Accomplishment As Artwork

What is it that makes people stay up until the wee hours of the morning one night out of the year? My primary objective in life is not to see how late I can stay up, but getting up in the morning.

If I can get up each morning, it is a major accomplishment that I should celebrate with eggs, bacon and a hot cup of coffee which is about all the celebrating I can handle.

I’m not anxious to see someone drop the ball on New Year’s Eve. I do enough of that myself throughout the year and believe me, nobody cheers.

One thing I am most careful to do each New Year’s Day is make out my resolutions for the coming year. New Year’s resolutions represent one of the most ancient of human rituals. I say “human rituals” because it is not known whether the animal or plant world enjoy such exhilarating rituals. The evidence at this point in time is inclusive.

Perhaps Mark Twain was correct when he observed, “humans are the only animals that blush or need to.”

I have not always held such high and lofty views of the New Year’s resolution. Once, when I was young and did not know any better, I completely ignored this yearly ritual.

My good friend and mentor, the Reverend Frank Simmons, set me straight on this important issue. My early pastorate was close to Frank’s and we spent much time together. I learned so much from him, things they do not teach in college.

Each New Year’s Day we would spend in each other’s society. One year Frank and his wife would entertain us at his parsonage and the next year my wife and I would reciprocate. It was at our parsonage one year when I made the casual remark that I did not believe in New Year’s resolutions.

As far as I was concerned, a New Year’s resolution was a useless attempt to interfere with scientific laws. My best resolve is not going to change much in the long run. Besides, I can’t run that far these days. My mind is bigger than my legs.

For example. Have you ever noticed that a New Year’s resolution is stronger at its birth than any subsequent period? My best intention in January is a long faded memory by July.

Most New Year’s resolutions are simply lame attempts to apologize for the past year and a promise of better behavior in the year ahead. People spend so much energy in the creative act of coming up with a good set of New Year’s resolutions that there is no energy left to actually keep them for more than two consecutive days.

Frank allowed me to dig my hole as deep as possible and then in his unique way, let me know that I was wrong. I always took criticism from him very seriously.

“Can you tell me,” he asked with a mischievous twinkle, “the origin of the New Year’s resolution and who made the first one?”

Of course, he caught all of us off guard with this one. My good wife suggested that maybe it was Samson who resolved to give up female barbers.

Everyone had a good laugh at that one. Frank especially enjoyed it, slapping his knee and roaring with laughter.

My thoughts turned to the biblical book of Ecclesiastes. “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.” (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 KJV.)

In my mind, a vow is the same thing as a resolution.

As important as it is to make a vow, or resolution, keeping it is more important. If you cannot, or will not, keep it, better not make it.

A resolution is not an opportunity to boast. It should be done very carefully and sincerely.

Many people at this time of the year make resolutions such as attending church more regularly, reading their Bible and praying every day, and giving more money to their local church.

Such resolutions are music in the ear of every pastor. The problem is, the band stops playing in mid-February.

If everyone who made such resolutions actually kept them for an entire year, most pastors would have heart attacks by September. Thankfully, there is no actual medical danger for the cleric population.

Back to Frank’s intriguing question. “Can you tell me the origin of the New Year’s resolution and who made the first one?”

During our lively discussion of the subject Frank kept quiet. He just leaned back in his chair, listening to the deliberation with a devilish grin playing across his face. Gradually, the rest of us grew silent and directed our attention toward Frank.

“All right,” I finally begged, “tell us. Where did the New Year’s Resolution originate and who make the first one?”

Frank knew he had us right where he wanted us.

“Not many people know,” Frank began, “that the New Year’s resolution has biblical roots. It began with Adam.”

He certainly had my attention and I leaned forward to catch every word. With great deliberation Frank explained, “As the first couple began their second year in the Garden of Eden, Adam turned to Eve and said, ‘Honey, this year I’m going to turn over a new leaf.’”

Rev. James L. Snyder is an award winning author and popular columnist living with his wife, Martha, in Ocala, Florida and can be contacted at jamessnyder2@att.net.

I bet you are saying to yourself what in the hell is this person talking about? Now hold on before you judge me, give me a chance to redeem myself and make sense of this whole chapter. Even the title will make sense in just a short while, so just hold on to those opinions and let me have a shot - Thank You!

Let us say your house burned down and all that you were able to get out of it was you and your wife and children. Now do not get me wrong that is the most important thing to get out. At least your family is safe. Yet you are sad because everything you had is gone. All your cloths are gone. You are overwhelmed by the loss you are now suffering. Then a strange thing happens you look down in the ashes and you think you see gold in the fire. Somehow it is different; it is like all your desires.

What this means you are wondering to yourself? It hits you - your house was worth $85000 and they, (the insurance company) are willing to pay you 130,000! This amount staggers you… now you can get a new house and still have enough to get clothes, a TV, and the whole works.

So when things seem bad, look in the ashes and there is surely some gold there. I must let you know, it’s from your lowest point that is when you see gold and things turn around for you and this enables you to make it to your greatest heights. Therefore, that is why you should look for gold in the fire. When things look the worst that is when we make it to our greatest heights.

What is another reason to look for the gold? Let us say your marriage is in the dumps. All you do is fight with her, always yelling at one another and all you feel is anger. How do we find gold in the fire? Instead of fueling the fire, you need to look at ways to put the fire out and this will be your gold in the ashes.

Maybe you should work on yourself instead of trying to change her, why not change yourself. Love her for who she is (there is a nugget!) Buy her a rose for no special reason and tell her you love her. You will be surprised at how she will change if you are just willing to kill her with kindness (there is another nugget!)

Therefore, I hope you see how you can see gold in any bad situation. How, with a little effort on your part, you can turn the ashes into whatever you want to. You have the power to turn the gold into anything that you want. Therefore, the next time you see ashes and a fire in a bad situation, know that your greatest triumphs come from your lowest lows.

When you see gold in the fire it may be that little voice inside of you saying hey, it is not so bad here. Is there a way we can get out of this mess and yes that IS a golden nugget - please does not waste it! It truly is a gift from God and you should act on this idea.

Please know if you look in the ashes long enough, you will see the gold! Therefore, hang in there when times get tough as victory is just around the corner. Stop and look for the gold in the ashes and the plan will be given to you before long. You will be saying I think I see gold in the fire!

With Much Love,

Arthur Buchanan
President/CEO
Out of Darkness & Into the Light
43 Oakwood Ave. Suite 1012
Huron Ohio, 44839
567-219-0994 (cell)

http://www.out-of-darkness.com

They are calling Arthur Buchanan’s methods of recovering from mental illness REVOLUTIONARY! (MEDICAL COLLEGE OF MICHIGAN) ‘Arthur Buchanan has given us a revolutionary blue print for recovery in these uncertain times, when Mental Illness at a all time high in the United States of America, yet if you follow this young mans methods, we assure you of positive results and I QUOTE ‘If these methods are followed precisely, their is no way you can’t see positive results with whatever illness you have’ -Dr. Herbert Palos Detroit, Michigan

Listen to Arthur Buchanan on the Mike Litman Show!

Quotable quotes are nothing more than flowery words… And anyone
given enough time and cognitive power anyone can put one
together. Yes, they may strike a chord or make you feel good,
but their true value resides in what they encourage and excite
you to put into action. Ideas not followed by action have very
little power.

Here is one for you: “Only that which is eternal has any true
value.” Now you think about that quote and in some circles it
might be considered pretty quotable. So does this mean that if
this online message lasts for eternity that it has true value?
Actually the author is attempting to convey something more
profound (I happen to know him pretty well).

The only thing which is eternal (quotable or non-quotable) is
that which lies within you — your spiritual core. This is your
true identity and therefore anything that cannot stand the test
of infinity is but a passing fancy. What does this have to do
with quotable quotes? Well a lot..hang with me.

If you are focusing on the infinite then you must take the
action necessary to strengthen and escalate the Power of the
Infinite within yourself. The next logical question may be,
“Well how do increase this power within?”

All great teachers, sages and saints since time immemorial have
told us in one-way-shape-or-fashion that the power to win in
your life comes quite simply from two things. You must
constantly:

1. Study, understand, and immerse yourself in that
   which brings you power.
2. Avoid all that weakens you.

Unfortunately, you live in a world that will inundate you with
that which weakens. Increasing your Infinite Self then becomes a
matter of critical action; and here is where we tie this
conversation into quotable quotes.

The fact that you are alive in this century guarantees that you
are highly exposed to negative input from the media, friends,
school systems, family members and various other energy
vampires.

Now while you may not find all of above factors as negative in
your life, we can be pretty well assured that unless you avoid
television, newspapers and magazines all together (something you
might strongly consider), you have at minimum some negative
energy to contend with. If you are barraged by negative media
input on a daily basis you must actively seek input to the
contrary just to stay at equilibrium.. much less get ahead of
the energy game. Enter quotable quotes.

The infamous quotable quotes could indeed be a part of your
action plan to offset negative input from other sources.
Ultimately you will become that which you think about all day
long, for thoughts breed action and actions breed results.

Read the quotes as well as other pieces of inspiration and
power; and then most importantly…act boldly in accordance with
this line of thinking and pull yourself from the quagmire of
collective limitation. You were born into greatness but have
been conditioned into mediocrity — and you can quote me on that
one.

James Arthur Ray of James Ray International is an expert in
teaching individuals how to achieve Harmonic Wealth in
all areas of their life by focusing on what they want, opposed
to what they don’t want. He has been speaking to individuals as
well as Fortune 500 companies for over 20 years and is the
author of four books and an inventor of numerous learning
systems. His studies of highly successful people prove that they
continually achieve results by taking control of their thoughts
and actions to create and shape their own reality.

The Power to Win seminar (http://www.ThePowerToWin.com)
will explain in detail how success is state of mind and how the
principles of quantum physics (as seen in the movie What the
Bleep) can be applied to proven success-building techniques.
James will also cover why people who are successful in one
area of their life tend to be successful in all areas. For more information,
visit http://www.ThePowerToWin.com.

There are so many different types of meditation. How many? Who knows, but enough so that you can find the one that’s right for you. To get your search started, here are six types of meditation you can try.

1. Breath watching. Can meditating be as simple as paying attention to your breath for a few minutes? You bet. Relax in whatever position works best for you, close your eyes and start to pay attention to your breathing. Breathing through your nose gets your diaphragm involved and gets oxygen all the way to the bottom of your lungs. As your mind wanders, just re-focus your attention on the air going in and out of your nose. Just do this for several minutes, or longer as you get used to it.

2. An empty mind meditation. Meditating can create a kind of “awareness without object,” an emptying of all thoughts from your mind. The techniques for doing this involve sitting still, often in a “full lotus” or cross-legged position, and letting the mind go silent on its own. It can be difficult, particularly since any effort seems to just cause more business in the mind.

3. Walking meditations. This one gets the body involved. It can be outside or simply as a back and forth pacing in a room. Pay attention to the movement of your legs and breathing and body as you walk, and to the feeling of your feet contacting the ground. When your mind wanders, just keep bringing it back to the process of walking and breathing. Meditating outside in this way can be difficult because of the distractions. If you do it outside, find a quiet place with level ground.

4. Mindfulness meditation. A practice Buddhists call vipassana or insight meditation, mindfulness is the art of becoming deeply aware of what is here right now. You focus on what’s happening in and around you at this very moment, and become aware of all the thoughts and feelings that are taking your energy from moment to moment. You can start by watching your breath, and then move your attention to the thoughts going through your mind, the feelings in your body, and even the sounds and sights around you. The key is to watch without judging or analyzing.

5. Simple mantra meditation. Many people find it easier to keep their mind from wandering if they concentrate on something specific. A mantra can help. This is a word or phrase you repeat as you sit in meditation, and is chosen for you by an experienced master in some traditions. If you are working on this alone, you can use any word or phrase that works for you, and can choose to either repeat it aloud or in your head as you meditate.

6. Meditating on a concept. Some meditative practices involve contemplation of an idea or scenario. An example is the “meditation on impermanence,” in which you focus on the impermanent nature of all things, starting with your thoughts and feelings as they come and go. In the Buddhist “meditation on the corpse,” you think about a body in the ground, as it slowly rots away and is fed on by worms. The technique is used to guide you to an understanding that your rationalizing mind might not bring you to.

There are many other meditations you can try, such as the “meditation on loving-kindness” or “object” meditation, and even meditating using brain wave entrainment products. Each type has its own advantages and effects. For this reason, you may find that at different times and for different purposes you want to use several different types of meditation.

Steve Gillman has meditated and studied meditation for over twenty years. You can find a good mindfulness exercise and subscribe to The Meditation Newsletter at: http://www.TheMeditationSite.com

EXTREME is not a term usually connected to self-care. Self-care usually portrays a picture of gentleness, kindness, loving self or being nurturing. People don’t consider it necessary to take extreme action when it comes to self-care. Why?

First the word extreme is often only associated with dangerous sports or foolish actions when in reality it relates to any area where you try something new or push your personal limits to experience the fullness of life.

Second, most of us don’t know what self-care is really like or we may feel we will begin practising self-care when we have enough material security that allows us time to be so indulgent. You put your needs second for many years and then if and when the time comes you may not know how to do it because you haven’t developed the habit of self-care.

In reality practising extreme self-care actually produces more time, space and money in our lives. When we truly care for our own needs first, we build a reserve of energy and resources that enables us to sustain extreme self-care in our own life with enough left over to care for others.

I challenge you to choose one thing this week that demonstrates extreme self-care in your life. (Have a massage, read a book, get a house cleaner, do your favourite whimsical thing, have a check up at the dentist, stretch, say no). Notice the happiness, energy and well being you create by practicing extreme self-care.

Lisa Branigan specialises in coaching women who are stressed, tired and overwhelmed with their busy lives. Lisa is the author of “Life Solutions” a free monthly e-zine providing tips, advice and information on self-care and wellbeing.

For further information:
Phone: +61 89757 3750 or 0439 828 594
Website: http://www.quantumcoaching.com.au Email: lisa@quantumcoaching.com.au

When I first started learning about deep breathing exercises and meditation I had this pre-conceived notion of sitting very still for long periods of time, my body like a statue, my breathing hardly discernable to an onlooker.

Little did I know that this was not the only way to achieve a meditative experience.

In my discussions with people they often deem meditation an activity for ‘hippies’ from a bygone era that is for those people who are essentially away with the fairies! However, this could not be further from the truth!

You see meditation comes in all forms and guises. Yes, sometimes it does consist of silent, still, contemplation. Nothing wrong with that at all. What I also discovered was that it can come in a very energised form, a meditative experience yes, but one that blows the cobwebs out of your mind and body and provides you with the impetus to take action!

I have become a firm believer in such types of meditation. Ever heard of the saying “movement is superior to meditation”? Well this is a means to combine the two and create a wonderful way to increase focus on goals while energising the body.

As an example of such a meditation check out the exercise below.

1. Sit or stand comfortably with your back straight.

2. From this position begin breathing in and out through your nose rapidly.

3. While doing this your chest and abdomen acts almost like bellows pumping rhythmically along with your breath.

4. Perform this initially for a minute. See how you feel. It is a dynamic breathing exercise that requires some getting used to. Once you have a feel for the breathing slowly add more time.

This is a great and quick way to energise you. Also (if you wish) while performing it add in a mental image of a goal you wish to achieve. See it as a success. Allow your rising energy levels to combine and merge with this positive image and you will feel compelled to use this energy to achieve this objective!

Give this a whirl and feel the positive benefits!

© Tim Webb 2005

Tim Webb is a fitness instructor, Ju Jutsu instructor and competitor. He specialises in easily accessible deep breathing exercises that combine breath and mind together. His site http://www.breathforsuccess.com/ offers a product that provides deep breathing exercises for invigorating yourself, relaxing, and highlights how your breath can be tied in with your goals to move you towards them in record time!