Awakening to Life's True Purpose

By Steve Wickham

Distraction is the concept in contention with life's true purpose; the biggest, now global, trick of human history. This is as visible a threat as it is insidious. It is literally strangling our quality of life and we are helpless against it, unless we are awakened to our true life purpose.
Life, ironically, is a distraction from our purpose. Almost everything in today's world conspires against this purpose. Not that we should reject our world and live as secluded hermits. But there is a force in this life that blocks our awareness of, and our access to, our purpose.
SO, WHAT'S OUR PURPOSE?
Our purpose is to honour God by living our lives - not kidnapped by agendas-of-distraction but with eyes wide awake to the God-honest realities that are somehow subsumed by these agendas-of-distraction.
Allow me to put it in plain illustrative terms.
One example of distraction is entertainment; what is not clear about entertainment, however, is what distractive element takes us toward our purpose (for some entertainment is purposefully distractive) versus what takes us away. Most entertainment takes us away. For instance, we choose entertainment when we should be doing other things. Or, we choose the wrong sort of entertainment. Moreover, much entertainment takes our minds away from more relevant God-honest realities. We are all implicated.
Dismissing or rejecting entertainment out of hand, if we follow the chosen example, is not the answer; nor is merely giving in to the entertainment revolution sweeping the globe continuously.
There has to be a more compelling and effectual answer.
Frustration has no part whatsoever in us living our purpose, unless it's part of the learning process. There's little to be learned via the frustration of chopping and changing in indecision.
THE AGENCY AND PROCESS OF AWAKENING
Let us be perfectly clear that the awakening in view is no New Age concept. Such an awakening - the necessity of humanity to partake - is as old as creation itself. Adam and Eve, of course, failed their awakening test, as have and do we.
Awakening is nothing about failure, however.
It is, like salvation, an initial choice as well as an ongoing choice-the finances of the mind invested in focusing on what is really relevant, as well as learning what agendas-of-distraction we are to dispatch to the archives of previous currencies.
Awakening is truly about choosing to live the abundant life.
THE SCIENCE OF THE ABUNDANT LIFE
One of the most poignant things Jesus ever said about the nature of worldly life, and the countering nature of salvation, was:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
~John 10:10 (NRSV).

Agendas-of-distraction are an example of the thief, among many examples. The myriad examples of distraction sway us away from true abundance - the experience of God breaking through our consciousness and awakening us to reality.
This is no subjective reality, but the reality.
It must surely be the greatest gift; to enjoy knowledge of reality. That is, to be at peace with it. This is where the abundant life begins. Indeed, this, not apart from the Saviour, is its source.
The abundant life journeys with simplicity. Having dealt with the distractions - those that would otherwise seal our fate as stolen - the simplicity of the abundant life opens up new doorways and new streams of thinking.
The abundant life is our true life purpose. It is no destination, so we must endear ourselves to it, rejecting distractions, and follow it passionately all our lives.
Perhaps the following quote of Isaac Newton's encapsulates the whole article:

I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.

Ours is to look past the distractive pebbles and shells on the seashore and further yonder to the ocean of truth. There is where life is truly at; nowhere else.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6535850

Questions for Self-Improvement

By A McIntyre

You need to constantly question yourself if you want to improve. Questions guide your inner dialogue. They act as a guide for you to create inner and outer wealth living a life with emotional and financial freedom.
When we were still toddlers, we learn by asking questions. Sadly, when we became adults, some of us lost out ability to ask. Some deem asking as an activity only for childish individuals. Others simply neglect it because they are already satisfied with their current state. Ideally, we must never lose this ability. As long as we live, we need to ask questions. Some of these questions might have satisfying answers in the future; some might have not. BUT at least, you didn't maintain an idle mind.
We have come up with 3 questions for self-improvement. If you haven't asked yourself these questions yet, then start asking them now.
1.) Do I enjoy the things that I do?
You have to reflect on your current state. You have to make sure that you are enjoying the things that you have right now - work, relationships, and responsibilities. If there is one area in your life that seems boring, painful or monotonous to you, focus on that part. Reflect on the reason why you don't enjoy doing the things in that certain area. Strive to get out of these areas as soon as possible unless you want to live a miserable life.
2.) What is my real passion in life?
You enjoy doing what you do if it is your passion. For example, work seems so easy if you love the responsibilities that are included in it. When you enjoy what you do, you don't call it work anymore; you call it passion. People who choose not to pursue their passion live a life of misery most of the time.
3.) Do I always plan for my future?
It is not a sin to live in the present but it is a sin not to look forward to the future. Always think 5 to 10 years ahead. Think of things that you would like to achieve if you are allowed to live even for another decade. Create a list of what you would like to do and fulfill them one by one.
You can't find inspiration if you are just contented with your current state. You need to stand up and push yourself to your limit. The power of questions is inexhaustible. Famous success coach Anthony Robbins once said "quality questions create a quality life." You must put these questions in front of you in order to drive you to your goals, be rooted in your capabilities, and change your overall perception of yourself.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6496588

Is There An Easy Way To Manifest Anything?

By Trevor Johnson


If you're a follower of the law of attraction, you'll know that movies like The Secret make out that you can manifest near enough anything you want just by getting into the right vibration. But is that true? And, if it is, how on earth do you put it into practice? Here are some ideas for an easy way to manifest anything you want.
1. Have a clear idea of the end result
This is probably the most important step in the whole manifestation process.
If your idea of what you want is foggy or otherwise unclear, you're putting blocks in the way of the manifestation process. Maybe not insurmountable blocks (attraction is a really strong force) but definitely ones that will impede your path.
So spend a bit of time getting what you want to manifest crystal clear in your mind. Then hone the idea further over the following days. And revisit it in a week or two just to make sure that what you thought you wanted is indeed what you want.
Because quite a lot of the time our ideas shift over time but we're still headed for the old destination through force of habit.
2. Keep your focus
Not constantly, obviously, because there are countless other things going on in your life. But definitely don't let whatever it is you're trying to manifest fade from view.
An easy way to do this is to set up triggers or reminders to keep your focus on track.
These don't have to be complicated - if you've got a reminder system on your cell phone, all you need to do is set up a reminder each week (or day or whatever) and the device will bleep at you. Even if you just press the confirm button, that will be enough to send the trigger through to your subconscious mind because you've got to be conscious at some level about whatever you've just confirmed.
Other easy reminders are computer screen savers - and the one you can set on your mobile phone if you've got a friendly teenager at hand to show you how to do that. Plus printouts, Post It notes and anything else you can use to prompt your mind to keep on track until your manifestation process is complete.
3. Minimize distractions
You know the feeling on this - something else comes along and takes up most of your spare time, to the exclusion of the things you'd really like to be working on. And the procrastination part of you goes along with this and helps you focus on the distractions rather than follow the course you originally planned.
The field of human endevor is littered with this kind of event.

Yield No Yards

By Lance Winslow

Sometimes you have to hold your ground, as sometimes that makes sense. You see, sometimes you must yield no yards, and if you fail to do so, you lose, along with the rest of your team. Okay so, let's talk a little bit about life's lessons and a little philosophy on that if you will.
Now then, President Obama says everything is negotiable, and I know a few lawyers who'd have you believing the same as well, but sometimes there are some things which should not be negotiable. You see, if you believe that everything is always negotiable, you're also likely to fall for anything. Perhaps it's a lot like that country song; "you have to stand for something, or you'll fall for anything." There is a lot of truth to that, you have to admit.
Okay so, if you stand for something, then chances are you stand against something else. If you stand against too many things, you're liable to make yourself a target, and prevent forward advancement in human society, especially in this day and age of political correctness. At some point in your life you will come to a place where you will have to defend what you are about be it your family, your business in the marketplace, your political views, or your integrity.
When you reach that point you will have some decisions to make, you can either dig in, or yield. If you plan on taking it and holding your ground, you better be ready for the onslaught. Indeed, the football analogy is a good one here, and I'm sure Vince Lombardi would agree. And, I'm sure he also at one time or another uttered those words; "You Will Yield No Yards!" - and if he said it, he meant it.
It is much easier to hold your ground when you have a solid team that you can believe in, where each teammate believes in the same. Yes, there is strength in numbers, and there is safety in conviction, and belief, and in those who will affirm their commitments, dedication, perseverance, and personal strength of character and will to absolutely, positively, never yield those yards. There have been sports stories, political stories, and war stories around this very topic.
There are few times in life where a man's true character can be judged. But the strength of that individual, and their mental will at the point where they make a stand will determine the worth of that man. I wish you well, and I hope that you will understand that sometimes you must not yield any yards, you must stand your ground against any adversity, any competitor, and any evil doer on this side or the other.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6468153

Let Your Strength Work for You

By Girijesh Pathak 

Each student has some strength and weakness. It is a common advise available to everyone that he should try to overcome his weaknesses. This shifts the focus towards weaknesses and in certain situations doesn't allow the strength to work.
It depends on the kind of examinations a student is taking. There are examinations in which lakhs of students score over 90% marks. Do such tests test the strengths of the students or weaknesses? It is basically a pressure situation in which a student has to built a capability of answering questions in a pre-decided way. If he does, he scores irrespective of whether he knows the concept or not. He gets high marks but how does it help him? High marks can be helpful only in getting admission in next course where admission is based on marks. Leave aside the marks and you find that these students in order to get high marks have build such capabilities that may not be of much help in getting success in subsequent phases of life. Mere a surface level knowledge on all the topics in the structured way provided by the system is good enough to score 90%. This habit of living with surface level knowledge and not learning to go deeper becomes a bottleneck in getting overall success at later stage.
Majority of the examinations in India that open the door of great career are low scoring. Whether it is IIT-JEE or CAT or Civil services examination, in all such examinations it is seen that about 50% aggregate marks is good enough to get a good rank. Such tests try to test the depth of understanding of various concepts in the student. It penetrates to such level that it is not easy to have such in-depth understanding in all the topics in the syllabus. It is not expected too. But, if a person follows the advise of working hard on the weaknesses, he gets into a trap. He is not able to go sufficiently deep on his strong topics to be able to score in such examinations. Also, he is not able to do much from his weak areas. It is seen that lakhs of students regularly scoring over 90% in their school and college examinations fail to score even 20-25% in examinations like IIT-JEE. That too after coaching from highly reputed places.
Hence, it is very important to work on own strengths and allow them to work for you. Shifting the focus from weaknesses to strengths works wonders. And it makes the preparation enjoying too.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6339297

How to Handle Anger Appropriately

By Mary Bodel 

Anger can come from many sources. It may be righteous anger, either for yourself or for others. It may be guilt related anger. Sometimes stress causes it, and fear as well. The question is, how do you deal with it, and is it right for you to do something about it?
Righteous Anger: Has someone said something slanderous about you? Perhaps they told their boss or spread it around your workplace, school or the internet. You've got two choices. One is to act out your anger and the other is to let it pass. Acting in anger, even if it's righteous anger, does no one any good. If you're the target, then it especially does you no good. Before you react, calm down, look at it rationally and then decide how you're going to handle the problem.
The same advice holds true if it is because of something done to someone else. Anger begets anger. You can let it spur you to action, but not while you're still feeling the emotion.
Guilt: This is a sneaky one. The more true an accusation is, the angrier you will become. It's a reflex to shield the mind from the realization that you've done something wrong. It will take a lot of self control to swallow it, think about what's being said and then do the right thing, whether it's an apology or some other means of restitution.
Stress: Stress causes a lot of emotions, and anger is only one of them. If you are under a lot of stress, you may need to learn some relaxation techniques to help control them. Visualization is the best if you have the time. If not, deep breathing and counting to ten do actually help. Herbs such as lavender and passionflower could be beneficial, but not when you may need your wits about you.
Fear: In some cases, anger caused by fear may save your life. In others, it may cause lasting harm. It can give you that added push to get out of the way of something, which is good. However, it can also cloud your judgement, make any illness worse and if you open mouth and insert foot, it could ruin relationships.
It is a good idea to talk to your doctor if you have anger issues that aren't resolved by the simple steps above. You may have an underlying medical condition and you may need counseling. The counselor can help you learn stronger techniques to hold anger at bay.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6442086

So, You Want to Be a Millionaire, Do You?

By Steve Youngman

The desire for people to achieve millionaire status is universal. There are no lack of programs, courses, membership programs and mentors purporting to show you how to make millions.
Yet, with all this valuable knowledge and education out there, most people are still not achieving the wealth they desire. So, what is the problem?
Is it the program or is it the individual "using" the program?
In this context, the term "using" is probably the wrong word. For some reason, around 90% of people that invest in business or personal development programs NEVER get past the first chapter. They never actually "use" the program to start with.

This figure is very disturbing and explains why most people fail to achieve their goals. The failure to follow through and take action is the number one reason most people fail to become millionaires.
Their failure has nothing to do with the programs they invest in. Yes, while some programs are garbage and don't deliver on what they promise, the majority of business programs do work, and if implemented as taught, can make the students millions of dollars.
The programs are not the problem, rather it's the individual that is the problem.
This is the opposite view taken by most people, especially the get rich quick junkie, who bounces from one program to the next, always looking for that magic bullet. Until you realize you are the problem, you will never become a millionaire.
People seem to like buying programs, but they are not too keen on using them. They invest money in the programs but then they don't invest the time and effort to make them work.
One reason for this lack of action is due to the fact that becoming a millionaire, or getting rich, is not a priority for them in their life.
The desire to become a millionaire must be the number ONE priority in your life. It must be more important than anything else you do. This means you must spend the most amount of time, energy and effort into it.
Once you are a millionaire, you can then change your priorities. Most people fail because "becoming a millionaire" is not their number one priority. In most cases, it's not even a priority to begin with. Other distractions take up their time.
This can easily be proven by looking at their habits. These 3 questions will illustrate this point.
How many hours a day do they spend working towards becoming a millionaire?
How many hours of TV a day do they watch?
Is this second number larger than the first?
For most people, the answers to the above questions are 0, 4 and yes.
They spend no time working on their financial goals, yet can somehow squeeze in a few hours of TV everyday. It is clear from their habits and actions that watching TV is a bigger priority in their life than getting rich.
Clearly, in that case, you are not going to become a millionaire if you spend no time on that goal.
You must change your priorities to change your results.
Once something is a priority, you then allocate time to it. This time is when you take action on implementing all that knowledge found in the business programs.
If you say you want to be a millionaire, but you are not acting in a way to make yourself a millionaire, you are lying to yourself.
Your actions should speak louder than your words. So, do you still want to be a millionaire?
Yes, then make it a priority

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6265137