.<br />My-higher-self-is-all-wise. I-now-draw-nearer-to-it."<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON IV. CONCENTRATION, THE SILENT FORCE THAT PRODUCES RESULTS<br />IN ALL BUSINESS<br /><br />I want you first to realize how powerful thought is. A thought of<br />fear has turned a person's hair gray in a night. A prisoner<br />condemned to die was told that if he would consent to an<br />experiment and lived through it he would be freed. He consented.<br />They wanted to see how much blood a person could lose and still<br />live. They arranged that blood would apparently drop from a cut<br />made in his leg. The cut made was very slight, from which<br />practically no blood escaped. The room was darkened, and the<br />prisoner thought the dropping he heard was really coming from his<br />leg. The next morning he was dead through mental fear.<br /><br />The two above illustrations will give you a little idea of the<br />power of thought. To thoroughly realize the power of thought is<br />worth a great deal to you.<br /><br />Through concentrated thought power you can make yourself whatever<br />you please. By thought you can greatly increase your efficiency<br />and strength. You are surrounded by all kinds of thoughts, some<br />good, others bad, and you are sure to absorb some of the latter<br />if you do not build up a positive mental attitude.<br /><br />If you will study the needless moods of anxiety, worry,<br />despondency, discouragement and others that are the result of<br />uncontrolled thoughts, you will realize how important the control<br />of your thoughts are. Your thoughts make you what you are.<br /><br />When I walk along the street and study the different people's<br />faces I can tell how they spent their lives. It all shows in<br />their faces, just like a mirror reflects their physical<br />countenances. In looking in those faces I cannot help thinking<br />how most of the people you see have wasted their lives.<br /><br />The understanding of the power of thought will awaken<br />possibilities within you that you never dreamed of. Never forget<br />that your thoughts are making your environment, your friends, and<br />as your thoughts change these will also. Is this not a practical<br />lesson to learn? Good thoughts are constructive. Evil thoughts<br />are destructive. The desire to do right carries with it a great<br />power. I want you to thoroughly realize the importance of your<br />thoughts, and how to make them valuable, to understand that your<br />thoughts come to you over invisible wires and influence you.<br /><br />If your thoughts are of a high nature, you become connected with<br />people of the same mental caliber and you are able to help<br />yourself. If your thoughts are tricky, you will bring tricky<br />people to deal with you, who will try to cheat you.<br /><br />If your thoughts are right kind, you will inspire confidence in<br />those with whom you are dealing.<br /><br />As you gain the good will of others your confidence and strength<br />will increase. You will soon learn the wonderful value of your<br />thoughts and how serene you can become even when circumstances<br />are the most trying.<br /><br />Such thoughts of Right and Good Will bring you into harmony with<br />people that amount to something in the world and that are able to<br />give you help if you should need it, as nearly everyone does at<br />times.<br /><br />You can now see why it is so important to concentrate your<br />thoughts in the proper channels. It is very necessary that people<br />should have confidence in you. When two people meet they have not<br />the time to look each other up. They accept each other according<br />to instinct which can usually be relied on.<br /><br />You meet a person and his attitude creates a suspicion in you.<br />The chances are you cannot tell why, but something tells you,<br />"Have no dealings with him, for if you do, you will be sorry."<br />Thoughts produce actions. Therefore be careful of your thoughts.<br />Your life will be molded by the thoughts you have. A spiritual<br />power is always available to your thought, and when you are<br />worthy you can attract all the good things without a great effort<br />on your part.<br /><br />The sun's rays shine down on our gardens, but we can plant trees<br />that will interfere with the sun light. There are invisible<br />forces ready to help you if you do not think and act to intercept<br />these. These forces work silently. "You reap what you sow."<br /><br />You have concentrated within powers that if developed will bring<br />you happiness greater than you can even imagine. Most people go<br />rushing through life, literally driving away the very things they<br />seek. By concentration you can revolutionize your life,<br />accomplish infinitely more and without a great effort.<br /><br />Look within yourself and you will find the greatest machine ever<br />made.<br /><br />How to Speak Wisely. In order to speak wisely you must secure at<br />least a partial concentration of the faculties and forces upon<br />the subject at hand. Speech interferes with the focusing powers<br />of the mind, as it withdraws the attention to the external and<br />therefore is hardly to be compared with that deep silence of the<br />subconscious mind, where deep thoughts, and the silent forces of<br />high potency are evolved. It is necessary to be silent before you<br />can speak wisely. The person that is really alert and well poised<br />and able to speak wisely under trying circumstances, is the<br />person that has practiced in the silence. Most people do not know<br />what the silence is and think it is easy to go into the silence,<br />but this is not so. In the real silence we become attached to<br />that interior law and the forces become silent, because they are<br />in a state of high potency, or beyond the vibratory sounds to<br />which our external ears are attuned. He who desires to become<br />above the ordinary should open up for himself the interior<br />channels which lead to the absolute law of the omnipotent. You<br />can only do this by persistently and intelligently practicing<br />thought concentration. Hold the thought:<br /><br />In-silence-I-will-allow-my-higher-self-to-have-complete-control.<br />I-will-be-true-to-my-higher-self.<br />I-will-live-true-to-my-conception-of-what-is-right.<br />I-realize-that-it-is-to-my-self-interest-to-live-up-to-my-best.<br />I-demand-wisdom-so that-I-may-act-wisely-for-myself-and-others.<br /><br />In the next chapter I will tell you of the mysterious law, which<br />links all humanity together, by the powers of co-operative<br />thought, and chooses for us companionship and friends.<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON V. HOW CONCENTRATED THOUGHT LINKS ALL HUMANITY TOGETHER<br /><br />It is within your power to gratify your every wish. Success is<br />the result of the way you think. I will show you how to think to<br />be successful.<br /><br />The power to rule and attract success is within yourself. The<br />barriers that shut these off from you are subject to your<br />control. You have unlimited power to think and this is the link<br />that connects you with your omniscient source.<br /><br />Success is the result of certain moods of mind or ways of<br />thinking. These moods can be controlled by you and produced at<br />will.<br /><br />You have been evolved to what you are from a lowly atom because<br />you possessed the power to think. This power will never leave<br />you, but will keep urging you on until you reach perfection. As<br />you evolve, you create new desires and these can be gratified.<br />The power to rule lies within you. The barriers that keep you<br />from ruling are also within you. These are the barriers of<br />ignorance.<br /><br />Concentrated thought will accomplish seemingly impossible results<br />and make you realize your fondest ambitions. At the same time<br />that you break down barriers of limitation new ambitions will be<br />awakened. You begin to experience conscious thought<br />constructions.<br /><br />If you will just realize that through deep concentration you<br />become linked with thoughts of omnipotence, you will kill out<br />entirely your belief in your limitations and at the same time<br />will drive away all fear and other negative and destructive<br />thought forces which constantly work against you. In the place of<br />these you will build up a strong assurance that your every<br />venture will be successful. When you learn thus how to<br />concentrate and reinforce your thought, you control your mental<br />creations; they in turn help to mould your physical environment,<br />and you become the master of circumstances and the ruler of your<br />kingdom.<br /><br />It is just as easy to surround your life with what you want as it<br />is with what you don't want. It is a question to be decided by<br />your will. There are no walls to prevent you from getting what<br />you want, providing you want what is right. If you choose<br />something that is not right, you are in opposition to the<br />omnipotent plans of the universe and deserve to fail. But, if you<br />will base your desires on justice and good will, you avail<br />yourself of the helpful powers of universal currents, and instead<br />of having a handicap to work against, can depend upon ultimate<br />success, though the outward appearances may not at first be<br />bright.<br /><br />Never stop to think of temporary appearances, but maintain an<br />unfaltering belief in your ultimate success. Make your plans<br />carefully, and see that they are not contrary to the tides of<br />universal justice. The main thing for you to remember is to keep<br />at bay the destructive and opposing forces of fear and anger and<br />their satellites.<br /><br />There is no power so great as the belief which comes from the<br />knowledge that your thought is in harmony with the divine laws of<br />thought and the sincere conviction that your cause is right. You<br />may be able seemingly to accomplish results for a time even if<br />your cause is unjust, but the results will be temporary, and, in<br />time, you will have to tear down your thought edifice and build<br />on the true foundation of Right.<br /><br />Plans that are not built on truth produce discordant vibrations<br />and are therefore self-destructive. Never try to build until you<br />can build right. It is a waste of time to do anything else. You<br />may temporarily put aside your desire to do right, but its true<br />vibrations will interfere with your unjust plans until you are<br />forced back into righteous paths of power.<br /><br />All just causes succeed in time, though temporarily they may<br />fail. So if you should face the time when everything seems<br />against you, quiet your fears, drive away all destructive<br />thoughts and uphold the dignity of your moral and spiritual life.<br /><br />"Where There Is A Will There Is A Way." The reason this is so is<br />that the Will can make a way if given the chance to secure the<br />assistance of aiding forces. The more it is developed the higher<br />the way to which it will lead.<br /><br />When everything looks gloomy and discouraging, then is the time<br />to show what you are made of by rejoicing that you can control<br />your moods by making them as calm, serene and bright as if<br />prosperity were yours.<br /><br />"Be faithful in sowing the thought seeds of success, in perfect<br />trust that the sun will not cease to shine and bring a generous<br />harvest in one season."<br /><br />It is not always necessary to think of the success of a venture<br />when you are actually engaged in it. For when the body is<br />inactive the mind is most free to catch new ideas that will<br />further the opportunity you are seeking. When you are actually<br />engaged in doing something, you are thinking in the channels you<br />have previously constructed and the work does not have to be done<br />over again.<br /><br />When you are in a negative mood the intuitions are more active,<br />for you are not then controlling your thoughts by the will.<br />Everything we do. should have the approval of the intuition.<br /><br />When you are in a negative mood you attract thoughts of similar<br />nature through the law of affinity. That is why it is so<br />important to form thoughts of a success nature to attract similar<br />ones. If you have never made a study of this subject, you may<br />think this is all foolishness, but it is a fact that there are<br />thought currents that unerringly bring thoughts of a similar<br />nature. Many persons who think of failure actually attract<br />failure by their worries, their anxieties, their overactivity.<br />These thoughts are bound to bring failure. When you once learn<br />the laws of thought and think of nothing but Good, Truth,<br />Success, you will make more progress with less effort than you<br />ever made before.<br /><br />There are forces that can aid the mind that are hardly dreamed of<br />by the average person. When you learn to believe more in the<br />value of thought and its laws you will be led aright and your<br />business gains will multiply.<br /><br />The following method may assist you in gaining better thought<br />control. If you are unable to control your fears, just say to<br />your faulty determination, "Do not falter or be afraid, for I am<br />not really alone. I am surrounded by invisible forces that will<br />assist me to remove the unfavorable appearances." Soon you will<br />have more courage. The only difference between the fearless man<br />and the fearful one is in his will, his hope. So if you lack<br />success, believe in it, hope for it, claim it. You can use the<br />same method to brace up your thoughts of desire, aspiration,<br />imagination, expectation, ambition, understanding, trust and<br />assurance.<br /><br />If you get anxious, angry, discouraged, undecided or worried, it<br />is because you are not receiving the co-operation of the higher<br />powers of your mind. By your Will you can so organize the powers<br />of the mind that your moods change only as you want them to<br />instead of as circumstances affect you.<br /><br />I was recently asked if I advised concentrating on what you eat,<br />or what you see while walking. My reply was that no matter what<br />you may be doing, when in practice think of nothing else but that<br />act at the time. The idea is to be able to control your<br />unimportant acts, otherwise you set up a habit that it will be<br />hard to overcome, because your faculties have not been in the<br />habit of concentrating. Your faculties cannot be disorganized one<br />minute and organized the next. If you allow the mind to wander<br />while you are doing small things, it will be likely to get into<br />mischief and make it hard to concentrate on the important act<br />when it comes.<br /><br />The man that is able to concentrate is the happy, busy man. Time<br />does not drag with him. He always has plenty to do. He does not<br />have time to think over past mistakes, which would make him<br />unhappy.<br /><br />If despite our discouragement and failures, we claim our great<br />heritage, "life and truth and force, like an electric current,"<br />will permeate our lives until we enter into our "birthright in<br />eternity."<br /><br />The will does not act with clearness, decision and promptness<br />unless it is trained to do so. There are comparatively few that<br />really know what they are doing every minute of the day. This is<br />because they do not observe with sufficient orderliness and<br />accuracy to know what they are doing. It is not difficult to know<br />what you us doing all the time, if you will just practice<br />concentration and with a reposeful deliberation, and train<br />yourself to think clearly, promptly, and decisive. If you allow<br />yourself to worry or hurry in what you are doing, this will not<br />be clearly photographed upon the sensitized plate of the<br />subjective mind, and you therefore will not be really conscious<br />of your actions. So practice accuracy and concentration of<br />thought, and also absolute truthfulness and you will soon be able<br />to concentrate.<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON VI. THE TRAINING OF THE WILL TO DO<br /><br />The Will To Do is the greatest power in the world that is<br />concerned with human accomplishment and no one can in advance<br />determine its limits.<br /><br />The things that we do now would have been a few ages ago<br />impossibilities. Today the safe maxim is: "All things are<br />possible."<br /><br />The Will To Do is a force that is strictly practical, yet it is<br />difficult to explain just what it is. It can be compared to<br />electricity because we know it only through its cause and<br />effects. It is a power we can direct and to just the extent we<br />direct it do we determine our future. Every time you accomplish<br />any definite act, consciously or unconsciously, you use the<br />principle of the Will. You can Will to do anything whether it is<br />right or wrong, and therefore the way you use your will makes a<br />big difference in your life.<br /><br />Every person possesses some "Will To Do." It is the inner energy<br />which controls all conscious acts. What you will to do directs<br />your life forces. All habits, good or bad, are the result of what<br />you will to do. You improve or lower your condition in life by<br />what you will to do. Your will has a connection with all avenues<br />of knowledge, all activities, all accomplishment.<br /><br />You probably know of cases where people have shown wonderful<br />strength under some excitement, similar to the following: The<br />house of a farmer's wife caught on fire. No one was around to<br />help her move anything. She was a frail woman, and ordinarily was<br />considered weak. On this occasion she removed things from the<br />house that it later took three men to handle. It was the "Will To<br />Do" that she used to accomplish her task.<br /><br />Genius Is But A Will To Do Little Things With Infinite Pains.<br />Little Things Well Done Open The Door Of Opportunity For Bigger<br />Things.<br /><br />The Will accomplishes its greater results through activities that<br />grow out of great concentration in acquiring the power of<br />voluntary attention to such an extent that we can direct it where<br />we will and hold it steadily to its task until our aim is<br />accomplished. When you learn so to use it, your Will Power<br />becomes a mighty force. Almost everything can be accomplished<br />through its proper use. It is greater than physical force because<br />it can be used to control not only physical but mental and moral<br />forces.<br /><br />There are very few that possess perfectly developed and balanced<br />Will Power, but those who do easily crush out their weak<br />qualities. Study yourself carefully. Find out your greatest<br />weakness and then use your will power to overcome it. In this way<br />eradicate your faults, one by one, until you have built up a<br />strong character and personality.<br /><br />Rules for Improvement. A desire arises. Now think whether this<br />would be good for you. If it is not, use your Will Power to kill<br />out the desire, but, on the other hand, if it is a righteous<br />desire, summon all your Will Power to your aid, crush all<br />obstacles that confront you and secure possession of the coveted<br />Good.<br /><br />Slowness in Making Decisions. This is a weakness of Will Power.<br />You know you should do something, but you delay doing it through<br />lack of decision. It is easier not to do a certain thing than to<br />do it, but conscience says to do it. The vast majority of persons<br />are failures because of the lack of deciding to do a thing when<br />it should be done. Those that are successful have been quick to<br />grasp opportunities by making a quick decision. This power of<br />will can be used to bring culture, wealth and health.<br /><br />Some Special Pointers. For the next week try to make quicker<br />decisions in your little daily affairs. Set the hour you wish to<br />get up and arise exactly at the fixed time. Anything that you<br />should accomplish, do on or ahead of time. You want, of course,<br />to give due deliberation to weighty matters, but by making quick<br />decisions on little things you will acquire the ability to make<br />quick decisions in bigger things. Never procrastinate. Decide<br />quickly one way or the other even at the risk of deciding wrong.<br />Practice this for a week or two and notice your improvement.<br /><br />The Lack of Initiative. This, too, keeps many men from<br />succeeding. They have fallen into the way of imitating others in<br />all that they do. Very often we hear the expression, "He seems<br />clever enough, but he lacks initiative." Life for them is one<br />continuous grind. Day after day they go through the same<br />monotonous round of duties, while those that are "getting along"<br />are using their initiative to get greater fullness of life. There<br />is nothing so responsible for poverty as this lack of initiative,<br />this power to think and do for ourselves.<br /><br />You Are as Good as Anyone. You have will power, and if you use<br />it, you will get your share of the luxuries of life. So use it to<br />claim your own. Don't depend on anyone else to help you. We have<br />to fight our own battles. All the world loves a fighter, while<br />the coward is despised by all.<br /><br />Every person's problems are different, so I can only say "analyze<br />your opportunities and conditions and study your natural<br />abilities." Form plans for improvement and then put them into<br />operation. Now, as I said before, don't just say, "I am going to<br />do so and so," but carry your plan into execution. Don't make an<br />indefinite plan, but a definite one, and then don't give up until<br />your object has been accomplished. Put these suggestions into<br />practice with true earnestness, and you will soon note<br />astonishing results, and your whole life will be completely<br />changed. An excellent motto for one of pure motives is: Through<br />my will power I dare do what I want to. You will find this<br />affirmation has a very strengthening effect.<br /><br />The Spirit of Perseverance. The spirit of "sticktoitiveness" is<br />the one that wins. Many go just so far and then give up, whereas,<br />if they had persevered a little longer, they would have won out.<br />Many have much initiative, but instead of concentrating it into<br />one channel, they diffuse it through several, thereby dissipating<br />it to such an extent that its effect is lost.<br /><br />Develop more determination, which is only the Will To Do, and<br />when you start out to do something stick to it until you get<br />results. Of course, before starting anything you must look ahead<br />and see what the "finish leads to." You must select a road that<br />will lead to "somewhere," rather than "nowhere." The journey must<br />be productive of some kind of substantial results. The trouble<br />with so many young men is that they launch enterprises without<br />any end in sight. It is not so much the start as the finish of a<br />journey that counts. Each little move should bring you nearer the<br />goal which you planned to reach before the enterprise began.<br /><br />Lack of Perseverance is nothing but the lack of the Will To Do.<br />It takes the same energy to say, "I will continue," as to say, "I<br />give up." Just the moment you say the latter you shut off your<br />dynamo, and your determination is gone. Every time you allow your<br />determination to be broken you weaken it. Don't forget this. Just<br />the instant you notice your determination beginning to weaken,<br />concentrate on it and by sheer Will Power make it continue on the<br />"job."<br /><br />Never try to make a decision when you are not in a calm state of<br />mind. If in a "quick temper," you are likely to say things you<br />afterwards regret. In anger, you follow impulse rather than<br />reason. No one can expect to achieve success if he makes<br />decisions when not in full control of his mental forces.<br /><br />Therefore make it a fixed rule to make decisions only when at<br />your best. If you have a "quick temper," you can quickly gain<br />control over it by simple rule of counting backwards. To count<br />backwards requires concentration, and you thus quickly regain a<br />calm state. In this way you can break the "temper habit."<br /><br />It will do you a lot of good to think over what you said and<br />thought the last time you were angry. Persevere until you see<br />yourself as others see you. It would do no harm to write the<br />scene out in story form and then sit in judgment of the character<br />that played your part.<br /><br />Special Instructions to Develop the Will To Do. This is a form of<br />mental energy, but requires the proper mental attitude to make it<br />manifest. We hear of people having wonderful will power, which<br />really is wrong. It should be said that they use their will power<br />while with many it is a latent force. I want you to realize that<br />no one has a monopoly on will power. There is plenty for all.<br />What we speak of as will power is but the gathering together of<br />mental energy, the concentration power at one point. So never<br />think of that person as having a stronger will than yours. Each<br />person will be supplied with just that amount of will power that<br />he demands. You don't have to develop will power if you<br />constantly make use of all you have, and remember the way in<br />which you use it determines your fate, for your life is moulded<br />to great extent by the use you make of your will. Unless you make<br />proper use of it you have neither independence nor firmness. You<br />are unable to control yourself and become a mere machine for<br />others to use. It is more important to learn to use your will<br />than to develop your intellect. The man that has not learned how<br />to use his will rarely decides things for himself, but allows his<br />resolutions to be changed by others. He fluctuates from one<br />opinion to another, and of course does not accomplish anything<br />out of the ordinary, while his brother with the trained will<br />takes his place among the world's leaders.<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON VII. THE CONCENTRATED MENTAL DEMAND<br /><br />The Mental Demand is the potent force in achievement. The<br />attitude of the mind affects the expression of the face,<br />determines action, changes our physical condition and regulates<br />our lives.<br /><br />I will not here attempt to explain the silent force that achieves<br />results. You want to develop your mental powers so you can effect<br />the thing sought, and that is what I want to teach you. There is<br />wonderful power and possibility in the concentrated Mental<br />Demand. This, like all other forces, is controlled by laws. It<br />can, like all other forces, be wonderfully increased by<br />consecutive, systematized effort.<br /><br />The mental demand must be directed by every power of the mind and<br />every possible element should be used to make the demand<br />materialize. You can so intently desire a thing that you can<br />exclude all distracting thoughts. When you practice this<br />singleness of concentration until you attain the end sought, you<br />have developed a Will capable of accomplishing whatever you wish.<br /><br />As long as you can only do the ordinary things you will be<br />counted in the mass of mediocrity. But just as quick as you<br />surpass others by even comparatively small measure, you are<br />classed as one of life's successes. So, if you wish to emerge<br />into prominence, you must accomplish something more than the<br />ordinary man or woman. It is easy to do this if you will but<br />concentrate on what you desire, and put forth your best effort.<br />It is not the runner with the longest legs or the strongest<br />muscles that wins the race, but the one that can put forth the<br />greatest desire force. You can best understand this by thinking<br />of an engine. The engine starts up slowly, the engineer gradually<br />extending the throttle to the top notch. It is then keyed up to<br />its maximum speed. The same is true of two runners. They start<br />off together and gradually they increase their desire to go<br />faster. The one that has the greatest intensity of desire will<br />win. He may outdistance the other by only a fraction of an inch,<br />yet he gets the laurels.<br /><br />The men that are looked upon as the world's successes have not<br />always been men of great physical power, nor at the start did<br />they seem very well adapted to the conditions which encompassed<br />them. In the beginning they were not considered men of superior<br />genius, but they won their success by their resolution to achieve<br />results in their undertakings by permitting no set-back to<br />dishearten them; no difficulties to daunt them. Nothing could<br />turn them or influence them against their determination. They<br />never lost sight of their goal. In all of us there is this silent<br />force of wonderful power. If developed, it can overcome<br />conditions that would seem insurmountable. It is constantly<br />urging us on to greater achievement. The more we become<br />acquainted with it the better strategists we become, the more<br />courage we develop and the greater the desire within us for<br />self-expression in activity along many lines.<br /><br />No one will ever be a failure if he becomes conscious of this<br />silent force within that controls his destiny. But without the<br />consciousness of this inner force, you will not have a clear<br />vision, and external conditions will not yield to the power of<br />your mind. It is the mental resolve that makes achievement<br />possible. Once this has been formed it should never be allowed to<br />cease to press its claim until its object is attained. To make<br />plans work out it will, at times, be necessary to use every power<br />of your mind. Patience, perseverance and all the indomitable<br />forces within one will have to be mustered and used with the<br />greatest effectiveness.<br /><br />Perseverance is the first element of success. In order to<br />persevere you must be ceaseless in your application. It requires<br />you to concentrate your thoughts upon your undertaking and bring<br />every energy to bear upon keeping them focused upon it until you<br />have accomplished your aim. To quit short of this is to weaken<br />all future efforts.<br /><br />The Mental Demand seems an unreal power because it is intangible;<br />but it is the mightiest power in the world. It is a power that is<br />free for you to use. No one can use it for you. The Mental Demand<br />is not a visionary one. It is a potent force, which you can use<br />freely without cost. When you are in doubt it will counsel you.<br />It will guide you when you are uncertain. When you are in fear it<br />will give you courage. It is the motive power which supplies the<br />energies necessary to the achievement of the purpose. You have a<br />large store house of possibilities. The Mental Demand makes<br />possibilities realities. It supplies everything necessary for the<br />accomplishment, It selects the tools and instructs how to use<br />them. It makes you understand the situation. Every time you make<br />a Mental Demand you strengthen the brain centers by drawing to<br />you external forces.<br /><br />Few realize the power of a Mental Demand. It is possible to make<br />your demand so strong that you can impart what you have to say to<br />another without speaking to him. Have you ever, after planning to<br />discuss a certain matter with a friend, had the experience of<br />having him broach the subject before you had a chance to speak of<br />it? Have you ever, in a letter, made a suggestion to a friend<br />that he carried out before your letter reached him? Have you ever<br />wanted to speak to a person who, just then walked in or<br />telephoned. I have had many such responses to thought and you and<br />your friends have doubtless experienced them, too.<br /><br />These two things are neither coincidences nor accidents, but are<br />the results of mental demand launched by strong concentration.<br /><br />The person that never wants anything gets little. To demand<br />resolutely is the first step toward getting what you want.<br /><br />The power of the Mental Demand seems absolute, the supply<br />illimitable. The mental demand projects itself and causes to<br />materialize the conditions and opportunities needed to accomplish<br />the purpose. Do not think I over estimate the value of the Mental<br />Demand. It brings the fuller life if used for only righteous<br />purposes. Once the Mental Demand is made, however, never let it<br />falter. If you do the current that connects you with your desire<br />is broken. Take all the necessary time to build a firm<br />foundation, so that there need not be even an element of doubt to<br />creep in. Just the moment you entertain "doubt" you lose some of<br />the demand force, and force once lost is hard to regain. So<br />whenever you make a mental demand hold steadfastly to it until<br />your need is supplied.<br /><br />I want to repeat again that Power of Mental Demand is not a<br />visionary one. It is concentrated power only, and can be used by<br />you. It is not supernatural power, but requires a development of<br />the brain centers. The outcome is sure when it is given with a<br />strong resolute determination.<br /><br />No person will advance to any great extent, until he recognizes<br />this force within him. If you have not become aware of it, you<br />have not made very much of a success of your life. It is this<br />"something" that distinguishes that "man" from other men. It is<br />this subtle power that develops strong personality.<br /><br />If you want a great deal you must demand a great deal. Once you<br />make your demand, anticipate its fulfillment. It depends upon us.<br />We are rewarded according to our efforts. The Power of Mental<br />Demand can bring us what we want. We become what we determine to<br />be. We control our own destiny.<br /><br /><br />Get the right mental attitude, then in accordance with your<br />ability you can gain success.<br /><br />And every man of AVERAGE ability, the ordinary man that you see<br />about you, can be really successful, independent, free of worry,<br />HIS OWN MASTER, if he can manage to do just two things.<br /><br />First, remain forever dissatisfied with what he IS doing and with<br />what he HAS accomplished.<br /><br />Second, develop in his mind a belief that the word impossible was<br />not intended or him. Build up in his mind the confidence that<br />enables the mind to use its power.<br /><br />Many, especially the older men, will ask:<br /><br />"How can I build up that self-confidence in my brain? How can I,<br />after months and years of discouragement, of dull plodding,<br />suddenly conceive and carry out a plan for doing something that<br />will mike life worth while and change the monotonous routine?<br /><br />"How can a man get out of a rut after he has been in it for years<br />and has settled down to the slow jog-trot that leads to the<br />grave?"<br /><br />The answer is the thing can be done, and millions have done it.<br /><br />One of the names most honored among the great men of France is<br />that of Littre, who wrote and compiled the great French<br />dictionary--a monument of learning. He is the man whose place<br />among the forty immortals of France was taken by the great<br />Pasteur, when the latter was elected to the Academy.<br /><br />Littre BEGAN the work that makes him famous when he was more than<br />sixty years old.<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON VIII. CONCENTRATION GIVES MENTAL POISE<br /><br />You will find that the man that concentrates is well poised,<br />whereas the man that allows his mind to wander is easily upset.<br />When in this state wisdom does not pass from the subconscious<br />storehouse into the consciousness. There must be mental quiet<br />before the two consciousnesses can work in harmony. When you are<br />able to concentrate you have peace of mind.<br /><br />If you are in the habit of losing your poise, form the habit of<br />reading literature that has a quieting power. Just the second you<br />feel your poise slipping, say, "Peace," and then hold this<br />thought in mind and you will never lose your self-control.<br /><br />There cannot be perfect concentration until there is peace of<br />mind. So keep thinking peace, acting peace, until you are at<br />peace with all the world. For when once you have reached this<br />state there will be no trouble to concentrate on anything you<br />wish.<br /><br />When you have peace of mind you are not timid or anxious, or<br />fearful, or rigid and you will not allow any disturbing thought<br />to influence you. You cast aside all fears, and think of yourself<br />as a spark of the Divine Being, as a manifestation of the "One<br />Universal Principle" that fills all space and time. Think of<br />yourself thus as a child of the infinite, possessing infinite<br />possibilities.<br /><br />Write on a piece of paper, "I have the power to do and to be<br />whatever I wish to do and be." Keep this mentally before you, and<br />you will find the thought will be of great help to you.<br /><br />The Mistake of Concentrating on Your Business While Away. In<br />order to be successful today, you must concentrate, but don't<br />become a slave to concentration, and carry your business cares<br />home. Just as sure as you do you will be burning the life forces<br />at both ends and the fire will go out much sooner than was<br />intended.<br /><br />Many men become so absorbed in their business that when they go<br />to church they do not hear the preacher because their minds are<br />on their business. If they go to the theater they do not enjoy it<br />because their business is on their minds. When they go to bed<br />they think about business instead of sleep and wonder why they<br />don't sleep. This is the wrong kind of concentration and is<br />dangerous. It is involuntary. When you are unable to get anything<br />out of your mind it becomes unwholesome as any thought held<br />continuously causes weariness of the flesh. It is a big mistake<br />to let a thought rule you, instead of ruling it. He who does not<br />rule himself is not a success. If you cannot control your<br />concentration, your health will suffer.<br /><br />So never become so absorbed with anything that you cannot lay it<br />aside and take up another. This is self-control.<br /><br />Concentration Is Paying Attention to a Chosen Thought. Everything<br />that passes before the eye makes an impression on the<br />subconscious mind, but unless you pay attention to some certain<br />thing you will not remember what you saw. For instance if you<br />walked down a busy street without seeing anything that attracted<br />your particular attention, you could not recall anything you saw.<br />So you see only what attracts your attention. If you work you<br />only see and remember what you think about. When you concentrate<br />on something it absorbs your whole thought.<br /><br />Self-Study Valuable. Everyone has some habits that can be<br />overcome by concentration. We will say for instance, you are in<br />the habit of complaining, or finding fault with yourself or<br />others; or, imagining that you do not possess the ability of<br />others; or feeling that you are not as good as someone else; or<br />that you cannot rely on yourself; or harboring any similar<br />thoughts or thoughts of weakness. These should be cast aside and<br />instead thoughts of strength should be put in their place. Just<br />remember every time you think of yourself as being weak, in some<br />way you are making yourself so by thinking you are. Our mental<br />conditions make us what we are. Just watch yourself and see how<br />much time you waste in worrying, fretting and complaining. The<br />more of it you do the worse off you are.<br /><br />Just the minute you are aware of thinking a negative thought<br />immediately change to a positive one. If you start to think of<br />failure, change to thinking of success. You have the germ of<br />success within you. Care for it the same as the setting hen<br />broods over the eggs and you can make it a reality.<br /><br />You can make those that you come in contact with feel as you do,<br />because you radiate vibrations of the way you feel and your<br />vibrations are felt by others. When you concentrate on a certain<br />thing you turn all the rays of your vibrations on this. Thought<br />is the directing power of all Life's vibrations. If a person<br />should enter a room with a lot of people and feel as if he were a<br />person of no consequence no one would know he was there unless<br />they saw him, and even if they did, they would not remember<br />seeing him, because they were not attracted towards him. But let<br />him enter the room feeling that he was magnetic and concentrating<br />on this thought, others would feel his vibration. So remember the<br />way you feel you can make others feel. This is the law. Make<br />yourself a concentrated dynamo from which your thoughts vibrate<br />to others. Then you are a power in the world. Cultivate the art<br />of feeling, for as I said before you can only make others feel<br />what you feel.<br /><br />If you will study all of the great characters of history you will<br />find that they were enthusiastic. First they were enthusiastic<br />themselves, and then they could arouse others' enthusiasm. It is<br />latent in everyone. It is a wonderful force when once aroused.<br />All public men to be a success have to possess it. Cultivate it<br />by concentration. Set aside some hour of the day, wherein to hold<br />rapt converse with the soul. Meditate with sincere desire and<br />contrite heart and you will be able to accomplish that which you<br />have meditated on. This is the keynote of success.<br /><br /><br />"Think, speak and act just as you wish to be, And you will be<br />that which you wish to be."<br /><br /><br />You are just what you think you are and not what you may appear<br />to be. You may fool others but not yourself. You may control your<br />life and actions just as you can control your hands. If you want<br />to raise your hand you must first think of raising it. If you<br />want to control your life you must first control your thinking.<br />Easy to do, is it not? Yes it is, if you will but concentrate on<br />what you think about.<br /><br /> For he only can<br /> That says he will.<br /><br /><br />How can we secure concentration? To this question, the first and<br />last answer must be: By interest and strong motive. The stronger<br />the motive the greater the concentration.--Eustace Miller, M. D.<br /><br />The Successful Lives Are the Concentrated Lives. The utterly<br />helpless multitude that sooner or later have to be cared for by<br />charity, are those that were never able to concentrate, and who<br />have become the victims of negative ideas.<br /><br />Train yourself so you will be able to centralize your thought and<br />develop your brain power, and increase your mental energy, or you<br />can be a slacker, a drifter, a quitter or a sleeper. It all<br />depends on how you concentrate, or centralize your thoughts. Your<br />thinking then becomes a fixed power and you do not waste time<br />thinking about something that would not be good for you. You pick<br />out the thoughts that will be the means of bringing you what you<br />desire, and they become a material reality. Whatever we create in<br />the thought world will some day materialize. That is the law.<br />Don't forget this.<br /><br />In the old days men drifted without concentration but this is a<br />day of efficiency and therefore all of our efforts must be<br />concentrated, if we are to win any success worth the name.<br /><br />Why People Often Do Not Get What They Concentrate On. Because<br />they sit down in hopeless despair and expect it to come to them.<br />But if they will just reach out for it with their biggest effort<br />they will find it is within their reach. No one limits us but<br />ourselves. We are what we are today as the result of internal<br />conditions. We can control the external conditions. They are<br />subject to our will.<br /><br />Through our concentration we can attract what we want, because we<br />became enrapport with the Universal forces, from which we can get<br />what we want.<br /><br />You have watched races no doubt. They all line up together. Each<br />has his mind set on getting to the goal before the others. This<br />is one kind of concentration. A man starts to think on a certain<br />subject. He has all kinds of thoughts come to him, but by<br />concentration he shuts out all these but the one he has chosen.<br />Concentration is just a case of willing to do a certain thing and<br />doing it.<br /><br /><br />If you want to accomplish anything first put yourself in a<br />concentrating, reposeful, receptive, acquiring frame of mind. In<br />tackling unfamiliar work make haste slowly and deliberately and<br />then you will secure that interior activity, which is never<br />possible when you are in a hurry or under a strain. When you<br />"think hard" or try to hurry results too quickly, you generally<br />shut off the interior flow of thoughts and ideas. You have often<br />no doubt tried hard to think of something but could not, but just<br />as soon as you stopped trying to think of it, it came to you.<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON IX. CONCENTRATION CAN OVERCOME BAD HABITS<br /><br />Habits make or break us to a far greater extent than we like to<br />admit. Habit is both a powerful enemy and wonderful ally of<br />concentration. You must learn to overcome habits which are<br />injurious to concentration, and to cultivate those which increase<br />it.<br /><br />The large majority of people are controlled by their habits and<br />are buffeted around by them like waves of the ocean tossing a<br />piece of wood. They do things in a certain way because of the<br />power of habit. They seldom ever think of concentrating on why<br />they do them this or that way, or study to see if they could do<br />them in a better way. Now my object in this chapter is to get you<br />to concentrate on your habits so you can find out which are good<br />and which are bad for you. You will find that by making a few<br />needed changes you can make even those that are not good for you,<br />of service; the good habits you can make much better.<br /><br />The first thing I want you to realize is that all habits are<br />governed consciously or unconsciously by the will. Most of us are<br />forming new habits all the time. Very often, if you repeat<br />something several times in the same way, you will have formed the<br />habit of doing it that way. But the oftener you repeat it the<br />stronger that habit grows and the more deeply it becomes embedded<br />in your nature. After a habit has been in force for a long time,<br />it becomes almost a part of you, and is therefore hard to<br />overcome. But you can still break any habit by strong<br />concentration on its opposite.<br /><br />"All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of<br />habits--practical, emotional, and intellectual--systematically<br />organized, for our weal or woe, and bearing us irresistibly<br />toward our destiny whatever the latter may be."<br /><br />We are creatures of habits, "imitators and copiers of our past<br />selves." We are liable to be "bent" or "curved" as we can bend a<br />piece of paper, and each fold leaves a crease, which makes it<br />easier to make the fold there the next time. "The intellect and<br />will are spiritual functions; still they are immersed in matter,<br />and to every movement of theirs, corresponds a movement in the<br />brain, that is, in their material correlative." This is why<br />habits of thought and habits of willing can be formed. All<br />physical impressions are the carrying out of the actions of the<br />will and intellect. Our nervous systems are what they are today,<br />because of the way they have been exercised.<br /><br />As we grow older most of us become more and more like automatic<br />machines. The habits we have formed increase in strength. We work<br />in our old characteristic way. Your associates learn to expect<br />you to do things in a certain way. So you see that your habits<br />make a great difference in your life, and as it is just about as<br />easy to form good habits as it is bad, you should form only the<br />former. No one but yourself is responsible for your habits. You<br />are free to form the habits that you should and if everyone could<br />realize the importance of forming the right kind of habits what a<br />different world this would be. How much happier everyone would<br />be. Then all instead of the few might win success.<br /><br />Habits are formed more quickly when we are young, but if we have<br />already passed the youthful plastic period the time to start to<br />control our habits is right now, as we will never be any younger.<br /><br />You will find the following maxims worth remembering.<br /><br />First Maxim:<br /><br />"We must make our nervous system our ally instead of our enemy."<br /><br /><br />Second Maxim:<br /><br />"In the acquisition of a new habit as in the leaving off of an<br />old one, we must take care to launch ourselves with as strong and<br />decided an initiative as possible."<br /><br />The man that is in the habit of doing the right thing from<br />boyhood, has only good motives, so it is very important for you<br />that you concentrate assiduously on the habits that reinforce<br />good motives. Surround yourself with every aid you can. Don't<br />play with fire by forming bad habits. Make a new beginning today.<br />Study why you have been doing certain things. If they are not for<br />your good, shun them henceforth. Don't give in to a single<br />temptation for every time you do, you strengthen the chain of bad<br />habits. Every time you keep a resolution you break the chain that<br />enslaves you.<br /><br /><br />Third Maxim:<br /><br />"Never allow an exception to occur till the new habit is securely<br />rooted in your life." Here is the idea, you never want to give<br />in, until the new habit is fixed else you undo all that has been<br />accomplished by previous efforts. There are two opposing<br />inclinations. One wants to be firm, and the other wants to give<br />in. By your will you can become firm, through repetition. Fortify<br />your will to be able to cope with any and all opposition.<br /><br /><br />Fourth Maxim:<br /><br />"Seize the very first possible opportunity to act on every<br />resolution you make, and on every emotional prompting you may<br />experience in the direction of the habits you aspire to gain."<br /><br />To make a resolve and not to keep it is of little value. So by<br />all means keep every resolution you make, for you not only profit<br />by the resolution, but it furnishes you with an exercise that<br />causes the brain cells and physiological correlatives to form the<br />habit of adjusting themselves to carry out resolutions. "A<br />tendency to act, becomes effectively engrained in us in<br />proportion to the uninterrupted frequency with which the actions<br />actually occur, and the brain `grows' to their use. When a<br />resolve or a fine glow of feeling is allowed to evaporate without<br />bearing fruit, it is worse than a chance lost."<br /><br />If you keep your resolutions you form a most valuable habit. If<br />you break them you form a most dangerous one. So concentrate on<br />keeping them, whether important or unimportant, and remember it<br />is just as important for this purpose to keep the unimportant,<br />for by so doing you are forming the habit.<br /><br /><br />Fifth Maxim:<br /><br />"Keep the faculty of effort alive in you by a little gratuitous<br />exercise every day."<br /><br />The more we exercise the will, the better we can control our<br />habits. "Every few days do something for no other reason than its<br />difficulty, so that when the hour of dire need draws nigh, it may<br />find you not unnerved or untrained to stand the test. Asceticism<br />of this sort is like the insurance which a man pays on his house<br />and goods. The tax does him no good at the time, and possibly may<br />never bring him a return, but if the fire does come, his having<br />paid it will be his salvation from ruin. So with the man who has<br />daily insured himself to habits of concentrated attention,<br />energetic volation, and self-denial in unnecessary things. "He<br />will stand like a tower when everything rocks around him and his<br />softer fellow-mortals are winnowed like chaff in the blast."<br /><br />The young should be made to concentrate on their habits and be<br />made to realize that if they don't they become walking bundles of<br />injurious habits. Youth is the plastic state, and should be<br />utilized in laying the foundation for a glorious future.<br /><br />The great value of habit for good and evil cannot be<br />overestimated. "Habit is the deepest law of human nature." No man<br />is stronger than his habits, because his habits either build up<br />his strength or decrease it.<br /><br />Why We Are Creatures of Habits. Habits have often been called a<br />labor-saying invention, because when they are formed they require<br />less of both mental and material strength. The more deeply the<br />habit becomes ingrained the more automatic it becomes. Therefore<br />habit is an economizing tendency of our nature, for if it were<br />not for habit we should have to be more watchful. We walk across<br />a crowded street; the habit of stopping and looking prevents us<br />from being hurt. The right kind of habits keeps us from making<br />mistakes and mishaps. It is a well known fact that a chauffeur is<br />not able to master his machine safely until he has trained his<br />body in a habitual way. When an emergency comes he instantly<br />knows what to do. Where safety depends on quickness the operator<br />must work automatically. Habits mean less risk, less fatigue, and<br />greater accuracy.<br /><br />"You do not want to become a slave to habits of a trivial nature.<br />For instance, Wagner required a certain costume before he could<br />compose corresponding parts of his operas. Schiller could never<br />write with ease unless there were rotten apples in the drawer of<br />his desk from which he could now and then obtain an odor which<br />seemed to him sweet. Gladstone had different desks for his<br />different activities, so that when he worked on Homer he never<br />sat among habitual accompaniments of his legislative labors."<br /><br />In order to overcome undesirable habits, two things are<br />necessary. You must have trained your will to do what you want it<br />to do, and the stronger the will the easier it will be to break a<br />habit. Then you must make a resolution to do just the opposite of<br />what the habit is. Therefore one habit must replace another. If<br />you have a strong will, you can tenaciously and persistently<br />concentrate on removing the bad habit and in a very short time<br />the good habit will gain the upper hand. I will bring this<br />chapter to a close by giving Doctor Oppenheim's instructions for<br />overcoming a habit:<br /><br />"If you want to abolish a habit, and its accumulated<br />circumstances as well, you must grapple with the matter as<br />earnestly as you would with a physical enemy. You must go into<br />the encounter with all tenacity of determination, with all<br />fierceness of resolve--yea, even with a passion for success that<br />may be called vindictive. No human enemy can be as insidious, so<br />persevering, as unrelenting as an unfavorable habit. It never<br />sleeps, it needs no rest.<br /><br />"It is like a parasite that grows with the growth of the<br />supporting body, and, like a parasite, it can best be killed by<br />violent separation and crushing.<br /><br /><br />When life is stormy and all seems against us, that is when we<br />often acquire wrong habits, and it is then, that we have to make<br />a gigantic effort to think and speak as we should; and even<br />though we may feel the very reverse at that moment the tiniest<br />effort will be backed up by a tremendous Power and will lift us<br />to a realization never felt before. It is not in the easy,<br />contented moments of our life that we make our greatest progress,<br />for then it requires, no special effort to keep in tune. But it<br />is when we are in the midst of trials and misfortunes, when we<br />think we are sinking, being overwhelmed, then it is important for<br />us to realize that we are linked to a great Power and if we live<br />as we should, there is nothing that can occur in life, which<br />could permanently injure us, nothing can happen that should<br />disturb us. So always remember you have within you unlimited<br />power, ready to manifest itself in the form which fills our need<br />at the moment. If, when we have something difficult to solve, we<br />would be silent like the child, we can get the inspiration when<br />it comes; we will know how to act, we will find there is no need<br />to hurry or disturb ourselves, that it is always wiser to wait<br />for guidance from within, than to act on impulse from Without.<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON X. BUSINESS RESULTS THROUGH CONCENTRATION<br /><br />A successful business is not usually the result of chance.<br />Neither is a failure the result of luck. Most failures could be<br />determined in advance if the founders had been studied. It is not<br />always possible to start a money-making business at the start.<br />Usually a number of changes have to be made. Plans do not work<br />out as their creators thought they would. They may have to be<br />changed a little, broadened it may be, here and there, and as you<br />broaden your business you broaden your power to achieve. You gain<br />an intense and sustained desire to make your business a success.<br /><br />When you start a business you may have but a vague notion of the<br />way you will conduct it. You must fill in the details as you go<br />along. You must concentrate on these details. As you straighten<br />out one after another, others will require attention. In this way<br />you cover the field of "the first endeavor" and new opportunities<br />open up for you.<br /><br />When you realize one desire, another comes. But if you do not<br />fulfill the first desire, you will not the second. The person<br />that does not carry his desires into action is only a dreamer.<br />Desire is a great creative force, if it is pure, intense and<br />sustained. It is our desires that keep stirring us up to action<br />and they will strengthen and broaden you if you make them<br />materialize.<br /><br />Every man who achieves success deserves it. When he first started<br />out he did not understand how to solve the problems that<br />afterwards presented themselves, but he did each thing as it came<br />up in the very best way that he could, and this developed his<br />power of doing bigger things. We become masters of business by<br />learning to do well whatever we attempt. The man that has a<br />thorough knowledge of his business can of course direct it much<br />more easily and skillfully than the man who lacks that knowledge.<br />The skilled business director can sit in his private office and<br />still know accurately what is actually being done. He knows what<br />should be done in any given time and if it is not accomplished he<br />knows that his employees are not turning out the work that they<br />should. It is then easy to apply the remedy.<br /><br />Business success depends on well-concentrated efforts. You must<br />use every mental force you can master. The more these are used<br />the more they increase. Therefore the more you accomplish today<br />the more force you will have at your disposal with which to solve<br />your problems tomorrow.<br /><br />If you are working for someone else today and wish to start in a<br />business for yourself, think over carefully what you would like<br />to do. Then when you have resolved what you want to do, you will<br />be drawn towards it. There is a law that opens the way to the<br />fulfillment of your desires. Of course back of your desire you<br />must put forward the necessary effort to carry out your purpose;<br />you must use your power to put your desires into force. Once they<br />are created and you keep up your determination to have them<br />fulfilled you both consciously and unconsciously work toward<br />their materialization. Set your heart on your purpose,<br />concentrate your thought upon it, direct your efforts with all<br />your intelligence and in due time you will realize your ambition.<br /><br />Feel yourself a success, believe you are a success and thus put<br />yourself in the attitude that demands recognition and the thought<br />current draws to you what you need to make you a success. Don't<br />be afraid of big undertakings. Go at them with grit, and pursue<br />methods that you think will accomplish your purpose. You may not<br />at first meet with entire success, but aim so high that if you<br />fall a little short you will still have accomplished much.<br /><br />What others have done you can do. You may even do what others<br />have been unable to do. Always keep a strong desire to succeed in<br />your mind. Be in love with your aim and work, and make them, as<br />far as possible, square with the rule of the greatest good to the<br />greatest number and your life cannot be a failure.<br /><br />The successful business attitude must be cultivated to make the<br />most out of your life, the attitude of expecting great things<br />from both yourself and others. It alone will often cause men to<br />make good; to measure up to the best that is in them.<br /><br />It is not the spasmodic spurts that count on a long journey, but<br />the steady efforts. Spurts fatigue and make it hard for you to<br />continue.<br /><br />Rely on your own opinion. It should be as good as anyone's else.<br />When once you reach a conclusion abide by it. Let there be no<br />doubt, or wavering in your judgment. If you are uncertain about<br />every decision you make, you will be subject to harassing doubts<br />and fears which will render your judgment of little value. The<br />man that decides according to what he thinks right and who learns<br />from every mistake acquires a well balanced mind that gets the<br />best results. He gains the confidence of others. He is known as<br />the man that knows what he wants, and not as one that is as<br />changeable as the weather. The man of today wants to do business<br />with the man that he can depend upon. Uncertainties in the<br />business world are meeting with more disfavor. Reliable firms<br />want to do business with men of known qualities, with men of<br />firmness, judgment and reliability.<br /><br />So if you wish to start in business for yourself your greatest<br />asset, with the single exception of a sound physique, is that of<br />a good reputation.<br /><br />A successful business is not hard to build if we can concentrate<br />all our mental forces upon it. It is the man that is unsettled<br />because he does not know what he wants that goes to the wall. We<br />hear persons say that business is trying on the nerves, but it is<br />the unsettling elements of fret and worry and suspense that are<br />nerve-exhausting and not the business. Executing one's plans may<br />cause fatigue, enjoyment comes with rest. If there has not been<br />any unnatural strain, the recuperative powers replace what energy<br />has been lost.<br /><br />By attending to each day's work properly you develop the capacity<br />to do a greater work tomorrow. It is this gradual development<br />that makes possible the carrying out of big plans. The man that<br />figures out doing something each hour of the day gets somewhere.<br />At the end of each day you should be a step nearer your aim. Keep<br />the idea in mind, that you mean to go forward, that each day must<br />mark an advance and forward you will go. You do not even have to<br />know the exact direction so long as you are determined to find<br />the way. But you must not turn back once you have started.<br /><br />Even brilliant men's conceptions of the possibilities of their<br />mental forces are so limited and below their real worth that they<br />are far more likely to belittle their possibilities than they are<br />to exaggerate them. You don't want to think that an aim is<br />impossible because it has never been realized in the past. Every<br />day someone is doing something that was never done before. We are<br />pushing ahead faster. Formerly it took decades to build up a big<br />business, but today it is only but a matter of years, sometimes<br />of months.<br /><br />Plan each day's activities carefully and you can reach any height<br />you aim at. If each thing you do is done with concise and<br />concentrated thought you will be able to turn out an excellent<br />quality and a large quantity of work. Plan to do so much work<br />during the day and you will be astonished to see how much more<br />you will do, than on other days, when you had not decided on any<br />certain amount. I have demonstrated that the average business<br />working force could do the same amount of work in six hours that<br />they now do in eight, without using up any more energy. Never<br />start to accomplish anything in an indecisive, indefinite,<br />uncertain way. Tackle everything with a positiveness and an<br />earnestness that will concentrate your mind and attract the very<br />best associated thoughts. You will in a short time find that you<br />will have extra time for planning bigger things.<br /><br />The natural leader always draws to himself, by the law of mental<br />attraction, ideas in his chosen subject that have ever been<br />conceived by others. This is of the greatest importance and help.<br />If you are properly trained you benefit much by others' thoughts,<br />and, providing you generate from within yourself something of<br />value, they will benefit from yours. "We are heirs of all the<br />ages," but we must know how to use our inheritance.<br /><br />The confident, pushing, hopeful, determined man influences all<br />with whom he associates, and inspires the same qualities in them.<br />You feel that his is a safe example to follow and he rouses the<br />same force within you that is pushing him onward and upward.<br /><br />One seldom makes a success of anything that he goes at in a<br />listless, spiritless way. To build up a business you must see it<br />expanding in your mind before it actually takes tangible shape.<br />Every great task that has ever been accomplished has first been<br />merely a vision in the mind of its creator. Detail after detail<br />has had to be worked out in his mind from his first faint idea of<br />the enterprise. Finally a clear idea was formed and then the<br />accomplishment, which was only the material result of the mental<br />concept, followed.<br /><br />The up-to-date business man is not content to build only for the<br />present, but is planning ahead. If he does not he will fall<br />behind his competitor, who is. What we are actually doing today<br />was carefully thought out and planned by others in the past. All<br />progressive businesses are conducted this way. That is why the<br />young business man of today is likely to accomplish more in a few<br />years than his father did in all his life. There is no reason why<br />your work or business should fag you out. When it does there is<br />something wrong. You are attracting forces and influence that you<br />should not, because you are not in harmony with what you are<br />doing. There is nothing so tiring as to try to do the work for<br />which we are unfitted, both by temperament and training.<br /><br />Each one should be engaged in a business that he loves; be should<br />be furthering movements with which he is in sympathy. He will<br />then only do his best work and take intense pleasure in his<br />business. In this way, while constantly growing and developing<br />his powers, he is at the same time rendering through his work,<br />genuine and devoted service to humanity.<br /><br />Business success is not the result of chance, but of scientific<br />ideas and plans carried out by an aggressive and progressive<br />management. Use your mental forces so that they will grow and<br />develop. Remember that everything you do is the result of mental<br />action, therefore you can completely control your every action.<br />Nothing is impossible for you. Don't be afraid to tackle a<br />difficult proposition. Your success will depend upon the use you<br />make of your mind. This is capable of wonderful development. See<br />that you make full use of it, and not only develop yourself but<br />your associates. Try to broaden the visions of those with whom<br />you come in contact and you will broaden your own outlook of<br />life.<br /><br /><br />Are You Afraid of Responsibilities? In order for the individual<br />soul to develop, you must have responsibilities. You must<br />manifest the omnipotence of the law of supply. The whole world is<br />your legitimate sphere of activity. How much of a conqueror are<br />you? What have you done? Are you afraid of responsibility, or are<br />you ever dodging, flinching, or side stepping it. If you are, you<br />are not a Real Man. Your higher self never winces, so be a man<br />and allow the powers of the higher self to manifest and you will<br />find you have plenty of strength and you will feel better when<br />you are tackling difficult propositions.<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON XI. CONCENTRATE ON COURAGE<br /><br />Courage is the backbone of man. The man with courage has<br />persistence. He states what he believes and puts it into<br />execution. The courageous man has confidence. He draws to himself<br />all the moral qualities and mental forces which go to make up a<br />strong man. Whereas, the man without courage draws to himself all<br />the qualities of a weak man, vacillation, doubt, hesitancy, and<br />unsteadiness of purpose. You can therefore see the value of<br />concentration on courage. It is a most vital element of success.<br /><br />The lack of courage creates financial, as well as mental and<br />moral difficulties. When a new problem comes, instead of looking<br />upon it as something to be achieved, the man or woman without<br />courage looks for reasons why it cannot be done and failure is<br />naturally the almost inevitable result. This is a subject well<br />worthy of your study. Look upon everything within your power as a<br />possibility instead of as merely a probability and you will<br />accomplish a great deal more, because by considering a thing as<br />impossible, you immediately draw to yourself all the elements<br />that contribute to failure. Lack of courage destroys your<br />confidence in yourself. It destroys that forceful, resolute<br />attitude so important to success.<br /><br />The man without courage unconsciously draws to himself all that<br />is contemptible, weakening, demoralizing and destructive. He then<br />blames his luck when he does not secure the things he weakly<br />desires. We must first have the courage to strongly desire<br />something. A desire to be fulfilled must be backed by the<br />strength of all our mental forces. Such a desire has enough<br />commanding force to change all unfavorable conditions. The man<br />with courage commands, whether be is on the battlefield or in<br />business life.<br /><br />What is courage? It is the Will To Do. It takes no more energy to<br />be courageous than to be cowardly. It is a matter of the right<br />training in the right way. Courage concentrates the mental forces<br />on the task at hand. It then directs them thoughtfully, steadily,<br />deliberately, while attracting all the forces of success, toward<br />the desired end. Cowardice on the other hand, dissipates both our<br />mental and moral forces, thereby inviting failure.<br /><br />As we are creatures of habits, we should avoid persons that lack<br />courage. They are easy to discover because of their habits of<br />fear in attacking new problems. The man with courage is never<br />afraid.<br /><br />Start out today with the idea that there is no reason why you<br />should not be courageous. If any fear-thoughts come to you cast<br />them off as you would the deadly viper. Form the habit of never<br />thinking of anything unfavorable to yourself or anyone else. In<br />dealing with difficulties, new or old, hold ever the thought, "I<br />am courageous." Whenever a doubt crosses the threshold of your<br />mind, banish it. Remember, you as master of your mind control its<br />every thought, and here is a good one to often affirm, "I have<br />courage because I desire it; because I need it; because I use it<br />and because I refuse to become such a weakling as cowardice<br />produces."<br /><br />There is no justification for the loss of courage. The evils by<br />which you will almost certainly be overwhelmed without it are far<br />greater than those which courage will help you to meet and<br />overcome. Right, then, must be the moralist who says that the<br />only thing to fear is fear.<br /><br />Never let another's opinion affect you; he cannot tell what you<br />are able to do; he does not know what you can do with your<br />forces. The truth is you do not know yourself until you put<br />yourself to the test. Therefore, how can someone else know? Never<br />let anyone else put a valuation on you.<br /><br />Almost all wonderful achievements have been accomplished after it<br />had been "thoroughly" demonstrated that they were<br />impossibilities. Once we understand the law, all things are<br />possible. If they were impossibilities we could not conceive<br />them.<br /><br />Just the moment you allow someone to influence you against what<br />you think is right, you lose that confidence in yourself that<br />inspires courage and carries with it all the forces which courage<br />creates. Just the moment you begin to swerve in your plan you<br />begin to carry out another's thought and not your own. You become<br />the directed and not the director. You forsake the courage and<br />resolution of your own mind, and you therefore lack the very<br />forces that you need to sustain and carry out your work. Instead<br />of being self-reliant you become timid and this invites failure.<br />When you permit yourself to be influenced from your plan by<br />another, you are unable to judge as you should, because you have<br />allowed another's influence to deprive you of your courage and<br />determination without absorbing any of his in return so you are<br />in much the same predicament, as you would be in if you turned<br />over all your worldly possessions to another without getting<br />"value received."<br /><br />Concentrate on just the opposite of fear, want, poverty,<br />sickness, etc. Never doubt your own ability. You have plenty, if<br />you will just use it. A great many men are failures because they<br />doubt their own capacity. Instead of building up strong mental<br />forces which would be of the greatest use to them their fear<br />thoughts tear them down. Fear paralyzes energy. It keeps us from<br />attracting the forces that go to make up success. Fear is the<br />worst enemy we have.<br /><br />There are few people that really know that they can accomplish<br />much. They desire the full extent of their powers, but alas, it<br />is only occasionally that you find a man that is aware of the<br />great possibilities within him. When you believe with all your<br />mind and heart and soul that you can do something, you thereby<br />develop the courage to steadily and confidently live up to that<br />belief. You have now gone a long way towards accomplishing it.<br />The chances are that there will be obstacles, big and little, in<br />your way, but resolute courage will overcome them and nothing<br />else will. Strong courage eliminates the injurious and opposing<br />forces by summoning their masters, the yet stronger forces that<br />will serve you.<br /><br />Courage is yours for the asking. All you have to do is to believe<br />in it, claim it and use it. To succeed in business believe that<br />it will be successful, assert that it is successful, and work<br />like a beaver to make it so. Difficulties soon melt away before<br />the courageous. One man of courage can fire with his spirit a<br />whole army of men, whether it be military or industrial, because<br />courage, like cowardice, is contagious.<br /><br />The man of courage overcomes the trials and temptations of life;<br />he commands success; he renders sound judgment; he develops<br />personal influence and a forceful character and often becomes the<br />mentor of the community which he serves.<br /><br /><br />How to Overcome Depression and Melancholia. Both of the former<br />are harmful and make you unhappy. These are states that can be<br />quickly overcome through concentrating more closely on the higher<br />self, for when you do you cut off the connection with the harmful<br />force currents. You can also drive away moods by simply choosing<br />and fully concentrating on an agreeable subject. Through will<br />power and thought control we can accomplish anything we want to<br />do. There is wonderful inherent power within us all, and there is<br />never any sufficient cause for fear, except ignorance.<br /><br />Every evil is but the product of ignorance, and everyone that<br />possesses the power to think has the power to overcome ignorance<br />and evil. The pain that we suffer from doing evil are but the<br />lessons of experience, and the object of the pain is to make us<br />realize our ignorance. When we become depressed It is evidence<br />that our thought faculties are combining improperly and thereby<br />attracting the wrong force-currents.<br /><br />All that it is necessary to do is to exercise the will and<br />concentrate upon happy subjects. I will only think of subjects<br />worthy of my higher self and its powers.<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON XII. CONCENTRATE ON WEALTH<br /><br />It was never intended that man should be poor. When wealth is<br />obtained under the proper conditions it broadens the life.<br />Everything has its value. Everything has a good use and a bad<br />use. The forces of mind like wealth can be directed either for<br />good or evil. A little rest will re-create forces. Too much rest<br />degenerates into laziness, and brainless, dreamy longings.<br /><br />If you acquire wealth unjustly from others, you are misusing your<br />forces; but if your wealth comes through the right sources you<br />will be blessed. Through wealth we can do things to uplift<br />ourselves and humanity.<br /><br />Wealth is many persons' goal. It therefore stimulates their<br />endeavor. They long for it in order to dress and live in such a<br />way as to attract friends. Without friends they would not be so<br />particular of their surroundings. The fact is the more attractive<br />we make ourselves and our surroundings the more inspiring are<br />their influences. It is not conducive to proper thought to be<br />surrounded by conditions that are uncongenial and unpleasant.<br /><br />So the first step toward acquiring wealth is to surround yourself<br />with helpful influences; to claim for yourself an environment of<br />culture, place yourself in it and be molded by its influences.<br /><br />Most great men of all ages have been comparatively rich. They<br />have made or inherited money. Without money they could not have<br />accomplished what they did. The man engaged in physical drudgery<br />is not likely to have the same high ideals as the man that can<br />command comparative leisure.<br /><br />Wealth is usually the fruit of achievement. It is not, however,<br />altogether the result of being industrious. Thousands of persons<br />work hard who never grow wealthy. Others with much less effort<br />acquire wealth. Seeing possibilities is another step toward<br />acquiring wealth. A man may be as industrious as he can possibly<br />be, but if he does not use his mental forces he will be a<br />laborer, to be directed by the man that uses to good advantage<br />his mental forces.<br /><br />No one can become wealthy in an ordinary lifetime, by mere<br />savings from earnings. Many scrimp and economize all their lives;<br />but by so doing waste all their vitality and energy. For example,<br />I know a man that used to walk to work. It took him an hour to go<br />and an hour to return. He could have taken a car and gone in<br />twenty minutes. He saved ten cents a day but wasted an hour and a<br />half. It was not a very profitable investment unless the time<br />spent in physical exercise yielded him large returns in the way<br />of health.<br /><br />The same amount of time spent in concentrated effort to overcome<br />his unfavorable business environment might have firmly planted<br />his feet in the path of prosperity.<br /><br />One of the big mistakes made by many persons of the present<br />generation is that they associate with those who fail to call out<br />or develop the best that is in them. When the social side of life<br />is developed too exclusively, as it often is, and recreation or<br />entertainment becomes the leading motive of a person's life, he<br />acquires habits of extravagance instead of economy; habits of<br />wasting his resources, physical, mental, moral and spiritual,<br />instead of conserving them. He is, in consequence, lacking in<br />proper motivation, his God-given powers and forces are<br />undeveloped and he inevitably brings poor judgment to bear upon<br />all the higher relationships of life, while, as to his financial<br />fortunes, he is ever the leaner; often a parasite, and always, if<br />opportunity affords, as heavy a consumer as he is a poor<br />producer.<br /><br />It seems a part of the tragedy of life that these persons have to<br />be taught such painful lessons before they can understand the<br />forces and laws that regulate life. Few profit by the mistakes of<br />others. They must experience them for themselves and then apply<br />the knowledge so gained in reconstructing their lives.<br /><br />Any man that has ever amounted to anything has never done a great<br />deal of detail work for long periods at any given time. He needs<br />his time to reflect. He does not do his duties today in the same<br />way as yesterday, but as the result of deliberate and<br />concentrated effort, constantly tries to improve his methods.<br /><br />The other day I attended a lecture on Prosperity. I knew the<br />lecturer had been practically broke for ten years. I wanted to<br />hear what he had to say. He spoke very well. He no doubt<br />benefited some of his hearers, but he had not profited by his own<br />teachings. I introduced myself and asked him if he believed in<br />his maxims. He said he did. I asked him if they had made him<br />prosperous. He said not exactly. I asked him why. He answered<br />that he thought he was fated not to experience prosperity.<br /><br />In half an hour I showed that man why poverty had always been his<br />companion. He had dressed poorly. He held his lectures in poor<br />surroundings. By his actions and beliefs he attracted poverty. He<br />did not realize that his thoughts and his surroundings exercised<br />an unfavorable influence. I said: "Thoughts are moving forces;<br />great powers. Thoughts of wealth attract wealth. Therefore, if<br />you desire wealth you must attract the forces that will help you<br />to secure it. Your thoughts attract a similar kind of thoughts.<br />If you hold thoughts of poverty you attract poverty. If you make<br />up your mind you are going to be wealthy, you will instil this<br />thought into all your mental forces, and you will at the same<br />time use every external condition to help you."<br /><br />Many persons are of the opinion that if you have money it is easy<br />to make more money. But this is not necessarily true. Ninety per<br />cent of the men that start in business fail. Money will not<br />enable one to accumulate much more, unless he is trained to seek<br />and use good opportunities for its investment. If he inherits<br />money the chances are that he will lose it. While, if he has made<br />it, he not only knows its value, but has developed the power to<br />use it as well as to make more if he loses it.<br /><br />Business success today depends on foresight, good judgment, grit,<br />firm resolution and settled purpose. But never forget that<br />thought is as real a force as electricity. Let your thoughts be<br />such, that you will send out as good as you receive; if you do<br />not, you are not enriching others, and therefore deserve not to<br />be enriched.<br /><br />The man that tries to get all he can from others for nothing<br />becomes so selfish and mean that he does not even enjoy his<br />acquisitions. We see examples of this every day. What we take<br />from others, will in turn, be taken from us. All obligations have<br />to be met fairly and squarely. We cannot reach perfection until<br />we discharge every obligation of our lives. We all realize this,<br />so why not willingly give a fair exchange for all that we<br />receive?<br /><br />Again I repeat that the first as well as the last step in<br />acquiring wealth is to surround yourself with good<br />influences--good thought, good health, good home and business<br />environment and successful business associates. Cultivate, by<br />every legitimate means, the acquaintance of men of big caliber.<br />Bring your thought vibrations in regard to business into harmony<br />with theirs. This will make your society not only agreeable, but<br />sought after, and, when you have formed intimate friendships with<br />clean, reputable men of wealth, entrust to them, for investment,<br />your surplus earnings, however small, until you have developed<br />the initiative and business acumen to successfully manage your<br />own investments. By this time you will, through such<br />associations, have found your place in life which, if you have<br />rightly concentrated upon and used your opportunities, will not<br />be among men of small parts. With a competence secured, you will<br />take pleasure in using a part of it in making the road you<br />traveled in reaching your position easier for those who follow<br />you.<br /><br /><br />There is somewhere in every brain the energy that will get you<br />out of that rut and put you far up on the mountain of success if<br />you can only use the energy.<br /><br />You know that gasoline in the engine of an automobile doesn't<br />move the car until the spark comes to explode the gasoline.<br /><br />So it is with the mind of man. We are not speaking now of men of<br />great genius, but of average, able citizens.<br /><br />Each one of them has in his brain the capacity to climb over the<br />word impossible and get into the successful country beyond.<br /><br />And hope, self-confidence and the determination to do something<br />supply the spark that makes the energy work.<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON XIII. YOU CAN CONCENTRATE, BUT WILL YOU?<br /><br />All have the ability to concentrate, but will you? You can, but<br />whether you will or not depends on you. It is one thing to be<br />able to do something, and another thing to do it. There is far<br />more ability not used than is used. Why do not more men of<br />ability make something of themselves? There are comparatively few<br />successful men but many ambitious ones. Why do not more get<br />along? Cases may differ, but the fault is usually their own. They<br />have had chances, perhaps better ones than some others that have<br />made good.<br /><br />What would you like to do, that you are not doing? If you think<br />you should be "getting on" better, why don't you? Study yourself<br />carefully. Learn your shortcomings. Sometimes only a mere trifle<br />keeps one from branching out and becoming a success. Discover why<br />you have not been making good--the cause of your failure. Have<br />you been expecting someone to lead you, or to make a way for you?<br />If you have, concentrate on a new line of thought.<br /><br />There are two things absolutely necessary for success--energy and<br />the will to succeed. Nothing can take the place of either of<br />these. Most of us will not have an easy path to follow so don't<br />expect to find one. The hard knocks develop our courage and moral<br />stamina. The persons that live in an indolent and slipshod way<br />never have any. They have never faced conditions and therefore<br />don't know how. The world is no better for their living.<br /><br />We must make favorable conditions and not expect them to shape<br />themselves. It is not the man that says, "It can't be done," but<br />the man that goes ahead in spite of adverse advice, and shows<br />that "it can be done" that "gets there" today. "The Lord helps<br />those that help themselves," is a true saying. We climb the road<br />to success by overcoming obstacles. Stumbling blocks are but<br />stepping stones for the man that says, "I can and I Will." When<br />we see cripples, the deaf and dumb, the blind and those with<br />other handicaps amounting to something in the world, the<br />able-bodied man should feel ashamed of himself if he does not<br />make good.<br /><br />There is nothing that can resist the force of perseverance. The<br />way ahead of all of us is not clear sailing, but all hard<br />passages can be bridged, if you just think they can and<br />concentrate on how to do it. But if you think the obstacles are<br />unsurmountable, you will not of course try, and even if you do,<br />it will be in only a half-hearted way--a way that accomplishes<br />nothing.<br /><br />Many men will not begin an undertaking unless they feel sure they<br />will succeed in it. What a mistake! This would be right, if we<br />were sure of what we could and could not do. But who knows? There<br />may be an obstruction there now that might not be there next<br />week. There may not be an obstruction there now that will be<br />there next week. The trouble with most persons is that just as<br />soon as they see their way blocked they lose courage. They forget<br />that usually there is a way around the difficulty. It's up to you<br />to find it. If you tackle something with little effort, when the<br />conditions call for a big effort, you will of course not win.<br />Tackle everything with a feeling that you will utilize all the<br />power within you to make it a success. This is the kind of<br />concentrated effort that succeeds.<br /><br />Most people are beaten before they start. They think they are<br />going to encounter obstacles, and they look for them instead of<br />for means to overcome them. The result is that they increase<br />their obstacles instead of diminishing them. Have you ever<br />undertaken something that you thought would be hard, but<br />afterwards found it to be easy? That is the way a great many<br />times. The things that look difficult in advance turn out to be<br />easy of conquest when once encountered. So start out on your<br />journey with the idea that the road is going to be clear for you,<br />and that if it is not you will clear the way. All men that have<br />amounted to anything have cleared their way and they did not have<br />the assistance that you will have today.<br /><br />The one great keynote of success is to do whatever you have<br />decided on. Don't be turned from your path, but resolve that you<br />are going to accomplish what you set out to do. Don't be<br />frightened at a few rebuffs, for they cannot stop the man that is<br />determined--the man that knows in his heart that success is only<br />bought by tremendous resolution, by concentrated and<br />whole-hearted effort.<br /><br />"He who has a firm will," says Goethe, "molds the world to<br />himself."<br /><br />"People do not lack strength," says Victor Hugo; "they lack<br />Will."<br /><br />It is not so much skill that wins victories as it is activity and<br />great determination There is no such thing as failure for the man<br />that does his best. No matter what you may be working at, at the<br />present time, don't let this make you lose courage. The tides are<br />continually changing, and tomorrow or some other day they will<br />turn to your advantage if you are a willing and are an ambitious<br />worker. There is nothing that develops you and increases your<br />courage like work. If it were not for work how monotonous life<br />would at last become!<br /><br />So I say to the man that wants to advance, "Don't look upon your<br />present position as your permanent one. Keep your eyes open, and<br />add those qualities to your makeup that will assist you when your<br />opportunity comes. Be ever alert and on the watch for<br />opportunities. Remember, we attract what we set our minds on. If<br />we look for opportunities, we find them.<br /><br />If you are the man you should be, some one is looking for you to<br />fill a responsible position. So when he finds you, don't let your<br />attention wander. Give it all to him. Show that you can<br />concentrate your powers, that you have the makeup of a real man.<br />Show no signs of fear, uncertainty or doubt. The man that is sure<br />of himself is bound to get to the front. No circumstances can<br />prevent him.<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON XIV. THE ART OF CONCENTRATING BY MEANS OF PRACTICAL<br />EXERCISES<br /><br />Select some thought, and see how long you can hold your mind on<br />it. It is well to have a clock at first and keep track of the<br />time. If you decide to think about health, you can get a great<br />deal of good from your thinking besides developing concentration.<br />Think of health as being the greatest blessing there is, in the<br />world. Don't let any other thought drift in. Just the moment one<br />starts to obtrude, make it get out.<br /><br />Make it a daily habit of concentrating on this thought for, say,<br />ten minutes. Practice until you can hold it to the exclusion of<br />everything else. You will find it of the greatest value to<br />centralize your thoughts on health. Regardless of your present<br />condition, see yourself as you would like to be and be blind to<br />everything else. You will find it hard at first to forget your<br />ailments, if you have any, but after a short while you can shut<br />out these negative thoughts and see yourself as you want to be.<br />Each time you concentrate you form a more perfect image of<br />health, and, as you come into its realization, you become<br />healthy, strong and wholesome.<br /><br />I want to impress upon your mind that the habit of forming mental<br />images is of the greatest value. It has always been used by<br />successful men of all ages, but few realize its full importance.<br /><br />Do you know that you are continually acting according to the<br />images you form? If you allow yourself to mould negative images<br />you unconsciously build a negative disposition. You will think of<br />poverty, weakness, disease, fear, etc. Just as surely as you<br />think of these will your objective life express itself in a like<br />way. Just what we think, we will manifest in the external world.<br /><br />In deep concentration you become linked with the great creative<br />spirit of the universe, and the creative energy then flows<br />through you, vitalizing your creations into form. In deep<br />concentration your mind becomes attuned with the infinite and<br />registers the cosmic intelligence and receives its messages. You<br />become so full of the cosmic energy that you are literally<br />flooded with divine power. This is a most desired state. It is<br />then we realize the advantages of being connected with the<br />supra-consciousness. The supra-consciousness registers the higher<br />cosmic vibrations. It is often referred to as the wireless<br />station, the message recorded coming from the universal mind.<br /><br />There are very few that reach this stage of concentration. Very<br />few even know that it is possible. They think concentration means<br />limitation to one subject, but this deeper concentration that<br />brings us into harmony with the Infinite is that which produces<br />and maintains health.<br /><br />When you have once come in contact with your supra-consciousness<br />you become the controller of your human thoughts. That which<br />comes to you is higher than human thoughts. It is often spoken of<br />as Cosmic Consciousness. Once it is experienced it is never<br />forgotten. Naturally it requires a good deal of training to reach<br />this state, but once you do, it becomes easier each time to do,<br />and in the course of time you can become possessed of power which<br />was unknown to you before. You are able to direct the expression<br />of almost Infinite Power while in this deeper state of<br />concentration.<br /><br />Exercises In Concentration. The rays of the sun, when focused<br />upon an object by means of a sun glass, produce a heat many times<br />greater than the scattered rays of the same source of light and<br />heat. This is true of attention. Scatter it and you get but<br />ordinary results. But center it upon one thing and you secure<br />much better results. When you focus your attention upon an object<br />your every action, voluntary and involuntary, is in the direction<br />of attaining that object. If you will focus your energies upon a<br />thing to the exclusion of everything else, you generate the force<br />that can bring you what you want.<br /><br />When you focus your thought, you increase its strength. The<br />exercises that follow are tedious and monotonous, but useful. If<br />you will persist in them you will find they are very valuable, as<br />they increase your powers of concentration.<br /><br />Before proceeding with the exercises I will answer a question<br />that just comes to me. This person says after he works all day he<br />is too tired to practice any exercise. But this is not true. We<br />will say he comes home all tired out, eats his supper and sits<br />down to rest. If his work has been mental, the thought which has<br />been occupying his mind returns to him and this prevents him from<br />securing the rest he needs.<br /><br />It is an admitted fact that certain thoughts call into operation<br />a certain set of brain cells; the other cells, of course, are not<br />busy at that time and are rested. Now if you take up something<br />that is just different from what you have been doing during the<br />day, you will use the cells that have not done anything and give<br />those that have had work to do a rest. So you should regulate the<br />evenings that you have and call forth an entirely different line<br />of thought so as not to use the cells which you have tired out<br />during the day. If you will center your attention on a new<br />thought, you relieve the old cells from vibrating with excitement<br />and they get their needed rest. The other cells that have been<br />idle all day want to work, and you will find you can enjoy your<br />evenings while securing needed rest.<br /><br />When once you have learned to master your thoughts, you will be<br />able to change them just as easily as you change your clothes.<br /><br />Remember, the real requisite of centering is to be able to shut<br />out outside thoughts--anything foreign to the subject. Now, in<br />order to control your intention first gain control over the body.<br />This must be brought under direct control of the mind; the mind<br />under the control of the will. Your will is strong enough to do<br />anything you wish, but you must realize that it is. The mind can<br />be greatly strengthened by being brought under the direct<br />influence of the will. When the mind is properly strengthened by<br />the impulse of the will it becomes a more powerful transmitter of<br />thought, because it has more force.<br /><br />The Best Time to Concentrate Is after reading something that is<br />inspiring, as you are then mentally and spiritually exalted in<br />the desired realm. Then is the time you are ready for deep<br />concentration. If you are in your room first see that your<br />windows are up and the air is good. Lie down flat on your bed<br />without a pillow. See that every muscle is relaxed. Now breathe<br />slowly, filling the lungs comfortably full of fresh air; hold<br />this as long as you can without straining yourself; then exhale<br />slowly. Exhale in an easy, rhythmic way. Breathe this way for<br />five minutes, letting the Divine Breath flow through you, which<br />will cleanse and rejuvenate every cell of brain and body.<br /><br />You are then ready to proceed. Now think how quiet and relaxed<br />you are. You can become enthusiastic over your condition. Just<br />think of yourself as getting ready to receive knowledge that is<br />far greater than you have ever received before. Now relax and let<br />the spirit work in and through you and assist you to accomplish<br />what you wish.<br /><br />Don't let any doubts or fears enter. Just feel that what you wish<br />is going to manifest. Just feel it already has, in reality it<br />has, for just the minute you wish a thing to be done it manifests<br />in the thought world. Whenever you concentrate just believe it is<br />a success. Keep up this feeling and allow nothing to interfere<br />and you will soon find you have become the master of<br />concentration. You will find that this practice will be of<br />wonderful value to you, and that rapidly you will be learning to<br />accomplish anything that you undertake.<br /><br />It will be necessary to first train the body to obey the commands<br />of the mind. I want you to gain control of your muscular<br />movements. The following exercise is especially good in assisting<br />you to acquire perfect control of the muscles.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 1<br /><br />Sit in a comfortable chair and see how still you can keep. This<br />is not as easy as it seems. You will have to center your<br />attention on sitting still. Watch and see that you are not making<br />any involuntary muscular movements. By a little practice you will<br />find you are able to sit still without a movement of the muscles<br />for fifteen minutes. At first I advise sitting in a relaxed<br />position for five minutes. After you are able to keep perfectly<br />still, increase the time to ten minutes and then to fifteen. This<br />is as long as it is necessary. But never strain yourself to keep<br />still. You must be relaxed completely. You will find this habit<br />of relaxing is very good.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 2<br /><br />Sit in a chair with your head up and your chin out, shoulders<br />back. Raise your right arm until it is on the level with your<br />shoulder, pointing to your right. Look around, with head only,<br />and fix your gaze on your fingers, and keep the arm perfectly<br />still for one minute. Do the same exercise with left arm. When<br />you are able to keep the arm perfectly steady, increase the time<br />until you are able to do this five minutes with each arm. Turn<br />the palm of the hand downward when it is outstretched, as this is<br />the easiest position. If you will keep your eyes fixed on the<br />tips of the fingers you will be able to tell if you are keeping<br />your arm perfectly still.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 3<br /><br />Fill a small glass full of water, and grasp it by the fingers;<br />put the arm directly in front of you. Now fix the eyes upon the<br />glass and try to keep the arm so steady that no movement will be<br />noticeable. Do this first for one moment and then increase it to<br />five. Do the exercise with first one arm and then the other.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 4<br /><br />Watch yourself during the day and see that your muscles do not<br />become tense or strained. See how easy and relaxed you can keep<br />yourself. See how poised you can be at all times. Cultivate a<br />self-poised manner, instead of a nervous, strained appearance.<br />This mental feeling will improve your carriage and demeanor. Stop<br />all useless gestures and movements of the body. These mean that<br />you have not proper control over your body. After you have<br />acquired this control, notice how "ill-at-ease" people are that<br />have not gained this control. I have just been sizing up a<br />salesman that has just left me. Part of his body kept moving all<br />the time. I just felt like saying to him, "Do you know how much<br />better appearance you would make if you would just learn to speak<br />with your voice instead of trying to express what you say with<br />your whole body?" Just watch those that interview you and see how<br />they lack poise.<br /><br />Get rid of any habit you have of twitching or jerking any part of<br />your body. You will find you make many involuntary movements. You<br />can quickly stop any of these by merely centering your attention<br />on the thought, "I will not."<br /><br />If you are in the habit of letting noises upset you, just<br />exercise control; when the door slams, or something falls, etc.,<br />just think of these as exercises in self-control. You will find<br />many exercises like this in your daily routine.<br /><br />The purpose of the above exercises is to gain control over the<br />involuntary muscular movement, making your actions entirely<br />voluntary. The following exercises are arranged to bring your<br />voluntary muscles under the control of the will, so that your<br />mental forces may control your muscular movements.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 5<br /><br />Move your chair up to a table, placing your hands upon it,<br />clenching the fists, keeping the back of the hand on the table,<br />the thumb doubled over the fingers. Now fix your gaze upon the<br />fist for a while, then gradually extend the thumb, keeping your<br />whole attention fixed upon the act, just as if it was a matter of<br />great importance. Then gradually extend your first finger, then<br />your second and so on until you open the rest. Then reverse the<br />process, closing first the last one opened and then the rest, and<br />finally you will have the fist again in the original position<br />with the thumb closed over the finger. Do this exercise with the<br />left hand. Keep up this exercise first with one hand and then the<br />other until you have done it five times with each hand. In a few<br />days you can increase it to ten times.<br /><br />The chances are that the above exercises will at first make you<br />"tired," but it is important for you to practice these monotonous<br />exercises so you can train your attention. It also gives you<br />control over your muscular movement. The attention, of course,<br />must be kept closely on each movement of the hand; if it is not,<br />you of course lose the value of the exercise.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 6<br /><br />Put the right hand on knee, both fingers and thumb closed, except<br />the first finger, which points out in front of you. Then move the<br />finger slowly from side to side, keeping the attention fixed upon<br />the end of the finger. You can make up a variety of exercises<br />like these. It is good training to plan out different ones. The<br />main point you should keep in mind is that the exercise should be<br />simple and that the attention should be firmly fixed upon the<br />moving part of the body. You will find your attention will not<br />want to be controlled and will try to drift to something more<br />interesting. This is just where these exercises are of value, and<br />you must control your attention and see it is held in the right<br />place and does not wander away.<br /><br />You may think these exercises very simple and of no value, but I<br />promise you in a short time you will notice that you have a much<br />better control over your muscular movements, carriage and<br />demeanor, and you will find that you have greatly improved your<br />power of attention, and can center your thoughts on what you do,<br />which of course will be very valuable.<br /><br />No matter what you may be doing, imagine that it is your chief<br />object in life. Imagine you are not interested in anything else<br />in the world but what you are doing. Do not let your attention<br />get away from the work you are at. Your attention will no doubt<br />be rebellious, but control it and do not let it control you. When<br />once you conquer the rebellious attention you have achieved a<br />greater victory than you can realize at the time. Many times<br />afterwards you will be thankful you have learned to concentrate<br />your closest attention upon the object at hand.<br /><br />Let no day go by without practicing concentrating on some<br />familiar object that is uninteresting. Never choose an<br />interesting object, as it requires less attention. The less<br />interesting it is the better exercise will it be. After a little<br />practice you will find you can center your attention on<br />uninteresting subjects at will.<br /><br />The person that can concentrate can gain full control over his<br />body and mind and be the master of his inclinations; not their<br />slave. When you can control yourself you can control others. You<br />can develop a Will that will make you a giant compared with the<br />man that lacks Will Power. Try out your Will Power in different<br />ways until you have it under such control that just as soon as<br />you decide to do a thing you go ahead and do it. Never be<br />satisfied with the "I did fairly well" spirit, but put forward<br />your best efforts. Be satisfied with nothing else. When you have<br />gained this you are the man you were intended to be.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 7<br /><br />Concentration Increases the Sense of Smell. When you take a walk,<br />or drive in the country, or pass a flower garden, concentrate on<br />the odor of flowers and plants. See how many different kinds you<br />can detect. Then choose one particular kind and try to sense only<br />this. You will find that this strongly intensifies the sense of<br />smell. This differentiation requires, however, a peculiarly<br />attentive attitude. When sense of smell is being developed, you<br />should not only shut out from the mind every thought but that of<br />odor, but you should also shut out cognizance of every odor save<br />that upon which your mind, for the time, is concentrated.<br /><br />You call find plenty of opportunity for exercises for developing<br />the sense of smell. When you are out in the air, be on the alert<br />for the different odors. You will find the air laden with all<br />kinds, but let your concentration upon the one selected be such<br />that a scent of its fragrance in after years will vividly recall<br />the circumstances of this exercise.<br /><br />The object of these exercises is to develop concentrated<br />attention, and you will find that you can, through their<br />practice, control your mind and direct your thoughts just the<br />same as you can your arm.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 8<br /><br />Concentration on the Within. Lie down and thoroughly relax your<br />muscles. Concentrate on the beating of your heart. Do not pay any<br />attention to anything else. Think how this great organ is pumping<br />the blood to every part of the body; try to actually picture the<br />blood leaving the great reservoir and going in one stream right<br />down to the toes. Picture another going down the arms to the tips<br />of the fingers. After a little practice you can actually feel the<br />blood passing through your system.<br /><br />If, at any time, you feel weak in any part of the body, will that<br />an extra supply of blood shall go there. For instance, if your<br />eyes feel tired, picture the blood coming from the heart, passing<br />up through the head and out to the eyes. You can wonderfully<br />increase your strength by this exercise. Men have been able to<br />gain such control over the heart that they have actually stopped<br />it from beating for five minutes. This, however, is not without<br />danger, and is not to be practiced by the novice.<br /><br />I have found the following a very helpful exercise to take just<br />before going to bed and on rising in the morning: Say to<br />yourself, "Every cell in my body thrills with life; every part of<br />my body is strong and healthy." I have known a number of people<br />to greatly improve their health in this way. You become what you<br />picture yourself to be. If your mind thinks of sickness in<br />connection with self you will be sick. If you imagine yourself in<br />strong, vigorous health, the image will be realized. You will be<br />healthy.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 9<br /><br />Concentrating on Sleep. What is known as the water method is,<br />although very simple, very effective in inducing sleep.<br /><br />Put a full glass of clear water on a table in your sleeping room.<br />Sit in a chair beside the table and gaze into the glass of water<br />and think how calm it is. Then picture yourself , getting into<br />just as calm a state. In a short time you will find the nerves<br />becoming quiet and you will be able to go to sleep. Sometimes it<br />is good to picture yourself becoming drowsy to induce sleep, and,<br />again, the most persistent insomnia has been overcome by one<br />thinking of himself as some inanimate object--for instance, a<br />hollow log in the depths of the cool, quiet forest.<br /><br />Those who are troubled with insomnia will find these sleep<br />exercises that quiet the nerves very effective. Just keep the<br />idea in your mind that there is no difficulty in going to sleep;<br />banish all fear of insomnia. Practice these exercises and you<br />will sleep.<br /><br />By this time you should have awakened to the possibilities of<br />concentration and have become aware of the important part it<br />plays in your life.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 10<br /><br />Concentration Will Save Energy and Appearance. Watch yourself and<br />see if you are not in the habit of moving your hands, thumping<br />something with your fingers or twirling your mustache. Some have<br />the habit of keeping their feet going, as, for instance, tapping<br />them on the floor. Practice standing before a mirror and see if<br />you are in the habit of frowning or causing wrinkles to appear in<br />the forehead. Watch others and see how they needlessly twist<br />their faces in talking. Any movement of the face that causes the<br />skin to wrinkle will eventually cause a permanent wrinkle. As the<br />face is like a piece of silk, you can make a fold in it a number<br />of times and it will straighten out of itself, but, if you<br />continue to make a fold in it, it will in time be impossible to<br />remove it.<br /><br />By Concentration You Can Stop the Worry Habit. If you are in the<br />habit of worrying over the merest trifles, just concentrate on<br />this a few minutes and see bow needless it is; if you are also in<br />the habit of becoming irritable or nervous at the least little<br />thing, check yourself instantly when you feel yourself becoming<br />so; start to breathe deeply; say, "I will not be so weak; I am<br />master of myself," and you will quickly overcome your condition.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 11<br /><br />By Concentration You Can Control Your Temper. If you are one of<br />those that flare up at the slightest "provocation" and never try<br />to control yourself, just think this over a minute. Does it do<br />you any good? Do you gain anything by it? Doesn't it put you out<br />of poise for some time? Don't you know that this grows on you and<br />will eventually make you despised by all that have any dealings<br />with you? Everyone makes mistakes and, instead of becoming angry<br />at their perpetrators, just say to them, "Be more careful next<br />time." This thought will be impressed on them and they will be<br />more careful. But, if you continually complain about their making<br />a mistake, the thought of a mistake is impressed on them and they<br />will be more likely to make mistakes in the future. All lack of<br />self-control can be conquered if you will but learn to<br />concentrate.<br /><br />Many of you that read this may think you are not guilty of either<br />of these faults, but if you will carefully watch yourself you<br />will probably find that you are, and, if so, you will be greatly<br />helped by repeating this affirmation each morning:<br /><br />"I am going to try today not to make a useless gesture or to<br />worry over trifles, or become nervous or irritable. I intend to<br />be calm, and, no difference what may be the circumstances, I will<br />control myself. Henceforth I resolve to be free from all signs<br />that show lack of self-control."<br /><br />At night quickly review your actions during the day and see how<br />fully you realized your aim. At first you will, of course, have<br />to plead guilty of violation a few times, but keep on, and you<br />will soon find that you can live up to your ideal. After you have<br />once gained self-control, however, don't relinquish it. For some<br />time it will still be necessary to repeat the affirmation in the<br />morning and square your conduct with it in the evening. Keep up<br />the good work until, at last, the habit of self-control is so<br />firmly fixed that you could not break it even though you tried.<br /><br />I have had many persons tell me that this affirmation and daily<br />review made a wonderful difference in their lives. You, too, will<br />notice the difference if you live up to these instructions.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 12.<br /><br />Practice Talking Before a Glass. Make two marks on your mirror on<br />a level with your eyes, and think of them as two human eyes<br />looking into yours. Your eyes will probably blink a little at<br />first. Do not move your head, but stand erect. Concentrate all<br />your thoughts on keeping your head perfectly still. Do not let<br />another thought come into your mind. Then, still keeping the<br />head, eyes and body still, think that you look like a reliable<br />man or woman should; like a person that anyone would have<br />confidence in. Do not let your appearance be such as to justify<br />the remark, "I don't like his appearance. I don't believe he can<br />be trusted."<br /><br />While standing before the mirror practice deep breathing. See<br />that there is plenty of fresh air in the room, and that you are<br />literally feasting on it. You will find that, as it permeates<br />every cell, your timidity will disappear. It has been replaced by<br />a sense of peace and power.<br /><br />The one that stands up like a man and has control over the<br />muscles of his face and eyes always commands attention. In his<br />conversation, he can better impress those with whom he comes in<br />contact. He acquires a feeling of calmness and strength that<br />causes opposition to melt away before it.<br /><br />Three minutes a day is long enough for the practice of this<br />exercise.<br /><br />Look at the clock before you commence the exercise, and if you<br />find you can prolong the exercise for more than five minutes do<br />so. The next day sit in a chair and, without looking at the<br />picture, concentrate on it and see if you cannot think of<br />additional details concerning it. The chances are you will be<br />able to think of many more. It might be well for you to write<br />down all you thought of the first day, and then add to the list<br />each new discovery. You will find that this is a very excellent<br />exercise in concentration.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 13<br /><br />The Control of Sensations. Think how you would feel if you were<br />cool; then how you would feel if you were cold; again, how you<br />would feel if it were freezing. In this state you would be<br />shivering all over. Now think of just the opposite conditions;<br />construct such a vivid image of heat that you are able to<br />experience the sensation of heat even in the coldest atmosphere.<br />It is possible to train your imagination until you do this, and<br />it can then be turned to practical account in making undesirable<br />conditions bearable.<br /><br />You can think of many very good exercises like this. For<br />instance, if you feel yourself getting hungry or thirsty and for<br />any reason you do not wish to eat, do not think of how hungry or<br />thirsty you are, but just visualize yourself as finishing a<br />hearty meal. Again, when you experience pain, do not increase it<br />by thinking about it, but do something to divert your attention,<br />and the pain will seem to decrease. If you will start practicing<br />along this line systematically you will soon gain a wonderful<br />control over the things that affect your physical comfort.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 14<br /><br />The Eastern Way of Concentrating. Sit in a chair with a high back<br />in upright position. Press one finger against the right nostril.<br />Now take a long, deep breath, drawing the breath in gently as you<br />count ten; then expel the breath through the right nostril as you<br />count ten. Repeat this exercise with the opposite nostril. This<br />exercise should be done at least twenty times at each sitting.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 15<br /><br />Controlling Desires. Desire, which is one of the hardest forces<br />to control, will furnish you with excellent exercises in<br />concentration. It seems natural to want to tell others what you<br />know; but, by learning to control these desires, you can<br />wonderfully strengthen your powers of concentration. Remember,<br />you have all you can do to attend to your own business. Do not<br />waste your time in thinking of others or in gossiping about them.<br /><br />If, from your own observation, you learn something about another<br />person that is detrimental, keep it to yourself. Your opinion may<br />afterwards turn out to be wrong anyway, but whether right or<br />wrong, you have strengthened your will by controlling your desire<br />to communicate your views.<br /><br />If you hear good news resist the desire to tell it to the first<br />person you meet and you will be benefited thereby. It will<br />require the concentration of all your powers of resistance to<br />prohibit the desire to tell. After you feel that you have<br />complete control over your desires you can then tell your news.<br />But you must be able to suppress the desire to communicate the<br />news until you are fully ready to tell it. Persons that do not<br />possess this power of control over desires are apt to tell things<br />that they should not, thereby often involving both themselves and<br />others in needless trouble.<br /><br />If you are in the habit of getting excited when you hear<br />unpleasant news, just control yourself and receive it without any<br />exclamation of surprise. Say to yourself, "Nothing is going to<br />cause me to lose my self-control. You will find from experience<br />that this self-control will be worth much to you in business. You<br />will be looked upon as a cool-headed business man, and this in<br />time becomes a valuable business asset. Of course, circumstances<br />alter cases. At times it is necessary to become enthused. But be<br />ever on the lookout for opportunities for the practice of<br />self-control. "He that ruleth his spirit is greater than he that<br />ruleth a city."<br /><br /><br />Exercise 16<br /><br />When You Read. No one can think without first concentrating his<br />thoughts on the subject in hand. Every man and woman should train<br />himself to think clearly. An excellent exercise is to read some<br />short story and then write just an abridged statement. Read an<br />article in a newspaper, and see in how few words you can express<br />it. Reading an article to get only the essentials requires the<br />closest concentration. If you are unable to write out what you<br />read, you will know you are weak in concentration. Instead of<br />writing it out you can express it orally if you wish. Go to your<br />room and deliver it as if you were talking to some one. You will<br />find exercises like this of the greatest value in developing<br />concentration and learning to think.<br /><br />After you have practiced a number of these simple exercises read<br />a book for twenty minutes and then write down what you have read.<br />The chances are that at first you will not remember very many<br />details, but with a little practice you will be able to write a<br />very good account of what you have read. The closer the<br />concentration the more accurate the account will be.<br /><br />It is a good idea when time is limited to read only a short<br />sentence and then try to write it down word for word. When you<br />are able to do this, read two or more sentences and treat<br />similarly. The practice will produce very good results if you<br />keep it up until the habit is fixed.<br /><br />If you will just utilize your spare time in practicing exercises<br />like those suggested you can gain wonderful powers of<br />concentration. You will find that in order to remember every word<br />in a sentence you must keep out every thought but that which you<br />wish to remember, and this power of inhibition alone will more<br />than compensate for the trouble of the exercise. Of course,<br />success in all of the above depends largely upon cultivating,<br />through the closest concentration, the power to image or picture<br />what you read; upon the power, as one writer expresses it, of<br />letting the mountains of which we hear loom before us and the<br />rivers of which we read roll at our feet.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 17<br /><br />Concentration Overcomes Bad Habits. If you have a habit that you<br />want to get rid of, shut your eyes and imagine that your real<br />self is standing before you. Now try the power of affirmation;<br />say to yourself, "You are not a weakling; you can stop this habit<br />if you want to. This habit is bad and you want to break it." Just<br />imagine that you are some one else giving this advice. This is<br />very valuable practice. You, in time, see yourself as others see<br />you. The habit loses its power over you and you are free.<br /><br />If you will just form the mental image of controlling yourself as<br />another person might, you will take a delight in breaking bad<br />habits. I have known a number of men to break themselves of<br />drinking in this way.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 18<br /><br />Watch Concentration. Sit in a chair and place a clock with a<br />second hand on the table. Follow the second hand with your eyes<br />as it goes around. Keep this up for five minutes, thinking of<br />nothing else but the second hand, This is a very good exercise<br />when you only have a few minutes to spare, if you are able to<br />keep every other thought in the stream of consciousness<br />subordinate to it. As there is little that is particularly<br />interesting about the second hand, it is hard to do this, but in<br />the extra effort of will power required to make it successful<br />lies its value. Always try to keep as still as possible during<br />these exercises.<br /><br />In this way you can gain control over nerves and this quieting<br />effect is very good for them.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 19<br /><br />Faith Concentration. A belief in the power to concentrate is of<br />course very important. I purposely did not put this exercise in<br />the beginning where it naturally belongs because I wanted you to<br />know that you could learn to concentrate. If you have practiced<br />the above exercises you have now developed this concentration<br />power to a considerable extent and therefore you have faith in<br />the power of concentration, but you can still become a much<br />stronger believer in it.<br /><br />We will say that you have some desire or wish you want fulfilled,<br />or that you need some special advice. You first clearly picture<br />what is wanted and then you concentrate on getting it. Have<br />absolute faith that your desires will be realized. Believe that<br />it will according to your belief be fulfilled. Never, at this<br />time, attempt to analyze the belief. You don't care anything<br />about the whys and wherefores. You want to gain the thing you<br />desire, and if you concentrate on it in the right way you will<br />get it.<br /><br />A Caution. Never think you will not succeed, but picture what is<br />wanted as already yours, and yours it surely will be.<br /><br /><br />Self-Distrust. Do you ever feel distrust in yourself? If You do,<br />just ask yourself, which self do I mistrust? Then say: my higher<br />self cannot be affected. Then think of the wonderful powers of<br />the higher self. There is a way to overcome all difficulties, and<br />it is a delight for the human soul to do so. Instead of wasting<br />precious thought-force by dreading or fearing a disagreeable<br />interview or event, instead devote the time and concentrated<br />thought in how to make the best of the interview or event and you<br />will find that it will not be as unpleasant as you thought it<br />would be. Most of our troubles are but imaginary, and it is the<br />mental habit of so dreading them that really acts as a magnet in<br />attracting those that really do come. Your evil circumstances are<br />created or attracted by your own negative, fears and wrong<br />thoughts, and are a means of teaching you to triumph over all<br />evils, by discovering that which is inherent within yourself.<br /><br />You will find it helpful in overcoming self-distrust, to stop and<br />think, why you are, concentrating your forces, and by so doing<br />you become more closely attached to the higher self, which never<br />distrusts.<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON XV. CONCENTRATE SO YOU WILL NOT FORGET<br /><br />A man forgets because he does not concentrate his mind on his<br />purpose, especially at the moment he conceives it. We remember<br />only that which makes a deep impression, hence we must first<br />deepen our impressions by associating in our minds certain ideas<br />that are related to them.<br /><br />We will say a wife gives her husband a letter to mail. He does<br />not think about it, but automatically puts it in his pocket and<br />forgets all about it. When the letter was given to him had he<br />said to himself, "I will mail this letter. The box is at the next<br />corner and when I pass it I must drop this letter," it would have<br />enabled him to recall the letter the instant he reached the mail<br />box.<br /><br />The same rule holds good in regard to more important things. For<br />example, if you are instructed to drop in and see Mr. Smith while<br />out to luncheon today, you will not forget it, if, at the moment<br />the instruction is given, you say to yourself something similar<br />to the following:<br /><br />"When I get to the corner of Blank street, on my way to luncheon,<br />I shall turn to the right and call on Mr. Smith." In this way the<br />impression is made, the connection established and the sight of<br />the associated object recalls the errand.<br /><br />The important thing to do is to deepen the impression at the very<br />moment it enters your mind. This is made possible, not only by<br />concentrating the mind upon the idea itself, but by surrounding<br />it with all possible association of ideas, so that each one will<br />reinforce the others.<br /><br />The mind is governed by laws of association, such as the law that<br />ideas which enter the mind at the same time emerge at the same<br />time, one assisting in recalling the others.<br /><br />The reason why people cannot remember what they want to is that<br />they have not concentrated their minds sufficiently on their<br />purpose at the moment when it was formed.<br /><br />You can train yourself to remember in this way by the<br />concentration of the attention on your purpose, in accordance<br />with the laws of association.<br /><br />When once you form this habit, the attention is easily centered<br />and the memory easily trained. Then your memory, instead of<br />failing you at crucial moments, becomes a valuable asset in your<br />every-day work.<br /><br />Exercise in Memory Concentration. Select some picture; put it on<br />a table and then look at it for two minutes. Concentrate your<br />attention on this picture, observe every detail; then shut your<br />eyes and see how much you can recall about it. Think of what the<br />picture represents; whether it is a good subject; whether it<br />looks natural. Think of objects in foreground, middle ground,<br />background; of details of color and form. Now open your eyes and<br />hold yourself rigidly to the correction of each and every<br />mistake. Close eyes again and notice how much more accurate your<br />picture is. Practice until your mental image corresponds in every<br />particular to the original.<br /><br /><br />Nature is a Wonderful Instructor. But there are very few who<br />realize that when we get in touch with nature we discover<br />ourselves. That by listening to her voice, with that curious,<br />inner sense of ours, we learn the oneness of life and wake up to<br />our own latent powers.<br /><br />Few realize that the simple act of listening and concentrating is<br />our best interior power, for it brings us into close contact with<br />the highest, just as our other senses bring us into touch with<br />the coarser side of human nature. The closer we live to nature<br />the more developed is this sense. "So called" civilization has<br />over developed our other senses at the expense of this one.<br /><br />Children unconsciously realize the value of concentration--for<br />instance: When a Child has a difficult problem to solve, and gets<br />to some knotty point which he finds himself mentally unable to<br />do--though he tries his hardest--he will pause and keep quite<br />still, leaning on his elbow, apparently listening; then you will<br />see, if you are watching, sudden illumination come and he goes on<br />happily and accomplishes his task. A child instinctively but<br />unconsciously knows when he needs help, he must be quiet and<br />concentrate.<br /><br />All great people concentrate and owe their success to it. The<br />doctor thinks over the symptoms of his patient, waits, listens<br />for the inspiration, though quite unconscious, perhaps, of doing<br />so. The one who diagnoses in this way seldom makes mistakes. An<br />author thinks his plot, holds it in his mind, and then waits, and<br />illumination comes. If you want to be able to solve difficult<br />problems you must learn to do the same.<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON XVI. HOW CONCENTRATION CAN FULFILL YOUR DESIRE<br /><br />"It is a spiritual law that the desire to do necessarily implies<br />the ability to do."<br /><br />You have all read of "Aladdin's Lamp," which accomplished such<br />wonderful things. This, of course, is only a fairy story, but it<br />illustrates the fact that man has within him the power, if he is<br />able to use it, to gratify his every wish.<br /><br />If you are unable to satisfy your deepest longings it is time you<br />learned how to use your God-given powers. You will soon be<br />conscious that you have latent powers within capable when once<br />developed of revealing to you priceless knowledge and unlimited<br />possibilities of success.<br /><br />Man should have plenty of everything and not merely substance to<br />live on as so many have. All natural desires can be realized. It<br />would be wrong for the Infinite to create wants that could not be<br />supplied. Man's very soul is in his power to think, and it,<br />therefore, is the essence of all created things. Every instinct<br />of man leads to thought, and in every thought there is great<br />possibility because true thought development, when allied to<br />those mysterious powers which perhaps transcend it, has been the<br />cause of all the world's true progress.<br /><br />In the silence we become conscious of "that something" which<br />transcends thought and which uses thought as a medium for<br />expression. Many have glimpses of "that something," but few ever<br />reach the state where the mind is steady enough to fathom these<br />depths. Silent, concentrated thought is more potent than spoken<br />words, for speech distracts from the focusing power of the mind<br />by drawing more and more attention to the without.<br /><br />Man must learn more and more to depend on himself; to seek more<br />for the Infinite within. It is from this source alone that he<br />ever gains the power to solve his practical difficulties. No one<br />should give up when there is always the resources of Infinity.<br />The cause of failure is that men search in the wrong direction<br />for success, because they are not conscious of their real powers<br />that when used are capable of guiding them.<br /><br />The Infinite within is foreign to those persons who go through<br />life without developing their spiritual powers. But the Infinite<br />helps only he who helps himself. There is no such thing as a<br />Special "Providence." Man will not receive help from the Infinite<br />except to the extent that he believes and hopes and prays for<br />help from this great source.<br /><br />Concentrate on What You Want and Get It. The weakling is<br />controlled by conditions. The strong man controls conditions. You<br />can be either the conqueror or the conquered. By the law of<br />concentration you can achieve your heart's desire. This law is so<br />powerful that that which at first seems impossible becomes<br />attainable.<br /><br />By this law what you at first see as a dream becomes a reality.<br /><br />Remember that the first step in concentration is to form a Mental<br />Image of what you wish to accomplish. This image becomes a<br />thought-seed that attracts thoughts of a similar nature. Around<br />this thought, when it is once planted in the imagination or<br />creative region of the mind, you group or build associated<br />thoughts which continue to grow as long as your desire is keen<br />enough to compel close concentration.<br /><br />Form the habit of thinking of something you wish to accomplish<br />for five minutes each day. Shut every other thought out of<br />consciousness. Be confident that you will succeed; make up your<br />mind that all obstacles that are in your way will be overcome and<br />you can rise above any environment.<br /><br />You do this by utilizing the natural laws of the thought world<br />which are all powerful.<br /><br />A great aid in the development of concentration is to write out<br />your thoughts on that which lies nearest your heart and to<br />continue, little by little, to add to it until you have as nearly<br />as possible exhausted the subject.<br /><br />You will find that each day as you focus your forces on this<br />thought at the center of the stream of consciousness, new plans,<br />ideas and methods will flash into your mind. There is a law of<br />attraction that will help you accomplish your purpose. An<br />advertiser, for instance, gets to thinking along a certain line.<br />He has formed his own ideas, but he wants to know what others<br />think. He starts out to seek ideas and he soon finds plenty of<br />books, plans, designs, etc., on the subject, although when he<br />started he was not aware of their existence.<br /><br />The same thing is true in all lines. We can attract those things<br />that will help us. Very often we seem to receive help in a<br />miraculous way. It may be slow in coming, but once the silent<br />unseen forces are put into operation, they will bring results so<br />long as we do our part. They are ever present and ready to aid<br />those who care to use them. By forming a strong mental image of<br />your desire, you plant the thought-seed which begins working in<br />your interest and, in time, that desire, if in harmony with your<br />higher nature, will materialize.<br /><br />It may seem that it would be unnecessary to caution you to<br />concentrate only upon achievement that will be good for you and<br />work no harm to another, but there are many who forget others and<br />their rights, in their anxiety to achieve success. All good<br />things are possible for you to have, but only as you bring your<br />forces into harmony with that law that requires that we mete out<br />justice to fellow travelers as we journey along life's road. So<br />first think over the thing wanted and if it would be good for you<br />to have; say, "I want to do this; I am going to work to secure<br />it. The way will be open for me."<br /><br />If you fully grasp mentally the thought of success and hold it in<br />mind each day, you gradually make a pattern or mold which in time<br />will materialize. But by all means keep free from doubt and fear,<br />the destructive forces. Never allow these to become associated<br />with your thoughts.<br /><br />At last you will create the desired conditions and receive help<br />in many unlooked-for ways that will lift you out of the undesired<br />environment. Life will then seem very different to you, for you<br />will have found happiness through awakening within yourself the<br />power to become the master of circumstances instead of their<br />slave.<br /><br />To the beginner in this line of thought some of the things stated<br />in this book may sound strange, even absurd, but, instead of<br />condemning them, give them a trial. You will find they will work<br />out.<br /><br />The inventor has to work out his idea mentally before he produces<br />it materially. The architect first sees the mental picture of the<br />house he is to plan and from this works out the one we see. Every<br />object, every enterprise, must first be mentally created.<br /><br />I know a man that started in business with thirteen cents and not<br />a dollar's worth of credit. In ten years he has built up a large<br />and profitable business. He attributes his success to two<br />things--belief that he would succeed and hard work. There were<br />times when it did not look like he could weather the storm. He<br />was being pressed by his creditors who considered him bankrupt.<br />They would have taken fifty cents on the dollar for his notes and<br />considered themselves lucky. But by keeping up a bold front he<br />got an extension of time when needed. When absolutely necessary<br />for him to raise a certain sum at a certain time he always did<br />it. When he had heavy bills to meet he would make up his mind<br />that certain people that owed him would pay by a certain date and<br />they always did. Sometimes he would not receive their check until<br />the last mail of the day of the extension, and I have known him<br />to send out a check with the prospect of receiving a check from<br />one of his customers the following day. He would have no reason<br />other than his belief in the power of affecting the mind of<br />another by concentration of thought for expecting that check, but<br />rarely has he been disappointed.<br /><br />Just put forth the necessary concentrated effort and you will be<br />wonderfully helped from sources unknown to you.<br /><br />Remember the mystical words of Jesus, the Master: "Whatsoever<br />thing ye desire when ye pray, pray as if ye had already received<br />and ye shall have."<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON XVII. IDEALS DEVELOPED BY CONCENTRATION<br /><br /> Through our paltry stir and strife, Glows the wished Ideal, And<br />longing molds in clay, what life Carves in the marble<br />real.--Lowell.<br /><br /><br />We often hear people spoken of as idealists. The fact is we are<br />all idealists to a certain extent, and upon the ideals we picture<br />depends our ultimate success. You must have the mental image if<br />you are to produce the material thing. Everything is first<br />created in the mind. When you control your thoughts you become a<br />creator. You receive divine ideas and shape them to your<br />individual needs. All things of this world are to you just what<br />you think they are. Your happiness and success depend upon your<br />ideals.<br /><br />You are responsible for every condition you go through, either<br />consciously or unconsciously. The next step you take determines<br />the succeeding step. Remember this; it is a valuable lesson. By<br />concentrating on each step as you go along, you can save a lot of<br />waste steps and will be able to choose a straight path instead of<br />a roundabout road.<br /><br />Concentrate Upon Your Ideals and They Will Become Material<br />Actualities. Through concentration we work out our ideals in<br />physical life. Your future depends upon the ideals you are<br />forming now. Your past ideals are determining your present.<br />Therefore, if you want a bright future, you must begin to prepare<br />for it today.<br /><br />If persons could only realize that they can only injure<br />themselves, that when they are apparently injuring others they<br />are really injuring themselves, what a different world this would<br />be!<br /><br />We say a man is as changeable as the weather. What is meant is<br />his ideals change. Every time you change your ideal you think<br />differently. You become like a rudderless boat on an ocean.<br />Therefore realize the importance of holding to your ideal until<br />it becomes a reality.<br /><br />You get up in the morning determined that nothing will make you<br />lose your temper. This is your ideal of a person of real strength<br />and poise. Something takes place that upsets you completely and<br />you lose your temper. For the time being you forget your ideal.<br />If you had just thought a second of what a well-poised person<br />implies you would not have become angry. You lose your poise when<br />you forget your ideal. Each time we allow our ideals to be<br />shattered we also weaken our will-power. Holding to your ideals<br />develops will-power. Don't forget this.<br /><br />Why do so many men fail? Because they don't hold to their ideal<br />until it becomes a mental habit. When they concentrate on it to<br />the exclusion of all other things it becomes a reality.<br /><br />"I am that which I think myself to be."<br /><br />Ideals are reflected to us from the unseen spirit. The laws of<br />matter and spirit are not the same. One can be broken, but not<br />the other. To the extent that ideals are kept is your future<br />assured.<br /><br />It was never intended that man should suffer. He has brought it<br />upon himself by disobeying the laws of nature. He knows them so<br />cannot plead ignorance. Why does he break them? Because he does<br />not pay attention to those ideals flashed to him from the<br />Infinite Spirit.<br /><br />Life is but one continuous unfoldment, and you can be happy every<br />step of the way or miserable, as you please; it all depends upon<br />how we entertain those silent whisperings that come from we know<br />not where. We cannot hear them with mortal ear, but from the<br />silence they come as if they were dreams, not to you or me alone,<br />but to everyone. In this way the grandest thoughts come to us, to<br />use or abuse. So search not in treasured volumes for noble<br />thoughts, but within, and bright and glowing vision will come to<br />be realized now and hereafter.<br /><br /><br />You must give some hours to concentrated, consistent, persistent<br />thought. You must study yourself and your weaknesses.<br /><br />No man gets over a fence by wishing himself on the other side. He<br />must climb.<br /><br />No man gets out of the rut of dull, tiresome, monotonous life by<br />merely wishing himself out of the rut. He must climb.<br /><br />If you are standing still, or going backward, there is something<br />wrong. You are the man to find out what is wrong.<br /><br />Don't think that you are neglected, or not understood, or not<br />appreciated.<br /><br />Such thoughts are the thoughts of failure.<br /><br />Think hard about the fact that men who have got what you envy got<br />it by working for it.<br /><br />Don't pity yourself, criticise yourself.<br /><br />You know that the only thing in the world that you have got to<br />count upon is yourself.<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON XVIII. MENTAL CONTROL THROUGH CREATION<br /><br />I attended a banquet of inventors recently. Each inventor gave a<br />short talk on something he thought would be accomplished in the<br />future. Many very much needed things were spoken of. One inventor<br />spoke of the possibilities of wireless telephone. Distance, he<br />said, would shortly be annihilated. He thought we would soon be<br />able to talk to the man in the submarine forty fathoms below the<br />surface and a thousand miles away. When he got through he asked<br />if there were any that doubted what he said. No one spoke up.<br />This was not a case of tactful politeness, as inventors like to<br />argue, but a case where no one present really doubted that the<br />inventor's vision would, in the future, materialize.<br /><br />These shrewd men, some real geniuses, all thought we would in<br />time be able to talk to those a thousand miles away without<br />media. Now, if we can make an instrument so wonderful that we can<br />send wireless messages a thousand miles, is there any reason why<br />we should not through mental control transmit messages from one<br />person to another? The wireless message should not be as easy to<br />send as the projected thought.<br /><br />The day will come when all business will employ highly developed<br />persons to send out influences. These influences will be so<br />dominating that employes will be partly controlled by them and so<br />you will profit more and more by your mental powers and depend on<br />them to draw to you all forces of a helpful nature. You will be<br />constantly sending out suggestions to your employes and friends.<br />They will receive these unconsciously, but in case yours is the<br />stronger personality they will carry them out the same as if you<br />had spoken them.<br /><br />This is being done even today. A finely organized company secures<br />the combined effort of all its men. They may be each doing a<br />different kind of work, but all work to bring about the very best<br />results. The whole atmosphere is impregnated with a high standard<br />of workmanship. Everyone feels he must do his best. He could not<br />be in such surroundings and be satisfied to do anything but his<br />best work.<br /><br />A business will succeed only to the extent that the efforts of<br />all are co-ordinated towards one result. At least one person is<br />needed to direct all toward the desired end. The person at the<br />head does not have to exactly outline to the others what steps to<br />take, but he must possess the mental power of control over<br />others.<br /><br />An up-to-date business letter is not written in a casual,<br />commonplace way today. The writer tries to convey something he<br />thinks the receiver will be interested to know. In this way he<br />awakens a responsive spirit. Sometimes just the addition of a<br />word or two will change a letter of the matter-of-fact style to<br />one that compels a response. It is not always what is actually in<br />a letter, but the spirit which it breathes that brings results.<br />That intangible something that defies analysis is the projected<br />thought of the master that brings back the harvest that it<br />claims.<br /><br />But we should not always claim success for ourselves only. If you<br />are anxious that some friend or relative should succeed, think of<br />this person as becoming successful. Picture him in the position<br />you would like to see him in. If he has a weakness, desire and<br />command that it be strengthened; think of his shortcomings which<br />belong to his negative nature as being replaced by positive<br />qualities. Take a certain part of the day to send him thoughts of<br />an up-building nature. You can in this way arouse his mental<br />powers into activity, and once aroused, they will assert<br />themselves and claim their own.<br /><br />We can accomplish a great deal more than many of us are ready to<br />believe by sending to another our direct, positive and<br />controlling suggestions of leadership, but whether a man is a<br />success or not is greatly determined by the way he acts on the<br />suggestions he receives.<br /><br />We either advance or decline. We never stand still. Every time we<br />accomplish something it gives us ability to do greater things.<br />The bigger the attempt undertaken, the greater the things<br />accomplished in the future. As a business grows, the head of the<br />business also has to grow. He must advance and be ever the<br />guiding influence. By his power to control, he inspires<br />confidence in those associated with him. Often employes are<br />superior to their employers in some qualities, and, if they had<br />studied, instead of neglected their development, they could have<br />been employers of more commanding influence than those whom they<br />serve.<br /><br />Through your mental power you can generate in another enthusiasm<br />and the spirit of success, which somehow furnishes an impetus to<br />do something worth while.<br /><br />In concentrated mental control, there is a latent power more<br />potent than physical force. The person becomes aware that the<br />attitude of the mind has a power of controlling, directing and<br />governing other forces. He has been placed in an attitude capable<br />of acquiring that which he desires.<br /><br />All of us no matter how strong we are, are affected by the mental<br />forces of our environment. There is no one that can remain<br />neutral to influences. The mind cannot be freed from the forces<br />of a place. If the environment of your place of business is not<br />helpful, it will be harmful. That is why a change of position<br />will often do a person a great deal of good.<br /><br />No person was ever intended to live alone. If you are shut up<br />with only your own thoughts you suffer from mental starvation.<br />The mind becomes narrow; the mental powers weaken. Living alone<br />often causes some of the milder forms of insanity. If children do<br />not play with those their own age, but associate with only older<br />people, they will take on the actions of the older people. The<br />same is true of older persons if they associate with people<br />younger than they are. They take on the spirit of youth. If you<br />wish to retain your youth you need the influences of youth. Like<br />attracts like all over the world.<br /><br />The thought element plays a great part in our lives. Every<br />business must not only command physical effort but it must also<br />command thought effort. There must be co-ordination of thought.<br />All employers should aim to secure employes that think along<br />similar lines. They will work in fuller sympathy with each other.<br />They will better understand each other. This enables them to help<br />each other, which would be utterly impossible if they were not in<br />sympathy with each other. It is this that goes to make up a<br />perfect organization, which directs and influences them toward<br />the one end. Instead of each person being a separate unit, each<br />one is like a spoke in a big wheel. Each member carries his own<br />load, and he would not think of shirking. Anyone working in such<br />an atmosphere could not help turning out his best work.<br /><br />All great leaders must be able to inspire this co-operative<br />spirit. They first secure assistance through their mental<br />control. They then make their assistants realize the value of<br />mental control. Soon there is a close bond between them; they are<br />working toward a single purpose. They profit by their combined<br />effort. The result is that they accomplish much.<br /><br />If your business is conducted in the right spirit, you can<br />instill your thoughts and your ideas into your employes. Your<br />methods and ideas become theirs. They don't know it, but your<br />mental forces are shaping their work. They are just as certain to<br />produce results as any physical force in nature.<br /><br />The up-to-date business man of the future is going to take pains<br />to get his employes to think and reason better. He will not want<br />them to become depressed or discouraged. There is time that<br />instead of being wasted he will endeavor to have them use in<br />concentrated effort that will be profitable to both employer and<br />employed. There must be more of the spirit of justice enter into<br />the business of the future.<br /><br />There is a firm I know that will not hire an employe until he has<br />filled out an application blank. No doubt those that fill it out<br />think it is foolishness, but it is not. A capable manager can<br />look over this application blank and pretty nearly tell if this<br />person will fit into his management. The main thing he wants to<br />know is the applicant's capacity for efficient co-operative<br />effort. He wants persons that have faith in themselves. He wants<br />them to realize that when they talk of misfortunes and become<br />blue they are likely to communicate the same depressing influence<br />to others. The up-to-date manager wants to guard against hiring<br />employes who will obstruct his success.<br /><br />You must realize that every moment spent in thinking of your<br />difficulties of the past, every moment spent in bad company is<br />attracting to you all that is bad; is attracting influences that<br />must be shaken off before you can advance.<br /><br />Many firms prefer to hire employes that never worked before so<br />that they have nothing to unlearn. They are then not trained, but<br />have no bad business habits to overcome. They are more easily<br />guided and grasp the new methods more effectively because they<br />are not contrary to what they have already learned. They are at<br />once started on the right road, and as they co-operate readily<br />they receive the mental support of the management in learning the<br />methods that have been perfected. This inspires confidence in<br />themselves and they soon become efficient and, finally, skilled<br />workers.<br /><br />Most big business firms today employ efficiency experts. Each day<br />or week they are in a different department. They earn their money<br />because they familiarize persons with very little business<br />experience with plans that has taken the "expert" years of<br />training and much money to perfect.<br /><br />The attitude we take has a great deal more to do with our success<br />than most of us realize. We must be able to generate those forces<br />that are helpful. There is a wonderful power in the thought<br />rightly controlled and projected and we must through<br />concentration develop this power to the fullest possible extent.<br /><br />We are surrounded by many forces of which we know but little at<br />present. Our knowledge of these is to be wonderfully increased.<br />Each year we learn more about these psychic forces which are full<br />of possibilities of which we are not even dimly conscious. We<br />must believe in mental control, learn more about it, and use it,<br />if we want to command these higher powers and forces which will<br />unquestionably direct the lives of countless future generations.<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON XIX. A CONCENTRATED WILL DEVELOPMENT<br /><br />New Method. You will find in this chapter a most effective and<br />most practical method of developing the will. You can develop a<br />strong one if you want to. You can make your Will a dynamo to<br />draw to you untold power. Exercises are given which will, if<br />practiced, strengthen your will, just as you would strengthen<br />your muscles by athletic exercises.<br /><br />In starting to do anything, we must first commence with<br />elementary principles. Simple exercises will be given. It is<br />impossible to estimate the ultimate good to be derived from the<br />mental cultivation that comes through these attempts at<br />concentration. Even the simple exercises are not to be thought<br />useless. "In no respect," writes Doctor Oppenheim, "can a man<br />show a finer quality of will-power than in his own private,<br />intimate life." We are all subjected to certain temptations. The<br />Will decides whether we will be just, or unjust; pure of thought;<br />charitable in opinion; forbearing in overlooking other's<br />shortcomings; whether we live up to our highest standard. Since<br />these are all controlled by the Will, we should find time for<br />plenty of exercises for training of the will in our daily life.<br /><br />You, of course, realize that your will should be trained. You<br />must also realize that to do this requires effort that you alone<br />can command. No one can call it forth for you.<br /><br />To be successful in these exercises you must practice them in a<br />spirit of seriousness and earnestness. I can show you how to<br />train your will, but your success depends upon your mastery and<br />application of these methods.<br /><br />New Methods of Will-Training. Select a quiet room where you will<br />not be interrupted; have a watch to determine the time, and a<br />note-book in which to enter observations. Start each exercise<br />with date and time of day.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 1<br /><br />Time decided on. Select some time of the day when most<br />convenient. Sit in a chair and look at the door-knob for ten<br />minutes. Then write down what you experienced. At first it will<br />seem strange and unnatural. You will find it hard to hold one<br />position for ten minutes. But keep as still as you can. The time<br />will seem long for it will probably be the first time you ever<br />sat and did nothing for ten minutes. You will find your thoughts<br />wandering from the door-knob, and you will wonder what there can<br />be in this exercise. Repeat this exercise for six days.<br /><br /> 10 P. M. 2nd Day.<br /><br />Notes. You should be able to sit quieter, and the time should<br />pass more quickly. You will probably feel a little stronger<br />because of gaining a better control of your will. It will brace<br />you up, as you have kept your resolution. 10 P. M. 3rd Day.<br /><br />Notes. It may be a little harder for you to concentrate on the<br />door-knob as perhaps you had a very busy day and your mind kept<br />trying to revert to what you had been doing during the day. Keep<br />on trying and you will finally succeed in banishing all foreign<br />thoughts. Then you should feel a desire to gain still more<br />control. There is a feeling of power that comes over you when you<br />are able to carry out your will. This exercise will make you feel<br />bigger and it awakens a sense of nobility and manliness. You will<br />say, "I find that I can actually do what I want to and can drive<br />foreign thoughts out. The exercise, I can now see, is valuable."<br /><br />10 P. M. 4th Day.<br /><br />Notes. "I found that I could look at the door-knob and<br />concentrate my attention on it at once. Have overcome the<br />tendency to move my legs. No other thoughts try to enter as I<br />have established the fact that I can do what I want to do and do<br />not have to be directed. I feel that I am gaining in mental<br />strength, I can now see the wonderful value of being the master<br />of my own will-force. I know now if I make a resolution I will<br />keep it. I have more self-confidence and can feel my self-control<br />increasing.<br /><br />10 P. M. 5th Day.<br /><br />Notes. "Each day I seem to increase the intensity of my<br />concentration. I feel that I can center my attention on anything<br />I wish.<br /><br />10 P. M. 6th Day.<br /><br />Notes. "I can instantly center my whole attention on the<br />door-knob. Feel that I have thoroughly mastered this exercise and<br />that I am ready for another."<br /><br />You have practiced this exercise enough, but before you start<br />another I want you to write a summary of just how successful you<br />were in controlling the flitting impulses of the mind and will.<br />You will find this an excellent practice. There is nothing more<br />beneficial to the mind than to pay close attention to its own<br />wonderful, subtle activities.<br /><br /><br />Exercise 2<br /><br />Secure a package of playing cards. Select some time to do the<br />exercise. Each day at the appointed time, take the pack in one<br />hand and then start laying them down on top of each other just as<br />slowly as you can, with an even motion. Try to get them as even<br />as possible. Each card laid down should completely cover the<br />under one. Do this exercise for six days.<br /><br />1st Day.<br /><br />Notes. Task will seem tedious and tiresome. Requires the closest<br />concentration to make each card completely cover the preceding<br />one. You will probably want to lay them down faster. It requires<br />patience to lay them down so slowly, but benefit is lost if not<br />so placed. You will find that at first your motions will be jerky<br />and impetuous. It will require a little practice before you gain<br />an easy control over your hands and arms. You probably have never<br />tried to do anything in such a calm way. It will require the<br />closest attention of your will. But you will find that you are<br />acquiring a calmness you never had before. You are gradually<br />acquiring new powers. You recognize how impulsive and impetuous<br />you have been, and how, by using your will, you can control your<br />temperament.<br /><br />2nd Day.<br /><br />Notes. You start laying the cards down slowly. You will find that<br />by practice you can lay them down much faster. But you want to<br />lay them down slowly and therefore you have to watch yourself.<br />The slow, steady movement is wearisome. You have to conquer the<br />desire of wanting to hurry up. Soon you will find that you can go<br />slowly or fast at will.<br /><br />3rd Day.<br /><br />Notes. You still find it hard to go slowly. Your will urges you<br />to go faster. This is especially true if you are impulsive, as<br />the impulsive character finds it very difficult to do anything<br />slowly and deliberately. It goes against the "grain." This<br />exercise still is tiresome. But when you do it, it braces you up<br />mentally. You are accomplishing something you do not like to do.<br />It teaches you how to concentrate on disagreeable tasks. Writing<br />these notes down you will find very helpful.<br /><br />4th Day.<br /><br />Notes. I find that I am beginning to place the cards in a<br />mathematical way. I find one card is not completely covering<br />another. I am getting a little careless and must be more careful.<br />I command my will to concentrate more. It does not seem so hard<br />to bring it under control.<br /><br />5th Day.<br /><br />Notes. I find that I am overcoming my jerky movements, that I can<br />lay the cards down slowly and steadily. I feel that I am rapidly<br />gaining more poise. I am getting better control over my will each<br />day, and my will completely controls my movements. I begin to<br />look on my will as a great governing power. I would not think of<br />parting with the knowledge of will I have gained. I find it is a<br />good exercise and know it will help me to accomplish my tasks. <br /><br />6th Day.<br /><br />Notes. I begin to feel the wonderful possibilities of the will.<br />It gives me strength to think of the power of will. I am able to<br />do so much more and better work now, that I realize that I can<br />control my will action. Whatever my task, my will is concentrated<br />on it. I am to keep my will centered there until the task is<br />finished. The more closely and definitely I determine what I<br />shall do, the more easily the will carries it out. Determination<br />imparts compelling force to the will. It exerts itself more. The<br />will and the end act and react on each other.<br /><br />7th Day.<br /><br />Notes. Now try to do everything you do today faster. Don't hurry<br />or become nervous. Just try to do everything faster, but in a<br />steady manner.<br /><br />You will find that the exercises you have practiced in<br />retardation have steadied your nerves, and thereby made it<br />possible to increase your speed. The will is under your command.<br />Make it carry out resolutions rapidly. This is how you build up<br />your self-control and your self-command. It is then that the<br />human machine acts as its author dictates.<br /><br />You certainly should now be able to judge of the great benefit<br />that comes from writing out your introspections each day. Of<br />course you will not have the exact experiences given in these<br />examples, but some of these will fit your case. Be careful to<br />study your experiences carefully and make as true a report as you<br />can. Describe your feelings just as they seem to you. Allow your<br />fancies to color your report and it will be worthless. You have<br />pictured conditions as you see them. In a few months, if you<br />again try the same exercises, you will find your report very much<br />better. By these introspections, we learn to know ourselves<br />better and with this knowledge can wonderfully increase our<br />efficiency. As you become used to writing out your report, it<br />will be more accurate. You thus learn how to govern your<br />impulses, activities and weaknesses.<br /><br />Each person should try to plan exercises that will best fit his<br />needs. If not convenient for you to practice exercises every day,<br />take them twice or three times a week. But carry out any plan you<br />decide to try. If you cannot devote ten minutes a day to the<br />experiments start with five minutes and gradually increase the<br />time. The exercises given are only intended for examples.<br /><br />Will Training Without Exercise. There are many people that do not<br />want to take the time to practice exercises, so the following<br />instructions for training the will are given to them.<br /><br />By willing and realizing, the will grows. Therefore the more you<br />will, the more it grows, and builds up power. No matter whether<br />your task is big or small, make it a rule to accomplish it in<br />order to fortify your will. Form the habit of focusing your will<br />in all its strength upon the subject to be achieved. You form in<br />this way the habit of getting a thing done, of carrying out some<br />plan. You acquire the feeling of being able to accomplish that<br />which lies before you, no matter what it is. This gives you<br />confidence and a sense of power that you get in no other way. You<br />know when you make a resolution that you will keep it. You do not<br />tackle new tasks in a half-hearted way, but with a bold, brave<br />spirit. We know that the will is able to carry us over big<br />obstacles. Knowing this despair never claims us for a victim. We<br />have wills and are going to use them with more and more<br />intensity, thus giving us the power to make our resolutions<br />stronger, our actions freer and our lives finer and better.<br /><br />The education of the will should not be left to chance. It is<br />only definite tasks that will render it energetic, ready,<br />persevering and consistent. The only way it can be done is by<br />self-study and self-discipline. The cost is effort, time and<br />patience, but the returns are valuable. There are no magical<br />processes leading to will development, but the development of<br />your will works wonders for you because it gives you<br />self-mastery, personal power and energy of character.<br /><br />Concentration of the Will to Win. The adaptability of persons to<br />their business environment is more a matter of determination than<br />anything else. In this age we hear a good deal of talk about a<br />man's aptitudes. Some of his aptitudes, some of his powers, may<br />be developed to a wonderful extent, but he is really an unknown<br />quality until all his latent powers are developed to their<br />highest possible extent. He may be a failure in one line and a<br />big success in another. There are many successful men, that did<br />not succeed well at what they first undertook, but they profited<br />by their efforts in different directions, and this fitted them<br />for higher things, whereas had they refused to adjust themselves<br />to their environment, the tide of progress would have swept them<br />into oblivion.<br /><br />My one aim in all my works is to try and arouse in the individual<br />the effort and determination to develop his full capacities, his<br />highest possibilities. One thing I want you to realize at the<br />start, that it is not so much ability, as it is the will to do<br />that counts. Ability is very plentiful, but organizing initiative<br />and creative power are not plentiful. It is easy to get employes,<br />but to get someone to train them is harder. Their abilities must<br />be directed to the work they can do. They must be shown how,<br />while at this work, to conserve their energy and they must be<br />taught to work in harmony with others, for most business concerns<br />are dominated by a single personality.<br /><br />Concentrating on Driving Force Within. We are all conscious, at<br />times, that we have somewhere within us an active driving force<br />that is ever trying to push us onward to better deeds. It is that<br />"force" that makes us feel determined at times to do something<br />worth while. It is not thought, emotion or feeling. This driving<br />force is something distinct from thought or emotion. It is a<br />quality of the soul and therefore it has a consciousness all its<br />own. It is the "I will do" of the will. It is the force that<br />makes the will concentrate. Many have felt this force working<br />within them, driving them on to accomplish their tasks. All great<br />men and women become conscious that this supreme and powerful<br />force is their ally in carrying out great resolutions.<br /><br />This driving force is within all, but until you reach a certain<br />stage you do not become aware of it. It is most useful to the<br />worthy. It springs up naturally without any thought of training.<br />It comes unprovoked and leaves unnoticed. Just what this force is<br />we do not know, but we do know that it is what intensifies the<br />will in demanding just and harmonious action.<br /><br /><br />The ordinary human being, merely as merchandise, if he could be<br />sold as a slave, would be worth ten thousand dollars. If somebody<br />gave you a five thousand dollar automobile you would take very<br />good care of it. You wouldn't put sand in the carburetor, or mix<br />water with the gasoline, or drive it furiously over rough roads,<br />or leave it out to freeze at night.<br /><br />Are you quite sure that you take care of your own body, your own<br />health, your only real property, as well as you would take care<br />of a five thousand dollar automobile if it were given to you?<br /><br />The man who mixes whiskey with his blood is more foolish than a<br />man would be if he mixed water with gasoline in his car.<br /><br />You can get another car; you cannot get another body.<br /><br />The man who misses sleep lives irregularly--bolts his food so<br />that his blood supply is imperfect. That is a foolish man<br />treating himself as he would not treat any other valuable piece<br />of property.<br /><br />Do you try to talk with men and women who know more than you do,<br />and do you LISTEN rather than try to tell them what you know?<br /><br />There are a hundred thousand men of fifty, and men of sixty,<br />running along in the old rut, any one of whom could get out of it<br />and be counted among the successful men if only the spark could<br />be found to explode the energy within them now going to waste.<br /><br />Each man must study and solve his own problem.<br /><br /><br /><br />LESSON XX. CONCENTRATION REVIEWED<br /><br />In bringing this book to a close, I again want to impress you<br />with the inestimable value of concentration, because those that<br />lack this great power or, rather that fail to develop it, will<br />generally suffer from poverty and unhappiness and their life's<br />work will most often be a failure, while those that develop and<br />use it will make the most of life's opportunities,<br /><br />I have tried to make these lessons practical and I am sure that<br />many will find them so. Of course the mere reading of them will<br />not do you a great deal of good, but, if the exercises are<br />practiced and worked out and applied to your own individual case,<br />you should be able to acquire the habit of concentration in such<br />measure as to greatly improve your work and increase your<br />happiness.<br /><br />But remember the best instruction can only help you to the extent<br />to which you put it into practice. I have found it an excellent<br />idea to read a book through first, and then re-read it, and when<br />you come to an idea that appeals to you, stop and think about it,<br />then if applicable to you, repeat it over and over, that you will<br />be impressed by it. In this way you can form the habit of picking<br />out all the good things you read and these will have a wonderful<br />influence on your character.<br /><br />In this closing chapter, I want to impress you to concentrate on<br />what you do, instead of performing most of your work<br />unconsciously or automatically, until you have formed habits that<br />give you the mastery of your work and your life powers and<br />forces.<br /><br />Very often the hardest part of work is thinking about it. When<br />you get right into it, it does not seem so disagreeable. This is<br />the experience of many when they first commence to learn how to<br />concentrate. So never think it a difficult task, but undertake it<br />with the "I Will Spirit" and you will find that its acquirement<br />will be as easy as its application will be useful.<br /><br />Read the life of any great man, and you will generally find that<br />the dominant quality that made him successful was the ability to<br />concentrate. Study those that have been failures and you will<br />often find that lack of concentration was the cause.<br /><br />"One thing at a time, and that done will<br /><br />Is a good rule as I can tell."<br /><br />All men are not born with equal powers, but it is the way they<br />are used that counts. "Opportunity knocks at every man's door."<br />Those that are successful hear the knock and grasp the chance.<br />The failures believe that luck and circumstances are against<br />them. They always blame someone else instead of themselves for<br />their lack of success. We get what is coming to us, nothing more<br />or less. Anything within the universe is within your grasp. Just<br />use your latent powers and it is yours. You are aided by both<br />visible and invisible forces when you concentrate on either "to<br />do" or "to be."<br /><br />Everyone is capable of some concentration, for without it you<br />would be unable to say or do anything. People differ in the power<br />to concentrate because some are unable to Will to hold the<br />thought in mind for the required time. The amount of<br />determination used determines who has the strongest will. No<br />one's is stronger than yours. Think of this whenever you go<br />against a strong opponent.<br /><br />Never say "I can't concentrate today." You can do it just the<br />minute you say "I will." You can keep your thoughts from<br />straying, just the same as you can control your arms. When once<br />you realize this fact, you can train the will to concentrate on<br />anything you wish. If it wanders, it is your fault. You are not<br />utilizing your will. But, don't blame it on your will and say it<br />is weak. The will is just the same whether you act as if it were<br />weak or as if it were strong. When you act as if your will is<br />strong you say, "I can." When you act as if it were weak you say,<br />"I can't." It requires the same amount of effort, in each case.<br /><br />Some men get in the habit of thinking "I can't" and they fail.<br />Others think "I can" and succeed. So remember, it is for you to<br />decide whether you will join the army of "I can't" or "I can."<br /><br />The big mistake with so many is that they don't realize that when<br />they say "I can't," they really say, "I won't try." You can not<br />tell what you can do until you try. "Can't" means you will not<br />try. Never say you cannot concentrate, for, when you do, you are<br />really saying that you refuse to try.<br /><br />Whenever you feel like saying, "I can't," say instead, "I possess<br />all will and I can use as much as I wish." You only use as much<br />as you have trained yourself to use.<br /><br />An Experiment to Try. Before going to bed tonight, repeat, "I am<br />going to choose my own thoughts, and to hold them as long as I<br />choose. I am going to shut out all thoughts that weaken or<br />interfere; that make me timid. My Will is as strong as anyone's<br />else. While going to work the next morning, repeat this over.<br />Keep this up for a month and you will find you will have a better<br />opinion of yourself. These are the factors that make you a<br />success. Hold fast to them always.<br /><br />Concentration is nothing but willing to do a certain thing. All<br />foreign thoughts can be kept out by willing that they stay out.<br />You cannot realize your possibilities until you commence to<br />direct your mind. You then do consciously what you have before<br />done unconsciously. In this way you note mistakes, overcome bad<br />habits and perfect your conduct.<br /><br />You have at times been in a position that required courage and<br />you were surprised at the amount you showed. Now, when once you<br />arouse yourself, you have this courage all the time and it is not<br />necessary to have a special occasion reveal it to you. My object<br />in so strongly impressing this on your mind is to make you aware<br />that the same courage, the same determination that you show at<br />certain exceptionable times you have at your command at all<br />times. It is a part of your vast resources. Use it often and<br />well, in working out the highest destiny of which you are<br />capable.<br /><br />Final Concentration Instruction. You now realize that, in order<br />to make your life worthy, useful and happy, you must concentrate.<br />A number of exercises and all the needed instruction has been<br />given. It now remains for you to form the highest ideal that you<br />can in the present and live up to that ideal, and try to raise<br />it. Don't waste your time in foolish reading. Select something<br />that is inspiring, that you may become enrapport with those that<br />think thoughts that are worth while. Their enthusiasm will<br />inspire and enlighten you. Read slowly and concentrate on what<br />you are reading. Let your spirit and the spirit of the author<br />commune, and you will then sense what is between the lines--those<br />great things which words cannot express.<br /><br />Pay constant attention to one and one thing only for a given time<br />and you will soon be able to concentrate. Hang on to that thought<br />ceaselessly until you have attained your object. When you work,<br />let your mind dwell steadily on your task. Think before you speak<br />and direct your conversation to the subject under discussion. Do<br />not ramble. Talk slowly, steadily and connectedly. Never form the<br />hurry habit, but be deliberate in all you do. Assume static<br />attitudes without moving a finger or an eyelid, or any part of<br />your body. Read books that treat of but one continuous subject.<br />Read long articles and recall the thread of the argument.<br />Associate yourself with people who are steady, patient and<br />tireless in their thought, action and work. See how long you can<br />sit still and think on one subject without interruption.<br /><br />Concentrating on the Higher Self. Father Time keeps going on and<br />on. Every day he rolls around means one less day for you on this<br />planet. Most of us only try to master the external conditions of<br />this world. We think our success and happiness depends on us<br />doing so. These are of course important and I don't want you to<br />think they are not, but I want you to realize that when death<br />comes, only those inherent and acquired qualities and conditions<br />within the mentality--your character, conduct and soul<br />growth--will go with you. If these are what they should be, you<br />need not be afraid of not being successful and happy, for with<br />these qualities you can mold external materials and conditions.<br /><br />Study yourself. Find Your Strong Points And Make Them Stronger As<br />Well As Yo Weak Ones And Strengthen Them. Study yourself<br />carefully and you will see yourself as you really are.<br /><br />The secret of accomplishment is concentration, or the art of<br />turning all your power upon just one point at a time.<br /><br />If you have studied yourself carefully you should have a good<br />line on yourself, and should be able to make the proper interior<br />re-adjustments. Remember first, last, and always, Right thinking<br />and right Living necessarily results in happiness, and it is<br />therefore within your power to obtain happiness. Anyone that is<br />not happy does not claim their birthright.<br /><br />Keep in mind that some day you are going to leave this world and<br />think of what you will take with you. This will assist you to<br />concentrate on the higher forces. Now start from this minute, to<br />act according to the advice of the higher self in everything you<br />do. If you do, its ever harmonious forces will necessarily insure<br />to you a successful fulfilment of all your life purposes.<br />Whenever you feel tempted to disobey your higher promptings, hold<br />the thought<br /><br />"My-higher-self-insures-to-me-the-happiness-of-doing-that-which<br />-best-answers-my-true-relations-to-all-others."<br /><br />You possess latent talents, that when developed and utilized are<br />of assistance to you and others. But if you do not properly use<br />them, you shirk your duty, and you will be the loser and suffer<br />from the consequences. Others will also be worse off if you do<br />not fulfil your obligations.<br /><br />When you have aroused into activity your thought powers you will<br />realize the wonderful value of these principles in helping you to<br />carry out your plans. The right in the end must prevail. You can<br />assist in the working out of the great plan of the universe and<br />thereby gain the reward, or you can work against the great plan<br />and suffer the consequences. The all consuming fires are<br />gradually purifying all discordant elements. If you choose to<br />work contrary to the law you will burn in its crucible, so I want<br />you to learn to concentrate intelligently on becoming in harmony<br />with your higher self. Hold the thought:<br />"I-will-live-for-my-best. I-seek-wisdom, self-knowledge,<br />happiness-and-power-to-help-others. I-act-from-the-higher-self,<br />therefore-only-the-best-can-come-to-me. The more we become<br />conscious of the presence of the higher self the more we should<br />try to become a true representative of the human soul in all its<br />wholeness and holiness, instead of wasting our time dwelling on<br />some trifling external quality or defect. We should try to secure<br />a true conception of what we really are so as not to over value<br />the external furnishings. You will then not surrender your<br />dignity or self respect, when others ignorantly make a display of<br />material things to show off. Only the person that realizes that<br />he is a permanent Being knows what the true self is.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-72574148880818603582010-04-09T19:04:00.000-07:002010-04-09T19:05:15.017-07:00RELATIONSHIPS and MARRIAGE 101RELATIONSHIPS and MARRIAGE 101 - RECOMMENDED READING MATERIAL!!<br /><br />PARTNERS AND MARRIAGE By Eduardo Jose E. Calasanz<br /><br />I have never met a man who didn’t want to be loved. But I have seldom met a man who didn’t fear marriage. Something about the closure seems constricting, not enabling. Marriage seems easier to understand for what it cuts out of our lives than for what it makes possible within our lives.<br /><br />When I was younger this fear immobilized me. I did not want to make a mistake. I saw my friends get married for reasons of social acceptability, or sexual fever, or just because they thought it was the logical thing to do. Then I watched, as they and their partners became embittered and petty in their dealings with each other. I looked at older couples and saw, at best, mutual toleration of each other. I imagined a lifetime of loveless nights and bickering and could not imagine subjecting myself or someone else to such a fate.<br /><br />And yet, on rare occasions, I would see old couples who somehow seemed to glow in each other’s presence. They seemed really in love, not just dependent upon each other and tolerant of each other’s foibles. It was an astounding sight, and it seemed impossible.<br /><br />How, I asked myself, can they have survived so many years of sameness, so much irritation at the other’s habits? What keeps love alive in them, when most of us seem unable to even stay together, much less love each other?<br /><br />The central secret seems to be in choosing well. There is something to the claim of fundamental compatibility. Good people can create a bad relationship, even though they both dearly want the relationship to succeed. It is important to find someone with whom you can create a good relationship from the outset. Unfortunately, it is hard to see clearly in the early stages.<br /><br />Sexual hunger draws you to each other and colors the way you see yourselves together. It blinds you to the thousands of little things by which relationships eventually survive or fail. You need to find a way to see beyond this initial overwhelming sexual fascination. Some people choose to involve themselves sexually and ride out the most heated period of sexual attraction in order to see what is on the other side. This can work, but it can also leave a trail of wounded hearts. Others deny the sexual side altogether in an attempt to get to know each other apart from their sexuality. But they cannot see clearly, because the presence of unfulfilled sexual desire looms so large that it keeps them from having any normal perception of what life would be like together.<br /><br />The truly lucky people are the ones who manage to become long- time friends before they realize they are attracted to each other. They get to know each other’s laughs, passions, sadness, and fears. They see each other at their worst and at their best. They share time together before they get swept into the entangling intimacy of their sexuality.<br /><br />This is the ideal, but not often possible. If you fall under the spell of your sexual attraction immediately, you need to look beyond it for other keys to compatibility.<br /><br />One of these is laughter. Laughter tells you how much you will enjoy each other’s company over the long term. If your laughter together is good and healthy, and not at the expense of others, then you have a healthy relationship to the world. Laughter is the child of surprise. If you can make each other laugh, you can always surprise each other. And if you can always surprise each other, you can always keep the world around you new. Beware of a relationship in which there is no laughter. Even the most intimate relationships based only on seriousness have a tendency to turn sour. Over time, sharing a common serious viewpoint on the world tends to turn you against those who do not share the same viewpoint, and your relationship can become based on being critical together.<br /><br />After laughter, look for a partner who deals with the world in a way you respect. When two people first get together, they tend to see their relationship as existing only in the space between the two of them. They find each other endlessly fascinating, and the overwhelming power of the emotions they are sharing obscures the outside world. As the relationship ages and grows, the outside world becomes important again. If your partner treats people or circumstances in a way you can’t accept, you will inevitably come to grief. Look at the way she cares for others and deals with the daily affairs of life. If that makes you love her more, your love will grow. If it does not, be careful. If you do not respect the way you each deal with the world around you, eventually the two of you will not respect each other.<br /><br />Look also at how your partner confronts the mysteries of life. We live on the cusp of poetry and practicality, and the real life of the heart resides in the poetic. If one of you is deeply affected by the mystery of the unseen in life and relationships, while the other is drawn only to the literal and the practical, you must take care that the distancedoesn’t become an unbridgeable gap that leaves you each feeling isolated and misunderstood.<br /><br />There are many other keys, but you must find them by yourself. We all have unchangeable parts of our hearts that we will not betray and private commitments to a vision of life that we will not deny. If you fall in love with someone who cannot nourish those inviolable parts of you, or if you cannot nourish them in her, you will find yourselves growing further apart until you live in separate worlds where you share the business of life, but never touch each other where the heart lives and dreams. From there it is only a small leap to the cataloging of petty hurts and daily failures that leaves so many couples bitter and unsatisfied with their mates.<br /><br />So choose carefully and well. If you do, you will have chosen a partner with whom you can grow, and then the real miracle of marriage can take place in your hearts. I pick my words carefully when I speak of a miracle. But I think it is not too strong a word. There is a miracle in marriage. It is called transformation. Transformation is one of the most common events of nature. The seed becomes the flower. The cocoon becomes the butterfly. Winter becomes spring and love becomes a child. We never question these, because we see them around us every day. To us they are not miracles, though if we did not know them they would be impossible to believe. Marriage is a transformation we choose to make.<br /><br />Our love is planted like a seed, and in time it begins to flower. We cannot know the flower that will blossom, but we can be sure that a bloom will come. If you have chosen carefully and wisely, the bloom will be good. If you have chosen poorly or for the wrong reason, the bloom will be flawed. We are quite willing to accept the reality of negative transformation in a marriage. It was negative transformation that always had me terrified of the bitter marriages that I feared when I was younger.<br /><br />It never occurred to me to question the dark miracle that transformed love into harshness and bitterness. Yet I was unable to accept the possibility that the first heat of love could be transformed into something positive that was actually deeper and more meaningful than the heat of fresh passion. All I could believe in was the power of this passion and the fear that when it cooled I would be left with something lesser and bitter. But there is positive transformation as well. Like negative transformation, it results from a slow accretion of little things. But instead of death by a thousand blows, it is growth by a thousand touches of love. Two histories intermingle. Two separate beings, two separate presence, two separate consciousnesses come together and share a view of life that passes before them. They remain separate, but they also become one.<br /><br />There is an expansion of awareness, not a closure and a constriction, as I had once feared. This is not to say that there is not tension and there are not traps. Tension and traps are part of every choice of life, from celibate to monogamous to having multiple lovers. Each choice contains within it the lingering doubt that the road not taken somehow more fruitful and exciting, and each becomes dulled to the richness that it alone contains.But only marriage allows life to deepen and expand and be leavened by the knowledge that two have chosen, against all odds, to become one. Those who live together without marriage can know the pleasure of shared company, but there is a specific gravity in the marriage commitment that deepens that experience into something richer and more complex. So do not fear marriage, just as you should not rush into it for the wrong reasons. It is an act of faith and it contains within it the power of transformation.<br /><br />If you believe in your heart that you have found someone with whom you are able to grow, if you have sufficient faith that you can resist the endless attraction of the road not taken and the partner not chosen, if you have the strength of heart to embrace the cycles and seasons that your love will experience, then you may be ready to seek the miracle that marriage offers. If not, then wait. The easy grace of a marriage well made is worth your patience. When the time comes, a thousand flowers will bloom… endlessly.<br /><br />So what do you think?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-66859140246398079822010-04-09T19:01:00.000-07:002010-04-09T19:02:49.745-07:00Stress in Life - A Good ReadSubject: Stress in Life - A Good Read<br /> Stress is one of the deadliest curses of the modern age.<br /><br />The most dreaded diseases that afflict man like chronic nervous tension, heart trouble, and cancer have been found to be stress-related. Stress is caused by leading a fast, complicated, and nerve-wracking lifestyle. We constantly find that there is neither enough time nor resources to do the things we want or need to do, leaving us feeling agitated, harassed, frantic, and continually on edge. To be able to cope with the growing complexity and pressures of life that confront us daily, we need to de-stress by slowing down and voluntarily simplifying our lives. Voluntary life simplification is not about being miserable, poor or deprived. It is about knowing your true values, goals, and priorities so you can focus on them, and discard all the other matters that just add tension and confusion to your existence. Don't let stress wear you down. Discover through thoughtful analysis of your values, lifestyle, and goals what is "enough" or just "perfectly right" for you. With voluntary life simplification, you can save your health and sanity, and maximize your capacity to savor and enjoy life.<br /><br /> 1. Take a vow of voluntary life simplicity. Take a pen and a sheet of paper and write down the things that complicate, harass, and bring tension into your life. Come up with creative ideas to counter these for a less stressful and more meaningful life.<br /><br /> 2. Slow down. If you constantly find yourself racing against the clock, take a deep breath and calm down. You must learn to simplify your day-to-day schedule and live a more balanced, deliberate, and purposeful life. Most important of all, learn to say no to people and<br />activities that you can do well without.<br /><br /> 3. De-clutter. Most of us have an excessive preoccupation with "things" and having or collecting them. Control your compulsive consumer habits or shopping/buying addiction and minimize your material possessions. Life will<br />be so much easier when you travel light.<br /><br /> 4. Detoxify. As a result of watching too many commercials coupled with our excessive obsession to stay young, beautiful, and healthy, most of us take too much vitamins, use too much shampoos and detergents, apply too much makeup and beauty products, etc. Detoxify your body inside out; let it breathe freely, and nurture itself naturally.<br /><br /> 5. De-tech. Technological advance-ments sometimes prove to complicate our lives rather than bring convenience. No, you don't have to ditch your cell phone, e-mail or voice mail; stay connected but not too connected that you end up stressed and harassed. Turn off your cell phone once in a while (and have refreshing, momentary peace), and watch less TV (it is a time thief!).<br /><br /> 6. Practice time management. We all have the same 24 hours in one day yet some people are more productive with their time than others. Their secret? They know how to manage and use their time wisely. Make a daily to-do list of your activities, prioritize them, and stick to your schedule.<br /><br /> 7. Downsize your career ambitions. If your career seems to endanger your physical, emotional, and mental sanity, re-plan and downsize it. Our obsession to be ahead in the rat race often leads to disturbing anxieties, frustrations and, ultimately, diseases. Be realistic about your career and business goals, and save your life.<br /><br /> 8. Delegate. Face it, you cannot do everything yourself; delegate chores at home and at the office. Ask for help; get a secretary or assistant, employ a cleaning lady once a week, have your clothes laundered. The time you will save will be priceless if used to devote to things that mean so much to you like spending quality time with your kids, or learning life-improvement skills in schools and seminars.<br /><br /> 9. Give up unnecessary things and activities. By force of habit or what conveniently term "sentimental reasons," we tend to hang on to things and activities that no longer serve a purpose in our lives. Ask, "Is this thing relevant and does it serve a purpose at this stage of my life?" If them answer is no, discard it.<br /><br /> 10. Get out of debt. People who stay in debt are faced by the continuous nuisance of receiving and dealing with threatening collection notices. Being in debt puts you under intense stress; settle your debts right away or do it gradually but diligently if you cannot pay upfront. Avoid the temptation of further buying on credit.<br /><br /> 11. Say goodbye to negative or toxic people. Simplifying your life may mean getting rid of some people, too. Be selective with friends and social circles you join. Make sure you build relationships with good, sincere, loving, supportive, and nurturing people. Avoid negative<br />or toxic people; they can dampen your enthusiasm and drain your energy.<br /><br /> 12. Avoid information overload. In this day and age of worldwide information technology, we are all bound to be saturated with info and ideas that may not be relevant or useful in our lives. Choose and filter the amount and quality of information you expose yourself to. Being flooded with stimuli can overwhelm and confuse you, and can be an enormous source of stress.<br /><br /> 13. Spring clean. Spring cleaning doesn't just involve cleaning up your home and work spaces and editing your accumulation of trinkets and junk. It also entails spiritual cleansing and renewal. This may mean settling unresolved issues with relatives and loved ones, and even social and professional associates. Go to a gym for an energizing workout or a spa once in a while for a relaxing body massage.<br /><br /> 14. Go back to nature living. Connect yourself with the earth more, and live off the land. Grow your own organic vegetables and fruits, opt to use natural products (not synthetic), and choose to eat unprocessed foods. You are a child of the earth and your health as well as the<br />earth's beauty, safety, and well-being depends on you.<br /><br /> 15. Live in the moment. Learn to relax and take your time, and preoccupy yourself with the present. Don't agonize over the past because it's gone and don't be anxious over the future because it is still to come. Learn to relish the now, and take time to pause and feel the fresh wind. Most of all, try never to worry.<br /><br /> <br /> "Happiness comes from within, and rests most securely on simple goodness and clear conscience." <br /><br />William OgdenAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-33634056501192689592010-04-05T01:28:00.011-07:002010-04-09T18:58:21.394-07:00just a thought.....In life there is always a choice....<br /><br /> Sometimes we forget and sometimes we just want to forget. According to experts in science, a CHOICE is a mind's game. it's not about being right or wrong but the will that drives a man to make a decision in which he believes that this will make a big difference in his life.<br /><br />Did you know that when it comes to CHOICES, women and men think differently? How So? Men don't think much as women does. Men's answers are limited and they are easily pleased where as women, they tend to change from one answer to another. They analyze. you know why? because according to women's nature, they use another key ingredient in that is what we call emotion. Once a choice has been made they level in the capacity of emotion, together, they make a perfect combination. Women believed that it keeps the balance of life. and that keeps women sane.<br /><br />The most popular Choice that man ever made is what we call PERSONAL CHOICE.<br /><br />If you check the percentage of suicide, men has the highest percentage of incident than women. Women on the other hand, would rather choose to be inside an asylum than be dead. you know why? because they knew that once you end your life, you will never find peace but rather pain. They would rather choose to find the path to redemption though it will take time, they know they will find it. <br /><br />Now a days, because of the things happening around us, we tend to adapt to our environment and little by little we change.<br /><br />If you analyze the difference between men and women now, they're not that different no more. God created men and women to have their own weaknesses and strengths.<br /><br />We forget the purpose why we are created according to his will. And through our personal choices we tend to fight for what we thought is right.<br /><br />Always remember, that there are other ways to understand the difference between genders. All you need to do is ask...<br /><br />just a thought.... what do you think?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-65355823214461075182010-04-05T01:07:00.000-07:002010-04-05T01:12:13.681-07:00The Right Habits<span style="font-weight:bold;">The Right Habits</span><br /><br />Let’s look a little closer at the meaning of the word habit. Random House dictionary defines habit in this way:<br /><br />Habit: An acquired behaviour pattern regularly followed until it becomes almost involuntary.<br />The important words in this definition are acquired and almost involuntary. Let me ask you a question. When is the last time you sat down and said to yourself? “Today I am going to add a new habit to my life?” I guess that you have probably never said those words. So what is a positive habit? A positive habit is simply a habit that produces positive benefits, actions and attitudes you want to acquire and make part of your life. Why is there such great power in positive habits to effect change? Because habits; by their very nature, are automatic.After a period of time they can become permanent.<br />So how do we go about adding new positive habit’s to our life? It’s really quite simple.<br /><br />You simply begin repeating an action, attitude or thought process every day for at least 21 days.<br />Research has shown that an action that is repeated for a minimum of 21 days is likely to become a habit.<br />Remember that positive habits have positive benefits and you will reap those benefits for as long as you maintain that habit.<br /><br />Brian Tracy states the Law of Habit as: -<br />“In the absence of a specific decision on your part to change some aspect of your life, the natural tendency will be to go on the same way indefinitely. Ninety-five percent of what we do is habit.”<br />You can create a new habit by just repeating an activity over and over again for approximately 21 days<br /><br />An explanation of habit by way of a poem<br /><br />I am your constant companion<br />I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden<br />I will push you onward or drag you down to failure<br />I am completely at your command<br />Half the things you do, you might just as well turn them over to me,<br />And I will be able to do them quickly and correctly<br />I am easily managed; you must be firm with me<br />Show me exactly how you want something done, and after a<br />Few lessons I will do it automatically<br />I am the servant of all great men<br />And, alas, of all failures as well<br />Those who are great, I have made great<br />Those who are failures, I have made failures<br />I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision<br />of a machine. Plus, the intelligence of a man<br />You may run me for profit, or run me for ruin; it makes no<br />difference to me.<br />Take me, train me, be firm with me and I will put the world<br />At your feet<br />Be easy with me, and I will destroy you<br />Who am I?<br />I am a HABIT!<br />- Author Unknown<br /><br /><br />Kick Your Bad Habit – And Keep it Away for Good Getting started on a bad habit is easy, but quitting it can be very difficult. So how do you quit a bad habit you’ve been meaning to? Well, if you’re looking for answers; Here are some tips on making a bad habit a thing of the past.<br /><br />1. Define Your Goals.<br />First, you have to identify the habit you are trying to kick out. This is the most important step in kicking a habit. If you don’t accept that you have a problem, you won’t be able to solve it. Write it down and why you want to rid yourself of it. When you have written it down, proceed to naming your goals. If<br />your goal is to lose weight or quit smoking, then state it boldly.<br /><br />Along with the goal, you will need to state why you wish to change then add some other data, such as schedules and plans for quitting the habit in question. When defining your goals, try not to make the mistake of putting in an unrealistic goal. This will only serve to frustrate your attempts,<br />and you could very well see yourself falling back on your old habit!<br /><br />2. Get Help. <br />You should realize that there are things that are best solved with the help of a friend. A bad habit is one of them. Support groups are a wonderful way to suppress your quitting efforts. Knowing that there are people who are going through the same things you are going through, and who support you emotionally and physically, can greatly increase your will and ability to deal with a bad habit.<br /><br />3. Substitution. <br />When trying to quit a habit, the stress and anxiety that follows an episode when you cannot get the result you want can be truly unnerving. One technique to help you overcome this is to try substitution. The best way to quit a habit is to replace it with another habit – one you wish to acquire for your benefit. As Og Mandino would say you can only replace one habit by overwriting it with another more desirable one.<br /><br />4. Keep Track of Your Progress.<br />Progress always is a great motivator for people to stop a habit. To avoid thinking that you are going nowhere, keep a log of your quitting journey, this will encourage you when you think you are not making progress. And most importantly reward yourself for every milestone you achieve. Don’t make the milestones too big – small steps are best. This is a good way to encourage you towards your goal.<br />To help you stay on track and put your life on autopilot for success we recommend the program “The Power of Positive Habits” "If greater success, improved self-esteem and happiness are your<br />life destinations, The Power of Positive Habits can take you there! This is a simple but powerful program that can transform your life."<br /><br />The Art of Adapting to Change<br /><br />One of the main reasons that may hinder us from reaching our innermost goals and desires is our inability to be flexible. This fact may be hard to swallow, but it's true. We do everything we can to eliminate any type of suffering in our lives, yet challenges and pressures can bring out the best in us.<br />If you have been burdened by mistakes in the past, learn from them, forget about them, and move on. Some people tend to focus on how bad their lives have been due to these mistakes.<br /><br />As a result, they remained stuck in their miserable lives. Treat your mistakes as lessons, and apply them as learning references in your future endeavours. Remember the past is the past – it is gone forever.<br />So what if you invested in a business and you lose a ton of money? In this situation, some people would remain deeply discouraged for a long time that their personal lives are being affected negatively.<br />They can't eat well and they just stare at the ceiling all night long, thinking how this bad incident happened. Furthermore, they would probably vow not to venture into new opportunities again. Speaking as someone who has ‘the T Shirt’ been there done that I can assure you that its not life threatening, OK it maybe disappointing for a while – so what! You don't have to be like them. If you're afraid to fail, then you risk all your chances to achieve your goals in life. Try again; but this time, be more careful and use your past mistakes as guide maps.<br /><br />Look at it this way. If you try, at least you get a 50% chance of getting what you want. But if you did not try at all, you have absolutely no chance of attaining your desires in life. It's a nobrainer. <br />Let's fast forward into the future. Let's say you do try, you create some new habits and you follow through, and you succeed, great congratulations. This does not mean you'll stay in that situation for good. Problems may rise again, so always be ready to adjust to the current situation.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-1939046885768969152010-03-31T17:54:00.000-07:002010-03-31T18:00:24.999-07:00prayer<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/ADMINI%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p.MsoBodyText, li.MsoBodyText, div.MsoBodyText {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; mso-outline-level:1; font-size:16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:black;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapedefaults ext="edit" spidmax="1026"> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapelayout ext="edit"> <o:idmap ext="edit" data="1"> </o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 16pt; color: black;">To my readers,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="">
<br /><span style="font-size: 16pt; color: black;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 16pt; color: black;">I friend of mine gave this to me and told me to pray with all my heart. And pray not only for yourself but for everyone who needs it. So I share this to you and hope you share this too. You have a wonderful day ahead of you.
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 16pt; color: black;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 16pt; color: black;">FINANCIAL BLESSING PRAYER<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 16pt; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText">Heavenly Father, most Gracious and Loving God, I pray to you that you abundantly bless my family and me. I know that you recognize, that a Family is more than just a mother, father, sister, brother, husband and wife, but all who believe and trust in You.
<br />
<br />GOD, I s end up a prayer request for financial blessing for not only the person who sent this to me, but for me and all that I have forwarded this message on to and that the power of joined prayer by those who Believe and trust in you is more powerful than anything! I thank you in Advance for your blessings. God, deliver the person reading this right Now from debt and debt burdens.
<br />
<br />Release your Godly wisdom that I may be a good steward over all that you Have given me GOD, for I know how wonderful and mighty you are and how If we just obey you and walk in your word and have the faith of a Mustard seed that you will pour out blessings. I thank you now Lord for The recent blessings I have received and for the blessings yet to come, Because I know you are not done with me yet. In Jesus name Amen</p><p class="MsoBodyText">
<br /></p><p class="MsoBodyText">- source
<br /></p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465249050968125972.post-77164379041577786192010-03-03T17:22:00.000-08:002010-04-09T19:34:53.700-07:0010 Tips for Staying on Budget<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/ADMINI%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1 -369098753 63 0 4129279 0;} @font-face {font-family:"\@Arial Unicode MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1 -369098753 63 0 4129279 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} h1 {margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.75pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; mso-outline-level:1; font-size:24.0pt; font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-font-kerning:18.0pt; font-weight:bold;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:#005288; mso-text-animation:none; text-decoration:none; text-underline:none; text-decoration:none; text-line-through:none;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} p {margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:3.75pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";} @page Section1 {size:11.0in 8.5in; mso-page-orientation:landscape; margin:1.25in .75in 1.25in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-columns:2 not-even 4.25in .5in 4.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026"/> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapelayout v:ext="edit"> <o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1"/> </o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--> <div style="border-style: none solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(188, 187, 187); border-width: medium 0.75pt; padding: 0in; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;"> <h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="3">Do you want to save? and enjoy them later like traveling to different sites in the philippines with friends or even go abroad? or purchase your own home, car or start a business? You can do that.<br /></font></h1><h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="3">Here are some tips that maybe will help you enjoy your money wisely. I picked this up while surfing on the net.<br /></font></h1><br /><br /><h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"><a href="http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/budgeting/10-tips-for-staying-on-budget.htm"><span style="color: black;">10 Tips for Staying on Budget</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h1> <h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt;" lang="EN"></span></font></h1><h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt;" lang="EN"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Focus on Savings</span><o:p></o:p></span></font></h1> </div> <table style="font-family: courier new;" border="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style="padding: 0.75pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Major Purchases<br style=""> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style=""> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">The most common major purchases are homes and vehicles. If you're <a href="http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/real-estate/house-buying.htm">buying a home</a>, you'll probably be expected to make a down payment of 20 percent, or to take a second <a href="http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/real-estate/mortgage.htm">mortgage</a> to cover the down payment. If you can make the down payment without a loan, you'll have a significantly lower payment each month. The same goes for vehicles. Creative and managed budgeting can help you make a larger down payment and have a much lower monthly payment for years to come.</span><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <div style="border-style: none solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(188, 187, 187); border-width: medium 0.75pt; padding: 0in; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; font-family: courier new;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">By now, you've set up your budget. You know how much money you have. But you could still use some help staying on budget. Here are some tips that can help you stick to your budget and get ahead on that major purchase:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">Determine the amount of your budget that you can afford to save each month. Have it direct-deposited to your <a href="http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/budgeting/savings-accounts.htm">savings account</a>, or to your <a href="http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/financial-planning/mutual-funds.htm">mutual fund</a>. Wherever you decide to keep your savings, make sure you put money into it every month. That savings will make a big difference for you later.<br /></span></font></p><p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><br /><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">2. Use Cash<o:p></o:p></span></font></h1> <p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"><br /></span></font></p><p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">Take out enough <a href="http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/banking/cash-credit-or-debit.htm">cash</a> to last one week at a time. Make up your mind that the cash you have is all you get for <a href="http://money.howstuffworks.com/discretionary-expense.htm">discretionary expenses</a>, or things that you could live without, each week. It's much easier to turn down a $60 pair of shoes when it will take the last of your week's cash than it is when you just have to swipe a <a href="http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/debt-management/credit-card.htm">credit card</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><br /><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"></span></font></h1><h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">3. Cut Bad Habits<o:p></o:p></span></font></h1> <p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"></span></font></p><p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"><br /></span></font></p><p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">Whether it's <a href="http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/alcohol.htm">alcohol</a> or <a href="http://health.howstuffworks.com/nicotine.htm">tobacco</a>, if you use much of either, you know how expensive bad habits can be. Stop smoking and drinking, and put the beer/cigarette money toward your other expenses. You'll see your <a href="http://money.howstuffworks.com/stopped-paying-bills.htm">bills</a> come down -- and feel your health improve -- in no time. You'll also save on <a href="http://health.howstuffworks.com/health-insurance-channel.htm">health care expenses</a> down the road, and you may become eligible for lower insurance premiums. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><br /><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"></span></font></h1><h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">4. Share the Responsibility<o:p></o:p></span></font></h1> <p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"></span></font></p><p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"><br /></span></font></p><p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">Make sure you're not the only member of your household concerned about your budget. If you're working hard to save money, but your spouse is out spending you into <a href="http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/debt-management/debt.htm">debt</a>, you're fighting a losing battle. Sit down together and make a plan to determine how much spending money you should each have. Then, check in every week to see how well you're doing. If the entire family shares the responsibility for the budget, everyone can cut back just a little and make a big difference. One person shouldn't have to shoulder the entire burden alone. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><br /><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"></span></font></h1><h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">5. Pay Down Debt<o:p></o:p></span></font></h1> <p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"><br /></span></font></p><p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"><br /></span></font></p><p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">If you have <a href="http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/credit-card-debt.htm">credit card debt</a>, you may feel like it's going to take forever to pay it off. But you can get ahead by choosing one card -- ideally, the one with the highest <a href="http://money.howstuffworks.com/interest-rate.htm">interest rate</a> -- and paying as much as you can on it every month. If you have other cards, pay the minimum balance on those until you've paid off the first card. Then, choose the next card and pay extra on it while you pay minimums on the others. If you pay only the minimums on all your cards, you'll be paying a lot more in interest than you may realize.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><br /><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"></span></font></h1><h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">6. Keep Your Receipts<o:p></o:p></span></font></h1> <p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"></span></font></p><p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"><br /></span></font></p><p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">You probably monitored your expenses for several weeks to make a budget. Once the budget is made, though, it can be tempting to stop keeping up with every little expense. But keeping track really can help you stick to your budget. Save your receipts, and write down the places you spend money. You'll be less likely to overspend if you realize how much money has actually gone through your hands. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><br /><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"></span></font></h1><h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">7. Balance Your Checkbook<o:p></o:p></span></font></h1> <p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"></span></font></p><p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"><br /></span></font></p><p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">Do you balance your checkbook regularly? If not, it's a good habit to start. If you're on a tight budget, a couple of small mistakes can lead to overdraft charges and insufficient funds in your account. If you balance up every time you get a bank statement, you can make sure your ledger stays in the black. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><br /><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"></span></font></h1><h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">8. Analyze Your Spending<o:p></o:p></span></font></h1> <p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"></span></font></p><p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"><br /></span></font></p><p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">Look through your budget and all your receipts. Can you find an expense that can be cut? Maybe you could bring your lunch to work twice a week, or set up a carpool with a friend. Just cutting out restaurant and <a href="http://auto.howstuffworks.com/gas-price.htm">gas costs</a> can help increase the amount of money you have available for savings and purchases.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><br /><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"></span></font></h1><h1 style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">9. Special Accounts<o:p></o:p></span></font></h1> <p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"></span></font></p><p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"><br /></span></font></p><p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">If you find that you keep reaching into your savings, set up a <a href="http://money.howstuffworks.com/certificates-of-deposit.htm">CD</a> or other account with early withdrawal penalties. <a href="http://money.howstuffworks.com/bank.htm">Banks</a> and other institutions pay more interest if you'll agree to let them use your money for a longer amount of time. Putting your savings into a yearly CD will yield more than a three-month note would<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"></span><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;" lang="EN"><br /></span></b></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><font size="4"><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;" lang="EN"> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;" lang="EN">10. Be Flexible<o:p></o:p></span></b></font></p> </div> <table style="font-family: courier new;" border="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style="padding: 0.75pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><br /></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><br /></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Balancing Your Checkbook<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">If you're one of the many who have no idea how to balance a checkbook, you may get a little nervous about learning how. But don't despair. There are many Web sites, which can help, or your bank officer will show you how. The first step is to make yourself list every check you write in your register. Or, to be sure you don't forget, you can get carbon copy checks.</span><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <div style="border-style: none solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(188, 187, 187); border-width: medium 0.75pt; padding: 0in; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;"> <p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; font-family: courier new;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">Remember that life is unpredictable, and things happen that are out of our control. When you make a budget, try to allow some extra money for <a href="http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/budgeting/non-fixed-expenses.htm">variable expenses</a>. And, be gentle with yourself if you go over your budget sometimes. It can be hard to get back on track if you let yourself get too frustrated over a mistake or two.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; font-family: courier new;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN">Following these tips can help you stick to your budget. You can prepare for a major purchase without having to borrow more than is absolutely necessary, and you can feel good about keeping your finances under control. Make sure you update your budget regularly, and prioritize your spending -- know what is important enough to be worth your hard-earned money. Budgeting will come more easily the longer you stay with it, and you will reap the rewards in years to come. Above all, remember that budgeting is worth the effort. Keeping on budget can make your entire life run more smoothly, since so many things are affected by your financial status<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><br /></span></p><p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"> - source<br /><span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" lang="EN"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> HAPPY SAVING!!!<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175830418073578779noreply@blogger.com0