Joy - It's Not Quantum Physics!

This is not like a lesson in physics or quantum theory. What it is, however, is this: this is a lesson designed to show you, definitively, that the catalyst for your joy is a fundamental constant. How much joy we have depends on how much joy we want! Did you realize that? If you really want joy, then you'll have it.

Most people think in the context that joy is like the weather. Our joy is either hot or cold, present or absent, on or off. We incorrectly assume that fixed external factors determine the scale of joy we experience. We believe we have no personal, individual control over our joy.

We believe our joy results primarily from things like dollars in our wallets, the square footage of our homes, the cars in the garage, the carats in our diamonds, and other measures of apparent success. Not true.

Joy is something we regulate. Just like we turn the thermostat up to get more air conditioning in summer or more heat in winter, we can also adjust the amount of joy that we have in our lives at any given moment.

The dimension of joy is entirely up to you! It's completely your decision.

The degree of joy is all in your hands. There's nothing or no one keeping you from enjoying everyday joy.

The magnitude of your joy is completely under your control.

The Word speaks to us definitively about the source of full joy. Jesus had an abundance of the Father's joyfulness, and as we grow in Christ-likeness, we grow in His joy. These words, which were spoken about Jesus Christ by the Apostle Simon Peter, quote the prophetic words of David as recorded in Psalm 16:8-11.

Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.-Acts 2:28

Life! What a fascinating journey. Yet, unfortunately, too many of us listen to self-defeating words and discouragement. We are on the brink of experiencing the greatest deficit of joy that the world has ever known. Why? Because we are so accustomed of seeking joy in external things. Continual joy comes only from continually practicing His presence in our everyday lives.

It's time to get ready for your moment of unsurpassed joy! Can you sustain it? The goal is to make your joy last, not just for a moment-for a lifetime! In Christ, we enjoy God's presence and favor forever.

And, with that level of joy, suddenly-anything is possible.

© Regina M. Prude, 2011BP-Rev

Regina is an author, syndicated columnist, inspirational and motivational speaker, and self-proclaimed Chief Evangelist of Joy. She believes in the power of words to inspire, uplift, heal, strengthen and connect us with one another. Additional resources are available at her blog site: http://www.reginaprude.com/. To contact her for speaking engagements, please email her at regina@reginaprude.com.

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Five Tips for Staying Positive in a Negative World

It can be hard to be positive if you feel insecure. With these five tips, you'll find new ways to focus on staying positive, which can help you feel more certain in these uncertain times.

Tip #1 for Staying Positive: Remain Grateful

Rough times can cause even the most joyous of people to lose sight of what they have, simply because they get caught up in the race to reach what they want. When we get blocked from that goal, instead of staying positive, we stress out and the negativity begins to creep in once more. Instead of getting angry that you did not get what you wanted when you wanted it, turn that energy around, and turn it into gratitude for what you have already gained or achieved.

Tip #2 for Staying Positive: Embrace Challenges

Rather than looking at anything that gets in your way as a negative, one trick to staying positive is to embrace that negative as a challenge. Life is not easy, and you would be a fool to believe that everything worth having should be easy to get. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, put your creativity to work in finding a way around the obstacle, rather than letting it defeat you. Life would be very boring if everything came easy.

Tip #3 for Staying Positive: Keep your Perspective

Everyone is experiencing tough times right now, but it should not be anyone's downfall. The world has gotten through worse messes than the economy before, especially during times of war, and the global community will eventually get through it again. If you keep your perspective on what positive thing or event may be waiting for you on the horizon, you will take a lot of the stress off of your shoulders. Don't worry about things that have not happened yet, when you need to concentrate on staying positive, and finding energizing ways to handle what has already happened.

Tip #4 for Staying Positive: Seek Inspiration

In times like these, the most positive exercise that you can do is to begin a search for inspiration. Walk into any library or bookstore, and you will find hundreds of volumes detailing the lives and missions of those who faced adversity and triumphed. Money is tight, and jobs are disappearing, but that has happened before. Everything works in cycles, running from highs to lows, and those cycles eventually will give birth to new ideas, new industries, and new ways of making do with what we have. Instead of focusing on the negatives, use your creativity and insight to find ways for staying positive and get beyond it. You may find a passion that will help you get everything you need in this life.

Tip #5 for Staying Positive: The best way to help yourself is to help others

Many industries are experiencing shortfalls right now, but did you know that there are sectors today that are not? Volunteerism is at an all-time high right now, and while many may be looking at it as another notch they can add to the old resume, many are doing it because it is a way of keeping themselves in a positive mindset. Nothing makes a body feel better than helping someone out and you can use those good feelings as fuel to keep yourself above the floodwaters as well.

Tony is a life coach who has helped people double their income, increase their value in the community and develop amazing relationships with family and friends. His website has many sources of help to accelerate your success. http://www.themoneymakingmindset.com/

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Breath New Life Into You

Every single day we wake up and determine what we need (or want) to do on that given day. Perhaps we already have plans or responsibilities. Maybe we are one of the lucky ones who have the opportunity to decide day by day...in the moment. Either way, while making your decision for the day, do you base that decision on what you have to do, what will make your day go well, or only on how you feel in the moment? Being able to decide how your day begins, determines how it ends...and the rewards are endless.

Obviously, people have obligations that demand their attention. It's in 'how' they take on those responsibilities that matter the most. For instance, you have a job that requires you wake up every day at 6:00 am. You're not a morning person, so you stumble out of bed with a grim look at what today has in store. You don't want to feel this way, and you know in an hour or two your spirits will begin to perk up, but your head still hangs low for a time. Then again, maybe you love the idea of 'early to bed and early to rise' so 6:00 am is just the right time, but the place you must go to is less than satisfying. The situation can make for a lot of hard work to get in a good place; physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

Here's one option to change the way you look at your day: "Tomorrow you have the potential to be homeless, helpless, or gone." With those options available for tomorrow, wouldn't it be best to make the most out of your day? It's true, you know. You could be in worse shape by tomorrow. Just take a look at those around you...or worse yet...think about those who are now gone from your life because of the economy pushing them down, unfortunate accidents, irreplaceable actions, and dreadful disease. Start being grateful now...right now.

"No one ever said life was fair." Parents used to tell their children that when they didn't get what they wanted and had to do without. Although we survived without some of those things, many of us still didn't learn to live like there's no tomorrow. Hopefully, with wisdom and experience, we do look around us and see the heaviness of life, and realize why our parents and grandparents felt the way they did; probably the depression, war, and other changes to the world had a lot to do with it.

And so we continue on the path of worry, anger, agitation, or upset about the world around us. Hitting a 'low point' on occasion is very easy to do. Just look! The world is not the same as it was years ago. People are not the same. Times have changed...some for the good and some not so good.

Someone once told me that I 'need to learn to care less.' NOT care a less, but care less. It took a long time for me to understand what that meant. It has nothing to do with not loving the people who care about you; however, it is about giving up the ideals in your head of what should be. It's about learning to 'let go' of what troubles you and start living as the day unfolds.

There are a couple of things that happen with caring less. First, you stop fretting over what isn't working in your life by focusing your efforts elsewhere, and secondly, if you're not getting what you want in a particular situation or relationship, it generally turns around to greet you, more on your terms. Why? Because it wasn't forced; you stepped back and allowed the moment to unfold...just like your day.

So remind yourself each morning: Tomorrow you could be homeless, helpless, or gone. Be grateful for what you have in the moment; then, go start your day with high expectations. Tell yourself, "It's going to be a good day!"

Kimberly Mitchell is the author of Loving with Purpose and writer for such venues as http://lovingwithpurpose.org/, Examiner, and other reputable sites offering advice.

As an entrepreneurial relationship contributor and student of life, she believes that good or bad, personal experience is the best teacher. Her history of talents range from producing and presenting personal development, diversity, and business solutions for company leaders to website and graphic design of company material. Her combination of skills provided opportunities to achieve success personally and professionally.

You can pick up her book by clicking here: http://kimmitchellrelationshipadvice.wordpress.com/find-my-book/

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Control Your Thoughts As I Do Mine, For We All Become What We Think About

Sure, I lifted the title off an Earl Nightingale seminar, but that is the reality we all as human beings can all agree on. We all become what we do think about and do while thinking about it a majority of the time. If we did not, then, reality would really be just pure random chance. But it is not. It works like we make it work through our thoughts and actions, in that order. Sure, even if you do not agree with me or want to admit this reality, it is how life and existence does work. If life and existence did not work like that, then everyone would be uniformly rich or poor without exceptions and life would be based on pure fate without a chance to improve or get worse. Anyone with normal intelligence knows that the facts are different, that as long as there is a chance to improve, there is always a chance to improve as long as there are variables that can be adjusted somehow. So, as long as we think genuinely independently, we do become our thoughts and actions.

Sure, I could be more technical, but, I want this to be understood, not read and then almost everyone says to themselves in some form, "it sounds nice, but it cannot be put into practice." Realistically, it has to be understandable to be put into practice anyhow. So, think in these terms, if you can think, control your thoughts well, for they determine everything in your life including your actions beyond random chance. Let me put it this way, the better you control your thoughts, the less random chance has to do with it. Come on, though, I am not saying that random chance and margins are totally out of the picture or reality here, but I am saying that things are controllable to the extent that we use our consciousness, thoughts and actions productively in that order.

Sure, I am not saying that it is easy in any way though. I am just saying that things are controllable to the extent that we use our consciousness, thoughts and actions productively. Productively does not mean the same as "easy" or "hard", it just means productively as opposed to destructively. Productive is good, destructive is bad, those are the realistic semantics I am getting at. That last sentence, right there is as technical as I get in this article, because I want everyone to understand and understand in a deeply realistic way what I am getting at in this article. I am only getting technical near the end too, because the core message has been given. Sure, there are three paragraphs to this article that do count as "beginning", "middle" and "end", but realistically, this whole article is really just the beginning to the reality of this subject until put into practice in a permanently working way. When it is that, it is definitely on track forever. But until then, consider this article the beginning. As for the end, well it never ends. Effort and vigilance are forever, so is creativity and realistic productivity. For, it starts with thinking and ends in rational action in the sense that we all must do what we have to do. I end there, but, I hope I have stimulated and informed you of a full reality of the situation in this article. Note that I said "a full reality" and not "the full reality", because "the full" implies that there is a limit, "a full" means that there are other facets and limitless pieces to the puzzle picture before it even reaches close to being fulfilled and "put together" so to speak. This may seem like more semantics and meanings, but realistically, being thorough and honest is what makes it all worthwhile. Thought, action and fulfillment go together like that like puzzle pieces that work together.

My name is Joshua Clayton, I am a freelance writer based in Inglewood, California. I also write under a few pen-names and aliases, but Joshua Clayton is my real name, and I write by that for the most part now. I am a philosophical writer and objective thinker and honest action taker. I also work at a senior center in Gardena, California as my day job, among other things, but primarily I am a writer.

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Prosperity Affirmations - I See Therefore I Am!

Mirror, Mirror on the wall...

Affirmations: what are they and how should I use them? The word "affirmation" carries the meaning of "a statement saying 'yes' to a situation." If your situation is one of being overweight, a possible affirmation could be "I am now a healthy weight for my body, age and lifestyle." "How can you say that?" you might ask. "It's just not true. At this particular moment I am NOT a healthy weight." Yes, yes, but the point of an affirmation is not to talk about the future, but state the situation as you WANT it to be NOW, without injecting desire into the statement. If you were to say "I will become a healthy weight for my body, age and lifestyle," it future-izes the situation, meaning that it can't be true, ever, because it is stated as a future situation. The future never comes; it's always just beyond reach. Just trust that the Universe will make it true for you.

The best way to state your affirmation is by looking into a mirror (your bathroom mirror is good because (1) you can lock the door, (2) you don't need to speak loudly to hear yourself, and (3) you spend some moments in front of it at least twice a day, while brushing your teeth). This won't take long after the first time. The first time you must gaze into your own face with love and acceptance as you are today. That may take a moment for some people. We're trained as children to look for the faults rather than the assets. Take your time. Look and, when you feel the love, smile at yourself as you would at a new friend you feel will be a best friend. Then with deliberate intensity recite your affirmation at least three times.

If you compose a good affirmation, and continue to say it twice (or more often) per day, you will see results within three weeks. I don't know why three weeks is the time it takes, but that it is. Think about it, however, like this: what you are using is your own time. If you follow this prescription that time will add up to less than a total hour over three weeks (2 minutes/day plus composing time), and you will have affected a change in your life painlessly. Okay, now repeat after me: "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the best, happiest and most beautiful of all? I am, I am, I am!!"

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Say Hello To Your Life And Be Grateful

Life is a teacher, especially when you are ungrateful. Life is a friend when you are grateful. This, in essence is what this article is about. It is also about the power of gratitude to cause the best to happen in life. Existence definitely counts in the sense of energy and energies. To be genuinely grateful in my reality and I think reality otherwise does not mean to be silly in any way, it just means to be consistently the best, work for the best and look for the best in all things and situations in life and existence. In short, we genuinely do become what we consistently think about. Sure, that sounds silly to some who read this. But, think about it, when you consider the genuine becoming and reality of life, I am right in many to all ways about this subject. I will explain in the paragraphs below.

Life and existence are made up of energy, energy we do not create, but that we do control and control fully as we can tell by the beginning progress that seems amazing in life in even this civilization so far. Genuine progress is limitless though and infinite, sure there is a limit to understanding, but not to eternal progress through eternal time in existence. Sure, consciousness is the great controller in that it can endlessly and inductively think and create, and there is no limit to the creation of reality, absolutely none. So, get this in your mind, as there is a genuinely endless abundance of energy, there is a genuinely endless abundance of wealth to be earned creatively in existence. Competition only makes it seem like there is an end and limit to all things and realities.

So, I repeat, life is a teacher, and a stern one when you are not gracious to it. But when you are grateful, life is your best friend and helpful reality. Sure, as you read deeply, you are beginning to know what I mean by these statements and realities. So, say hello to your life consistently in a friendly way and be grateful, for that is the power within you to create a great life.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an incurable optimist; Thomas Carlyle was an incurable pessimist. Although they were great writing men, both of them, and I have read them both deeply, I prefer Emerson and his genuinely highly optimistic philosophy over Carlyle and his pessimism, especially prevalent in his opinions about history and its consequences. Although, I do agree with the "all is one as one is all" reality that they both have; although Carlyle sounds more "realistic and logical", Emerson can be genuinely transcendent. I will end by telling you why: If you think about good things, reflect on the good despite appearances, you will ultimately get the good and make yourself a genuine Master Mind on the side of the good.

If you think about bad things, reflect on the bad, and go by appearances, you will be a weakling in a total sense. So, I prefer to be strong and happy, so like Ralph Waldo Emerson and even more so than Ralph Waldo Emerson, I am an incurable optimist by choice and by reality, in that order. But, I cannot choose for you, you must choose with your consciousness what you want to be for yourself. Personal choice is always the key. It all starts with the thoughts we have about any situation. So, when I say in the title of this piece "Say hello to your life and be grateful", this is what I mean. To put this key in other words, when we welcome good in any form, we get good. I will end there and let you do your own thinking about reality, but know this: Good or bad, we do it to ourselves.

My name is Joshua Clayton, I am a freelance writer based in Inglewood, California. I also write under a few pen-names and aliases, but Joshua Clayton is my real name, and I write by that for the most part now. I am a philosophical writer and objective thinker and honest action taker.
I also work at a senior center in Gardena, California as my day job, among other things, but primarily I am a writer.

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Decide Now to Unleash Your Potential

I truly believe that we all have an insurmountable potential. I also think that we often settle for what is comfortable. Why? Perhaps we appreciate the sense of 'safety' we get from being relatively stable. Also, we often believe what someone has told us at one point or another, disparaging comments that put us down so often, that we don't know how to get up. Whatever the reason, I have seen how people come from nowhere to reach and achieve more than anyone could even imagine. How? There are times in life when we face those barriers and we simply say "enough."

While many of us have learned to live within certain boundaries, on what I call a cocoon zone, I want to speak today to those that although living a relatively good and peaceful life, they know deep inside that there has to be more to it. The first concept I want to bring up to your attention is that in order to break out of that zone, you have to be ready, willing and open. Your mind must be open to learning and developing and realizing that you have what it takes to do it what you want.

"Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open." ~Thomas Dewar.

In order to get to that point, I would encourage you to take time every day for the next week or so and reconnect with what matters to you. Think long and heavy about what it means to you to live fully. Not to others, not trying to fit in and not concerned about what others might say or think. When you are able to find that passion, you are then on your way to unleash your potential.

Unleash...synonym of 'let loose,' 'set free,' and 'allow to run riot'. To me unleashing means to let go of, releasing and just experiencing that feeling of no restraints. When you apply that concept into your life and your potential, then we could say that unleashing your potential refers to a state of letting go of the restraints that have limited you this far. And the great thing is, that there has never been a better time. With everything happening around us in the world, this is the perfect time to making that determination to fulfill your potential, on your own terms.

If you are ready to let go of anything that has hold you back until now, if you are making a commitment to make changes that will propel you and your life to a new level, I support you!

Here are my top 5 ideas on how to unleash your potential once and for all:

1. Connect within. By this I mean to work on a personal mission and vision statements for your life. Declare your intentions for what you want in life, both at personal and professional levels. Writing a mission statement is a tool used by organizations as it serves as a clear, public statement of why you exist and why you do what you do. Your vision statement outlines your big view, the big panoramic picture of what you what it to be for you and in your world.

My personal mission statement is "to support and empower individuals to create the life they love, one day at a time."

2. Identify your strengths and your areas of growth. Part of creating any plan for self-development includes a thorough assessment of what do we do well (you can put your gifts and talents to work in other areas) as well as those areas where we know we can improve some. By knowing and affirming the things you do well, you can take those as weapons to be used in two ways: a. challenging situations and b. where can you can use them more often?

3. Be true to your passions. It doesn't matter whether you have done it before, know how to do it, or think it is not possible. Your passions are the fuel for the gas tank. When you are true and decide to pursue your passions, really nothing can stand on your way because it becomes your source of energy, your motivation.

4. Be merciless. Once you know where you are going, you must commit. There are no ifs, buts or ands. Truth is that we often get on our way. We make excuses for getting sidetracked, and for not keeping up with the priorities you have set for yourself. Be brutally committed to your plan and besides the typical obstacles, you will be able to overcome.

5. Create a strategy. A life without a plan is like getting in a car without a destination. Sometimes, that might be fun but for the most part you want to be heading in the direction that is going to lead you to achieve those things you want in life. Develop a map of how to get from here to there.

I truly believe that it is critical to make the decision to embark on that journey to achieve our maximum potential. If we don't do it, no one else will because nobody can make that decision for us. You know you have so much to offer, isn't it time you make the determination to unleash that potential once and for all? Not to mention, imagine how great you will feel, how significant your life will be as you take the steps necessary to get what you want, how empowered you will be because once you start completing some of those tasks, you will be excited and ready for more, so yeah...what are you waiting for? It is within reach, your reach.

If you are stuck in a place where you can't get out. If you know that there is more to life and you want to experience it. If you know that the world will be a better place if you were able to do and to contribute more, but are not sure how to start, working with a Personal Development Coach might be just what you need.

© 2011 Maria Martinez

Create the Life You Want - Start Within. Maria Martinez is a Personal Development Coach; she works with individuals as they pursue goals to achieve greater levels of success. She is the Owner of INNERactive Coaching and provides individual and group coaching. To find out more about Life Coaching and other services, check out the website http://inneractivecoachingonline.com/.

For a FREE report on how to start living you life right now, download Jump Start Your Life

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