Self Improvement and Self Growth

By Remez Sasson

Nowadays, the terms self improvement, self growth and self help have become popular. We find many books about these subjects and many websites too. It seems that people are turning inside to find the solution to their problems. They seek knowledge, techniques, workshops, lectures and teachers who can show them the way. People begin to understand that self improvement and self growth improve the quality of life.

The subconscious mind is one of the major keys to self improvement and self growth. By changing the contents of the subconscious mind you change your habits, behavior and attitudes. This is brought about through visualization, affirmations, meditation and by analyzing behavior and habits.

The process of inner change requires inner work. It is not enough to read, you have to practice what you read, and this needs time and effort. There is no such thing as instant self improvement. Any inner change takes time, and there must be motivation, desire, ambition, perseverance and dedication. Outer and inner resistance and opposition must be taken into account too. Upon starting any self improvement program, most people usually encounter inner resistance that come from their old habits and their subconscious mind, and also resistance and opposition from the people around them.

The desire to change, build new habits and improve must be strong enough to resist any laziness, desire to give up and the ridicule or opposition from family, friends or colleagues.

Let me tell you something about myself. I have been drawn to self improvement techniques from an early age, and have regarded them as a source for inner strength, happiness and a way to a better life. One of the most useful techniques that I have discovered was a simple, but very effective technique. It consisted of watching how people behaved and acted in various situations, and then looking inside myself, to find out if I behaved in the same way under the same conditions.

When I saw people with certain traits of character, or a certain kind of behavior that I did not like, I examined myself to see whether I possessed them too. If I did, I visualized and rehearsed in my mind a different sort of behavior. In my mind's eye I saw myself with the opposite traits of character. I visualized myself in situations, where I manifested the new behavior.

When I encountered traits of character or behavior, which I liked, I used to think about their advantages and benefits and their importance in my life. Here too, I used visualization and affirmations and endeavored to act in this way in daily life.

In this way I have learned and benefited a lot from the behavior and actions of the people around me, at work, at home, in the street and everywhere else, from people in real life, and from watching people on the screen. It was never for the purpose of judging them or taking advantage of them, but for learning how to act, react and behave in a better way. This process had another benefit. It increased the knowledge about how the mind and thoughts influence the behavior and actions of people.

How can you too take advantage of this technique for self improvement and growth?

1. Look around you and watch how people behave in various circumstances. Watch the people you meet at home, work, at the supermarket, on the bus, train and on the street. Watch and learn also from people interviewed on TV, and also from movies.

2. Watch how people talk, walk and react, and how they are consequently treated by others.

3. Pay attention to the way people use their voice and how they react to others' voices. Watch how you feel and act when people shout or speak softly. Watch what happens when people get angry, restless and upset and what happens if they are calm and relaxed.

4. If you do not like what you see, analyze what and why you do not like it, and then analyze your own behavior to find out whether you behave in the same way. Be honest and impartial in your analysis.

5. If you discover that you manifest some of these undesirable traits of character and behavior, affirm to yourself often, that every time you manifest these traits or behavior, you are going to be conscious and aware of them, and do your best to avoid them.

6. Play in your mind a mental scene of how you would like to behave. Repeat it several times a day, every day.

7. When you detect a sort of behavior or character traits you like and desire to possess, try to act in a similar way. Here too, visualize several times each day a scene, where you act and behave in that different way.

8. You can also decide to change some habit and behavior patterns and develop new ones, because you believe they are necessary and beneficial, even without seeing them in others first.

9. Think and visualize over and over again in your mind how you would like to act and behave. Constantly remind yourself of the changes you desire to make, and strive to act according to them. Each time that you find yourself acting according to your old habit, remember your decision to change and improve, and act accordingly.

10. Do not be disappointed or frustrated if you do not attain fast results. It does not matter how many times you fail or forget to behave as you desired. Persevere with your efforts and never give up, and you will begin to see how you and your life change.

The Power of Positive Thinking

by Remez Sasson

Positive thinking is a mental attitude that admits into the mind thoughts, words and images that are conductive to growth, expansion and success. It is a mental attitude that expects good and favorable results. A positive mind anticipates happiness, joy, health and a successful outcome of every situation and action. Whatever the mind expects, it finds.

Not everyone accepts or believes in positive thinking. Some consider the subject as just nonsense, and others scoff at people who believe and accept it. Among the people who accept it, not many know how to use it effectively to get results. Yet, it seems that many are becoming attracted to this subject, as evidenced by the many books, lectures and courses about it. This is a subject that is gaining popularity.

It is quite common to hear people say: "Think positive!", to someone who feels down and worried. Most people do not take these words seriously, as they do not know what they really mean, or do not consider them as useful and effective. How many people do you know, who stop to think what the power of positive thinking means?

The following story illustrates how this power works:
Allan applied for a new job, but as his self-esteem was low, and he considered himself as a failure and unworthy of success, he was sure that he was not going to get the job. He had a negative attitude towards himself, and believed that the other applicants were better and more qualified than him. Allan manifested this attitude, due to his negative past experiences with job interviews.

His mind was filled with negative thoughts and fears concerning the job for the whole week before the job interview. He was sure he would be rejected. On the day of the interview he got up late, and to his horror he discovered that the shirt he had planned to wear was dirty, and the other one needed ironing. As it was already too late, he went out wearing a shirt full of wrinkles.

During the interview he was tense, displayed a negative attitude, worried about his shirt, and felt hungry because he did not have enough time to eat breakfast. All this distracted his mind and made it difficult for him to focus on the interview. His overall behavior made a bad impression, and consequently he materialized his fear and did not get the job.

Jim applied for the same job too, but approached the matter in a different way. He was sure that he was going to get the job. During the week preceding the interview he often visualized himself making a good impression and getting the job.

In the evening before the interview he prepared the clothes he was going to wear, and went to sleep a little earlier. On day of the interview he woke up earlier than usual, and had ample time to eat breakfast, and then to arrive to the interview before the scheduled time.

He got the job because he made a good impression. He had also of course, the proper qualifications for the job, but so had Allan.

What do we learn from these two stories? Is there any magic employed here? No, it is all natural. When the attitude is positive we entertain pleasant feelings and constructive images, and see in our mind's eye what we really want to happen. This brings brightness to the eyes, more energy and happiness. The whole being broadcasts good will, happiness and success. Even the health is affected in a beneficial way. We walk tall and the voice is more powerful. Our body language shows the way you feel inside.

Positive and negative thinking are both contagious.
All of us affect, in one way or another, the people we meet. This happens instinctively and on a subconscious level, through thoughts and feelings transference, and through body language. People sense our aura and are affected by our thoughts, and vice versa. Is it any wonder that we want to be around positive people and avoid negative ones? People are more disposed to help us if we are positive, and they dislike and avoid anyone broadcasting negativity.

Negative thoughts, words and attitude bring up negative and unhappy moods and actions. When the mind is negative, poisons are released into the blood, which cause more unhappiness and negativity. This is the way to failure, frustration and disappointment.

Practical Instructions

In order to turn the mind toward the positive, inner work and training are required. Attitude and thoughts do not change overnight.

Read about this subject, think about its benefits and persuade yourself to try it. The power of thoughts is a mighty power that is always shaping our life. This shaping is usually done subconsciously, but it is possible to make the process a conscious one. Even if the idea seems strange give it a try, as you have nothing to lose, but only to gain. Ignore what others might say or think about you, if they discover that you are changing the way you think.

Always visualize only favorable and beneficial situations. Use positive words in your inner dialogues or when talking with others. Smile a little more, as this helps to think positively. Disregard any feelings of laziness or a desire to quit. If you persevere, you will transform the way your mind thinks.

Once a negative thought enters your mind, you have to be aware of it and endeavor to replace it with a constructive one. The negative thought will try again to enter your mind, and then you have to replace it again with a positive one. It is as if there are two pictures in front of you, and you choose to look at one of them and disregard the other. Persistence will eventually teach your mind to think positively and ignore negative thoughts.

In case you feel any inner resistance when replacing negative thoughts with positive ones, do not give up, but keep looking only at the beneficial, good and happy thoughts in your mind.

It does not matter what your circumstances are at the present moment. Think positively, expect only favorable results and situations, and circumstances will change accordingly. It may take some time for the changes to take place, but eventually they do.

Another method to employ is the repetition of affirmations. It is a method which resembles creative visualization, and which can be used in conjunction with it. It is the subject of another article on this website.

The other articles at this website, about the power of concentration, will power, self-discipline and peace of mind also contribute to the development of a positive mind, and are recommended for reading and practicing.

Insurance Planner

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Insurance Planner! Do you have the right kind of insurance for you and your family? In less than 15 minutes, you can find out. Simply answer the questions in the Insurance Planner about you and your auto, home, health, life and career to get a personalized assessment of your insurance needs. The planner will give you: The types of insurance you need Specific suggestions within insurance categories Links to tools and articles for more research Direct access to online quotes Life Insurance (what we must thinking ?) 1. How many years before you retire? 2. Are you financially responsible for anyone other than yourself? 3. If you have children, how much money do you anticipate contributing to their college education? 4. What is the value of your non-retirement assets? This includes your savings, checking, money market accounts, investments not in a 401(k) or an IRA, cars, etc. This figure does not include your home(s) or personal property. Remember, we will not share this information with others. 5. What is your annual household income? 6. In the event of your death, how much annual income would your spouse or partner be able to provide to compensate for the loss of yours? 7. What is the approximate balance owed on your mortgage? 8. If you have life insurance, what is the value of your policy? http://moneycentral.msn.com/insure/welcome.asp

Why Insurance Is Important ??

If you were to die could your family or dependants, pay for your funeral, organize the financial affairs, service pre-existing debt and continue their current standard of living without you? This is why life insurance is important.

If you were to be seriously injured could you pay for your hospital costs, ongoing treatment, time off work, pay the living costs for you and your family until you are fully recovered, if you are fully recovered?. This is why Total Permanent Disability insurance is important.

If you are injured and are unable to continue working are you able to service your debtors and maintain any standard of living? This is why you need income protection insurance.

If you were to be in a car accident with two other cars and it was determined that the accident was your fault, could you go to a car showroom and buy yourself a new car, pay for repair or replacement of the other two cars and pay for the medical bills of the other drivers and their passengers? This is why motor insurance is important.


Why Insurance Is Important

If you were to die could your family or dependants, pay for your funeral, organize the financial affairs, service pre-existing debt and continue their current standard of living without you? This is why life insurance is important.

If you were to be seriously injured could you pay for your hospital costs, ongoing treatment, time off work, pay the living costs for you and your family until you are fully recovered, if you are fully recovered?. This is why Total Permanent Disability insurance is important.

If you are injured and are unable to continue working are you able to service your debtors and maintain any standard of living? This is why you need income protection insurance.

If you were to be in a car accident with two other cars and it was determined that the accident was your fault, could you go to a car showroom and buy yourself a new car, pay for repair or replacement of the other two cars and pay for the medical bills of the other drivers and their passengers? This is why motor insurance is important.

If you are ill and need immediate treatment at a hospital but the wait is massive as the public health system is suffering lengthy delays and you deteriorate to the point that treatment is very costly. This is why health insurance is important.

If your home is broken into and your possessions are stolen, can you replace all the items taken and pay for all the damage to the property caused by the burglars? This is why home and contents insurance is important.

If you are running a business and someone is injured on your premises by falling over a step or is injured during a robbery, can you cover the cost of their medical treatment and any impending court costs and rulings? This is why public liability insurance is important.

If your business fails to meet a loan payment due to a cashflow problem can you afford to pay the default fees, or find money to pay for other leasing contracts, staff, utility payments and rent? This is why business expense insurance is important.

Insurance is generally low cost and the cost to cover all the above scenarios with insurance is far, far lower than trying to service them if they arise. Just one situation not going your way can far outweigh the cost of insurance. Are you willing to bet a 100% record?

At some point you will probably need to call upon some kind of insurance. The law of averages means at some point you may well get ill, or you will get burgled or your flight will lose your luggage or your car will crash, and you definitely will die at some point in the future.

Insurance is not just important it is necessary. Unless you are independently wealthy or have strong consistent income streams you cannot meet the level of expenditure expected if you are sacrificing insurance.
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How to Quit Smoking

Posted on March 27, 2008
Filed Under Blogger Indonesia, Culture, Education, Fatih Syuhud, Indonesia, Internet, Lifestyle, News

I, finally and officially, Quit Smoking and today is the seventh day. 21 March 2008 was the starting day.

It’s been a long while that the intention and willingness to call it a day emerged. What I need was a momentum to start afresh the whole thing. Includng to begin leaving the “chain-smoker” label behind.

And when the moment came, I took it with both hand. Now, it’s the seventh day I live without any cigarette smokes filling my lung. Some friends amazed, surprised and shocked. But it’s just natural to go from one extreme to another if you’re determined to do so. Nothing is impossible.

So, to quit smoking is simple insofar as I am concerned. First, you got to have a serious intention and willingness to change a particular habit. Second, pick the most important moment of your lives to start with e.g. the birth of your most awaited son, your birthday, etc. Third, be consistent. Never try to fool your self by “Hey, it’s ok to try just once a day.” When you decide to stop smoking, it means stop it altogether never try it even once. Period.

http://fatihsyuhud.com/2008/03/27/how-to-quit-smoking-2/

Health Effects of Smoking

About 442,000 people in the United States die each year from illnesses caused by cigarette smoking. Smoking accounts for nearly 90 percent of lung cancer deaths. Additionally, smokers are at increased risk for cancer of the larynx, oral cavity, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas. While some negative health effects of smoking manifest slowly over time, others can be measured almost immediately. Sticky brown tar leaves yellow stains on fingers and teeth. Some of the inhaled tar is absorbed by lung cells, causing them to die. Tar also damages the cilia in the upper airways that protect against infection. Nicotine causes arteries to constrict, lowering skin temperature and reducing blood flow to the hands and feet. Carbon monoxide deprives the body of oxygen, binding to red blood cells in place of the oxygen molecule and forcing the heart to pump more blood through the body.

One-third of smoking-related deaths are caused by coronary heart disease or chronic airway obstruction. For example, the nicotine in tobacco combines with carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke to damage the lining of blood vessels and make blood platelets stickier. Platelets form part of the damaging plaque buildup in artery walls (see Arteriosclerosis). These effects in combination contribute to the development of heart disease. Smoking also increases the risk of stroke by 50 percent—40 percent among men and 60 percent among women. Other research has shown that mothers who smoke give birth more frequently to premature or underweight babies, probably because of a decrease in blood flow to the placenta. Babies born to mothers who smoke during pregnancy are also at increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome.

Cigar and pipe smoke contains the same toxic and carcinogenic compounds found in cigarette smoke. A report by the National Cancer Institute concluded that the mortality rates from cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx, pharynx, and esophagus are approximately equal in users of cigarettes, cigars, and pipes. Rates of coronary heart disease, lung cancer, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis are elevated for cigar and pipe smokers and are correlated to the amount of smoking and the degree of inhalation.

Studies have found that cigarettes are addictive because an unknown component of tobacco smoke appears to destroy an important brain enzyme known as monoamine oxidase B (MAO B). The enzyme is vital for breaking down excess amounts of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that triggers pleasure-seeking behavior. Smokers have decreased levels of MAO B and abnormally high levels of dopamine, which may encourage the smoker to seek the pleasure of more tobacco smoke.

Even nonsmokers are at risk from smoking. Recent research has focused on the effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)—that is, the effect of tobacco smoke on nonsmokers who must share the same environment with a smoker. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that exposure to ETS, which contains all the toxic agents inhaled by a smoker, causes 3,000 lung cancer deaths and an estimated 35,000 deaths from heart disease per year among nonsmokers. Secondhand smoke can aggravate asthma, pneumonia, and bronchitis, and impair blood circulation.

The smoking habit and addiction to nicotine usually begin at an early age. In the United States, more than 90 percent of adults who smoke started by age 21, and nearly half of them were regular smokers by the age of 18. Despite increasing warnings about the health hazards of smoking and widespread bans on smoking in public places, smoking remains common among teenagers and young adults. In 2001 surveys of students in grades 9 through 12 found that more than 38 percent of male students and nearly 30 percent of female students smoke. Although black teenagers have the lowest smoking rates of any racial group, cigarette smoking among black teens increased 80 percent in the late 1990s. Advertisements aimed at a young audience are largely blamed for this new generation of smokers.

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761579162/smoking.html

Stop Smoking,now !

One billion people will die from tobacco-related causes by the end of the century if current consumption trends continue, according to a global report released Thursday by the World Health Organization (WHO).

At a press conference held in midtown Manhattan, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose charitable organization, Bloomberg Philanthropies, contributed $2 million to conduct the study, joined top WHO officials to present the findings. Among the litany of sobering statistics: 5.4 million people die each year — one every six seconds — from lung cancer, heart disease or other illness directly linked to tobacco use. Smoking killed 100 million people in the 20th century, and the yearly death toll could pass 8 million as soon as 2030 — 80% of those deaths will be in the developing world, where tobacco use is growing most rapidly. "We're on a collision course," said Dr. Douglas Bettcher, director of WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative.

If the unveiling of the report felt more like an assault, it was meant to. Built into the report's six primary policy goals was a directive to countries to warn people about the many dangers of tobacco. Another of the study's main objectives was to get countries to assess their tobacco consumption. "If you can't measure a problem, you obviously can't manage it," said Mayor Bloomberg, who banned smoking in New York City's restaurants and bars in 2003.

The 369-page WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2008, bound like a high school yearbook and bundled with a "cigarette pack" of colored markers, called on governments to adhere to six tobacco control policies it calls MPOWER: monitor tobacco use; protect people from secondhand smoke; offer help to people who want to quit; warn about the risks of smoking; enforce bans on cigarette advertising; and raise tobacco taxes. The report also breaks down tobacco consumption and prevention efforts country by country. To date, it is the most comprehensive study of its kind at a global level, said WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan.

The collected data should equip countries around the world to begin implementing anti-tobacco policies, Chan says, including smoking bans, aggressive anti-tobacco campaigns and massive tobacco tax hikes. According to the report, nearly two thirds of the world's smokers live in 10 countries — China, India, Japan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, the U.S., Brazil, Germany, Russia, and Turkey. China alone accounts for nearly 30% of all smokers worldwide. Currently, only 5% of the world's population lives in countries — predominately in Western Europe — that have any antismoking policies in place. "These are straightforward and common sense measures within the reach of every country, regardless of income level," said Chan.

According to the study, the most effective tactic globally has been simply to raise prices. "Increasing taxes is the best way to decrease consumption," Bettcher said, pointing to the direct relationship between a rise in excise tax rates and a fall in cigarette purchases in South Africa between 1990 and 2006. Making tobacco prohibitively expensive, said Bettcher, will decrease consumption, especially among those who can least afford to smoke. Lower income people smoke significantly more than the wealthy, and spend a much higher proportion of their income on tobacco — 20% of the most impoverished households in Mexico spend as much as 11% of their household income on tobacco — mostly due to the tobacco industry's objective to get people addicted to nicotine, according to the study.

Another vulnerable group: women. Though women still smoke at just one quarter the rate of men, tobacco advertisers are increasingly targeting this largely untapped market. Though parts of Europe have enacted some of the most aggressive anti-tobacco policies in the world, in recent decades the rates of smoking between men and women have begun evening out — even as rates decrease among European men, they are increasing among women. Among adolescents in European Union member nations, girls may now be even more likely to smoke than boys. Globally, Chan said, "the rise of tobacco use among girls and young women is among the most ominous trends."

As with virtually all public-health problems, a major hurdle to reducing smoking, the study said, is lack of public education. People are not fully aware of the hazards of smoking, and it's a weakness that the tobacco industry is quick to exploit, Bettcher said. A recent Chinese study found that "only 25% of the Chinese population knew tobacco was bad for their health," he explained. Warnings should be bolder and scarier, said Bloomberg. Other countries put skull and crossbones symbols or photographs of blackened lungs on their cigarette packs, he said, and the U.S should follow suit: "The U.S. government isn't doing enough."

Asked whether he would back a federal ban on smoking in the workplace or public spaces, Bloomberg said he would, but added, "I don't think the federal government should prohibit the manufacture or sale of cigarettes," but that combatting tobacco should mean diminishing the demand.

Once a smoker himself, Bloomberg said he was able to quit only when he truly understood the consequences. "As I became more mature and started thinking, 'Do I want to live or not?' it was an easy decision." For those who want to smoke, however, he feels it should be their right, so long as they aren't harming others. "I happen to agree with those who think you have a right to kill yourself," he said.

How To Save Your Health and Wealth at the Same Time

June 26th, 2008 @ 7:38 am by: Marc

Your health is your life, and your wealth represents the fruits of your labor. I assume you don’t want to be wasteful with either of them. Here’s how to save both at the same time:

So many people spend their health gaining wealth,
and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health.
- A.J. Reb Materi

1. Reduce Your Consumption of Drugs – That includes alcohol, cigarettes, over the counter, prescription and otherwise. Drugs are a huge financial drain, and in most cases, unhealthy for the human body. A significant portion of the global population abuses the crap out of them on a daily basis, legally and illegally.

2. Learn to Cook and Prepare Healthy Food – People who eat every meal out tend to have lighter wallets and heavier rear ends. With the exception of pricey, upscale dining establishments, you’ll find that most restaurants use lower-grade ingredients and employ sketchy sanitary practices that fall well below the standards you embrace in your own kitchen. So when you eat out, you’re either spending more cash or eating low-grade product. Regardless, you lose. The ability to cook and prepare healthy meals is a vital skill everyone should know how to do.

3. Brown Bag the Leftovers for Lunch – Always cook enough at dinnertime so you can enjoy lunchtime leftovers the following day. Leftovers are faster, easier, cheaper and healthier than anything you’ll find at the local fast food eatery.

4. Avoid Overpriced, Unproven Supplements – Most people assume that FDA approved nutritional supplements are proven products. Wrong! Do you really think the FDA has enough resources to precisely verify every new dietary supplement proposed to hit the market? I assure you, they don’t and there is no feasible way they ever will. Remember, the FDA concentrates its efforts on drugs, not supplements. Under the active Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act, producers of dietary supplements do not have to verify that their product is effective, safe or at all healthy prior to placing it on store shelves. Sometimes someone has to become dreadfully ill from a dietary supplement before it even becomes a “blip” on the FDA’s radar.

5. Drink Filtered Tap Water – I’ve said it before, people go to work and trade priceless hours of their lives for dollars and then waste the dollars buying something that’s already free. A Brita water filter is an inexpensive investment that makes free tap water as healthy and pure as the bottled water for sale at the local supermarket. Since a penny saved is a penny earned, you’ll be making money every time you take a sip. Also, substituting beverages like soda for filtered tap water is another healthy way to save.

6. Stop Driving Like a Maniac – The faster you accelerate your vehicle, the more gas you will burn. People who are heavy on the pedal use up to 37% more gas during every mile of city driving. At $4 a gallon, that’s a lot of wasted money. Also, the faster you drive, the less time you have to react to hazardous road conditions. Bottom line: Drive responsibly at or below the speed limit.

7. Brew Your Own Coffee – Is coffee perfectly healthy for you? It’s hard to say for sure. There is a good deal of medical research to validate both sides of the argument (see here and here). However, one point remains certain: millions of people across the globe drink coffee every single morning. Many of them wasting significant amounts of money on fatty, sugar and cream packed coffee beverages from Starbucks-style coffeehouses. So the real question is: How do you make the coffee drinking habit healthier and less expensive? The answer is simple. Brew your own coffee. If you like, add a dash of low fat milk and a single packet of sugar. It’s quick, fairly healthy and way cheaper than Starbucks. We have a Cuisinart Two-to-Go Coffeemaker and absolutely love it.

8. Wear Helmets and Protective Body Gear – How many motorcyclists, bicyclists, skateboarders, etc. do see foolishly blazing around without wearing any form of protective body gear? It’s your life. A quality bicycle helmet will cost you $40 and 2 seconds of your time to put it on before you ride. If you don’t wear one and end up crashing and cracking your head open, it could cost you thousands of dollars in medical bills and take months, if not years, for your body to fully recover.

9. Stay In and Hang Out – Your home is your haven. It’s the safest, most comfortable environment to relax and socialize in. It also happens to be a far cheaper alternative to the local bars, pubs and clubs. You can save money on gas and entertainment costs while avoiding a lungful of secondhand smoke. So login to eBay, sell some stuff you don’t use, buy yourself a Wii and invite over a few of your favorite people. Don’t forget to crank-up the tunes.

10. Buy Healthy, Generic Brand Food – When it comes to the bare essentials on your grocery list, generic brands can provide the same food quality at a significantly reduced cost. U.S. food manufacturers are forced to follow a set of standards which basically guarantees the quality of the food they produce. Many large-scale grocery chains purchase name brand products directly from the manufacturer and simply slap their own generic brand label on the packaging. You should always compare the generic brand’s list of ingredients to a name brand product just to make sure everything matches up.

11. Eat Fresh Produce that is In Season – Based on abundant crops and excessive supplies, produce that is in season is fresher, more nutritious and cheaper than produce that is out of season. Take a quick look around the produce isle. The fresh, seasonal produce will be piled high and priced low. The fluctuations in price can be quite significant. For instance, an ear of corn will cost about 10 cents in the summer and nearly a dollar in the wintertime.

12. Play Sports with Your Friends – Racquetball, tennis, kickball, basketball… Honestly, it doesn’t matter what you play, so long as it’s an active sport that you enjoy. When you play sports with your friends you’re basically hitting 3 birds with 1 stone. You’re getting healthy exercise and quality social time without spending a dime.

13. Walk a Mile Everyday – Most medical professionals agree that walking is the healthiest form of exercise. Studies have shown that overweight twenty-somethings spend significantly more on medical bills over the course of their lives. Adding a 1 mile walk into your daily routine is a quick way to get some exercise and lose a couple pounds without spending money on a gym membership. My colleagues and I walk a mile everyday after lunch. We walk, we talk and we come back to the office feeling refreshed.

14. Do Some Weekly Meal Planning – A little meal planning can reduce the cost of preparing a meal by preventing you from overspending on ingredients you don’t need. It’s also much less stressful to prepare a meal without running around at the last second trying to figure out what ingredients you have so you know what you can cook. This scenario is exactly why most people give up and waste their money at unhealthy fast food restaurants.

15. Buy in Bulk, Cook in Bulk – Join a discount shopping club like Costco. Even though there’s a membership fee, discount clubs can be extremely cost-effective if you purchase the majority of your groceries in bulk. Buying and cooking food in bulk is a great way to save money and maintain a healthy diet. If you cook a week’s worth of healthy food in bulk, you’ll probably end up eating healthier all week long than you would have otherwise. Angel and I usually cook in bulk for the entire week on Sunday evenings. Having our food already prepared when we return home from work is a huge time saver and stress reducer on busy week nights.

16. Eat Slow to Eat Less – By eating slow you give yourself enough time to properly chew your food, which is much healthier for your digestive system. It also gives you enough time (usually 20 minutes is needed) to realize you’re full. Many people eat so fast that they continue stuffing their faces long after their stomachs are at capacity. The slower you eat, the less you will eat. The less you eat, the less money you will spend on food.

17. Reduce Consumption of Sugar-Loaded Deserts – Consuming a sugary snack on occasion is fine for you, but not when you habitually fix one onto the end of every single meal you eat. Most sugar-loaded deserts have little nutritional value and simply empty your wallet and make your jeans 2 sizes too small.

18. Get Annual Medical Check-Ups – If you think that scheduling medical check-ups when you’re healthy is a waste of your time and money, think again. The exact opposite is actually true. Annual medical check-ups are the best form of severe illness prevention, and prevention is greatest cure of all. Regular medical check-ups can detect potential health issues before they get out of control, allowing you to treat the condition before it becomes an expensive, time consuming drain on your life.

19. Wash Your Hands Before Eating – Washing your hands takes two seconds and kills thousands of germs that could potentially lead to illness. When you catch a cold, what do you do? You buy expensive over the counter medications. Do you want to stay healthier and wealthier? Wash your hands before you eat, EVERY SINGLE TIME you eat! If you can’t wash your hands, use a quality hand sanitizer.

20. Brush and Floss Your Teeth Every Night – I know so many people who brush their teeth every morning to kill bad breath, but get lazy and forget to brush and floss their teeth before bedtime. The bacterium that causes tooth decay can multiply 30 times during the course of the night while you sleep. If you only want to brush and floss your teeth once a day, do it before bedtime. It is the most effective time for maintaining a healthy set of teeth. Remember, dentistry is painfully expensive, so be proactive and take care of your teeth.

Managing Your Anger Could Save Your Life

A new US study suggests that learning to manage your anger might save your life: they found that anger-induced electrical changes can predict future heart arrhythmias in patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs).

The study is the work of researchers at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, and the Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven, Connecticut, and at PinMed Inc. and University of Pittsburgh, Cardiovascular Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is published in the March 3rd issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Lead author Dr Rachel Lampert, associate professor at Yale University School of Medicine told the press that the study was important because:

"We are beginning to understand how anger and other types of mental stress can trigger potentially lethal ventricular arrhythmias, especially among patients with structural heart abnormalities."

"We know strong emotion increases sympathetic arousal," explained Lampert.

"In this study, we found patients with higher levels of anger-induced TWA [a measure of the heart's electrical stability] were more likely to experience arrhythmias requiring ICD termination," she added.

Findings from other studies show that at times of great stress in the population, such as when there is an earthquake or war, there are more sudden cardiac deaths.

This study is the first to show that changes brought on by anger and other strong emotions can anticipate arrthymias and link mental stress to sudden cardiac arrest.

Sudden cardiac arrest is when the heart unexpectedly suddenly stops beating, causing blood to stop flowing to the brain and other vital organs.

According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Instititue (NHLBI), every year between 250,000 and 450,000 Americans have sudden cardiac arrest. It occurs most often in people in their mid-thirties to mid-forties and appears to affect men twice as often as women.

For this study, Lampert and colleagues examined 62 patients fitted with ICDs because they either had coronary artery diseae or dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart muscle is enlarged. They were all recruited from the Yale Electrophysiology practice.

They monitored the patients as they underwent a mental stress test in the laboratory about 3 months after being implanted with the ICD. During the test patients were asked to remember a recent situation that made them feel angry or aggravated. While the patients recalled their anger incident, the researchers monitored their T-wave alternans (TWA), a measure of their heart's electrical stability.

After this the patients were followed for an average of 37 months to see which of them had arrthymias that had to be stopped by their implanted ICDs.

The results showed that 16 per cent of the patients had ICD-terminated arrhythmias during follow up, and these also had higher TWA induced by anger than those patients who did not have arrhythmias during follow up.

Even when they took other clinical factors into account that might predispose patients to higher levels of TWA or higher levels of heart events (eg heart failure or history of arrhythmia), the researchers found that anger-induced TWA remained a significant predictor of arrhythmia during follow up. The risk was ten times that of other patients.

The authors recommended screening based on accurate non-invasive risk tests to identify patients at greatest risk for life-threatening arrhythmia, since these findings suggest that mental stress, and anger in particular, may be another route that provokes arrhythmia.

Commenting in an accompanying editorial, Dr Eric J. Rashba, professor of Medicine at Stony Brook University Medical Center, Long Island, New York, wrote:

"What remains unclear is how this new T-wave alternans test relates to traditional exercise TWA testing."

"It may be that combining exercise TWA tests with newer mental stress TWA tests may help clinicians better select patients likely to have arrhythmia and, in turn, benefit from a defibrillator; however, more study is needed," he added.

Lampert said that unlike exercise, mental stress doesn't raise heart rate significantly, which suggests that mental stress may affect heart tissue directly via adrenaline. Thus mental stress tests could be an alternative to atrial pacing for patients who can't exercise, she added, stressing that:

"More research is needed, but these data suggest that therapies focused on helping patients deal with anger and other negative emotions may help reduce arrhythmias and, therefore, sudden cardiac death in certain patients."

"Anger-Induced T-Wave Alternans Predicts Future Ventricular Arrhythmias in Patients With Implantable Cardioverter- Defibrillators."
Lampert, Rachel, Shusterman, Vladimir, Burg, Matthew, McPherson, Craig, Batsford, William, Goldberg, Anna, Soufer, Robert.
J Am Coll Cardiol 2009; 53:774-778.
doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2008.10.053

Why lipstick could save your life: How a spot of lippy helps to improve your balance

By Nick Mcdermott
Last updated at 7:34 AM on 06th April 2009

Lipstick: A lifesaver?

It may infuriate their waiting husbands, but women who insist on applying make-up before going anywhere could be saving themselves from disaster.

Scientists have found that the ritual of applying lipstick and blusher acts as a type of stretching exercise which can improve balance and coordination.

This is particularly important for older women, for whom a fall can cause serious injury or even death. Each year, more than 700,000 people over 65 in the UK have to go to hospital after a fall.

Those who break a hip have a 20 per cent chance of dying within a year and falls are the leading cause of death for the over-75s.

The apparent benefits of make-up emerged from a study of 100 women from 65 to 85 at the University of St Etienne in France.

They were fitted with special insoles to test their centres of gravity and a belt to monitor their posture.

The researchers found that those who put on make-up every day had much better balance and posture, and suffered fewer falls.

Dr Patricia Pineau, who led the study, said: 'These women stood up straight and suffered fewer falls. They held themselves differently to those who did not wear make-up.'

Dr Pineau, director of research communications at the cosmetics company L'Oreal Group, added: 'It could help to prevent many debilitating falls.' The findings are to be presented at the World Congress of Gerontology in Paris. Last year, a study concluded that gentle yoga exercises can cut the risk of painful falls in old age.

Just two months of classes improved muscle strength, balance and flexibility, making falls and fractures less likely.

Women who took part in the programme of exercises, designed specifically for over-65s, also felt more confident, the U.S. research found.

Even if falls do not cause broken bones or head injuries, they can leave older people fearful and dependent on others for everyday chores.

One reason the elderly are most at risk is that the nerves most distant from the brain, such as in the foot, tend to decline in activity as part of the ageing process.

Damage from a fall is often made worse by underlying osteoporosis, the brittle bone disease.

How to Obtain Important Life Goals to Help You Grow

Identifying specific goals to help you grow is indeed an important process. Self growth is one of the most
gratifying and empowering things you could possibly explore. It allows you to be more aware and conscious
about your future and it can strengthen your confidence and motivation to help you achieve all your
personal goals.

There are various kinds of goals including personal goals, career goals, health goals and relationship
goals to name a few.

In order for true growth to occur you need to take a good look at you and your life. Think about all your
goals and aspirations and make a list of the main areas in your life that you would like to improve or
develop. Think about the main attributes that will allow you really make a change in your life.

Now what do you need to help you develop these areas of your life?
Again make a list of the things, resources or people that will help you re-energize these key areas you
have listed. These resources may be things like seminars, websites, publications or trained specialists.

Among the list of goals to help you grow is mastering dedication to your goal. Once you have your
resources identified you will need to create a plan that will allow you to dedicate a little time
everyday towards your personal growth. It is important that you are consistent with this daily regimen
and use the time to remind yourself why these goals are important. You may also take the time to read
books or watch videos on personal development

Obtaining these kinds of goals to help you grow may be a new concept to you, but there are others who
have been developing and mastering these practices for quite sometime. Do some research and find
a mentor or someone who can inspire you in the area of personal development. Try to associate yourself
with other people who are on the path to self growth. You will be able to support and guide each other.

The crucial thing to remember when carrying out all of these goals is the importance of action. It is only
through application that you will be able to retrieve the results that you have been looking for.
By performing new actions you will be able to garner new and positive results.

Deciding to incorporate these goals to help you grow into your life is one of the first steps to regaining
control of your destiny. Self growth is a natural bi-product of these kinds of goals, however success
in all areas of your life will also be achieved. Good luck!

www.articlesbase.com

10 simple ways to save yourself from messing up your life

1. Stop taking so much notice of how you feel. How you feel is how you feel. It’ll pass soon. What you’re thinking is what you’re thinking. It’ll go too. Tell yourself that whatever you feel, you feel; whatever you think, you think. Since you can’t stop yourself thinking, or prevent emotions from arising in your mind, it makes no sense to be proud or ashamed of either. You didn’t cause them. Only your actions are directly under your control. They’re the only proper cause of pleasure or shame.
2. Let go of worrying. It often makes things worse. The more you think about something bad, the more likely it is to happen. When you’re hair-trigger primed to notice the first sign of trouble, you’ll surely find something close enough to convince yourself it’s come.
3. Ease up on the internal life commentary. If you want to be happy, stop telling yourself you’re miserable. People are always telling themselves how they feel, what they’re thinking, what others feel about them, what this or that event really means. Most of it’s imagination. The rest is equal parts lies and misunderstandings. You have only the most limited understanding of what others feel about you. Usually they’re no better informed on the subject; and they care about it far less than you do. You have no way of knowing what this or that event really means. Whatever you tell yourself will be make-believe.
4. Take no notice of your inner critic. Judging yourself is pointless. Judging others is half-witted. Whatever you achieve, someone else will always do better. However bad you are, others are worse. Since you can tell neither what’s best nor what’s worst, how can you place yourself correctly between them? Judging others is foolish since you cannot know all the facts, cannot create a reliable or objective scale, have no means of knowing whether your criteria match anyone else’s, and cannot have more than a limited and extremely partial view of the other person. Who cares about your opinion anyway?
5. Give up on feeling guilty. Guilt changes nothing. It may make you feel you’re accepting responsibility, but it can’t produce anything new in your life. If you feel guilty about something you’ve done, either do something to put it right or accept you screwed up and try not to do so again. Then let it go. If you’re feeling guilty about what someone else did, see a psychiatrist. That’s insane.
6. Stop being concerned what the rest of the world says about you. Nasty people can’t make you mad. Nice people can’t make you happy. Events or people are simply events or people. They can’t make you anything. You have to do that for yourself. Whatever emotions arise in you as a result of external events, they’re powerless until you pick them up and decide to act on them. Besides, most people are far too busy thinking about themselves (and worry what you are are thinking and saying about them) to be concerned about you.
7. Stop keeping score. Numbers are just numbers. They don’t have mystical powers. Because something is expressed as a number, a ratio or any other numerical pattern doesn’t mean it’s true. Plenty of lovingly calculated business indicators are irrelevant, gibberish, nonsensical, or just plain wrong. If you don’t understand it, or it’s telling you something bizarre, ignore it. There’s nothing scientific about relying on false data. Nor anything useful about charting your life by numbers that were silly in the first place.
8. Don’t be concerned that your life and career aren’t working out the way you planned. The closer you stick to any plan, the quicker you’ll go wrong. The world changes constantly. However carefully you analyzed the situation when you made the plan, if it’s more than a few days old, things will already be different. After a month, they’ll be very different. After a year, virtually nothing will be the same as it was when you started. Planning is only useful as a discipline to force people to think carefully about what they know and what they don’t. Once you start, throw the plan away and keep your eyes on reality.
9. Don’t let others use you to avoid being responsible for their own decisions. To hold yourself responsible for someone else’s success and happiness demeans them and proves you’ve lost the plot. It’s their life. They have to live it. You can’t do it for them; nor can you stop them from messing it up if they’re determined to do so. The job of a supervisor is to help and supervise. Only control-freaks and some others with a less serious mental disability fail to understand this.
10. Don’t worry about about your personality. You don’t really have one. Personality, like ego, is a concept invented by your mind. It doesn’t exist in the real world. Personality is a word for the general impression that you give through your words and actions. If your personality isn’t likeable today, don’t worry. You can always change it, so long as you allow yourself to do so. What fixes someone’s personality in one place is a determined effort on their part—usually through continually telling themselves they’re this or that kind of person and acting on what they say. If you don’t like the way you are, make yourself different. You’re the only person who’s standing in your way.

by Adrian