September 2022

There has been much in the news of late about children who have committed suicide due to being bullied. The tragedy is life-long for the family and perhaps for those who did the bullying. Bullying, however, doesn’t stop in childhood. Those who were bullies as kids often continue their pattern of oppression into adulthood. Signs You Are a Bully You make fun of someone. You call them names, sneer at them or make derogatory remarks. You “accidentally” spill drinks on people or cause them to drop papers, supplies or belongings. You post embarrassing photos of another on social networking sites. You twist the truth or tell out-right lies about someone. You campaign to make someone look bad or incompetent. You post anonymous comments on forums that you would never attach your name to. Someone embarrasses you or does something you don’t want him to do and you “get even.” What to Do about It Many bullies lack empathy. This type is not someone who would be reading this article. If you are a bully and are reading this, then you are someone who is at least open to change. The following require honest reflection. You first need to realize that what you are doing is harmful. If you want to know how harmful, imagine yourself being the victim of the behavior you are doing. Imagining this is probably not difficult. You most likely have numerous events in your own life in which you were bullied by peers and maybe even your parents. Recognize that your desire to harm another has to do with your need to feel more important than or better than another. This means you are insecure. You have little sense of your own gifts and talents. Your believe your only recourse is to harm someone else to make you feel better. When you feel that impulse to put someone down just stop and take a deep breath. You need to break this habitual pattern. It is important for you to get in touch with how you are feeling. Did something happen in which you felt the need to make yourself look more important or better than another by bullying? Notice how old you feel when you want to bully. Simply take a moment to ask yourself, “How old do I feel?” This information gives you the age at which you were wounded in a way that resulted in your acting out your anger, fear or insecurity by harming another. Do something proactive to heal yourself. This could be a therapist, healing prayer or another method to assist you in healing yourself. You deserve healing and others deserve to be safe. Source by Cathy Chapman, Ph.D.

Feng Shui is an ancient art developed in China more than 3,000 years ago. Feng means ‘wind’ and Shui means ‘water’. Wind and water for Chinese bring good health. It is a complicated field of knowledge that shows how to balance the energies of any given place to provide good health and good fortune to people occupying it. Here are the top ten water fountain Feng Shui cures: Electricity & Water: A water fountain operates through an electric water pump. It is said to promote wealth in the traditional Chinese culture where water was crucial for the growth of the rice. Electricity (power) brings sparking activity and change. Water is one of the five elementary components of the ancient Chinese art and harmony doctrine of feng shui.   Moving Objects: ‘wind and water’ are the primary essence in feng shui which is both present in a fountain. The cascading water and circulating air around is active CHI which signifies abundance. Chi should always be able to move freely through any space in order to help us to be in balance with the elements surrounding us.   Living plants or objects- plants and flowers represent life and growth. When integrated with a fountain they produce new energy in the house and helps in the circulation of the energy already present there. Sound- the sheer sound of flowing water attracts people and draws them towards the source for marvelous sensory experience. Chimes and bells when added into a fountain make it enticing for Chi and customers. Objects solid and heavy- likes stones and statues that are used to decorate a fountain prevents positive Chi from leaving, promoting health and well being. Objects that shine- crystal balls, mirrors and candles make any interior bright and attract positive energy. Many fountain models come with under water light placed in the frame area providing delightful colors to the water and draws life, happiness and positive Chi. Colors- red means ‘happiness and strength’. It gives a promise of good fortune. Purple, pink and plum are relatively fortunate colors. Green and blue-green promote tranquility. These colors are easily incorporated into your fountain. To draw in harmony and happiness you may put a red bird figurine, rose quarts, or green plants. Bamboo flutes- for stability, growth and safety you may lay out a small bamboo flute diagonally on a rock or use a hallow bamboo water spout through where the water could flow.   Ribbon, fringes and fragrance- Using mist fountains allows integration of aromatherapy and water fountain. If not using a mist fountain, it is still possible to have fragrance in the form of aromatherapy essential oils placed in a container with some rocks, or an incense cone artistically positioned on a shell or a scented candle. Your creativity may be put to practice as far as this category is concerned because it is applicable in many ways to increase the flow of positive energy.   An ancient Chinese term “bagua” means “eight areas” (“ba”=eight, “gua”=area ) and Feng Shui bagua is a map or chart that relates the various areas of your life to the 8 sections of your living space. Your fountain must be placed in the gua or area you wish to enhance People who practice feng shui believe that their quality of life depends on how the positive energy flows in the area which they stay. If matter and space are arranged correctly harmony with the environment is attained in the home, relationships, health, wealth and other aspects in life. Source by Amy C.

Working out is daily routine to improve on fitness, also to loose weight and an activity to engage in for fun and a means of someones personal lifestyle. Your body goes through a variety of motions and emotions, however that is not when you are working out, it is usually at different times and exercising helps in adjusting to a more quality lifestyle, sometimes it is not hard to notice these differences so a lot of people find the time and effort to be healthy. These ways of healthiness includes proper nutrition or else it would defeat the purpose of being fit, it is obvious to your body that the way you treat it, is the way it treats you, such as maintaining strength in muscles which improves respiration and agility. There are a lot of activities and nutrition nowadays for a certain standard of living, it is simple as joining and gym and eating healthy. A doctor would recommend having a balanced diet, which means choosing the right amount proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates and minerals. The self worth of fitness allows for a natural accordance to pleasure, it is a stepping stool for life’s achievements, and getting the chance for some excitement. People can exercise whenever they choose whether it is morning or evening, also some gyms are open 24/7. There are different types of programs on a DVD to buy that can be done at home, if you decide to join a gym then there are concepts involved such as aerobics, yoga or a personal trainer for weight lifting. With fitness it is a natural supplement, it helps the body internally and externally, it has a conventional meaning for overall satisfaction. It should be a fixture in everyone’s lifestyle, that begins from growing up healthy to become mature and wealthy adults. Working out supports a personal interest and extends to the demands of overcoming challenges and corresponds with energy and the flow of exhilaration. It is usually affordable, twenty to thirty dollars per month or to buy your own equipment to use at home and there are a different types to choose from. It is also good to have an experts advice to bring consistency and to motivate the approach toward fitness. Coordinating fitness towards wealth and not just health, might not seem like a solid argument because someone can be less fortunate and healthy as well as a rich person being unhealthy. However it is basic human nature to want to be both wealthy and healthy and by increasing the perseverance for each corresponds to get the necessary success for both. The potential to achieve extends to other areas that help to build on a personal demand to grasp that concept in a fulfilling attitude. Therefore the inner feeling that being fits gives allow for much growth in a career to stimulate wealth. These should go hand in hand to satisfy ones own presence, that include happiness, love and new aspirations that flourish into a better tomorrow. Source by Dexter Josephs

Personal Development dates back to the Greek philosopher Aristotle. In those days, Personal Development was a quest to reach “arête” which means, Personal Excellence. Arête, or personal excellence, was sought in order to attain Eudaimonia, commonly translated as “happiness.” Times have changed but the common desire to attain happiness has not. And what was true in Aristotle’s day is still true today. The surest way of attaining happiness is through Personal Development. Definition of the term Personal Development. Personal Development means exactly what the words implies, developing our personal resources to its full potential. Seems easy enough to understand yet, it is probably one of the least understood term. For most people, Personal Development means learning new tricks of gimmicks to get what we want. That’s not Personal Development. At best, it’s an insincere form of behavior and in its worst case scenario it’s just plain deceit. The objective of Personal Development is arete or personal excellence which can be found in the character of the individual and not simply in a form of superficial behavior that the individual can adopt. In other words, Personal Development is a quest to develop and optimize one’s original resources to make the individual more effective, better equipped to face life’s challenges and better apt to reach the objectives necessary to attain the state of self-fulfillment, self-satisfaction and happiness. True Personal Development increases a person’s worth. It belong in the realm of personal character and not simply in the person’s behavior. Personal Development aims to build in and build up Aristotle’s basic virtues such as: courage, temperance, generosity, friendliness and magnanimity. Now I know that this is not exactly what people seek when they are involved in Personal Development. Mostly they seek quick fixes and slick approaches to acquiring money and material success. No wonder that after years of practicing so called Personal Development principles no lasting changes have been observed. Does that means that the teachings of Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar et al are not worthy? Of course not. However we are all guilty of hearing what we want to hear. Jim Rohn says something to the effect that, if you want to succeed, work harder on yourself than you do on your job and you’ll succeed. He said, work harder on yourself… he did not say learn some slick tricks. He did not say learn this formula and apply it. He said, “Work on yourself.” To work on yourself means improve who you are as an individual. Improve your character. Be a better person. Develop the basic virtues of courage, temperance, generosity, friendliness and magnanimity among others. How can a virtue be developed? The best way to do that is by raising it in the hierarchy of personal values. We tend to protect more what we value most since losing it would cause considerable pain. So, by raising that virtue in our esteem it will increase in importance in our eyes and will be better protected and practiced. It can also be done by emulating someone that we admire and who demonstrates that virtue prominently. Emulation is a power tool that can be used with great effectiveness. Whether we know it or not, we are highly influenced by those that we respect. That characteristic can be used consciously or unconsciously and naturally, it’s a lot more effective when we use it deliberately. Personal Development also means self-transformation. Learning something but not changing who we are is useless. Knowledge is only effective when it is used. Years ago I would go to motivational seminars. We would get all hyped up and get back home ready to turn the world upside down. Sadly, the feeling would only last a few weeks at most. Positive permanent changes do not come easy. Our brain is quite resistant to changes. It is said that the brain is like a muscle and that analogy is especially true as far as personal transformation is concerned. It is not easy to sculpt and transform a muscle. It takes work and dedication. The same applies to acquiring new and more empowering habits and behavior. Alexis Carrel author of Man the Unknown said something to the effect that, the transformation of man is not an easy task for he is at the same time the block of granite and the artisan who must, through powerful blow of the hammer, sculpt and fashion the masterpiece that he wants to become. Source by Dr. Raymond Comeau

Can we really manifest prosperity in today’s economy? After all, when you “tune in” to watch the news, what you hear can very easily leave you feeling hopeless, not hopeful! YES, we absolutely can manifest prosperity in any economy and this is how to do it. It’s all about your focus, how you feel and your intent… YOUR MINDSET. Centering your attention We want to be “tuned into” what we are focused on manifesting, keeping a positive attitude (feeling good always) and a firm belief that our desire will come to fruition. This is our key to manifesting anything! As we are changing our thoughts and our mental vision, we are changing our reality. Thought is energy and thoughts change the balance of energy around us, and that brings changes into our lives. Personally, I limit the amount of time that I listen to the news each day because I know that when I place my focus on what I’m hearing, I have now made a shift in my mindset which means that my focus is off of what I want to be “tuned into”. I do not want to delay what I am seeking to manifest by shifting my focus on anything else. To attract into your life what you are requesting does take focus and action. Law of Attraction is like a magnet in that what you send out into the Universe is attracted back to you. Your feelings begin to resonate with the Universe. Feeling good As we hold onto a vibration of feeling good, we become brighter and lighter and people will feel it! You feel it and it feels great!! These two revelations changed my world: How you feel is what you attract and the Universe is full of abundance… not lack! The Universe is constantly changing, evolving and it is NOT stagnant… This is GREAT news! Your situation at this very moment is just that… it’s for the moment and YOU have the POWER to change it… Remember: abundance, abundance, abundance. The Universe desires for each one of us to have abundance in EVERY area of our lives: Money, health, wealth, happiness, love… EVERYTHING Prosperity during adversity I encourage you to read Napoleon Hill’s book: Think and Grow Rich. This book was written in 1937 and is one of the best-selling books of all time. Napoleon Hill said: “What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” This book is proof that in any economy, you can be prosperous as it was written during the great depression. Napoleon Hill and many others that you will read about in his book believed in Law of Attraction. Also proof that when you stay focused on what you desire, you can achieve it. The mind is very powerful! My desire for you is that you receive the very best that is yours by Divine design! You deserve the best and the Universe is just waiting for you to manifest all that you have ever wanted. So, begin telling the story of how you want your life to be with continual affirmations; making room for all the abundance that is yours. Source by Alice Hocker

Multiculturalism holds that we should celebrate our differences. Culturism suggests that we celebrate our unity. In the history of the world every tribe, nation and group has thought it wise to emphasize their unity. But multiculturalists have the strategy “celebrate diversity” as a radical new idea. Robert Putnam has recently put the two sides to a test. Robert Putnam is the author of the wonderful book Bowling Alone. In this work this Harvard political scientist employs sociology to investigate the concept of “social capital.” Social capital is a measure of cultural connectedness. This would include networks with other people as well as access to understanding the language and skills involved in getting ahead. Those without social capital are not woven into the social fabric of society. In Bowling Alone he finds that social capital is rapidly dwindling amongst Americans. This means that they trust less and have less in common with their fellow citizens. They volunteer less, vote less, and are generally less involved in their communities than ever. Bowling is up, bowling leagues are down. Americans are increasingly bowling alone. Putnam found social capital to be associated with health, wealth, and low crime rates. In his earlier study of Italy he found that social capital even explained the ability for democracy to emerge. Putnam’s recent study on diversity involved nearly 30,000 people in 41 communities. He found that the more diverse neighborhoods are the less social capital they create. People in diverse communities volunteer less, give to charity less, vote less and work on less community projects. The simple fact is that people do not trust people they share little in common with. As President Clinton’s Secretary of Labor Robert Reich pointed out, the rich do not want pay taxes to help the poor when they do not see any commonality with them. Putnam said, “It would be unfortunate if a politically correct progressivism were to deny the reality of the challenge to social solidarity posed by diversity.” These findings were not racial. Putnam said those in diverse communities “distrust their neighbors, regadless of the color of their skin.” Ethnic tensions did not arise so much as a general civic malaise. Some have argued that diversity helps economically, many have argued against that conclusion. But all agree, as Putnam says, when it comes to social connections between people, diversity “brings out the turtle in all of us” he said. Culturism does not hope or expect diversity to be eliminated. Anyone who does is silly; diversity will always be a welcome part of America. But if we do not stress our unity, we may lose our conntection to our fellow Americans altogether. This may undermine our sense of connection, political action, and sense of trust we might otherwise feel with our neighbors and those less fortunate. In the end, Putnam’s Italian studies show that emphasizing multiculturalism over culturism may even undermine our ability to have a sustainable democracy. Source by John K. Press