Maria Duval - And the Meek Shall Inherit the Earth...

And the Meek Shall Inherit the Earth...
‘Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.’
William James, 1842-1910, Psychologist and Author

‘Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.’
Matthew 5:5, The New Testament

What do Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Professor Mohammed Yunus of Bangladesh, Immaculee Ilibagiza, Rwandan holocaust survivor, and the Amish community in Pennsylvania have in common?

Let me briefly tell their stories based on the little information I have read.

Prof. Yunus teaches economics. What made him increasingly uncomfortable was the ever-widening gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots.’ In his country, millions of people were destined to never raise their heads in life because in the eyes of the current banking system the poor are not credit-worthy. Prof. Yunus thought differently; he thought that applying for and getting a loan or credit was a basic human right and was the only way to start to close that gap.

So he started up his own system, called ‘microcredit,’ where he loaned small amounts of money to poor struggling families who wanted to start a business so they could provide basic necessities for their families through their own efforts. These loans were around $100-500US and required no collateral. They now have established the Grameen Bank which services millions of people and has helped countless impoverished men and women start home-based businesses. (Interesting to note that no-one has ever defaulted on their loan repayments even though they have no contracts and the deal is based on trust.)

Immaculee Ilibagiza was a teenager during the Rwandan holocaust in 1995. She spent 90 days in a bathroom with 8 other Rwandan women hiding from the murderous Hutu extremists. She lost both her parents and two brothers in the massacre and managed to escape, eventually getting a job with the United Nations and migrating to the US with her husband.

Once the war was over, Immaculee went back to Rwanda to her village to piece together what happened to her family and to complete that chapter in her life. This included visiting the man who murdered her family in prison. When he was brought to her, the man fell to his knees and couldn’t even look her in the eyes. She asked him to look at her and when he did, she simply said ‘I forgive you’ and left. The man couldn’t stop crying.

The Amish community in Pennsylvania suffered a terrible loss when 10 girls were brutally attacked and shot by Charles Roberts, five of whom died. Although this caused shock waves around the world, the Amish quietly went about their business, living and taking care of things the way they always have: with forgiveness and love in their hearts.

It was reported that an Amish neighbour went to comfort the murderer’s family after he shot himself; that they also attended his funeral; and that, when a fund was set up for the grieving families, an Amish leader insisted that one also be set up for Roberts’ family.

Here are the common threads I see:
1. They are all unremarkable, simple people yet their actions are an example to us all.
2. They live according to their beliefs, not seeking rewards or recognition but simply doing what they think is right.
3. Their humility (and by that, I mean an acceptance of life) in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles has led to actions that have irreversibly changed and touched people’s lives, and the world.
4. They take 100% personal responsibility for their lives, living on their own terms without blaming this, that or the other for their plight.

I don’t believe these people are blessed with anything extraordinary. They are ordinary people, just like you and me. I don’t believe they ever intended to do anything in their lives that would be worthy of media attention. They followed what was in their hearts. Most of us may never be rich or famous but we are all influential. These stories prove that beyond doubt.

Given we are experiencing much despair and disillusionment with leaders, government, churches and business, it’s time for us to look elsewhere. It’s time for us to put our hands down and stop pointing fingers of blame or throwing them up in resignation. At this time of year, when there is so much talk of ‘peace and goodwill among men’, we cannot afford to remain idle any longer.

We need leaders, yes; but what I see happening more and more is that true leaders and leadership is coming from among the people and not from ‘the elected few.’ We need to appoint ourselves as leaders because no matter how small your contribution YOU CAN and DO make a difference �" the question is ‘what sort of difference do you want to make?’ Whatever you decide, DO IT NOW.

Till next time,
Love, light and laughter to you

Jenny


You are free to use material from this newsletter in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear. The attribution should read:

‘From Jenny Mallos of Total Transformation Life Coaching. Please visit www.totaltransformationlifecoaching.com for more information.’

Jenny Mallos is a coach and author who works with individuals and groups to find and follow their own path with a heart. The most frequent comment her clients make is that she messes with their minds, which is exactly her intention! Jenny realises that all of our grief and unhappiness is caused through our own fixated thoughts and the only way to a truly fulfilling life is to mess it up so we can finally uncover what is true for each of us. Living true to yourself is not for the faint-hearted nor is it an easy path to tread. That’s where the most valuable work is done – supporting you while you go through that journey and most importantly allowing you to experience your journey. Whether you are working on your business, your health, relationships or some other facet of your life there is only one prerequisite: the willingness to face the music no matter how out of tune it may seem. "There is something in human nature that wants to soar, to be free to express itself in life and work." Kermit Campbell, CEO of Herman Miller

Don’t Hold Yourself Back from SuccessDon’t Hold Yourself Back from Success
The world's top 3% are the ones that are truly healthy, happy, successful, and financially free. The amazing part about "The 3 Percenters" is that they usually have no idea how they really became successful in the first place! That's why you'll so often hear them say things like, "Oh, it was just luck" or "You have to believe in yourself" or even more maddeningly, "Just do it". Sure luck, belief and action are all part of success. But that still leaves most people with only about a thousand questions about how to actually let yourself succeed to your full potential. I used to work ridiculously long hours at jobs I hated and still never got ahead. I used to try visualizing, goal setting, working hard, and everything else �" but never got what I really wanted. One morning, I was in the shower when I had a realization that changed my life. I realized that you can say motivational statements or "affirmations" 'til the cows come home �" but still never believe the positive things you're saying to yourself. "Affirmations" will almost never produce the results you want. That's what most people do. They see movies like "The Secret" and think all they have to do is say a bunch of positive things and their lives will magically turn around. They stop themselves from getting what they really, really want! For the rest of your life you're going to see people who are getting the opportunities that you want. Or you're going to be talking to someone, in a business or sales situation, and think that there's something else you should be saying to get the results you want. Or you're going to sitting at your computer and wondering why so many other people are making lots of money… The question is, are you going to know exactly what to do and say to succeed? Or are you going to let each of these opportunities slip by and never know what might have happened? I personally invested over 20 years and thousands of dollars to learn how to be successful in life and business. You might want to become an entrepreneur who helps people and donates to worthy causes. You might be looking to grow your business or increase your sales. Or attract particular life situations to you. Or lose weight. Or find the love of your life. That's fine. But you have to do something about it. It might sound crazy, but the #1 reason that people hold themselves back from success is because they are unconsciously trying to protect someone from their own success. The problem is, if you're doing this, you're probably completely unaware that you're even doing this in the first place, let alone WHY you're doing it �" and you sure don't know how to fix it. If you don't make the decision to get your life handled right now, there's a very, very small chance that you're going to do anything about it in the future.

On the night of October 20, 1997, a 30-year-old religious studies major named Noah St. John had an epiphany that changed his life. While attending a seminar, he suddenly realized the real, hidden reason so many smart, talented, motivated people stop themselves from success – and saw it had nothing to do with goal-setting, "motivation" or anything being taught in traditional success literature. That very night, with no formal education in business, Noah decided to form a company to teach people around the world the simple steps that remove the hidden barriers to success. Find out more at http://www.successclinic.com.

The Reconciliation to Propel You Into Your Success And Greatness
Dear Friend, We all meant well when we made certain attempts at success however we could not achieve them either for lack of knowledge to do those things, lack of energy or momentum or probably flirted with other negative habits. In all this there remains one fundamental fact: YOU HAVE THE WILL TO SUCCEED!!! You have it in the sense that there is an unsustained momentum needed to power you to the realization of your dreams. What then do you do? Remain in this sorry state and continue to be thrown about by life? NO NEVER. Those attempts made were meant for the good of your personal development, success and the wider world community. There is now the need to acknowledge that if mistakes, errors and deficiencies were exhibited then our state of mind has the power to correct them. Guilt and resentment are states of mind that destroy love, passion, create suffering and affect your success. These states of mind are not caused by what happened but by how you relate to what happened. However because you created them you can as well release them. We all go through life doing the very best we can with extremely limited skills and awareness that we had at that time. Acknowledgement of this fact is a key in releasing our guilt. Unfortunately the awareness we have is not enough to prevent mistakes. We do make mistakes as part of the human process. We actually do learn from these. Each time you make a mistake you learn a little more about life. You become wiser and your awareness increases. Years from now you will be wiser than you are today. However the awareness you will have years from now will not do you any good today because you do not even have it. In the same respect the wisdom you have today did not do you any good years back when you made mistakes because you did not have the knowledge and wisdom then. In most cases if you go back to where you made mistakes sometimes you notice that you acted totally consistent with where you were and what you knew at that time. I am pretty sure dear friend that you could have acted or done things differently if you knew what you know now. In considering all these, you need to accept the fact that those mistakes did happen due to the circumstances prevailing at that time and once you are determined to change your circumstances, then you have the power to avoid the repeat of such mistakes. The big resolve is, ARE YOU WILLING TO FORGIVE YOURSELF for not knowing what you should have known? Are you willing to forgive yourself for not being wiser and more aware? You might also have to look at things this way, that you did the very best you could with what you knew, had or where you were at that time. FORGIVE AND RECONCILE WITH YOURSELF. Forgive yourself for not being wiser and more aware. Forgive yourself for acting in consistent with the limited awareness you had and forgive yourself for the mistakes caused as a result of your not knowing. Reconciling with your inner self gives you the energy to feel refreshed, forgiven, purged, relieved, revitalised and reconditioned for a greater cause in life. The RECONCILIATION that we need to power us on to great success. See you at the top. ALL THE BEST Regards Stanley Joshua Kudolo copyrightã2006 .All rights reserved

Stanley Joshua Kudolo is an intuitively endowed motivational and inspirational practitioner who believes in a higher calling to spread the gospel of each identifying and unleashing our greatness. Joshua believes that the time is nigh for all to possess our possessions, OUR SUCCESS AND GREATNESS. He is of the strongest conviction that IT IS NOT OVER UNTIL IT IS ALL OVER. Inspired And Motivated For Greatness is fashioned to provide the best resource base we need in equipping us, adding value to lives and offering the power base for achieving success and greatness. He is a coach with a burning desire to help you unveil and manifest your greatness. Please visit the site for a free report on how to unleash your success and greatness. _____________________________________________________________________ Please you may kindly share or send this to a friend or family copyright©2006 Stanley Joshua Kudolo. All ights Reserved

What It Takes
Over the last thirty years I have watch students come and go. Some pick up some meditation tools to help them with life, they find more peace and have an awakening that gives them an evolutionary bump up in consciousness, while others clearly get the glow, find the bliss and enlighten. Why do some just get just a little and others enlighten? I've been studying this for years and have some insights for you. The good news is that you are reading this, and that is the evidence you are being guided. Continue to follow that inner guidance and you will get it. You have it already, you are it; you have only to realize it. One of the most common delays and deterrents, to our spiritual evolution is "The Busy Cycle." Inevitably, as we meditate we accelerate our learning curve and our life starts speeding up, changes come rapidly and we become busier dealing with all the changes that we've stirred up in our life. While this is the most important time to keep meditating, it is more often than not the time students start missing their meditations, cutting them short or not being fully present when meditating. Whether it's a few days, weeks, months or years, eventually people seem to come back to meditation, like a refuge, but those times away can be difficult. Sticking with your practice and allowing yourself to receive inner guidance during meditation is the best strategy to help you move through these trying times. The second biggest obstacle is "dabbling." I have seen students go from one spiritual practice to another, teacher to teacher, seminar to seminar, and retreat to retreat for years but they don't go deeper in their meditation. Rather than going deeper in their meditation, they simply move on to the next fun thing. The third biggest obstacle, and the test that comes up with most of my graduate students, is the "I know" syndrome. When students learn a lot and start having epiphanies, satori's or samadhi's, it often goes to their head and this puts up barriers to learning. This is a test all students face (as I did): getting stuck on what we think we know (or have). If you think you know, you don't. So, what does it take? The students who have clearly awakened and enlightened have these qualities: They are deeply committed, sincere and consistent in their practice. They are open to receive, they listen, they allow themselves to be guided, they allow themselves to be loved, and they are able to take criticism and guidance without defensiveness or resistance. Most importantly, they don't give up. You can never fail if you don't give up. Don't give up, it's so worth it. From the heart, Steven S. Sadleir

Steven S. Sadleir is the Director of the Self Awareness Institute and is recognized as a Shaktipat Master in two lineages. He has developed powerful distance learning programs for people of all cultures and faiths, trained thousands of people from all over the world, and welcomes all of you who are ready for full Self-Realization. Visit http://www.SelfAwareness.com for FREE guided meditation mp3s and ebook!

Turning on your Heart Light
As you sink into your space remember a time when you experienced love or appreciation . . . it can be something as simple as when you looked into the eyes of a baby, or a pet or a cherished friend . . . allow yourself, in this moment, to re-experience those feelings of love or appreciation. . . as you do this notice the area around your heart . . . breathe these feelings of remembered love and appreciation into the area in and around your heart. . . And I want you to imagine that this experience of love and appreciation allows you NOW to locate your own personal heart light . . . however it appears to you… know that you have an internal heart light. . . see it now and switch it to the ON position . . . Good, take a breath into your heart as you continue remembering the feelings of love and appreciation . . . And as you allow yourself to breathe in these feelings, surrender any doubt or thoughts that you are imaging this. . . Strongly connected to your internal heart light, imagine now that you can broadcast these feelings of love and appreciation out into the world . . . out to every other heart in the world . . . out to every man, woman, child, dolphin, bird, every sentient being . . . practice now broadcasting your purest love to the world and as you do this, knowing that your inner heart light is now in the ON position . . . know that you are beaming a signal to the heart of your soul mate that you are ready and willing to magnetize them into your life see this light emanating from your heart, this light filled with trust and knowingness, see it filling the spaces around your body and beaming out to the world around you . . . breathe into this light, into this loving feeling and continue to broadcast it out around you. Sink into the deep knowingness that your soul mate has been touched, just now, by the energy of your heart. Breathe into the deep knowingness that he or she IS on the way. Rest assured that every cell of your being now knows that your soul mate is on the way. You do not need to know the when, the where, the how of your meeting . . . just rest in the YES that they are indeed coming to you. And allow that thought to bring a smile across your lips. Tell yourself now that it is safe to keep your heart-light on . . . know that you are loved and protected and ready . . . remember that you have much love to give and much love to receive. Know that as you savor the waiting for your soul mate to appear, you can give your love to all around you and as you do this, your heart-light beams stronger and brighter with each loving thought you have. And when you are ready open your eyes remembering to keep your heart open as you do.

Arielle Ford is a professional, previously unmarried woman who is revealing her secret to finding romance, love, marriage, and a perfect soulmate. She discovered how to take her professional success and apply it to her personal life, and she has never been happier. Now she wants to share that secret with you. Learn how to find your soulmate at http://www.SoulMateKit.com.

WithInAsThru Gratitude
Gratitude is the key to creation. It is the most crucial element to your ability to be, do and have what you desire. When you focus your positive energy on something in your life; your family, your job, your health, you surround it with positive energy. And positive energy attracts more positive things withinasthru you. Imagine an energy field surrounding you. It is emitting right from your heart, and it pulls in all the energy, information, intelligence and emotion of this very moment, causing us to become it. But we've never not been it. We have never not been attracting to us what we feel and what we are - energy, information, intelligence. This is a key to apply the law of attraction. Because you are every moment you are. And as you are so too is your life, lived withinasthru you. This has always been so. Creation without gratitude is superficial and temporary. If you remember that your life has been created withinasthru you, that every moment, every day you have been, has been your own creation, then you are able to feel grateful for it exactly as it is. Because to judge any part of your life is to judge yourself. Such judgments keep you forever stuck in a cycle of judgment. Instead celebrate and enjoy all that you have created, withinasthru your life. Whatever is now occurring withinasthru you, own it, claim it, and thank it for what it has taught you! To reject any part of your life is to reject a part of yourself. Why would you reject any part of your Self? Now, for some of us, feeling consistent gratitude might take some practice. We live in a society where we have become conditioned to take for granted all that we have. We are so preoccupied with wanting more things, that what we have gets pushed to the side, all but forgotten and certainly not appreciated. However, that which you appreciate, appreciates. So, if you truly want to be and have more in your life, attracting what you want comes withinasthru your feelings of gratitude for what is and what is arriving. But what if you feel like there is nothing in your life for which to be grateful? Maybe you believe you have lost all that is important to you. Maybe you are facing a crisis that seems overwhelming. If that is the case for you now, I ask you to stop for a moment and take an inventory of what you do have. Right now, in this moment, do you have eyes that can read this message? Do you have a roof over your head? Are you healthy? Do you have a job or any kind of responsibility whereby your contributions are measurable to others, or your family? Don't think about what might happen in the future; concentrate on what is occurring withinasthru you right at this moment. Gratitude brings to you more of what you're grateful for. Begin right now by looking at the things in your life differently. Consider the many things in your life that are good. Encourage the limitless energy that is waiting withinasthru you by filling your spirit with appreciation. Know, truly know, that the more you practice gratitude as a way of life, the more your life becomes a work of art, an expression of joy and happiness. Isn't a life of happiness and joy really what you desire anyway? I would offer for your very real consideration that it is. The WithInAsThru yoU! Letters is a series of letters offering simple perceptual techniques to keep your thinking on track, as well as recordings and links to other sites that can help you get comfortable with new ideas and processes. There are individual phone sessions available, as well as inspiring thoughts and inspirations. To learn more about Scott Kiere and how you can create your life WithInAsThru you, visit http://www.withinasthru.com

Scott Kiere – Spiritual Wisdom & Direction, Social Entrepreneur, Visionary Strategist & Poet – (http://www.ScottKiere.com) is Co-founder of MECA Communications, Inc. and serves on the board of directors for Social Venture Network. Scott’s eZine, "WithInAsThru yoU! Letters" is available at http://www.WithInAsThru.com.

7 Key Goal Setting Steps
What are the goal setting steps outlined here going to do for you? "If you do not have a plan for your life, someone else has a plan for you."-- Jim Rohn You want to have plan of action for your life. One of the most effective ways to do that is to activate the goal setting gene in your body. The plan of action will get your momentum started if you follow these goal setting steps. It may sound simple. However, in order to achieve your desired result, you need a roadmap and do a little every day to accomplish your goal. 1. Clearly define your goal. Think of goal setting step as marking a map to your destination. If you don't start by deciding where you are going, then you are what Zig Zigglar calls "a wandering generality". The act of making a precise decision solidifies your resolve. 2. Decide what you are willing to do or give to achieve your goal. Not what you wish you could do, but what you intend to do. It may be time, money or giving up immediate pleasure for long term rewards. When you look at the goal, decide how valuable it is to you and what you're willing to sacrifice for it. 3. Where are you in relation to your goal? Again, if you use a map to get to your destination, you have to know where you're starting point is. Be very honest with yourself. Sometimes looking yourself in the mirror and admitting to what really needs to change may be the toughest thing you ever do. 4. What's been stopping you? Become clear of your barriers and make peace with them. Either you go into it full force, or you change your expectations. The learning process to success may be one of the reasons that this goal is not what you really want. There will be lessons, sometimes tough ones. Reevaluate the goal if this is the case. If you want more money for your family and believe that the price you must pay is giving up time for them, reconsider your belief. 5. What steps do you need to take to get to the goal? Here's the map. You know where you are, you know where you're going and now you must map the route there. Remember, there's a lot of different ways to get to from point A to point B. Some just take longer than others. Choose the path that fits you. If you want to fly to Chicago there's a higher price but it's quicker than walking. If you walk to Chicago it's tougher and slower but you see more interesting sights along the road. 6. Break down the goal into small palatable steps you can accomplish daily. This is called "chunking". Create something you do each day to accomplish the goal. These small goal-setting steps add up and one day, you'll look back and see how much you've accomplished with a little forward movement every day. 7. Have a system to track your accomplishments. You can keep it as simple as you want or as complicated as they get. Don't get hung up on the details. Whatever you do, ask yourself, "how is this moving me closer to my goal"? One very simple way is to track your goal with a physical list. Some people think that they'll simply keep it in their head, but unless you keep the list in front of your face, you replace it with other daily tasks. Almost magically, the more you focus on something the more you achieve it. This works both positively and negatively. If you focus on failure, sure enough that goal comes true also. Put your goal list up in several rooms and make a check mark on it when you accomplish a step. Make it the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you see at night. Each journey begins with the first step. Turn your dream into a goal and ultimately, a reality. Use these goal-setting steps to help you defining exactly what you want!

Kageni has a passion for sharing personal growth information in a simple and practical way. Join the ever-growing number of people that log onto her website everyday to read all about Abundance from a mind action and physical action among a ton of other important information at Self Improvement to Personal Development http://www.self-improvement-to-personal-development.com/abundance.html.

Personal Growth �" Sharing My Story
I grew up in an affluent area in Long Island, NY. Although my parents were very rich with love, they struggled financially. At a very young age, I attached my self-worth to my family’s net worth. While growing up, I stuffed my face with food to hide from the feeling of worthiness. I was a rebel without a clue... Acting out in school and hanging around the wrong crowd looking for approval. That was a crash course heading in the wrong direction FAST. During my teens I was arrested for fighting, for selling drugs and twice for driving while intoxicated. My parents and teachers didn’t know what to do. Constantly dragging me to various psychologists and psychiatrists so they could "figure me out.” All they did was make matters worse by prescribing antidepressants to numb the pain. As High School came to an end, there was tremendous pressure to go to college. I had a dream to be an entrepreneur and had no clue what to do next. I spent 13 years in school and felt unequipped for the real world. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse…IT DID! Every Saturday since I was a kid, I worked with my father at his auto repair shop and used car lot. I had done this for years, learning and earning under the guidance of my dad. Then it happened: it appeared to be an ordinary day… until all of a sudden, I watched my father fall down hard on the ground - and heard a big “SNAP”. I ran to see if he was ok. When I approached him, he was screaming in pain. His ankle was the size of a grapefruit. I had never seen my father in pain before, and I felt totally helpless. He was rushed to the hospital. There were so many thoughts rambling through my head. At the time, my mother wasn’t working and my brother was only 15 years old. How was my family going to survive? Without the “breadwinner” of the family able to work, what were we going to do? Seconds felt like minutes… minutes felt like hours… hours felt like days. After several hours of waiting… the doctors told us that he would be bedridden for at least 12 months. We couldn’t afford him missing work for 12 hours let alone 12 months. We eventually had a family talk and agreed that I would take over the businesses until my father was able to get back on his feet. Consider this: up until that point, my life was a wreck. Now, all of a sudden, I was in charge of running two businesses and 9 employees - most of whom were more than twice my age. Monday morning came fast and I arrived at work as the "boss". I wish I could say I was welcomed with open arms. Actually, the employees were less than thrilled with the idea that the boss's "brat son” was going to run the show. After several months of stumbling and figuring things out… Everything was going pretty smooth. I was getting into the groove and I was doing a heck of a job, if I do say so myself. Life has ups and downs. What we all have to do is focus on getting to the ups and push through the downs.

Manny Goldman is the founder and the visionary force behind PersonalGrowth.com. His vision is to create a community through PersonalGrowth.com that will transform the lives of billions of people. A community where it is normal for each person to share in each others’ successes, provide valuable support, encouragement and accountability. He envisions a world where Personal Growth is common practice and each person living their dreams to their full potential. http://www.personalgrowth.com

Learning Transcendental Meditation
It is not difficult to learn transcendental meditation. If you are looking to escape from the whirlwind of ringing cell phones, traffic snarls and screaming kids, transcendental meditation can provide a peaceful getaway from the craziness of everyday life.

In 1958, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi formally introduced his transcendental meditation technique. Since then, he has written several books, lectured and toured extensively all over the world and trained over 40,000 teachers. Transcendental meditation is now practiced in the workplace, at home and in medical settings. In addition, doctors and health professionals are increasingly prescribing transcendental meditation as means of combating anxiety disorders and stress.

You may be wondering what is transcendental meditation and what makes it different from other forms of meditation? One of the most exciting elements of the transcendental meditation technique is that it so simple and easy to practice. With the right focus and dedication, you can learn transcendental meditation in a matter of moments.

Basically, during the meditation session, your body enters a deep and peaceful state of relaxation, while maintaining alertness and clarity. First, the person chooses a word or image to focus on, perhaps a religious or cultural symbol that has special meaning. As the person replays this word or image over and over, the body descends into a deeper and deeper state of restfulness. The session can last anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour and should take place in a calm and relaxed setting, with minimal noise and distractions.

No other meditation technique has been so extensively studied and researched. During transcendental meditation, the brain falls into a theta brain wave pattern (akin to sleep and deep relaxation), which then carries over to the state of wakefulness. Physical benefits include increased mental comprehension, focus, retention and creativity. Another interesting benefit is the actual reversal of the aging process. In a study conducted by the International Journal of Neuroscience, the biological age of practitioners of transcendental meditation was, on average, twelve years younger than their chronological age. Transcendental meditation also has positive effects on age and stress related conditions such as insomnia, high blood pressure, decreased visual acuity, hearing loss and depressed cerebral blood flow.

It is interesting to note that adherents from all religions choose to learn transcendental meditation. Although it has roots in Hinduism, the transcendental meditation technique can be applied to any cultural context. In fact, those who learn transcendental meditation are encouraged to adapt symbols that have meaning and depth for the individual. For example, a rabbi may choose to focus on a symbol or image rooted in Judaism to enhance the effectiveness of the session. In contrast, an agnostic may choose an image from nature such as a beautiful meadow or sunset to achieve relaxation. The beauty of transcendental meditation is its flexibility.
http://www.meditationandmore.com

Jamie Lynn has dedicated herself to teaching others the Power of Meditation and other alternative health/healing tips and techiques for the mind, body and spirit! http://www.meditationandmore.com

Justa...
I have noticed a trend lately and it involves the insertion of a phrase before what we do to pay the bills each month. It isn't an important phrase and it really doesn't have any right to be inserted in the first place, but it is just the same, now-a-days. The unimportant phrase I am referring to is the phrase 'justa'. Think back to a time when either you or another inserted the phrase before stating your title or profession, such as "I'm 'justa' stay at home mom", or "I'm 'justa' furniture mover".

This phenomenon has lead me to wonder how many years of higher education it would take for one to be fortunate enough to have a profession or title that didn't follow the phrase 'justa'. I also wonder, while on the subject, if professional criminals have to follow the same unwritten rules, as we do. I mean do they have to say, no sir, I'm 'justa' get-away driver? What about, 'justa' jewelry thief and 'justa' bank robber? Or is this just a silly phenomenon not worth mention?

If we study the whole silly phenomenon just a bit, I think we will find that the whole phrase insertion process is a product of egotism? Some so-called, superior ‘other’ person, sometime referred to collectively as ‘them', told us that we must insert the phrase under penalty of something, because 'they' were better than us because we had, only a low level job. While on studying, I did wonder if I would find that the insertion process was nothing more than a product of our own low self esteem, therefore self inflicted or justly due to another's egotism, and/or a combination of both. The fact that certain higher paying professions are exempt from having to insert simply re-enforces this point. However, this isn't carved into stone and seems to be as full of special conditions as the original insertion unwritten rules.

After wrestling with all the unwritten customary insertion policies and rules of use, I was left wondering; if a cancer doctor would introduced himself as 'justa' doctor of medicine, would anyone allow him to operate? I have also wondered on Sunday mornings lately, if I would still be in the pew if the minister introduced himself as 'justa' minister. What about 'justa' police officer on a poorly lit side street at two in the morning? Would I allow 'justa' fireman to carry me down the ladder away from a burning building. Lastly, I've wondered how many strong healthy young men and women would follow the orders of 'justa' president!

You see, the more I unraveled the unwritten rules and conditions for the phrase insertion I realized that it was all silly rubbish and truly needed to be done away with! It was simply nothing more than a product of our own low self-esteem. How many times have we conditioned the ears of our children to such foolishness by saying I am 'justa' car salesman or 'justa' home school mom? As silly as it sounds, it is even more silly for us to use the phrase insertion in the first place. Now if someone, who thought a bit more of themselves than they should have, gave us the phrase and all the insertion rules, I say give it back! We don't need the phrase and we surely won't miss it. We can and will live very well without its silly nonsense.

There are no 'justa' anyone’s. If you replace the phrase with a more fitting, and descriptive word, such as lowly, unimportant, or ineffective. Then one would be forced to stop and remove the inserted phrase all together, because we now would be entering the 'political correctness' arena and we don't want to go in there! In the process of removing the inserted phrase 'justa', we all became more important and needed once again, worthy of love and friendship! It's like everyone all of a sudden just received a promotion by throwing out the inserted 'justa' phrase! Now we can once again be proud of 'a honest days work'!

Theresa Twogood is Executive Director of OLIN e-Publishing Company- http://olin.tk -Denver Colorado.