Life Resources asked:


The Law of Attraction has been introduced by various people in the media, such as Larry King, Oprah and MSNBC. Actually, the law of attraction is a very ancient system of belief and existence. It dates back to the earliest humans, including the Egyptians, Babylonians, and even the precursors to ancient religions.

Simply put, the law of attraction states that like attracts like. This is a very simplified explanation and in reality, the law of attraction goes much deeper than that. Your very being, including your thoughts, feelings, emotions, actions and everything about you combined acts as a magnet to attract certain things into your experience. Not just physical things, but also events, people and circumstances.

There are many self-help kits, coaches and gurus claiming to be experts on the law of attraction, but in reality, the law of attraction is something that can never be fully learned by anyone. Just when you think you’ve mastered it at some level, you’ll discover a much deeper level beyond it. Also, the law of attraction doesn’t just have one rigid way to harness it. It seems that for every individual, there is an individual way to harness the law of attraction, within given parameters.

So that means that what works for one person may not work for you. Alternatively, what has worked well for you may not necessarily work for others. That’s why there is so much confusion about the law of attraction. Lots of people have found something that works for them, and think that it is the magic answer for everyone else. So when someone doesn’t meet that same measure of success, they start feeling guilty about it or feel that they’ve done something wrong. Sometimes, things just don’t work for every single person on the face of this earth. Sometimes, you have to find your own law of attraction.

One of the best known books that talks about the law of attraction is called The Seth Material, by Jane Roberts. The Seth Material was talked about by Esther Hicks as she channels the Abraham consciousness. It was also spoken about on Oprah’s XM Satellite Radio show. Jane Roberts channeled an energy consciousness, which she named “Seth” in the 60’s. Although, “Seth” does not call it the law of attraction, but he surely does explain how your thoughts and emotions create your reality. He explains how your emotions, visions, and thoughts all combine to create your reality, and how most of us create by default. We react to what is in front of us, thereby creating more of what’s in front of us, never realizing that we’re actually the key to changing that. It is a very fascinating book. It also touched on subjects that we’ve only recently discovered through quantum physics, namely the possibility of parallel lifetimes and universes. The Seth Material makes for excellent reading for anyone who is open minded about other dimensions and realities. It is also excellent reading for anyone who wants to know more about how the law of attraction works.



Tammy

Larry Danks asked:


*** Excerpted from Chapter 1 of: Your Unfinished Life by Lawrence J. Danks

(Helpful Media) ISBN 978-0-615-24207-1

Available 11/1/08.

People often asked me what is the most effective technique for transforming their life. It is a little embarrassing that after years and years of research and experimentation, I have to say that the best answer is - just be a little kinder.”- [Aldous Huxley -Quoted from The Power of Kindness - Piero Ferrucci ]

The search for happiness is a universal quest. It seems only logical it should center around us. Instead, it really centers around others. As English philosopher and social reformer Jeremy Bentham said: “Create all the happiness you can create, remove all the misery you can remove. Every day will allow you to add something to the pleasure of others, or to diminish something of their pains. And for every grain of enjoyment you sow in the bosom of another, you shall find a harvest in your own bosom; while every sorrow which you pluck out from the thoughts and feelings of a fellow creature shall be replaced by a beautiful peace and joy in the sanctuary of your soul.” - [Quoted from Happiness: Lessons From A New Science - Richard Layard]

How often are people called to our attention and we think that somebody else will help or that it’s not really our concern? It can be as simple as giving or lending money, cutting someone’s grass or listening to a friend’s problems.

A decent, thoughtful man was walking home late one night and saw a pathetic drunk laying in the gutter. Suddenly, he found himself under a horrific attack of cynical thought and said to himself: “God, why do you let this man lie in shame. If you truly exist, why don’t you help him?” And into this man’s mind came this sentence: “I am helping him. I just brought him to your attention.” - [Power Thoughts- Robert Schuller]

Opportunities for kindness present themselves daily. By developing an enhanced sensitivity to our social environment, we’ll notice things we haven’t seen before. More people will be helped. And we’ll make ourselves more authentic and happier people in the process.

How To Have A Happier Life

You are the prospective parent of your own fulfilled self and your happiness. Dr. Martin Seligman, Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, in his book Authentic Happiness says this about true happiness:“The pleasant life, is wrapped up in the successful pursuit of positive feelings, supplemented by the skills of amplifying these emotions. The good life, in contrast, is not about maximizing positive emotion, but is a life wrapped up in successfully using ‘signature strengths’ to obtain abundant and authentic gratification. The meaningful life has one additional feature: “using your signature strengths in the service of something larger than you are.”

Mother Teresa was of the same mind: “I wouldn’t touch a leper for $1000, but I cure him willingly for the love of God.” It doesn’t necessarily have to do with God or religious faith. It simply has to do with doing something worthwhile for a higher purpose.

Benjamin Disraeli, former Prime Minister of Great Britain, who as a Jew faced great religious and ethnic discrimination, rose to the top by “climbing the greasy pole” as he described it. He noted: “Life is to short to be little”. We should focus on doing important things. How big or little is your life? What else could you be doing that is truly important to you? By changing our focus, we can change our life.

Students in Dr. Seligman’s classes wondered if happiness came more readily by extending a kindness or by having fun. They were asked to engage in one pleasurable activity and one activity involved with helping others. Dr. Seligman reported that “the pleasurable activity paled in comparison with the effects of the kind action.” Kindness or service is not the sole road to gratification, but it clearly meets the standards of being an important source of it.

To determine what your own personal strengths are, read Authentic Happiness and take Dr. Seligman’s VIA Strengths Survey. A version of the test is also available online at www.authentichappiness.org. Reading his book will provide an improved understanding of your strengths and how they may be best applied in leading you to a happier and more satisfying life.

Take the long term view. Robert Schuller said that we should plan as if we are going to live to be one hundred. Whether we get there or not, having a plan will help us maximize what we’re going to accomplish in whatever time we have left.

Kindness As A Strength

Kindness is an important strength all of us can practice. It allows us to focus on something outside ourselves, something larger than we are. Being kind usually isn’t difficult. It requires no special training or equipment. It only requires attentiveness and willingness to help.

While sixty, seventy or eighty years of life may seem like a long time, time for all of us is finite. Joel Osteen, pastor of the Lakewood Church in Houston notes: “Life is a mist. We’re here for a moment. Then we’re gone…Don’t just make a living. Make a life.” We have limited control over how long we live, but we have a great deal of control over how we live.

Our own life, when compared against the expanse of eternity and the generations that have preceded us, is startlingly short, but nevertheless it can be productive. How productive have we been so far? How meaningful are we going to be in the time we have left? Are we going to leave a legacy worth remembering? Maria Shriver puts a fine point on it in And One More Thing Before You Go: “You want to feel good? Then do good.” Joel Osteen mirrors that thought in his self-help book, Live Your Best Life Now: “You will never be truly fulfilled as a human being, until you learn the simple secret of how to give your life away.”

Kindness produces insight and creates an improved sense of self-worth. Get to know the real you. As James Hollis says in Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: “Deconstruct the false self…Live your life to produce greater substance…Don’t be afraid to be who you really are. Don’t be a false self. Be authentic.”

Many self-help books, including the blockbuster best seller A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle, have emphasized the importance of living in the present moment because that’s also where our future lies. All of us should be challenged by “the fierce urgency of now” to produce the positive change in our lives that Martin Luther King spoke of in a different context…

To view more sample copy, visit: www.yourunfinishedlife.com 

 



Lydia

Larry Blumenfeld asked:


 

I used to tell people I met on airplanes or at parties that I wrote about jazz for a living. Once they got past wondering just what type of “living” that amounted to, they’d smile and say, “I love jazz,” then pause, adding, “But I don’t know that much about it.”

They were leery, thrown off by chart-and-graph references to jazz’s development — stuff like how ’40s swing begat ’50s bebop, which gave rise to ’60s free-jazz and all that. As if there was a textbook (well, actually some critic friends of mine are writing one, but that’s another story) and there might be a test, you know. Not to mention the political squabbles: why swing was king or bop the thing or how ’70s fusion killed it all.

Or maybe they’d been put off by all that technical talk: flatted fifths and extended chords and the numbers behind swing’s rhythmic propulsion — like it was rocket science or something.

Then there’s the cult aspect: those older guys bending and swaying at the back of the club, making like Jewish elders swaying to an fro at temple, or the generalized bowing down before deities such as Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker and John Coltrane (not to mention the infighting about just who deserves saintly status).

Thing is, jazz isn’t any of that — and is all that. Appreciation requires no previous knowledge, yet continued listening offers all constant enrichment. The technical aspects of jazz’s musical achievements have both the beauty and complexity of higher math: And the music has genuine religious heft, owing to both time-honored spiritual traditions and in-the-moment meditative thought.

I can’t give you a 12-best list, or tell you that what follows tells the story in full. But the following list expresses lineages of thought, instrumental technique, rhythmic ideas and group conception. The dots are easy to connect, the names clearly indicated and the sounds unforgettable.

And this list is like those sponge toys that, placed in water, magically grow overnight. Listen, and you’ll find expansive knowledge easily absorbed, not to mention natural links to many more artists and recordings.

Listen Hot Fives And Sevens

Artist: Louis Armstrong

Release Date: 1925

To tell the story of jazz without Louis Armstrong up top is to cut off the head of the living organism that is jazz. Armstrong was a giant of a trumpeter, he was an influential singer and perhaps most important, he transformed jazz from a strictly instrumental music into a complicated blend of solo and ensemble sound. In that sense, nearly all the 20th century jazz that followed flowed from the innovation of these recordings. Over the course of these sessions, you can hear the transformation in process, from traditional New Orleans collective style to a different blend, with the clarion call of Armstrong’s horn pointing the way.

Listen The Art Tatum Solo Masterpieces Volume 1

Artist: Art Tatum

Release Date: 2001

Any one edition drawn from this eight-CD set will do. And any one is enough to give a sense of the enormity of Tatum’s genius and its far-reaching effects on all the music that followed. Tatum simply played more piano — got more out the instrument — than any other musician. He was a direct link from the whorehouse piano men to the classical soloist. Here, late in life, he plays song after song and, beginning with “Too Marvelous for Words,” he builds each one into a concerto of melody, harmonics, and improvisation that set the bar high and establish the logic for much of modern jazz.

Listen The Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1943

Artist: Duke Ellington

Release Date: 1943

Little in jazz compares with the majesty, finesse, integrity and spark of Duke Ellington’s bands during the ’40s. It was a moment when jazz straddled two functions as it never will again: it was popular music, reflective of the nation’s heart and mind, and artistic revolution, charting new waters. In Ellington, as perhaps in no musician other than Louis Armstrong, jazz had a leader who understood both drives. It was a dream of Ellington’s to play Carnegie Hall, and it anticipated the Lincoln Center achievements of Wynton Marsalis today. This recording contains both shorter tunes (marvelous miniatures of great scope) and Ellington’s more ambitious, longer-form work “Black, Brown, and Beige.” There are stellar solo statements by players including saxophonists Ben Webster and Johnny Hodges, but really, it’s the brilliant cohesion of the full band and Ellington’s overall vision that makes this music timeless.

Listen Tomorrow Is The Question

Artist: Ornette Coleman

Release Date: 1959

Ornette Coleman’s music has always leaned on tradition — listen to some Charlie Parker and you’ll hear echoes of it here — distilled into something new and pointed straight toward the future, or curled up like a quizzical phrase. Here, Coleman’s title begs both ideas. And the music announced his pianoless quartet setup: the harmonics of chord changes alone would no longer confine Coleman’s music, replaced by his own personal science bent on liberation. The way Coleman and trumpeter Don Cherry shadow each other’s lines and exchange ideas, the process sounds closer to pure joy than hard science. Nearly a half-century later, it still sounds fresh.

Listen Alone In San Francisco

Artist: Thelonious Monk

Release Date: 1959

The hippest, most addictive thing I got turned onto in college was Monk’s music. I’d never heard anything like it, and it opened up a whole new idea for me of how the piano could sound and of what music could do: his compositions, his every arpeggio or tone cluster, contained math, R&B, Abstract Expressionism and slapstick humor. I went on to discover a world of jazz musicians, all touched directly or indirectly by Monk, but none who sounded quite like him. And though Monk recorded quite a few notable albums leading stellar bands, though his music led others to play with a special insight and cohesion, it’s Monk alone at the piano that I crave: Straight, no chaser. Here, early in his career, by himself, Monk transforms San Francisco’s Fugazi Hall with the unique architecture of his piano playing. This isn’t what all of jazz sounds like: It’s what the world of jazz after Monk looks like.

Listen Bill Evans Trio: Sunday At The Village Vanguard

Artist: Bill Evans

Release Date: 1961

There’s plenty of religious, folkloric and literary evidence to support the idea that three is a magical number: Bill Evans’s trio might be jazz’s mightiest argument for that case. Evans was one of jazz’s most lyrical pianists, and he’s at his best here. But it’s the nature of this trio that elevates most of all: neither Evans nor bassist Scott LaFaro nor drummer Paul Motian stick to customary roles. And in the three-pointed cheese slice of a room that is the Village Vanguard (the closest thing to sacred space remaining in jazz today) the music takes on a prayer-like quality.

Listen Live Trane: The European Tours

Artist: John Coltrane

Release Date: 1961

By 1961, Coltrane’s soloing style — the free flow through chord changes and scale-based improvisations that critic Ira Gitler dubbed “sheets of sound” — was his signature. His band concept was similarly bent on expanding boundaries and explosive energy. Coltrane may have laid down some of jazz’s most memorable studio sessions, but there’s really nothing like him caught live. These tracks, drawn from a three-LP set, find him in two powerful contexts over the course of four years: in a 1961 quintet including Eric Dolphy on alto sax, flute and clarinet; and fronting his classic quartet at concerts in 1963 and 1965. The fire and especially the communion between Coltrane and drummer Elvin Jones on the later material is a thing to behold.

Listen Spiritual Unity

Artist: Albert Ayler

Release Date: 1964

The first release on Bernard Stollman’s ESP label, this is the session that pushed Albert Ayler to the forefront of jazz’s avant garde. He remains a touchstone for any open-minded musician wishing to explore the sonic possibilities of a given instrument, to exploit the aggregate effect of any small group and to mine the spiritual heft of musical expression. To some, the arsenal of sounds Ayler coaxed from his saxophone — screams, squeals, wails, honks and a mile-wide vibrato when he felt like it — represented newfound contortions of sound; to others, they harked back to early jazz evocations, like Sidney Bechet’s soprano sax. Ayler’s appeal anticipates the current axis that connects punk rockers to free jazz: He took the simplest of song structures and turned them into the most complex of visceral splatters. His “Ghosts,” here rendered in two versions, will truly haunt you.

Listen Afro-Cuban Jazz Moods

Artist: Dizzy Gillespie And Machito

Release Date: 1975

Back when I edited a jazz magazine, I’d find regular annoyance with writers who thought Latin jazz was a tiny sidebar to American jazz. Jazz is many stories, a central one being the African Diaspora. The music of Latin America, South America and the Caribbean are cousins to American music (and they contain some rhythmic secrets we’ve forgotten, I’d say). Cuba in particular has a special musical relationship with the United States, and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie was one among jazz’s ranks who honored that truth with depth and style. Though Dizzy made his Big Cuban Bang decades earlier, this 1975 session finds him with the famed band of Frank “Machito” Grillo, featuring the great Cuban trumpeter Mario Bauzá. Composer/arranger Chico O’Farrill’s “Oro, Incienso y Mirra” is as modern a fusion of cross-cultural ideas as you’ll hear today.

Listen Raining On The Moon

Artist: William Parker

Release Date: 2002

Born in 1955 [ck], William Parker is just a bit older than the music we know as free jazz. Some say that that musical revolution is dead: They’re wrong. The most vital life signs are found on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and at the center of this scene is the loud, insistent sound of Parker’s bass. He is something of a father figure, dispensing life lessons as well as musical wisdom, much like legendary bandleaders Duke Ellington, Art Blakey and Charles Mingus. Among Parker’s many bands is the quartet he leads here (with Leena Conquest adding soulful vocals). Among the deep connections he shares is the one you can feel powerfully throughout this music, with drummer Hamid Drake.



Lewis

Joseph Toth asked:


Being a very serious movie collector, I watch numerous movies in my free time. I’ve noticed not all writers have the same touch for the industry. Not saying of coarse some are better than others, but rather … they differ greatly in the types of product they come up with. I am a huge fan of Stephen King films. This is evident by the presence of a Stephen King chapter in my website. Am I the kind of fan that wants to follow the man around and know everything about him, … No, of course not. I do show a great respect for the enjoyable product he is capable of producing when it comes to the film industry. His work in my opinion is by no means a waste of money in any way, shape or form. The man has the mind for providing us with entertainment that will keep us coming back for more.

I own numerous Stephen King films on DVD, … I’m not disappointed at all with any of them. Night Flier, Thinner, Langoliers, Carrie, It, Sleepwalkers and of coarse two of my biggest favorites Storm, Of The Century, and The Stand just to name a few. There are a lot of films out there by Stephen King, and then there are a lot of films out there that were inspired by the work of Stephen King.

I have noticed a couple of things with Stephen King films. He uniquely signs many of them by showing up in the film playing a small acting roll. Think about this for a minute. In Sleepwalkers he has a momentary roll that comes up as the caretaker. The langoliers he shows up in a momentary roll as a businessman at a conference table. In The Stand he plays a small part as the man driving the brown Ford Bronco. I can’t think of any other way to describe this but ‘pure genius’.

Another thing I noticed is the fact that it is very hard to find bloopers or mistakes in his films. I haven’t found any.

I’ll use some other films as a example of what I’m talking about (without mentioning titles of course).

A western film which I’m sure most of America has seen, … in a scene showing the bust shot of two cowboys outdoors talking to each other, … way off in the distance you can see the top two thirds of a eighteen wheeler crossing the background. The whole thing lasted about two seconds, but never the less it shows up. The first time I saw this, I thought it was hilarious.

A vintage movie using a blimp to try and kill a stadium full of people. In the scene where they steal the blimp from the crew on the air field, … as the blimp is lifting off, look at it’s flat windshield, … it gives a very clear reflection of the entire filming crew and all the equipment, cameras, and cables laying all over the place.

A famous comedy trucker movie with a eighteen wheeler and a sports car being chased by a cop. In the scene where the sports car is speeding through front yards and knocking off mailboxes, … as the female actor is looking out the rear window of the car, you can see the shadows of studio equipment shining through to the floor of the sports car. This particular film is full of stuff like this.

Stephen King films, … it is hard to look for flaws like this. This could only mean that Stephen King has a eye for great detail, that won’t be compromised. He is very good at what he does.

Stephen Kings Cujo actually comes very close to something that could happen in reality. This work shows that something like this is believable and possible. That’s what kept me glued to the television as I watched this DVD. This film brings out a level of horror that is very gripping because it does come so close to reality. As with all of his work, a great pleasure to sit down and enjoy it.

Earlier I mentioned that The Stand was one of my bigger favorites from Stephen King. The reason for this is the theme and story of the movie is in perfect taste for the entertainment of a person such as myself. A outstanding cast of actors, great background music and perfect stage sets.

I couldn’t think of a better cast of actors to star in this film. Each character seemed to be a perfect professional fit for the actor playing that roll. It worked out really well and produced a film that gets high praises from me, and I’m sure many others.

Complete Cast:

Gary Sinise - Stu Redman

Jamey Sheridan - Randall Flagg

Ruby Dee - Mother Abigail Freemantle

Miguel Ferrer - Lloyd Henreid

Matt Frewer - Trashcan Man

Shawnee Smith - Julie Lawry

Joe Bob Briggs - Deputy Joe Bob Brentwood

Molly Ringwald - Frannie Goldsmith

Laura San Giacomo - Nadine Cross

Ossie Davis - Judge Richard Farris

Rob Lowe - Nick Andros

Bill Fagerbakke - Tom Cullen

Adam Storke - Larry Underwood

All star in this 1994, 366 minute film directed by Mick Garris.

The DVD includes commentary by Mick Garris, is digitally mastered and contains information on the cast and crew.

Reporter Joseph Toth

Washington Micro Bank BBS



Jill

Larry Austin asked:


 

The crowds may be less during the off season but there is no diluting the excitement and fun that Majorca promises even during this so called “inactive” time of the tourist season. Touted as one of the best places to party and pursue a bacchanalian lifestyle, Majorca which is the largest of the Balearic Islands promises to leave you with memories that are sure to last a lifetime. One thing is for sure, Majorca whatever the season is one of those rare Spanish locations that promise to offer a plethora of interests to a diverse set of tourists with different interests who venture onto this mystical island which teems with history and culture.

There are many attractions that attract tourists to this island whether it’s during the off season or peak season. Most of the Majorca Hotels offer gracious service and total convenience. Tourists will not be hard pressed when looking for a hotel that caters to their budget. Even during the off season, there are many activities that are the usual staple on any tourist’s agenda. For example, activities such as golf, sunbathing and excursions to visit the local flora and fauna are enthusiastically embraced. Majorca is after all an island; hence there are many activities on the beach itself which are sure to keep any individual occupied. Whether its water sports or deep sea diving you fancy, Majorca is sure to redefine beach life per se.

It really does not matter when you venture into Majorca, things like the local cuisine and partying are yours to indulge in all year round. Besides munching on the ubiquitous olives and almonds, one must also try the local ensaimada which is a golden brown bun bursting with sweetness. Sobrassada is also another mouth-watering delicacy that would instantly have your attention after the first bite.

As mentioned earlier, history and culture does play a vital role. As any history aficionado would know during the early years, Majorca was active even during the Paleolithic period. Since 123 BC, this inimitable island has been under Roman rule. Not so surprisingly, the island still holds many attractions and ruins that are Roman. Excursions to various ruins are catered to by hotels and private tourist companies throughout the year.

The Bellver Castle and the La Seu are two attractions that are consistently visited throughout the year by tourists. The former was built by King James II of Aragon in the 14th century whilst the latter is a cathedral built on a mosque which is deserving of adulation due to its beatific architectural character.

One must also not forget the numerous street shops and bazaars that are littered throughout the year around the streets of Majorca. From local pottery to local cultural trinkets, this place is an amazing place for valuable bric-a-brac to be purchased.

Last but not least, Majorca would not be magical if one does not venture out during the night. Filled with many night spots teeming with youth, it could be regarded as being one of the premier party capitals of the modern world, which does not miss a beat right through the year. The Paseo Maritimo is a seaside promenade that gets into full swing with the heady blend of Spanish music and adrenalin pumping dance steps. Irrespective of age, all are welcome to have a fabulous night out, partying until the dawn of a new day.

It doesn’t really matter which month or day you visit this unique place. One thing is for sure, a trip to Majorca is a must. It’s a place that begs to be noticed, and how can you not? With a beach teeming with friendly locals, a cuisine to leave you tantalized, a history that is both notorious and famous, this is undoubtedly one of the top five places to visit this year.



Viola

Elizabeth Davis asked:


(c) 2008 Elizabeth Davis

You shared a secret wish and the other person said to you, “You’re in fantasy land!” Perhaps you shared a desire to be a famous actor, or to date the hottest guy in school, or to be a millionaire business owner. Fantasy is the opposite of reality. Fantasy is a whimsy, a dream, a vision, a desire, a hope. Reality is authenticity, truth, certainty.

However, many realities in our lives once started out as fantasies. Perhaps, while sitting at your fluorescent-lit corporate desk, you found yourself staring out the window and wondering what it would be like to work for yourself. And now, some time later, you are. What began as a picture in your imagination became your reality.

In the palms, I can see someone’s tendency toward fantasy. When looking at the hand, you might notice several curving lines underneath the middle and ring fingers. These lines are called Girdles of Venus. Palmists of yore decided that these curving lines showed up in the hands of harlots and, hence, named them after the Goddess of Love and Beauty herself, Venus.

The white horizontal line, beginning about three-quarters of an inch below the pinky, and traveling across the hand to land beneath he middle finger is a heart line. Your heart line reveals your emotional style. When Girdles of Venus appear, they are like “baby” heart lines - not fully developed, but lending more sensitivity to their owner. The more girdles, the greater the sensitivity.

If you have Girdles of Venus, you possess a powerful imagination. In fact, while daydreaming or dreaming in your sleep, you may find that the imagery passing through your mind feels real - as if you could substitute your imagined reality for your current one. The challenge with this ability is that if you find your current situation unsatisfying, instead of working towards a solution, you may be quite content to drift off into never-never land. Fantasy becomes the escape hatch.

I’ll confess a little secret since I have several Girdles of Venus on my palms. When I’m stressed out and not fully aware that I’m stressed out, I have a recurring fantasy that I’m flying in a plane that crashes into the ocean. I survive and wash up on the beach of a deserted island only to discover that I am not alone, but my favorite movie star of the week is with me. Remember the Tom Hank’s movie, “Cast Away?” Yeah - my fantasy is like that only my companion is Brad Pitt instead of a soccer ball. We live together in perfect happiness for seven years before we are rescued and brought back to civilization. Of course, everyone from our previous lives presumed us dead and has moved on. I can hardly contain my glee.

As a writer friend recently pointed out to me, millions of romance novels are sold every year to fulfill this need for escape. So when I have this fantasy, I know that in order to grow my business, I actually need more time off for fun and romance. My husband knows that when I say, “I’ve been spending too much time on the desert island,” that’s code language for “vacation.” We’re going down to Mexico next weekend to hang out together on the beach. Need I say more?

Now you may be wondering, “Uh, Beth, thanks for sharing the intimate details of your fantasy life with me but what exactly does this have to do with MY business?”

Well, that’s a fine question. And I’ll tell you. When I find myself going all desert island-ey, I know it’s time to use my Girdles of Venus to my advantage, typically in this order:

1. Take a vacation - even a short, weekend trip will do. A vacation clears your head, recharges your body and releases stress. Regular stress release is essential to keep up your motivation for building your business.

2. Redirect your mind. If imagery comes up that is full-out fictional fantasy - as in highly unlikely to ever occur or be pursued as a goal - RE-direct your visualization to the future you are creating. I might picture myself being interviewed by Larry King or signing copies of my latest book. Those are fantasies that are real possibilities for me that I can put my energy into. Besides, Brad is getting to be a bit of a bore and I’m going to need to find a new island pal.

3. Make a dream board. You just need a pile of magazines, scissors, a couple of glue sticks, foam-core boards, and an afternoon alone or with friends to bring your dream more fully into your everyday reality. I have three dream boards in my home. One is in my office and it has my career goals on it - mostly in pictures. The other two are in my bedroom. One is my beauty vision board. On it is imagery that reflects inner peace, fitness and a positive body image. The other is my family and home vision board. It is covered with pictures of my family, my ideal home, and places that speak to my heart and soul. When I find myself drifting away to the desert island (my other favorite escape fantasy is being 21 again and living alone in Paris as a wealthy writer - notice the theme of isolation?), I actually go and look at the vision boards to reconnect myself with the imagery that is REAL to me and can be made manifest.

So, is your fantasy world working for you or against you?

Here’s my coach’s challenge: When you find yourself drifting off yet again into unproductive fantasy (once and a while is healthy and restorative), ask yourself what it is you REALLY want to create in your life and pick one of the tools above to get a new perspective.



Leon

Jim Biscardi asked:


Produced by Prime Time Productions, The Secret is a feature length film showcasing the tenets of the New Thought movement via a number of interconnected vignettes focusing on “The Law of Attraction.” Acted tidbits of drama intermingle with sit-down interviews to drive home the points made in the film. Although originally billed as a self-help aid, The Secret soon began to draw heavy criticism and the producers found themselves under fire from a variety of different sources.

Making the circuit of the media greats, the film’s participants were soon featured during publicity campaigns with Oprah Winfrey, Larry King and Montel Williams. Using its dramatic presentation, The Secret showcases that “The Law of Attraction” has great bearing on everyday life, and thus the actual secret that is revealed is the applicability of this law. To demonstrate the veracity of this century old claim, the producers enlisted the help of spiritual experts, personal coaches, master of the art of feng shui, and also motivational and moneymaking experts.

The goal of The Secret is to sound the alert that a person’s feelings and thought patterns indeed attract tangible results. While this may be a simplistic explanation of “The Law of Attraction,” the film attempts to show this law in action to those who might never have been exposed to it before. While it does not matter if an individual understands this law or even believes in it, the film asserts that her or his emotional as well as physical health, interpersonal relationships, and professional persona are all affected by it. Going a step further, The Secret claims that the veracity of “The Law of Attraction” has been closely guarded by those in the know, lest the population at large were to catch on to something this potentially powerful and liberating.

To understand the scope of the mind change that needs to occur, the film presents three actions that must be taken prior to any transformation:

1. One must ask.

2. One must believe.

3. One must receive.

Utilizing the power of the spoken word via the interviews as well as the energy of the dramatically presented truths the picture has to offer, the film’s producers capitalize on the showcased individuals’ reputations, mastery of their respective fields, and ability to present the reality of “The Law of Attraction” as they see it played out as either physicists, metaphysics gurus, coaches, philosophers, finance experts, psychologists, physiologists, and feng shui masters.

Questioning what the universe can do for the individual rather than the other way around, quotes of history’s greatest and most creative minds are offered: you may hear words from Buddha, Aristotle, Plato, Sir Isaac Newton, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, and musical genius Ludwig van Beethoven. This brings the film full circle to an exploration of the New Thought Movement which was thought to have begun in the mid to late 19th century.

To the uninitiated the notion that The Secret seeks to reveal is a bit odd and smacks on the mysterious and as such is considered removed from the mainstream. Yet with the gain in popularity that the New Thought movement has received in recent decades, it is not surprising to see the principles of the film embraced by a number of individuals who are featured. Claiming to have used the information thus far withheld, they promise that personal and professional success and happiness in this world no longer need to elude the viewer - once she or he understand that whatever they release into the world they will also receive back.



Julia

Randy Baldwin asked:


Have you heard of the DVD called “the Secret”? Well it isn’t such a secret anymore. The DVD was released in March 2006 and according to Time Magazine, the DVD has sold 500,000 units within the first 6 months. Today it sells well over 5,000 copies a day! It ranked in Amazon’s Top-5 sellers during Christmas week; and a tie-in hardcover book just entered the Top 10 on the New York times bestseller list.

The amazing thing about “the Secret” is that you won’t find it in your local Blockbuster or Barnes and Noble, it is selling briskly through new-age bookstores, New Thought churches like Unity and AGape and the official website at www.thesecret.tv. “It’s become the biggest selling item in the 30-year history of our store,” says Harmony Rose Allor, a buyer at West Hollywood’s popular metaphysical bookshop, The Bodhi Tree. it is “word-of-mouth” marketing at it best.

So what is the secret to “the Secret’s” success? It’s is a “transformational movie”, where a person’s view on life and the laws of life will no longer be the same after watching this movie. In a sense, it has created the same kind of effect as “the Da Vinci Code” and the 2004 hit cult movie “What the Bleep Do We Know”. The movie has created such waves that it has already been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live and the Ellen DeGeneres show.

At the core of the movie is a central philosophy called “the Law of Attraction”. In fact, the movie itself was inspired by this very same law when the producer read a book called “the Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace D. Wattles. This books was written in 1910!

This philosophy states that we create our reality, both good and bad! The message is delivered through 24 “teachers” which include prosperity preachers, chiropractic healers, relationship gurus, life coaches and motivational speakers — into one clear, cohesive voice. The movie is a “must watch” for anyone interested in taking charge of their life and in creating the life of their dreams.

Following on the success of the Secret, 3 of the core teachers - namely Bob Proctor and Jack Canfield have collaborated to produce a wealth building program called “the Secret Science of Getting Rich Seminar”. This program is based on the book that inspired the movie and is set to make history as the fastest selling personal development program in history.

What is the Science of Getting Rich about? Well in the words of Wallace D. Wattles, “The ownership of money and property comes as a result of doing things in a certain way. Those who do things in this certain way, whether on purpose or accidentally, get rich. Those who do not do things in this certain way, no matter how hard they work or how able they are, remain poor. It is a natural law that like causes always produce like effects. Therefore, any man or woman who learns to do things in this certain way will infallibly get rich.” The Science of Getting Rich is all about teaching how to do things in this “certain” way to create wealth.

The success of this program is built on several rock solid foundations. These factors include: the phenomenal success of “the Secret”, the timeless concepts from the Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles, the credibility of successful personal improvement teachers and New Thought leaders of our time, and the Internet as the distribution medium.

Click here to learn more about the Secret of Getting Rich Seminar and it’s affiliate program.

http://www.BaldwinOnlineProfits.com



Beth

brennd05 asked:


I really wanted to comment on the James Frey show tonight, but tuned in late.

Louis

Chris Chew asked:


Most readers would probably have heard or read Napoleon Hill’s highly acclaimed “Think And Grow Rich”. Many people have also claimed that the book changed their way thinking and have seen their personal wealth grow.

Now then, if people can think and grow rich, then can people think and grow thin and slim? Can thinking to be thin help you to lose weight or thinking fat help you gain weight?

Since the released of Rhonda Byrne’s “The Secret” DVD and book, the Law of Attraction or LOA for short, which is the essence of her work has swept the world by storm arousing much renewed interest in metaphysical science and new age spiritual thinking.

If you are not familiar with the law of attraction, then simple definition of the law of attraction is that you attract to you what are in your dominant thoughts and what you are focused on.

In other words, you get what you think and focused on. Of course there are more to it than just merely wishful thinking and if you want to know more, the internet is full of websites on the application of law of attraction.

Experts and teachers of the law of attraction such as Bob Proctor, John Assaraf and some others who appeared in “The Secret” explained that recent breakthroughs in neuroscience along with understanding mental laws, reveal why the “law of attraction” works regardless of whether you look at the theory from a metaphysical or a scientific point of view in a Larry King show in 2007.

Scientists have long known that your subconscious is completely neutral and impartial and it will carry out any instructions you give it by your conscious or logical mind. That means that you can use the law of attraction to attract love, to lose or gain weight, attract wealth, quit smoking or whatever you desire. To skeptics, this sounds too good to be true but to believers, there are too many anecdotal evidence that the law of attraction works without any exception is difficult to ignore.

Unfortunately, many of us are still running negative programs we picked up from others as children when our subconscious minds were totally open and impressionable, or which we have developed over the years as a result of repetition of our own negative thinking.

Yes, many of you may say to me that you have been thinking of losing weight, but is still getting fatter. You see, when you are thinking of losing weight, you are using your conscious mind, but what is your subconscious mind thinking? Here are some examples :-

a) I am fat, therefore I need to lose weight - This thinking cancels out each other. Yes, you want to lose weight, but you are also thinking about being fat. The law of attraction does not react to whether you want it or do not want it, it just delivers to you what you are thinking and focused on and in this instance, you are thinking about being fat as well as losing weight.

b) My family members are fat, so I am genetically programed to be fat - I don’t need to explain this further. It is a self limiting thought and guess what? If you think that you are programed to be fat, then you are. You won’t be doing anything to change the status quo because you will think that it is useless to do so subconsciously. Simple as that.

c) I wish to be thin - Now merely wishing is not good enough, the law of attraction will just entertain your wish. You will always be wishing and wishing and wishing.

d) It is difficult to lose weight - Then you will never lose weight because it will always be difficult for you to lose weight.

So when you do not lose weight even if you have always wanted to, it could be because of your self limiting subconscious thoughts and there could even be hundreds if not thousands of negative programming in our subconscious mind not only in the subject of physical body shape but on other matters such as wealth, health, love and the list goes on.

These negative beliefs are programed into our subconscious mind and most of the time we do not even know that they are there sabotaging us. These thoughts then become our beliefs, habits and automatic behavior.

To change your end results, you need to overwrite the negative programing and instill new positive programing into your subconscious mind. If you are getting more of the same or negative results in your life such as not being able to attract more wealth, good health or the body shape you desire, then you have probably been unconsciously running old negative programs and reinforcing them with daily negative thought patterns.

There are many techniques you can use to get rid of limiting beliefs and negative thoughts such as using goal setting, affirmations and creative visualizations.

I will not describe in detail how these methods work here as books have been written on them. However, from personal experiences, the best method is to use self hypnotism to get rid of these negative programing.

You see, instead of spending a lot of money for a hypnosis therapist to help you find out your self limiting negative thoughts in your subconscious mind and re-program new positive thoughts into it, you can now do it yourself through self hypnosis sessions through CDs or MP3s.

So, how to use self hypnotism to lose weight or gain weight? Well, that is for another article or you click the link in my author’s box and read about them.



Nicholas