How to Lead a Stress-Free Life

When you were born you did not come with a set of instructions. In fact, if you are an only/eldest child, you parents might have raised you with a lot of trial and error. Growing up, you have probably anticipated the glories of adulthood, only to find out that it was not so bad being a kid. After all, Mum and Dad had all the responsibilities, paid all the bills, and dealt with any challenges that came up. Now, your shoulders are weighted down. You need to consider a life-makeover and learn how to lead a stress-free life.

Leading a stress free existence does not mean that you will never have any challenges or concerns in your life. Instead, you can learn how to deal with the situations in life, without letting them throw you under the bus, so to speak. In other words, what amount of worry and stress can change you circumstances? So, instead of reacting and building a mountain of stress, a life-makeover can teach you how to act. You can take control of how you deal with the everyday challenges.

Part of knowing how to act and cope with stressful situations is also realizing when to step back and take care of yourself. Although you friends and family can make a pretty good guess, you are the only person that understands exactly how you feel and when you need to take a break.

Knowing when to stop the regular routine and detour for a little fun is part of learning how to treat yourself right, and avoiding getting in over your head, until stressful situations that come up are impossible to manage. You need a chance to rest, unwind, and just enjoy yourself. Even if you love your job, and are at the top of your game, you cannot work your life away and avoid stress and burnout.

Even the most gung-ho executive will benefit from time off. Not only will friends and family be grateful, if you take time off from work and potentially stressful situations, you will be more productive and better equipped to handle life's little surprises, if you give yourself a chance to rejuvenate.

If the pressures of life often weigh you down, you definitely need to learn how to lead a stress-free life. If you are truly committed to making a change, a life-makeover can help you find a balance. You can learn how to act, instead of simply reacting to challenging situations. Likewise, you can discover the importance of allowing yourself to simply enjoy life and all the blessing it has to offer. You can change your life for the better-starting today!

Paul Sutherland is an Accelerated Business Growth Coach. His company - Daniel Thomas International is also heavily involved in personal development and growth. Now a website www.perfected-products.com has been created. Here you will find some of the very best tried tested and proven methods for creating the life you really want.

How to Break a Bad Habit

Do you have a habit that has been plaguing your life for far too long? Is your habit affecting your work, your relationships, or your health? Then, like the majority of human beings on the planet, you need to know how to break the cycle.

First of all, if you have a bad habit, do not waste time feeling guilty or sorry for yourself. You are in good company. Needing to deal with a repetitive issue that negatively influences you life simply makes you part of the human race. Even the person you view as the most successful individual, with a seemingly perfect life, probably has something that needs changing yesterday.

For example, consider how many people smoke. Although warnings on the label and health advertisements constantly speak of the adverse affects of almost 400 carcinogens in tobacco, individuals still pick up the nasty habit. At first, it may be an act of defiance or an attempt to fit in at school. Unfortunately, a few years later, when you look in the mirror and realize how the daily drags are contaminating your health, it seems too late.

However, it does not have to be irreversible! You can kick even the addictiveness of tobacco in three weeks. If you are really serious about stubbing out the last light and regaining your health, there is a proven system to break the hold of even the worst of habits.

Unfortunately, there is a catch. In order for the program to work successfully, you have to be totally committed to the process. If you only approach even proven advice with half a heart, you will not be able to get rid of the habit. However, if you are really serious, and ready to follow the process to the letter, you will be able to quit smoking in three weeks.

In fact, you can get rid of any habit in less than a month. If you are a procrastinator, say bye-bye to always waiting until the last minute. If you are a work-a-holic say hello to your family and a lot more quality time with the people you love. Whether you tend to chew your fingernails or chew out the ones you love, because you are under so much stress, you can change your ways. Help is available!

So, say goodbye to any bad habit and say hello to freedom from the bondage of something that has been adversely affecting your life. Be happy; be healthy; be more confident; and live a life free of the chains that could be holding you back from a better, healthier even wealthier life.

Paul Sutherland is an Accelerated Business Growth Coach. His company - Daniel Thomas International is also heavily involved in personal development and growth. Now a website www.perfected-products.com has been created. Here you will find some of the very best tried tested and proven methods for creating the life you really want.

A Little Piece of Heaven

This is a sad time and a sad generation. Although there is no world war, although the technology to live a comfortable life has never been as advanced, although we can now reach one another in a click of a button; all the good things we possess can't seem to cast away the dark clouds that hang everywhere, obscuring the azure sky, blocking the warmth of our bright and faithful sun.

Stripped of its radiance, we walk on cold pavements each day, flaunting the calloused hearts that hold back our tears, wandering the streets hurriedly, as though we knew where we should be going. The truth however is that we walk naked, pretending we are strong, numbing our hearts and killing our souls, just so we can get by, just so we'd be the people our twisted society wants us to transform into.

Rich and poor alike are dying within, the humanity of their souls being sucked away either by the necessity of their survival or by their meaningless ambitions. Where then can we find that little piece of heaven, that small flame of hope that would keep us from stumbling in the dark?

I urge you to look more closely, for it is there, streaking through the thick fog, making its way through the darkness.

-Busy morning. You hurry off to work unable to take a single bite of breakfast. You arrive at your office. You see what's on top of your table. Coffee and croissant with a sweet note from a dear friend. You pause for a while, you savor the strong aroma of java, and take a good sip. Not much for a tv commercial, but enough to catch the first glimpse of sunlight of your day. A little piece of heaven.

-You got busted at work. On your way home you went through a hell of a traffic jam. Then right there at your doorstep, your two-year old child opens up her arms and hugs you. You feel her tiny fingers holding on unto you. She kisses you. Numerous little kisses that take away all your tiredness and frustrations. A little piece of heaven.

-A storm has just passed. The city lay in flood and ruins. In a few moments more, children emerge from their houses. They proudly carry the paper boats they've just made. No flood could dampen their spirits, no storm could darken the light in their eyes. You hear their laughter. You get infected with their joy. A little piece of heaven.

-It's way past lunch. The young scavenger still has to search heaps of garbage before she could buy anything to eat. Something unexpectedly catches her eyes. A soiled doll with blue eyes, a red apron, and a missing leg. She smiles for her good fortune. She's just found a gift for her little sister's birthday! A little piece of heaven.

-Christmas. An old lady lives alone. The doorbell suddenly rings. The house is quickly flooded with young professionals bearing gifts for their old teacher. They could not forget her motherly hand. They remain thankful for her wisdom. A little piece of heaven.

-A rebellious daughter. A patient and prayerful mother. A realization that brings a lasting change. Repentance. Daughter graduates valedictorian in her class. Mother listens to her speech, tears streaming down her cheeks. A little piece of heaven.

-A man stricken with AIDS and considered an outcast. An old nun who reaches out, treats his wounds and embraces him warmly, passing no judgement, no fear, no condemnation. The man smiles and looks up to heaven. He breathes his last, but in that last breath was a breath of hope, and a renewed faith in God. A little piece of heaven.

Have you seen them? Have you caught a single piece of happiness lately? You may not be looking. Or you may not feel you can give some little piece today. Look. Believe. Smile. A smile brings out a lot of sunbeams, and attracts streaks of happiness along the way. Catch a piece today, your very own piece of heaven.

For free stuff and ebooks, visit http://itakeoffthemask.com You are free to republish this article as long as due credit is given to the author (Jocelyn Soriano) and a link back to the website http://itakeoffthemask.com is provided.

Jocelyn Soriano works currently as an auditor, but continues to write and reach for her dreams of writing fulltime and being able to touch and inspire lives through her writing. From her humble beginnings, she was able to work her way through college through her various scholarships, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 1996. She has published a book on a screenplay chosen as finalist in a National scriptwriting contest. She loves early mornings, chatti

Grieving the Loss of a Loved One

When my grandfather died, the first question that crossed my mind was, "Shall we ever, as a family, be able to smile again?

He was a very kind man, a sweet and loving man who also happened to be a retired Captain of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, a proud veteran of the USAFFE in World War II. I loved him - very much, and regarded him as my very own father. He used to carry me up his shoulders when I was but a little girl. I never saw him mad. He was always calm and gentle, but with that certain kind of strength in him that never needed to be boasted about anymore. Maybe this kind of admiration was the source of my childhood dream of being a lady cadette officer. Well, I didn't realize that dream, but in my heart I knew I've acquired that kind of courage he had, and it sort of stayed with me through the years.

I also admired the kind of love he cherrished with my Grandma. Something that lasted for fifty golden years, the 50th year being the year of his demise. I often told myself that theirs was the kind of marriage I fervently pray to have - simple, sincere, lasting, abounding in love, courage and understanding. The day my Grandpa died, my heart broke, not only for my own grief, but for the grief of seeing such a blessed marriage come to a sudden end right before my eyes.

How indeed are we going to go about our lives after his passing? How do we spend our late evenings without his stories? How do we celebrate Christmas without his jolly smile?

The seat he occupied at dinner will remain vacant thereafter. The sight of him and Grandma embracing each other after a petty quarrel will be nothing more but a sweet memory to look back to.

The funny thing was, I never really considered him old. He had always been strong and healthy and happy. I thought he'd always be there, for me, for my Grandma, for everyone who has ever gotten to know the wonderful person he is. But I guess death is like that. It takes from you in an instant the people you've cherrished for a whole lifetime. Just like that. As simple as that. And you are suddenly left with two things: anger for having been deprived of your beloved for no reason at all; and emptiness, a vacuum that gnaws right at your heart where all the joyful moments once had been.

And how will it be for people who have lost not only their fathers, but mothers, children, both parents, lifetime partners who spent their lives through thick and thin, who dreamt together and journeyed together and found meaning in each other's lives?

How are we to begin grieving for them? Where could we ever find the tears to weep, tears that will pour out and cry in behalf of our torn and shattered hearts?

1.Cry

Find those tears. Try to let them out however painful the process is. Let them out. Let them pour showers that will cleanse away every bit of darkness and bitterness from your heart.

Shy not from crying out aloud. You have every right to be heard, and all the right to be hurt. No one's going to stand in your way even if you wail. Let your cries rise up to the clouds, unto the ears of heaven who understand what sorrow mortal men go through in this valley of tears.

Cry for the pain of parting. Cry for the sad mornings that will greet you without your lover's arms. Cry for the words that shall remain unspoken and unheard. Cry for the places you will never be able to walk together anymore. Cry for the dreams that will remain as dreams. Cry for the memories that will remain as memories. Cry for the hand that can no longer caress you. Cry for those eyes that can no longer see your tears.

Cry your heart out. Because the truth is - it hurts, and it really hurts so much!

2. Forgive

There are many things we don't want to admit in times like these; things we believe would only dishonor the memory of our loved one, or things that would dishonor us before their memory. But unless we deal with these things, we would always be burdened by things that should have been buried with passing of our loved ones.

a. Forgiving our loved ones

People are not perfect. No matter how much we love them or no matter how good they are, they may have hurt us at one point or another. They may have judged us and disappointed us. We have to admit how they failed us, and then forgive them with a forgiveness that comes out of the generosity of our hearts. We know that we do not have time anymore, we can no longer wait for them to see their faults and ask our forgiveness. So we forgive them. We let them go with no bitterness in our hearts.

b. Forgiving ourselves

When our loved ones pass away, there is always a feeling of guilt left in us - how we haven't loved them enough, how we could've saved them, how we could've made them happier. But when we come to think of it, how much more could we have really done though? Even if we could've made a difference, could we be able to turn back the hands of time?

Forgive yourself. Admit your faults, go to confession, slap your face hard, observe fasting for a week, shave your head even! But don't punish yourself forever for being unable to make the proper retribution. You can no longer do that. It's not your fault anymore. Blaming yourself could never earn for you the forgiveness you so desire. If you can't be content in praying for forgiveness alone, if you really believe you still have to do something to be forgiven, then do this - love those people still within your reach. Do this, and you'd have earned more than forgiveness; you'd have loved. Love heals. Love forgives.

3. Deal with the pain one day at a time

Grieving for our loved ones who passed away is probably one of the most painful things we'll experience in life. Deal with it one short day at a time. Don't think of the whole 25 or 50 years ahead of you. Just think of today, and of all the support being given you just where you are. It is times like these when we get to know who our true friends are, people willing to extend their hands and their hearts to help see you through. Accept the help given you, and you'll make it today.

4. Honor/ treasure their memory

Many people will suggest to you to move on, which is a fine thing. In the process though, they may also urge you to forget all about the past, and start letting go. Now letting go is not such a bad thing, it could mean giving up all our unrealizable expectations and all of the things we cannot do anymore. But to forget all things completely - to do so would be to start cheating on our true feelings for our beloved who passed away.

We can't just act like we had amnesia all of a sudden. We can't pretend that the things that happened didn't happen, and that the precious moments we've spent with our loved ones don't mean anything to us anymore. Something happened in the past. Souls touched in the past. Lives changed. Souls were inspired.

Our grief is only amplified with the thought that we are forever parting with every remaining essence of our loved ones. That's what makes our mourning even worse, to believe that we are forever losing that part of our lives that changed us and made us happy. Don't throw it all away. When inspiration comes upon you, they need not leave. They never leave. They inspire us forever.

When my Grandpa died, I thought it was the end of the wonderful love he had with Grandma. But I was wrong. It did not end there. It cannot be ended that way. Up to this moment, I am still a witness on how true love is kept alive in the hearts and minds of those who carry on the radiance of its warmth.

5. Think of the legacy they left behind

I've always thought that when our loved ones go away, they take a part of ourselves with them. It's like a part of us withers away and dies. We feel like an arm or a leg had just been taken away and we can never be whole again. We feel we are lesser people than we used to be. We then wonder why people had to meet at all only to be separated in the end, only to feel broken and incomplete.

But then I've also learned that when people become part of each other's lives, their lives become richer from the whole new world opened before them by one another. They gain a new perspective, they get a deeper understanding of themselves, they learn new skills and hobbies, they discover new places, they get to love a new song. Each one leaves a mark, a precious legacy, a part of their very selves to the people they love.

Even after their lives together had ended, even after one has gone and passed away, that part they have given to us will remain. Because when people become a part of us, a part of their own souls remain in us, forever enriching us, and we are never the same as before.

My Grandpa had been gone for 16 years now, but the things he left me, the imprint he left in my soul will always be there, guiding me through my journey ahead. Love of country, courage, dignity, love of family - these are the things I will always be thankful for.

6. Schedule activities that help vent out your emotions

You cried, you wept, you wailed. But as you miss your loved one more painfully with the passing of each day, you feel the emotions within you continue to surge, emotions that need to find a proper outlet to let go.

Scedule those activities with a friend that will encourage you to perform them:-Play badminton, let go of all the hurts you feel everytime you hit the shuttlecock. Hit it hard! Hit it as far as you can.

-Run the treadmill. Everytime you feel the urge to escape, walk tirelessly. Walk like you never walked before. Run. Run and release the pain you keep within you.

-Swim, imagine your tears being washed away. Do your most powerful strokes, and glide away from all the expectations the world thrusts upon your shoulders. Just make sure a trusted friend and lifeguard is watching over you, okey?

-Grab a crayon and a sketch pad. Draw the abstract feelings you can't and don't want to decipher at the moment. Draw in hard wild strokes. Then tear the sheet in pieces.

7. Replenish your soul

Once the strong feelings begin to subside, replenish your soul with activities that promote peace, wholeness and a fresh beginning.

-Plant a seed and watch the new plant emerge from the ground from which it was buried.

-Take care of a chick and help it grow into a hen. You can even enjoy the eggs she will lay for you later!

-Watch a sunrise with a trusted buddy. See how darkness transforms into a magnificent rising of a brand new day.

-Travel somewhere you've never been to. Get to know the locals and try to enjoy their way of life.

8. Give yourself time to adjust and recover

It will take time for you to carry on your usual routines each day. Just be patient with yourself. One day survived is one day of battle won. The more days you survive, the more confidence you will gain that you will make it.

If it's really difficult for you, you can try to write letters to your loved one as though you were only miles away.

This will help you cope with the abrupt change of suddenly not being able to talk with your loved one. This will also help keep your life in check as you literally report what you're doing with your life.

9. Think of the legacy you wish to leave behind

The torch has been passed on to you. Your life has been made richer by the legacy you received. What do you do now with what you have? What legacy do you want to leave behind to the people that matter most to you now? Remember that you are now a different person by having been a part of someone's life. Everything you do, any difference that you make in this life is not only because of you, but also because of the one who loved you. When you leave your mark unto this world, you leave a mark formed also by every person that truly touched your life.

10. Believe that God will see you through

God knows your grief. He weeps with you. He hopes with you. He cares for you so much that He willingly died for you to conquer death forever and to give you the perfect and eternal life He wants you to enjoy. Things have not ended here. They have only just begun. Take heart! He will see you through. It is Jesus Himself who said, "The girl is not dead but asleep." (Matthew 9:24)

When my Grandpa died, I used to doubt whether we can still smile again, now I know the answer: WE CAN

For free stuff and ebooks, visit http://itakeoffthemask.com You are free to republish this article as long as due credit is given to the author (Jocelyn Soriano) and a link back to the website http://itakeoffthemask.com is provided.

Jocelyn Soriano works currently as an auditor, but continues to write and reach for her dreams of writing fulltime and being able to touch and inspire lives through her writing. From her humble beginnings, she was able to work her way through college through her various scholarships, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 1996. She has published a book on a screenplay chosen as finalist in a National scriptwriting contest. She loves early mornings, chatti

The Softer Side of Ambition

Having a strong desire for success can be a wonderful thing! Ambition can drive us towards what we want most in life but it can also take us out at the knees depending upon the tone of our ambition.

What tone have you set for your ambitions? Do your ambitions celebrate your greatness; build your esteem and knowledge? Do your ambitions advance you into places you never expected or planned for yet also give you the opportunity to find peace and perfection within?

Or do they perpetuate your sense of not being good enough? Do they weigh you down, break you down, or set a stage for eminent disappointment, stress, overwhelm and even illness?

The softer side of ambition is where you hold your goal in sight, reach for it, fumble, get back up, love yourself unconditionally, regroup, test the waters again, and perhaps reshape your goal or the guidelines you set up for reaching that goal.

The softer side of ambition holds a space for compassion and a willingness to BE with your journey as it unfolds vs. resisting any parts of it that you weren't planning on. The softer side of ambition embodies flexibility, patience, the willingness to BE and BE SEEN as the novice. The softer side relishes in the intention to be peaceable where others might choose to be weathered by a storm they could have avoided.

The rough side of ambition embodies an entirely different and often detrimental tone. The rough side of ambition is ruthless, merciless, and never satisfied. It carries the tone of unattainable perfection. It judges your path negatively when things don't go exactly as expected or planned. The rough side of ambition experiences life as an emergency. Your actions, thoughts, and behaviors all play into a do-or-die anthem. Intensity and urgency are the qualities that push your ambitions up hill...and it's quite a climb for such meager returns.

Are You Building an Altar to the Rough Side of Ambition?

Ask yourself:

* Am I practicing compassion or condemnation?
* Am I experiencing a sense of peace, calm, and certainty about my vision or am I frantic, resistant, and judgmental?
* Am I recognizing the perfection in where I am today or am I pushing and arguing with reality?
* Am I acknowledging myself for everything that I am doing right or am I building evidence towards everything I think must be going wrong according to my predetermined expectations?
* Am I keeping peace a priority or am I keeping my "Do-or-Die" anthem alive?
* Am I enjoying the ride or is my enjoyment dependent upon what I think should or shouldn't happen along the way?
* Do I see opportunities or obstacles?
* Am I out of breath or am I breathing deeply?
* Am I living in this moment or do I have one foot in a past I'm running from, and one foot in a future I'm worrying about?

When You Choose the Softer Side of Ambition You:

* Eliminate a sense of urgency, intensity, and rigidity that impedes the fruition of your ambitions
* Make inner peace a priority
* Stop judging your process and start enjoying the ride
* Find opportunities within any and all challenges
* Lead with compassion
* Create, persist and achieve with a flexible mind and a powerful spirit
* Slow down long enough to see what you've been missing that you really don't want to miss
* Come to know that true strength and power is flexible, patient, resilient, and always speaks to the possibilities at hand

I invite you all to acknowledge the tone you are setting for your ambitions. Tone is something we always have control over. Reset your tone if need be. You just might surprise yourself with some of your greatest successes yet when you come to apply the softer side of ambition to your own life.

Health and Wellness Coach Diana Bertoldo is the founder of Live Beyond Stress and Illness, a successful coaching practice dedicated to supporting people challenged by illness in playing a bigger role in their health and well-being. You can contact Diana at dianabertoldo@yahoo.com or check out her latest Blog at www.livebeyondstressandillness.blogspot.com

Stephen's Green - Photos taken on Sunday sketch outing

Colours

Peace and quiet!

Birds in Tree (bit creepy.. but unusual)

View from Bridge

View towards Shopping Centre

Beautiful flower!

What Does RICH Mean To You?

Have you ever been asked that question?
I was!
Back in 1979 while doing a “pressure cooker” course on selling
with an insurance company!

I wondered how relevant that question was, considering my personal and financial situation at the time.
No wife!
No job!
I was a solo dad with three children, one of them a baby less than a year old.
“You must be kidding”, I thought to myself at the time!
What relevance can that have to me learning to sell insurance policies?

How naive I was!
The course that followed had an unbelievably positive and a life changing effect on me. Although it only took affect several years later. The seed had been sown!

You’re probably saying to yourself, “How can a course on selling life insurance have that much effect on anyone?”
Well that Insurance Company was the one created by W Clement Stone.
I found the course to be very challenging, because in New Zealand at that time we weren’t really aware of the “Hype” that Americans used to motivate their workers to perform at their optimum. It pleases me each time I think about it now, to know that I passed, top of the class and received a book as a reward, this book was already a best seller, but I’d never heard of it.
Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, of which W Clement Stone was co-author with Napoleon Hill. They shared their secrets on becoming wealthy and having a healthy, productive lifestyle, utilising the power of a "positive mental attitude". Sadly my motivation and my persistence waned and I stopped selling insurance.
I kept all the information, studies and the book I had won.

The “BOOK” Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, which I never opened or read for probably 3 years. However I did continue two very positive things! I continued to read on a daily basis some of his quotes and I even put them on the wall.
My two favourites were;
“Success is achieved and maintained by those who try and keep trying” and
“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve”.
The second thing and the one which I believed the most important was “Goal Setting” I enjoyed the challenge and had learned enough during the course to realise its long term value.
Life began to take several steps in the right direction not major ones, but positive ones.

Several important things happened in my life over the next 12 years.
Around 1981-2 I began reading, Through a Positive Mental Attitude, I applied so many of their ideas and formulae, and by 1992 mine and my families life had completely turned around, this included a wonderful wife and two more children and a list of goals I had made in 1986 after father passed away, became a reality.
I had arrived finally, or so I thought, and was ready to respond to the question that still continued to bother me after all those years.

What Does RICH Mean To You?
I had some answers!
That’s what I believed anyway!
1 - " A consistent income created from hard work
2 - " A healthy family
3 - " A loving wife and loving children
4 - "A nice car
5 - " A great holidays
There are other things, but they are either directly or indirectly related to the above list.
Even now when I look at that list it seems to have “hit the nail on the head”.
Then within three years it all slowly began to fall apart, business wise, thankfully not family wise our “Polynesian Inheritance” is so strong, family always come first!
Where was I going wrong?
What was I doing wrong?
Whose fault was it?
Why now when we seemed so successful?
A myriad of questions passed through my mind, I began to blame myself, I was making wrong decisions.
I had begun a downward slide a personal one that took away my mental fortitude, my belief, my self-confidence, I lost motivation, the thing that really hurts me when I think back is that, “I didn’t really care anymore” I began to think that the world owed me, I was a good person so for that I should be rewarded. What a “Pity party”, darn pitiful is all I can say now!
After all these years I am finally getting back on track!
I realise that age and the new generation means I can never be what I was back then, why?
Well that’s the past and I now live for today!
Not tomorrow!
I have found a “Certain Way” that has been available to each and every one of us for more than ninety years.
Probably what W Clement Stone and Napoleon Hill and thousands of others used to become rich, but forgot to tell us some very vital points, whether they did it consciously or just took it for granted that we would figure it out, I am really not to sure.
Want to find out as I have???
The real meaning of what “RICH” is, go to my website “Right Now” and find out how you to can have a “RICH” balanced and fulfilled life with “Prosperous Equilibrium”.
PS. Get a “FREE COPY” about this “Certain Way”, with THE SCIENCE OF GETTING RICH check it out right now!
http://www.prosperous-equilibrium.com/

I have had several businesses over the last 38 years, some very successful and some not so good! But I love it! The Challenge motivates me! I owned several car repair businesses employing up to 15 people in New Zealand and Tahiti. Owned apartments. When my father passed away in 1986 I took over his work as a Medical Interpreter and Guide in New Zealand, being fluent in three languages. We now live in Australia.

Scared or Sacred? Our Response to Transition Times

These days, many of us are in the bog-swamp-fog of transition. Transition is that Jello-like place on the way to a new identity - a place that defies certainty in the meantime. Maybe we have chosen to leave something behind. Maybe we’ve been heaved off a crumbling ledge--with or without a severance package. Either way newness and “lack of control” have a way of sweeping in and taking our breath away, changing the course of our days, and leaving us hesitating before the Grand Void of Change.

Here’s what happens in transition - you’re left alone with your mind. You don’t know how things are going to go, and so you start making things up. Defeating thoughts trudge their cement-heavy suitcases in and pull out documentation evidencing your imminent and unmerciful doom. They have been waiting for years to show you this evidence and watching Perry Mason shows to practice their denouncing opening arguments. But really transition is a blank screen. You see what you believe, nothing more and nothing less. Take away the props of the everyday known world, perhaps your comforting successes, stare into the void, and before too long you see the buried stories you have about yourself. Most times, they’re hackneyed, but still haunting.

In-between time is acid on our egos. It’s a strong chemical that eats away at our self-worth and self-esteem until we shift gears and make use of our in-between time, not just any use, but soulful use. This is a time to heal and strengthen, let go of the self-attacking beliefs from your past, commit to your true desires and try on the bold apparel of a magnificent future self. This is a checkpoint. You can’t go into the big territory of a new life with the mindset of the past identity. Your old identity must be celebrated and laid to rest. Someone new, yet familiar as your breath, is emerging on the scene.

These powerful times can be frightening, but we can allow this natural process to birth and grow us. We are scared when we resist transition. Transitions are sacred when we enter them, when we are stripped, cleansed, detoxed and purified by them. They are shamans that disorient and clarify us at the same time, awakening a new vibration, manifestation, or expression of our soul.

So watch your thoughts during this time. “I’m stuck. I’m stuck here forever.” “What if I run out of money or no opportunities ever come my way again?” You wouldn’t have that thought unless you also had the thought that maybe you weren’t that valuable, maybe you weren’t that powerful, maybe you weren’t blessed and sitting in the silver chariot of your destiny--escorted by a consistent wise and inspired steed.

It’s easy to look upon a bleak future when your heart is closed down to yourself. But when you get clearer about who you truly are, the life you were meant to live, the love in your heart you have to give, your unequalled value, it is impossible to imagine a narrow path to a dire future. Don’t look “out there.” Don’t take your cues from the screen. Look at what you believe about your True Self, not what you believe about the future, the economy, the way things are, the stock market, etc. Look at your soul, your precious radiant special package. Look at what you think you’d like to express or offer to others in our love-thirsty world. Look at what you know about yourself, deep, deep down, underneath the false modesty, the precautionary “don’t get your hopes up,” the conditioned cynicism of our times.

Go deep, deep down, past old conditioning, to an infinite place inside that believes in you, knows the brilliant and fluid life you came to live. This is the self that will lead the way. This True Self navigates the new territory. And everything that no longer serves your destiny will remain behind. That’s what the checkpoint is for. No falsity can get you through this door. The ancient laments, bad habits, and scornful self-perceptions can’t come with you into the next sweet expression of your life. This is purification time. This is sacred time. Bless this time.

And bless you all--and everyone--who travel here.

Copyright 2002 Tama J. Kieves. All rights reserved.

Tama J. Kieves is the best-selling author of THIS TIME I DANCE! Creating the Work You Love/How One Harvard Lawyer Left It All to Have It All! She is also a sought-after speaker and career coach. Sign up to receive FREE monthly inspiration and tools for your creative life journey at http://www.AwakeningArtistry.com. Download her free report on “Finding Your Calling Now” at http://www.AwakeningArtistry.com

Sunday 20th - Sketchers - National History Museum

"These gold lock-rings come from the Dowris phase of the Late Bronze Age and date to circa 800 - 600 B. C. These gapped conical ornaments, thought to have been used for holding hair in place, such as at the end of a plait, demonstrate the highest skill of the early Irish goldsmith."

How to Overcome Resistance to Change

Maybe your life can be better, but certain aspects would definitely have to change. If you are like me, change is very difficult. You get stuck in a rut; but, the rut is familiar, and if not perfect, it is comfortable. To pull yourself out of the trenches will require taking you out of your comfort zone and placing you in unfamiliar territory. Like me, you definitely need to learn how to overcome your resistance to change with a life-makeover.

Staying in you comfort zone and being resistant to change will not get you anywhere. If you really want to make your life better, in any aspect, you must accept that not all change is bad. Even if you are doubtful at first, even changes you do not expect can turn out to be great in the long-run. You may not be able to see the positive effects today, but tomorrow could be wonderful.

In order to believe that tomorrow can be great, a life-makeover can teach you to change you thinking, so that everything that changes does not have to be a catastrophe waiting to happen. If you can adjust your conceptions, change can be something exciting to look forward to, on your way to a richer and fuller life.

If you look forward to change, you will not have to resign yourself to your present circumstances. You can be free to take the steps necessary to improve you standard of living, you self-esteem, your relationships, and your hopes and dreams. You do not have to accept the way things are and just go through the motions of living. You can get excited about life again and anticipate each new day with joy.

You can learn how to create each new day with enthusiasm, and let go of the fear related to change. You will learn how to use the new tools provided to find an inner strength you never knew you possessed! You are stronger than you think; and there are people will help you find that strength.

Life is too short. You do not want to go through life saying, "I wish . . ." or "I could have . . ." Inner peace and contentment with life does not drop in your lap. If you want to be happy, you are the only one that can make it so. It is your choice. So, if you want to make your life better, you have to make a concerted effort to overcome your resistance to change.

Paul Sutherland is an Accelerated Business Growth Coach. His company - Daniel Thomas International is also heavily involved in personal development and growth. Now a website www.perfected-products.com has been created. Here you will find some of the very best tried tested and proven methods for creating the life you really want.