Paul Palmer, proud to be a pisces man

Dear Reader,

This is gonna be fun!

I am going to do something a little crazy here and lay bare… how I believe anyone can follow what I’m about to reveal… to write a very good web site sales message for their own information product.

Let’s get after it…

Okay, here’s the basic “template” we will be following to create your sales message:

• Headline(s)

• Salutation

• Opening

• Star

• Story

• Solution

• Bullets

• Testimonials

• Guarantee

• Offer

• Close

• How To Order

• P.S.(s)

Alrighty, for me to make this real, I need to choose a product to create a sales message for.

Hmm. Let’s see, yes… here we go… how about if I just reach up and pull down a book from my bookshelf at random.

Cool. Here we go… I’ve chosen, “How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling” by the late Frank Bettger (by the way here’s what Dale Carnegie said of this book: “The most helpful and inspiring book on salesmanship that I have ever read.” – I couldn’t agree more).

Anyhow, let’s get down to business.

First, you’re gonna need a headline. By the way, you may be interested to know that the exact same headline of the book was used in space ads to successfully sell that book. So… if you are selling a book or info product that already has a great title you can simply use that title as the headline in your web site sales message.

But… I’m assuming that for the vast majority of you reading this you’ll need to get your thinking cap on and come up with your own headline. So, let’s see if I can’t help you out here.

How about I dream up another headline to sell “How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling”.

Okay, first I’m going to add a pre-heading that creates intrigue. Then I’m going to create a human interest heading with a negative adjective that also zeros-in on the major benefit the of the book. Finally, I’ll finish it off with a sub-heading that brings it home to the reader.

How about like this…

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“Why do STAR sales people the world-over rave about… and swear by this remarkable, life-changing book?

“How A Dejected 29-Year-Old Loser Salesman Accidentally Stumbled Upon The Sales Secrets That Swamped His Bank Account… And Made Him Enough Money To Buy A Seven-Million-Dollar Country Estate!”

“No Matter What You Sell… No Matter How Lousy You Are… No Matter How Dejected You Feel… You Are About To Discover How To Sell More, More Often, To More People Than You Ever Previously Imagined Possible!”

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How do you like that?

Okay, next you want to let the visitor to your site know that they are dealing with a real human being… and not just another faceless web site. So, let `em know who you are. Just like this:

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From: Joe Schmoe Monday, 8.37 a.m.

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That wasn’t too hard was it?

Next the salutation, and the all-important opening first sentence. Here, I’m going to use a very simple, yet very powerful opening that will seldom let you down. It’s called the “if/then” opening. You’ll see why:

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Dear Friend,

If you are interested in becoming a star salesman and enjoy the kind of income and lifestyle you previously only dreamed about, then this is going to be the most exciting message you’ll ever read!

Here is why:

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Now, I’m going to let you in on one of the oldest concepts ever developed by master marketers.

It also happens to be one the most profitable!

And, it’s called “The Three S Formula”… or… to be more precise, the Star, Story and Solution formula.

Here is where you let your star take center stage and where you weave a story of woe shared by your target audience… then when you’ve got them crying out for an answer to their problem you very elegantly present the solution: Your info-product!

Don’t worry, it’s not as hard as it sounds. In fact, I’m going to break it all down and show you how to string it together right here in these pages.

But first, just in case you’re thinking to yourself something along the lines of `Well that sounds great, but I haven’t got a star… I’m just a regular guy or gal trying to make a buck.’ Don’t worry.

Your star doesn’t have to be a major celebrity. No. You can take center stage and make yourself the star! Why not?

Maybe your info-product shows people how you discovered a way to lose weight, gain muscle, make more money, catch bigger fish, make gourmet food, buy cheaper holidays, travel first class for second class prices… whatever!

Remember, it’s your show!

Okay, here goes as we introduce the star of the show (by the way, notice that I have also used the “star” in the main headline. The dejected, loser salesman who suddenly turns it all around):

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In 1947 a man named Frank Bettger wrote an amazing, easy-to-read gem of a book called, “How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling”.

Why is that important to you?

Well, here’s what it’s all about:

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Alright, here we can easily answer the question in the reader’s mind by telling a “story” that weaves a tale of woe that is shared by the target audience. Something like this:

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Frank began his career as a pro baseball player but was forced to give up his career as a baseball player after a freak injury to his arm. That’s when Frank became a life-insurance salesman. Trouble was…

He Couldn’t Sell His Way Out Of A Paper Bag!

A dismal failure at selling, Frank finally concluded that he was never cut out to be a salesman. And so, he began answering “want ads” for a job as a shipping clerk.

But…

Frank realized that no matter what work he tried, he would have to overcome a strange fear-complex that was consuming his life and dragging him down at every turn.

That’s when he plucked up the courage to join one of Dale Carnegie’s courses in public speaking. And, unknown to Frank at the time, this decision proved to be…

The Turning Point For The Rest Of His Life!

Something unusual happened the first night Frank attended that public speaking course. Something that set into power “mysterious” forces… forces that grabbed hold of Frank from the depths of despair and failure… and catapulted him into…

“Sales Heaven”!

Suddenly, Frank had the “magic touch”. He discovered how to sell to just about every kind of person… without any “bully tactics” or “hard sell” closing techniques. Soon Frank was the top salesman in his industry. Everyone wanted to know his “secret”!

How did he do it?

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Again, see how I’m setting up the “solution” simply by answering the question at the forefront of the reader’s mind. Here’s how I present the solution:

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Well, fortunately later in life, Frank teamed up with Dale Carnegie and they were soon delivering sold out lectures on selling all across the United States of America.

Frank, eagerly told packed out audiences how virtually overnight he went from being a dejected loser to becoming a jaw-dropping success in sales.

Unfortunately, you will never be able to attend one of those lectures to find out the “magic” behind Frank Bettger’s success in selling.

But, all is not lost.

You see, Frank put all his powerful sales secrets into his masterful book, “How I Raised Myself From Failure To A Success In Selling”. A book that has been hailed as the “Bible of Selling”, and the “secret” behind every star salesperson!

Truly, the book is simply amazing!

If you’ve hit rock bottom in your selling career… if you just don’t seem to be cut out for selling… and you’re thinking of packing it in… all is not lost. Even if you’ve never sold anything in your life, you’ll soon be a star salesman with this book as your “secret weapon”. And trust me, you won’t want to let go of it for anybody… especially not your colleagues!

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Next, I’m going to go right into the bullets. First, with a short introductory sentence and the bullets that I’ve taken right out of the table of contents of the book (with some sparse editing):

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Anyway, here is just a small sample of the proven master sales secrets that you’ll be let in on as Frank Bettger reveals all from a lifetime of “in the trenches” selling:

How one idea multiplied my income and happiness! (p.9)

 This idea put me back into selling after I had quit! (p.16)

 One thing I did that helped me destroy the biggest enemy I ever had to face! (p.21)

 The only way I could get myself organized! (p.31)

 How I learned the most important secret of salesmanship! (p.33)

 How I made a $250,000 sale in 15 minutes! (p.45)

 Analysis of the basic principles used in making the sale! (p.52)

 How asking questions increased the effectiveness of my sales interviews! (p.58)

 How I learned to find the most important reason why a man should buy! (p.63)

 The most important word I have found in selling! (p.66)

 How I find the hidden objection! (p.69)

 The forgotten art that is magic in selling! (p.76)

 How I found this infallible way to gain a man’s confidence! (p.94)

 How to always look your best! (p.99)

 An idea I learned from Lincoln that helped me make friends! (p.100)

 How I became more welcome everywhere I went! (p.108)

 How I easily learned to remember names and faces! (p.112)

 The biggest reason why salespeople lose business! (p.120)

 The interview that taught me how to overcome my fear of approaching big men! (p.128)

 How to make the sale before the sale! (p.129)

 The secret of making appointments! (p.137)

 How I learned to outsmart secretaries and switchboard operators! (p.145)

 An idea that helped me get into the “major leagues”! (p.148)

 How to let the customer help you make the sale! (p.152)

 How I find new customers and make old ones enthusiastic boosters! (p.155)

 Seven rules I use in closing the sale! (p.165)

 An amazing closing technique I learned from a master salesman! (p.174)

 Benjamin Franklin’s secret of success and what it did for me! (p.186)

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Those will do. I could write much better bullets that would really tease the reader, but, like I said, those will do for our example.

Next, are the testimonials and a short introduction. Note: I don’t have any testimonials for this book, so I’ve made some up for illustration purposes. (DON’T EVER do this on your web site. It’s illegal.).

Okay, here goes:

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Wow!

Pretty amazing “sales ammunition”, don’t you agree?

But please, don’t just take my word for it. Here are just a few of the real life success stories I’ve received from other people who were smart enough to get themselves a personal copy of, “How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling”:

“I’ve been in selling since I was in short trousers. Thought to myself, `You can’t teach this grizzly old salesman any new tricks’. Boy, was I wrong. After reading this book and immediately applying just a couple things I learnt, I’ve had my best month selling condos in over 15 years. The scary thing is, this is supposed to be the `off season’!” – (Bob Jones, Real Estate Agent, Santa Fa, California).

“I’ve bought a ton of books on selling… all promising they’d show me how to make it in sales. None of them ever seemed to work for me and I was about to quit sales for good last month after struggling to make the rent. So to say I was skeptical when I stumbled upon Frank Bettger’s book on your site is something of an understatement. But I was intrigued by his story and thought what the heck. Well I can’t believe I’m sitting here writing this but for the first time in my sales career I’ve finally `cracked the code’. I’m already on target this month to triple any other months sales!” – (Mary Bly – Chicago).

“You might be surprised to hear that I’m not in sales, well not in the `conventional’ sense. I’m a junior high-school teacher with a class of 31 rowdy and raucous little darlings. Well, I’m writing to let you know that I recently applied a sales technique printed on page 67 of `How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling’ and joy be to the god’s, I’ve `sold’ the class on turning in papers with an average grade of B+. The highest I’ve ever managed to get out of them before is an average of C-. That is very impressive!” – (Kay Adams, Junior High School Teacher, New Jersey, NY).

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Okay, moving along…

Here I’m going to introduce the guarantee to take away any risk in the reader’s mind:

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Those are just a few of the testimonials I’ve dug out of my filing cabinet that is full to bursting with literally thousands of “thank you” letters from thrilled customers of, “How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling”.

But of course, I realize no amount of reading about other people’s success stories will convince you as much as having experienced your own success story. That’s why I insist that you try the book out for yourself totally risk-free, because it comes with a…

Love It Or Shove It… 90 Day `Money-Back’ Guarantee!

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Next, the offer and the all important close:

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Here’s the deal:

The price of the book is normally $15.95, but for a limited trial period only I am offering it to you for only $9.95.

I’m likely to up the price to the normal selling price of $15.95 at any moment. So…

Don’t Delay A Second Longer!

Order your copy of this amazing book right now, completely at my risk for only $9.95 (before it’s too late). Read it and try it out for yourself for a full 90 days without risk. And, if you are not more than thrilled with the information for any reason (or no reason at all) I insist that you ask for your money back. There’ll be no questions… and we’ll still be friends!

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Next, tell the reader how easy it is to order and exactly what they can expect to happen. Take away any confusion lingering in their mind:

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Here’s How To Order…

Simply click on the `link’ below to be taken to my totally secure online order page. There, you will be asked for your name, address, email address and bank card details. Follow the download instructions and the book `How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling’ will be downloaded onto your computer as a PDF document in just a few minutes for you to read.

Order Now By Clicking On This Link.

Sincerely,

{Signature} Joe Schmoe

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Now, finally comes the P.S.(s), which as you may already know are the second most read component of your web site sales message… and… can boost your sales by up to 30%!:

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P.S. Remember, any moment now I’m going to bump the price back up to $15.95. Don’t delay a second longer. Act now by clicking on the “link” above for the discounted price of only $9.95 while you’ve still got the chance!

P.S.S. Again, you are completely covered by my 90 day risk free money-back guarantee. There is simply no way you can lose!

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Well, that’s an example of a “meat and potatoes” sales message for a web site selling an info product.

Follow that “template” and you stand a good chance of writing a web site sales message for your info product that will make you some sales.

Thank you for reading along with me, and I sincerely hope the information in this article has been helpful to you.

Warmly,

Michael Silk. The World’s #1 Info-Marketing Copywriter.

Michael Silk
http://www.articlesbase.com/copywriting-articles/how-to-easily-write-a-hot-sales-message-for-your-info-product-3940.html

The only way to live a happy, prosperous, successful and fulfilling life is to learn to express the love that is within you. When you meet yourself, others, and the life that you express with love, then you will change everything for the better.

Who you are is an incarnation of love because what you seek, above all else, is to be well, safe, and happy; and that is what love provides, an assurance and promise of well-being.

The absence of love, the varying degrees of hatred, create conditions of distress that destroy the cells of the body and ruin the structure of a life, causing only illness, aging, stress, and destruction.

The human condition as we know it, in all its distressing dilemmas, is made possible only because of this denial of love.

Apathy, grief, fear, lust, anger, and pride which lead to poverty, illness, and loneliness all arise out of a denial of the love that is your very nature.

Love does not have to be invented. It is fully manifested in a new born. However, with social conditioning, it gets covered up quickly, as the little person is consistently denied assurances of well-being. Criticism, punishment, expressions of coercion, cause love to hide, become distorted, and retreat from full expression.

Even when avatars come to teach love, pointing out that your real nature is only love, they are met with various levels of resistance. Those who oppose them have a lust for power because they mistakenly believe that only force creates favorable conditions.

Yet if you look at the history of this world, you will always see that force only destroys, both the enforcer and the enforced. It does not replace what love does; it does not assure well-being.

All the disasters in our own lives and the world as a whole is a result of this substitution of force for love. We force ourselves, we force others, and we create institutions that assure the expression of force.

Yet force does not create safety, and enforced compliance does not create a better world.

Ironically, it is very simple to change everything to start working for you. In all cases where you want to apply force, apply love.

Within a week, your life will be much better. Within a year, you will not even be able to recognize your life.

As you learn to be more loving, you will not only affect your own life, but the lives of all those whom you touch. They will, then, pass on your blessing to others.
You will literally be changing the world; not by doing anything special, but just by being more yourself, the self that is naturally kind, loving, and nurturing.

A return to love is the answer to discover the life that you really want to live.

Love, like sunshine, can light up all the dark places in your life and heal the wounds of the world.

We are all in this life together, all hoping for some miracle that will right wrongs and make the crooked places straight; but the power that we seek to do good is our own lovingness. All we have to do to change everything for the better is gradually build up our courage to express it.

The great wisdom of life will not be discovered by your mind but by your heart. You, in your own divine splendor, are the light of the world, the promise of hope, and the assurance of better things for all beings everywhere.

If you ask for the happiness, prosperity, success, and fulfillment of the world, this is what will come back to visit you in your quiet hours. At every moment you have the choice to turn the mundane into the magical.

Saleem Rana
http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/how-to-be-safe-well-and-happy-66971.html

For many people, obsessive-compulsive disorder responds well to a combination of antidepressant medication and cognitive therapy. Most people with OCD appear to be predisposed to the symptoms. Usually you can find other extended family members who share a similar pattern of ritualistic behavior. Therapeutic treatment involves the following process: relabeling, reattribution, relaxation techniques and refocusing strategies.

Relabeling and reattribution techniques are designed to assist in objectifying the disorder and realizing that people are more than their obsessions. For example, I teach people to internally respond by saying, “A part of my brain works in ways that make me repeat things continuously. This is merely my disorder speaking; I am more than my disorder.” This way of perceiving one’s obsessive features helps people to detach the nature of their problem from their sense of self.

Relaxation techniques may involve exercise, music, message, meditation and vacationing in a soothing environment. These strategies slow down the sympathetic nervous system minimizing anxiety and making it easier for people with OCD to manage their thoughts and behavior. One’s level of anxiety is directly related to the impact of compulsive behavior.

Refocusing techniques refers to assisting patients to shift from obsessional thinking and behavior to other more self-rewarding activities. A change in activities lessens the impact of the OCD thinking and behavior. For example, a child may have a ritualistic pattern of continuously changing the television remote control in a certain order. A therapeutic goal might be to get the child to leave his obsession by getting up and leaving the room, possibly departing the house for a brief walk. I have people track the intensity of their anxiety during the time that they are away from their ritualistic behavior. When removed from an obsessional behavior, anxiety initially becomes worse and then dissipates in strength over time. Once the child returns to the obsessional pattern after voluntarily leaving it, it usually has decreased in its impact and intensity. The child may say, “I was able to keep from repeating the pattern continuously. I only did it twice!” Reinforcement and encouragement are important for people attempting to minimize obsessive patterns.

Those who experience OCD are typically anxious about their symptoms and fight to get rid of them. It is essential that those who suffer from OCD learn to accept their symptoms rather than struggle with them. Acceptance of any form of anxiety helps one to minimize the symptoms. For example, one might say, “Here come those “crazy feelings” again. They sure are annoying but they won’t hurt me. If I learn to “let them be” they will eventually dissipate in their effect on me.”

It is important for those who experience OCD to share their problem with a close friend or therapist. Expressing one’s feelings about the pattern may help in dealing with any feelings of shame or embarrassment. For the OCD sufferer, it is significant to remember that most people experience features of the disorder. All behavioral problems lie on a continuum. Struggling with OCD is no exception. When we share our problems with others, we realize that we are not alone in our difficulties. It takes courage to admit that we are less than perfect and to allow ourselves to share our humanity with others. When we learn to quit fighting with our imperfections, the issue eventually seems less troublesome.

James P Krehbiel
http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/cognitive-therapy-and-obsessivecompulsive-disorder-74200.html

It’s simply amazing that ten years into the digital revolution, Eastman Kodak is trying to figure out what business they are in. For decades Kodak dominated the chemically based photographic process. You shoot a roll of film, and then you physically took the roll to a developer, and made a second trip to pick up the finished prints. Their only competition in the industry was the Japanese company, Fuji. The upstart would just eat away each year at Kodak’s market, but never becoming a real threat to Kodak’s dominance.

Meanwhile from outside the industry, Polaroid back in the late 1950’s invented a camera where the chemical based development of the pictures took place inside the camera. The picture was ready in about 60 seconds. Polaroid developed a wonderful business and made a fortune for both its shareholders and its genius creator, Dr. Edwin Land.

What happened next was a business disaster, and Kodak should have learned from Polaroid’s mistakes. Dr. Land came up with a moving picture development system. They poured hundreds of millions of dollars into a chemically based system. It would allow users to take moving pictures. The movies would be developed chemically inside the camera system, the same as the still picture system then utilized.

What Polaroid not only didn’t plan for, but couldn’t even imagine was that a disruptive technology would be created from another industry that would basically destroy Polaroid’s business model. Japan would create digital photography. The first Japanese VHS and Betamax camera systems became available. The electronic based technology made so much more sense than Polaroid chemically based system. It forced Polaroid to shut down its movie system products. It also resulted in the immediate write off of hundreds of millions of dollars (equivalent to billions today) that it would never recoup.

Now I ask you, Kodak was in the business, we know that. They saw what this new technology did to Polaroid OVERNIGHT. Couldn’t they imagine that it could happen to them? The answer is apparently not. The management team at Eastman Kodak has been brain dead for at least 20 years. The management team and the Board of Directors should have been dismissed more than a decade ago for gross incompetence. They took a magnificent cash generating machine, and allowed it to turn into a boring, mundane second class company.

They simply chose to ignore what was coming, and what was coming was a TIDAL WAVE, that would sweep away Kodak’s traditional business. Kodak could have chosen to lead the digital revolution. They could have chosen to take the billions of dollars of cash generated by their traditional chemically based systems, and redeploy in other high end technology driven businesses like digital imaging in the medical industry. No, neither choice happened. The company chose instead, to DO NOTHING. Try to maintain the status quo was the order of the day.

Now Kodak is faced with a “what do we do now” decision? It is just a question of how many years it takes before the Kodak way of doing business (chemical processing) completely evaporates. There are a number of lessons to be taken from this example of a formerly world class company going belly up because of an inappropriate business model. Among them are:

• Every company must absorb the central thesis of Clayton Christensen’s two books, “The Innovator’s Dilemma”, and “The Innovator’s Solution”. Harvard professor Christensen was the individual who coined the term, disruptive technologies, or what happens when a new innovation comes in and completely blows away a company’s formerly dominant technology.

• No company has the luxury of sitting on its rear end, and counting on its cash hoard to keep it in business forever.

• Theodore Levitt of Harvard always talked about “What business are you in?” You’d better make sure that you are constantly thinking about how to obsolete your own business, because your competitors are thinking about it all the time.

• Every company should have an internal team that is separate and apart from the company. The sole function of this team would be to come up with ways to destroy the company by developing better products, or better yet technologies that would obsolete the company’s current technology. Xerox decades ago created Xerox PARC (the PARC stands for Palo Alto Research Center) in 1970. They intentionally put it in Palo Alto, California because they didn’t want to have their thinking contaminated by the atmosphere in Rochester, NY, a dead town. The same town as Kodak’s corporate headquarters by the way.

You want to talk about accomplishments; Xerox PARC came up with the mouse that we use on personal computers. They also created the graphical user interface that you use on your PC, and the basic design of the personal computer was taken from Xerox PARC by Steve Jobs. Xerox completely failed to cash in on any of these creations. The guys in Rochester were just as asleep at the switch as the guys at Kodak. There must be something about the air they breathe in Rochester that lulls them into a sense of complacency.

• Companies need to buy smaller companies who are creating the innovating technologies that will put them out of business. If they wait until the technology enters an actionable phase, it is too expensive to purchase. Examples are Yahoo and Microsoft, both of whom had an opportunity to buy Google for millions of bucks. Google now has a market cap of $150 billion, and is virtually untouchable.

Is it too late for Kodak to save itself? The answer is probably yes. Very rarely can a company in such a downward spiral find the managerial talent, and more importantly COURAGE to transform itself internally. The current management team is too interested in continuing its own benefit package and retirement benefits, to make the hard, tough, and necessary decisions to be transformative. Hopefully, other American companies, and investors can learn from the bitter story that Kodak has to teach us. Good luck.

Richard Stoyeck
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/stock-research-eastman-kodak-and-the-power-of-disruptive-technologies-80161.html

Dr. Cooper’s Term Paper Advisor Site has the below paper and
over 150 other term papers on and about Beowulf. His site is
located at www.TermPaperAdvisor.com.

Beowulf Man Or Myth – Sample Term Paper Many of Old English
poems glorified a real or imaginery hero and tried to teach the
values of bravery. Beowulf was written during the Anglo-Saxon
period of English Literature. The Anglo-Saxon period was a time
of fierce battles in which human strength was measured by the
ability to control the reaction to fate through evil and
courage. Beowulf was written in Old English as an epic poem. Old
English described a real or imaginery hero and tried to teach
the values of bravery. Folk would be used as an example in epic
of Beowulf. Beowulf was passed on from person to person. Epic
can be a general hero, in this case Beowulf, who usually
involved in a series of actions. Author exaggerates on the
character of Beowulf, the story is a fantasy, because it is hard
to believe that the character of Beowulf would be able to kill a
monster like Grendel with his bare hands. Beowulf possesses the
superhuman abilities, the amazing power to hold his breath under
water for an umlimited period of time. Some readers as myself
feel that this characteristic seperates from the realistic
nature of the story and gives the impression that Beowulf is
more like a myth than a man. So with all this in mind, in the
epic Beowulf he’s portrayed as almost inhumane, so was he indeed
a man or merely a myth? ….

www.TermPaperAdvisor.com.

Dr. Mike Cooper
http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/beowulf-english-literature-term-paper-3348.html

Home schooling is sweeping the United States and abroad. According to the National Center for Education Statistics for 2004, 2 million children are being home schooled in the United States alone! You are maybe asking yourself what is home schooling? Or more importantly what does it take to be a home school parent?
Home schooling is simply educating your child or children at home with you, the parent, as the educator. You do not receive federal funds and your child or children are not enrolled in a public or private school.
A home school parent by definition is a parent that has taken on the task of educating their child or children at home and I want to discuss the three most important things any parent should know and the ten things any parent should consider before taking on the task of home schooling their children.
I have been a home school parent for four years and with each year our home school has had its ups and downs and I have learned a lot about myself and my children.
The most important thing that I have learned is to trust God in this awesome task of educating and raising my children to be all that God wants them to be!
The second most important thing for a home school parent to learn is that God created our children to be a one of a kind creation, with distinct personalities and traits. I am so thankful that everyone is different with different interests. What a boring world this would be if everyone was the same! Your children are no different, learn to appreciate their uniqueness. What works for one does not always work for another, be flexible. The sooner you learn that the easier your home schooling experience will be.
The third most important thing I have learned is to teach my children to respect and appreciate their siblings and other people’s interests and talents. For example, my middle daughter loves to write and has many wonderful stories she loves to tell and write about, but my oldest daughter, who has a passion for math and science, does not even like to write much less think of a topic or a story to write about, so she will ask her 6 ½ year old sister for some ideas to get her started and likewise if my middle daughter has a problem with her math she will ask my oldest daughter for help, so they are learning to appreciate each other. Believe me, when you and your children learn this important principle your home school experience will go smoother.
I hope that these three important principles have not scared you from trying home schooling with your own children. It is truly a wonderful experience in being a parent. If you are considering home schooling here are some things for you to consider:
1. It takes time to teach, prepare lessons, field trips, park days, soccer league, etc.

2.Every home school parent needs to take time out. If you don’t you will be with your child 24/7 and that will lead to burnout.

3.You can home school rather inexpensively, but some curriculums or extra curricular activities can add up.

4.You, the parent, are responsible for seeing that your child socializes with friends at different events that your local home school support group set up or finding different socialization opportunities in your community.

5.The regular cleaning and laundry still have to be done and you might find yourself rearranging your cleaning schedule around school time.

6.Home schooling works better if both parents are in agreement.

7. Do your children respect you? Only you can answer that. If they don’t respect you they will not listen to you.

8. Home school for one year at a time. Don’t look to far ahead, you will get overwhelmed.

9.Are you intimidated about teaching?-Many curriculums offer teacher’s guides and DVD’s to assist you and you will find that other parents will help you if they have been through the subject before.

10.Make sure you get involved in a local home school support group. Some areas have more than one. It is encouraging to know that you are not alone and your support group will help and encourage you when you are experiencing a hard time.

Making the decision to home school can be a very difficult one and should not be taken lightly. It is a personal decision and no one can make it for you, but I hope that you will take into consideration some of the things that I have mentioned.

Home schooling takes courage and it can be a long journey but there is joy in the journey! Happy Home schooling!!!

Hope Smith
http://www.articlesbase.com/homeschooling-articles/being-a-home-schooling-parent-an-insiders-look-57360.html

Vedic Astrology Lesson 15

The twelve dimensions of life are represented by the twelve houses of the Zodiac.

The rising Sign at the Eastern Horizon is known as the Ascendant and is the First House. First House represents personality and fame. The native’s complexion is indicated by the color of the Ascendant lord ( brownish if the Ascendant lord is Jupiter ) and the color of the planets aspecting the Ascendant .

If the Ascendant lord is exalted or aspected by a benefic in Amsa in own house or friend’s house, posited in quadrants or trines, the native will be blessed with wealth, happiness and the eightfold Siddhis or paranormal powers.

If on the other hand, the Ascendant lord is weak, debilitated, with malefic planets, in inimical Amsa and aspected by malefics, the native will be unhealthy, poor and will be indulging in self-destruction.

If the North Node is posited in the Ascendant with malefics, he will be insulted by people. He will be tormented by enemies and crooks.

The Effects of the Ascendant Lord in the 12 Houses

The Ascendant lord in the Ascendant If the ascendant lord is in the ascendant itself, the native will be famous automatically. Endowed with material happiness he/she will be known for his/her independent spirit to live by own efforts. The native will be fickleminded. The native will maintain multiple interests in unrelated subjects & people. The native will always be alert physically & mentally. Chances are that he/she will visit foreign or far away lands. He/she will be endowed with fame & wealth. They command respect in their circle. They will have a magnetic personality & majestic appearance. They will be endowed with personal magnetism & charisma.

The Ascendant lord in the Second House Since the lord of the ascendant is in the 2nd house the native will be graced by scholarship. They will be blessed by many outstanding qualities. They will be spiritual and religious by nature. They will have a charming, magnetic personality. They will be blessed by the gift of the gab or the divine gift of articulate speech. They will impress others by eyes which are penetrating and by articulate abilities. They will have domestic happiness. They will be sweet- tongued and graceful in speech. It is said that Goddess of Speech will reside in them indicating poetic & communication abilities.

The Ascendant lord in the Third House Since the lord of the ascendant is in the 3rd house, the native’s courage will be indomitable. His/her actions may be considered unorthodox and unconventional by society. They know that character is the greatest wealth and they should not let anything mar their reputation. He/she have the potential to become a great musician. Similarly if they develop their mathematical abilities they can become great mathe- maticians. They should be careful about their health. They are able to maintain parallel interest or relationships with different individuals.

The Ascendant lord in the Fourth House Since the ascendant lord is in the 4th house the native will be born in an aristocratic family. The native will generally be good looking and ambitious. He/she will be a workaholic and prosperity is sustained by hard work. The native is well behaved in society. He/she will have good physique & and impressive personality. They will have happiness from mother. They will be blessed by a house and conveyances. They will have a lot of friends. They become famous amidst their circle. They become a leader amidst friends & relatives. Uncles may be favourable to them. They will have a good house with all comforts.

The Ascendant lord in the Fifth House Since the ascendant lord is in the 5th, fame will come to the native by its own. They become aggressive and belligerent. They may gain the good will of the political parties in power. It is quite likely that they will benefit from commercial & diplomatic services. They will shine in Govt Service. They will get the support of officials and seniors. They will be lucky in speculation and they know the adage ” You can’t accumulate if you don’t speculate”. If they use their intellect they can be lucky in investments. The speculative stock market has its charms for them.

The Ascendant lord in the Sixth House Since the ascendant lord is in the 6th they will be courageous and distinguished. They will be financially OK. They employ means that are not above board. There may be debts which they are capable of paying in time. They may join the armed forces and reach a high official position. They will be helped by brothers and sisters. They may be employed in the health sector. They are advised to care of their health. Enemies they will have in plenty and they have to be careful about their machinations. Their success may generate jeal- ousy amongst their enemies. They will be successful generally.

The Ascendant lord in the Seventh House Since the ascendant lord is in the 7th they have to be careful about the health of their partner. It is quite likely that they may develop vairagya and turn to asceticism during the latter part of their life. They may wander without gaining momentum. They experience vicissitudes and moods always alternate between dejection & elat- ion. They may end up in a foreign country. They may examine people & ideas in order to get at Truth. They will become famous & trustworthy. He/she will have a powerful personality with penetrating eyes.

The Ascendant lord in the Eighth House Since the ascendant lord is in the 8th the native will be a scholar with excellent academic records. They will have to be careful about their health. They should avoid gambling & speculation. They have love & interest for occultism. They may give chances to others to ques- tion their character. Unfortunate events may invade their life. They may try to escape tension by taking to drugs, alcohol & day dreams instead of meditation & prayer. These tension relieving tendencies should be controlled. Many deaths in the family may be witnessed.

Ascendant lord in the Ninth House Since the native’s ascendant lord is in the 9th they will be fortunate as regards luck both material & spiritual. Oratorial skills & commu- nication ability will be well developed. He/she will be known as a silver tongued orator. They are dignified and majestic and will be well appreciated by the opposite sex. They are likely to inherit a paternal legacy. They will have domestic happiness. They will be deeply spiritual and religious. They will be devoted to the prece- ptors and God. Philosophy & Religion will sway them & they may take to asceticism during the latter part of their life.

The Ascendant lord in the Tenth House Since the ascendant lord is in the 10th the native will have professional enhancement & reputation. They will enjoy parental happiness It is likely that they may feel stifled by parental authority. Ascendant lord in the 10th is excellent for fame in the professional sphere. When they show their sense of discipline and workaholism it will be appreciated by the seniors and thereby they will earn fame name and patronage. They will grow up in the right direction only. He/she will be a self made man with self made wealth. They may have income from many sources.

The Ascendant lord in the Eleventh House Since the ascendant lord is in the 11th the native will be inclined to beauty and harmony in music, art and romance. They associate freely with all, particularly with the opposite sex. They are advised to guard against marital infidelity. They will be subject to delays or difficulties in marriage. They will not experience financial difficulties. They will succeed in business and their fiscal success will be due to their elder brother. Elder sisters will also be fav- ourable to them. As far as gains are concerned they will make prof- its commensurate with their abilities.

The Ascendant lord in the Twelfth House The native has to be careful with money as he/she are likely to be a spendthrift. They have a duality or polarity in their character which they must bring into harmony. Beware of gambling. They believe in the principle that Right means for the right ends. They will fare well in education. They derive more pleasure serving than being served and from giving than receiving. They are likely to become altruists consecrating their life for the welfare of their fellowmen. They have self control & mastery of the senses.

More quality information about Vedic Astrology & an Astrological
Analysis can be had from http://www.astrologiavedica.com/html/vedichoroscope.htm
Astrology and the Science of Numbers ( Numerology )

Can Numbers represent Reality ? Yes, said Pythagorus. Each number has a vibration which corresponds to the nine revolving heavens.

More quality information about Astro-Numerology and a free Astro-
Numerological Report can be had from http://www.astrologiavedica.com/html/numerology.htm

Astrology & Gemology

Flawless gems are auspicious and flawed gems are a source of misfortune. Richard Shaw Brown, Jr ( www.agt-gems.com) writes that the Vedic texts which state that pure flawless gems have auspicious powers ( Garuda Purana, Agni Purana) are correct. ” After 25 years of researching and experimenting with gemstones, it is our carefully considered opinion that the Vedic texts are correct. Flawed gems are simply a source of misfortune, not to mention their being ugly ! Think about it ! How many people are prepared to tolerate defects in their clothing, or any other personal items they possess?. Even a single scratch on a nice automobile is an eyesore, so why do people tolerate flawed gems? ”

Howard Beckman ( www.p-g-a.org ) writes that different Chakras absorb different cosmic colors and nourish particular glands in the body.

Diseases can be cured by using appropriate gems.

More information about Planetary Gemology & a FREE Gem Prescription
Report can be had from http://www.astrologiavedica.com/html/planetarygemology.htm

Astrology, Holistic Medicine & Ayurveda Regulation of Food, Sleep and Exercise

” Food is medicine; Medicine is food ” said Hippocrates. “Food is Brahman. Food was verily born before all creatures: therefore it is called the medicine for all” declares the Upanishads. By stating that food is the root cause of all ills & illnesses Vedanta have formulated one of the foundational principles of holistic health. At least half the ailments of man can be traced directly or indirectly to the problems of food. Regulation of food is not easy, because it is an addiction like alcohol. Problems like obesity, higher cholesterol level & irritable bowel syndrome crop up if food is not controlled. By controlling food, the whole body comes under control. “When taste is conquered everything is conquered ” averrs Vedanta. What really matters is not how much we eat but how much of what we eat is transformed into bioenergy & the building materials of life.

Sir William Osler pointed out many years ago ” Only a small percentage of what we eat nourishes us; the balance goes to waste and loss of energy”. In holistic health, food should be revered & a proper attitude towards food should be developed. ” Be thankful for all food, for food is Brahman ” said Vivekananda. Six hours have been prescribed for all even though requirement of sleep varies from person to person Research studies have indicated that even moderate levels of exercise bolster the immune system. No amount of sleep is sufficient for unwinding the mind for it is always in a tense state under the stressful conditions of modern life. Antidotes to stress include yogic techniques like Meditation, prayer, cultivation of the Witness attitude & practice of absolute self-surrender to the Divine, which enable us to avoid a lot of unnecessary stress. Doing nothing or simply lying down is not relaxation. The muscles when stretched bring in relaxation as it frees them from the tense condition. Some of the yogic Asanas are highly effective because they can relax the muscles. There will be focal point in the body which reflects the mental tension which one finds oneself in. That focal point of mental tension should be identified and you can choose that type of yogic exercise which will relax the muscles & tendons of the specific focal point of tension in you.

A good site where you can get quality information about Holistic Medicine is www.holistic-alt.com

Regulation of Breath “Breathlessness is deathlessness ” averrs Yoga. Regulation of breath gives tremendous relaxation.Pranayama, without the help of a bona fide Master, can lead to serious complications. What is needed is the practice of breathing deeply ( as deeply as possible ) through both the nostrils & then slowly breathing out ( without breath retention ). This kind of regulated deep breathing can be done at any time, even in your office. Psychosomatic pain can be alleviated by these simple yogic techniques more effectively than allopathic pills or tablets. Here we employ the internal pharmacy of Skill power in lieu of the external pharmacy of Pill Power!

Vedic Holistic Medicine ( Ayurveda) gives priority to the Whole and not to the parts, contrary to chemotherapy which treats the parts only.

More info about Ayurveda can be had from http://www.chakrapaniayurveda.com

Astrology & Yoga

All knowledge is threefold (” Thraigunya Vishaya Veda “). In Freudian Psycho-analysis we have three impulses, Id, Ego and Supergo. The Vedantic Satwa, Rajas and Thamas correspond to these impulses. The mind is always gripped by these three impulses. Sometimes we are Rajasic ( worldly ) and go after wealth. When intense anger and other negative emotions grip us, we are Thamasic. When divine qualities like Love and Peace influence us, we are Satwic ( divine ). The Ego with its ten heads ( symbolised as the ten-headed Ravana ) is the major block in attaining Self_Actualisation. The ten heads of the Ego are Lust,Anger,Pride, Avarice, Sloth, Covetousness, Attachment, Mind, Intellect, Conceit & Egoistic Mentality. Only when the ten heads of the Ego are removed can we hope to get Self-Realisation. ( Symbolically only when the Ravana in us is destroyed ). When we do our yoga, we will be assailed by three type of Ego. Rajasic ( wordly ), Thamasic ( bestial ) and Satwic ( noble ). In order to overcome the three types of Ego, we are given certain commandments.

” Ma the Sanghostha karmani ” – (Let there be not in you any attachment to inaction. ) This commandment is given so that we can overcome the Thamasic ( bestial ) ego.

” Ma Karma Phala Heturbhoo ” – (”Dont expect any reward”) This commandment is given to protect us from the Rajasic ( wordly ) ego, which always expects rewards for work done.

“Ubhe Sukruta Dushkrute ” ( “Be beyond good and evil ” ) This commandment is given to us to overcome the Satwic Ego, for one should not hang on to Punya ( divine merit ).

In other words, during the process of Yoga, we will be assailed by all sorts of negative thoughts. Our aim is to identify with the Source of all thought, the Self. We will find, as we progress on the path of yoga, that these negative thoughts leave us slowly and steadily. Conquering our negative aspect is not easy. The negative elements in man are the true villains.

Alone, powerful & cruel are the dark and dreadful forces that profit from the reign of Night and Ignorance and they dont want any change in the body. We have to annihilate them one by one.

In tragic life, God wot

No villains need be, passions spin the plot

We are betrayed by what is false within !

The entire Vedic wisdom is contained in one word ” Transcend “. Transcend both pain & sorrow, transcend the triune attributes of Nature. Transcend negativity !.

More information about Transcendental Philosophy & Yoga can be
had from http://www.astrologiavedica.com/html/yogamain.htm

Astrology & Occult Vibratory Chemistry ( Tantra )

Tantra focusses on the Chit-Shakti, the Consciousness-Force latent in the Universe. The entire Universe is the play and display of this Cosmic Force and this Force is latent in human beings as the Kundalini. She rises from the Root Chakra to the Crown Chakra during Meditation. Tantra is a similar discipline like Yoga and is very important from the Divine perspective.

More quality information about Tantra & Yantras can be had from http://www.eastrovedica.com/html/yantra.htm

Books as the source of knowledge

Dante’s Divina Commedia or Goethe’s Faust were never the product of the Rational Mind. They were the products of the Intuitive Mind. Books can instruct, they can teach & they can elevate man from the mundane to the sublime !

More quality information about spiritual Books & CDs can be had from http://www.astrologiavedica.com/html/Books.htm

Article by G Kumar, Astrologer, writer & programmer of www.eastrovedica.com. Recently he was awarded a Certificate by the Planetary Gemologists Association Global ( www.p-g-a.org ) as a Planetary Gem Advisor. He has 25 years psychic research experience in the esoteric arts. To subscribe to his free informative Ezine, the Z Files mailto:info@eastrovedica.com?subject=SubscribeZF. His Astro blog is up at http://www.zodiacastrology.blogspot.com & his Philosophy blog is http://transcendentalphilosophy.blogspot.com Mobile 091 9388556053

G Kumar
http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/vedic-astrology-xv-62480.html

Amazing facts of achieving your intentions that you may not know…

Most people go about life hoping to reach their target goal, target income and get the things in life that they long for… And it’s true that some of their goals are achieved.

Just as most people hope for the best outcome in their relationships. And it’s true that some of them achieve that goal.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a life that achieves all you intentions and goals?

Universal Life Truths Revealed

Within everyone’s life there are successes, failures and wishful hopes. Many of us consciously realize that some of our dreams or intentions become a reality.

A reality that may not be of our liking… Perhaps, Mr. X life experiences can relate with your life… Mr. X wanted to buy a property. The price and terms had been met. At the last minute, the realty agent for Mr. X and the seller had a disagreement. The sale fell through…the seller immediately sold the property to another interested party.

As you can imagine the failed deal caused a grave disappointment… Another of Mr. X’s experiences was he leased a property, hired a man to manage the property…circumstances took place and the man that Mr. X had hired “surreptitiously” behind his back acquired ownership of Mr. X’s property.

It wasn’t until Mr. X had nearly lost all his courage that he changed his life and within a matter of months, he successfully acquired three real estate properties and profited a quarter of a million dollars. All this is the result of Mr. X discovering the Universal Life Truths that work the same in each of our lives…

The truths worked in Mr. X life and he experienced what could be called a reversal in “luck…” because Mr. X awareness of Universal Life Truths provided him with previously unknown to him, life answers…

Life truths shed light on the mistakes we as humans experience in life revealing that a successful life is based on universal truths, so failure is totally displaced because of our growth in consciousness… Even if you don’t follow these universal truths, consistently, you are directing your life to realize more and more of your intentions—fulfilled, thus considerably improving your life.

Let me give you another example that may ring more true to your life experiences…even your current situation. It is the story of “How The Rent Was Paid” using these universal life truths.

She was about 25, well dressed, neat in appearance, rather good looking, quite intelligent, and a teacher of art. The distressed look upon her face when she entered my office showed that she was undergoing terrible suffering of some kind. She greeted me with the inquiry, “What in the world will I do…?”

I told her the first thing she should do was to sit down…just get quiet a little and “let go,” then tell me all about it.

I talked with her about unimportant matters for a few minutes until I saw that she had grown somewhat calm and quiet in the harmonious atmosphere of my office and then I asked her what her trouble was.

She said that it was money or rather the lack of it. I told her there was plenty of money in the world and a great abundance of it right here in this city. “Yes,” she said, “but I can’t get hold of it unless I pawn my diamond ring. I had to pawn one of them last month in order to pay my rent and will have to pawn my last one in order to pay the rent this month and then what shall I do?”

“Why pawn your ring now?” I asked.

“I haven’t pawned it yet,” she said, “but I will have to do so.”

“You may not as yet have gone through the physical act of taking your ring to the pawn shop and leaving it there,” I replied, “but you have pawned it already in your consciousness, your thought world, your imagination, and unless you at once stop pawning it there you will soon take it to the pawn shop. But should it be necessary for you to go to the pawn shop, why worry about it? Why not look upon your rings as cash in the bank, to be drawn upon when necessary. We sometimes draw our bank balance down to the last dollar but that does not worry us for we know we will deposit some more right away, and when we do KNOW it we always get the money to deposit. Why not take this same attitude towards the ring you have in pawn?”

“Again, this is only Friday and the first of the month does not come until next Monday,” I said. “Supposing you did not pay your rent on that day your landlord would not put you out for you have always been a good tenant and paid your rent on time. Even though he was to a serve a pay rent or quit notice on you—you have five days in which to pay or move, so that you have at least a week from today, under the most unfavorable conditions, in which to get your rent money.”

“Yes,” she replied, “that is all very true but from where is the money coming?” I haven’t been doing any work lately and no one is paying out any money for my kind of work these days and I haven’t a cent in sight anywhere and no place I can go to get any, except by pawning my diamond ring, even if I had two months’ time instead of only a week.”

“It isn’t necessary for you to know from where the money is coming,” I replied, “for that is the work of the great Universal Law. Your work is to KNOW that Universal Law always attends to its part of the business and materializes things for us, both in body and environment, to accord with the vision or image we create and hold in our imagination and the harmonious or inharmonious energy we use in creating and holding it. Universal Law always does its part of the work whether we do ours consciously and intelligently or unconsciously and ignorantly. Just so long as you hold the image, thought or idea that you will have to pawn your ring, creating and holding this image, thought or idea in fear and trembling, then the only thing Universal Law can do for you is to work with the image in material form the same as it did for you last month. You actually had to pawn your ring then, and while you paid your rent, yet you are in even worse condition today than you were then. You can continue to do this same thing again this month and keep it up until there is nothing left for Universal Law to do for you but to continue materializing lack and in-harmony for you in every way. Or by using this same Universal Law which has brought you lack, but changing your application of it by changing the image, thought, idea, vision with which you fill your imagination, you can attract the money to you with which to pay your rent, get it in a perfectly legitimate and constructive manner and not have to pawn your ring either, and by continuing to make the new application which I will teach you – you can be in a much better position this time next month instead of a worse one as you now are.”

…On the following Tuesday she came into my office with her face wreathed in smiles and after greeting me, said, “Oh…, it is so wonderful. I hardly know how it was done, but seemed as though every one in the world wanted to pay me money since I was here the other day, and I have collected enough money not only to pay my rent this month but was able to take my ring out of pawn today.”

It was that she followed the steps shared with her to – When we learn to affirm that we have the rent money or whatever NOW with one-tenth the energy and creative power you use in affirming its lack, Universal Law will materialize it for you.

Is there really a way to “Reactivate Your Life?”

Ven Wheatley
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/reactivate-your-life-51773.html

On most days, do you feel energetic, enthusiastic, and satisfied
with your life? If not, perhaps it’s because you’ve given up
control of your life to others. Many of us give up
accountability for our lives, depending on others for our
information, advice, and decisions. Each life is unique. Each
life belongs only to one person-we normally realize that fact,
but still often give up accountability to others. Sometimes it’s
easier that way, though less satisfying.

It’s not surprising that this occurs so frequently. In our early
years, we look outside of ourselves for everything we require.
As young children, we are totally dependent on parents or
caregivers for our very lives. They feed, clothe, and shelter
us. We remain alive and secure only to the degree they continue
to provide for our needs. Later, our parents teach us the rules
of childhood living-the do’s and don’ts of every aspect of life
in their home.

We go to school and learn the three R’s, as well as cultural
norms for getting along in classroom and playground. Perhaps we
have religious training, providing the rules of God according to
the religion of our parents. Again, all selected for us. It’s
not until our teens that we begin to question; then we question
everything, to the dismay of so many parents. But then we also
learn a new set of rules-staying in the good graces, if not
being popular, among our peers. We enter sports, hobbies, band,
music, dance, and many other activities, each with an adult
teaching us.

Late teens, perhaps early twenties, and we’re now adults,
perhaps even parents ourselves. Are we still looking to others
for the rules of life? Perhaps, and it shouldn’t surprise us,
for now newspapers, magazines, movies, and certainly TV all
bombard us with their views of life, often describing views of
life bearing little resemblance to real life itself. So-called
reality shows are a prime example. Depicted as real life, these
shows are tightly scripted and managed for optimum viewer
attraction.

Are you living the life of your dreams, or the life someone else
has dreamed for you? Or perhaps you feel that life happens to
you, that you are the recipient, with your only control being
your ability to choose how to react

It may be helpful to think of life as a play, someone writes the
script, someone directs the actors, and someone plays the
starring role. Thinking of your life, put names to each of
these: scriptwriter, director, and star. Did you put your name
down three times? To feel fully alive and have a chance at a
fulfilling and satisfying life, we must recognize that we are
all three; scriptwriter, director, and star. We are living the
life we scripted, even if we took on the script of someone
else’s life. It was still our decision to do so.

If you’re a person who hasn’t been fully in charge of your life,
you might be feeling discouraged about now, but the awareness
that you’ve been giving up control of your life can be the
beginning of an exciting new journey into self development. Can
you recall the day-dreams you had as a child? Do you remember
the excitement and wonder you felt at seeing yourself in your
day-dream future? The enthusiasm you felt for life when you were
eight years old can be yours again at twenty eight, thirty
eight, or fifty eight. Life is exciting, a wonderful
adventure-but only when it’s your life.

If your life now seems a boring, unsatisfying, and humdrum day
to day existence, why not start writing a new story? Just for
the fun of it, take out a piece of blank paper and put this at
the top: My New Life Story. But before you start writing
anything, do this. Remember the story of Aladdin’s Lamp? Aladdin
found a magic lamp and when he rubbed it a genie appeared
granting him three wishes. Well, you’ve just found your magic
lamp. Rub it and see the genie appear, granting you the power to
wish anything for your life that you desire.

Now go back to your piece of paper with My New Life Story at the
top, and start writing. Write the next chapter of your life.
Describe the star of your story in great detail. The star is
you. How do you feel? What do you do? Who are you with? Does
this new story excite you? Does it feel more like the real you?
Don’t answer these questions with your head; your heart will
tell you the truth. You’ll know deep inside if what you’ve
written is the right path for you. It may be scary to think
about, but if it feels right then it is right.

At this point, perhaps your initial excitement starts to wane
and you’ve put down your pen in frustration, discouraged and
thinking that this just isn’t practical; it’s unrealistic, just
another day-dream. This is your ego protecting the status quo.
Change is hard, and it can be frightening, but dreams do come
true.

Scientists know that people who visualize their goals in great
detail and with strong emotion, generally achieve those goals.
You, too, can change your life, though not instantly as in the
Aladdin story. Even though it will take some time, energy, and
courage to change, taking control of your life can be very
satisfying in itself. Just knowing that you are in charge,
responsible and accountable for your life can bring new
satisfaction and fulfillment to each day. Life’s difficulties
and challenges can become more manageable, seen more as
temporary obstacles than permanent blocks.

Once you decide to take back control of your life you’ll
probably find yourself picking up books, magazines and internet
sites that provide self improvement advice. Read as much as you
can. Try on suggestions for improvement. If they seem to fit
keep them, if not discard them. Your path of growth is unique,
just as you are unique.

This article was originally published by and appeared at
Suite101.com, where I am a contributing editor. Find additional
self-empowerment articles and participate in discussions at
http://www.Suite101.com/Welcome.cfm/9822.

Jerry Lopper
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/whose-life-are-you-living-why-you-may-be-living-someone-elses-life-and-how-you-can-take-back-whats-yours-2503.html

Took a taxi ride today and learned a valuable lesson. Its amazing what people have to teach if we are just open enough to learn.

I got in the cab and told the driver my destination and he started driving. Our enlightening conversation started with him commenting that he had just made an illegal u-turn in order to get my business. According to him, he had been driving around for an hour without being able to find a passenger. This situation, in his books, was because of the peak hour surcharge that had just been doubled by the taxi company. He said it made finding passengers very difficult.

I asked him how long he drives in a day. 12 hours and earning barely enough to pay his expenses was the answer. Even with driving fast and working long hours, he just was not getting enough to even consider having children. (I think he was wondering how we could afford 3!)

The taxi companies were unreasonable in hiring so many taxis to ply the roads. They were completely profit-minded as they earned (according to him) $2.5 million every day in taxi rentals but failed to consider the welfare of their drivers.

The passengers were unreasonable because they kept complaining that there was not enough taxis. The government was unreasonable in allowing taxi companies to hire even more taxis.

Are you getting the picture? The taxi driver continued venting his frustrations and disappointments about everything and anything – taxi companies, passengers, the government, his old boss, his old company, army medic, army commander – the list went on and on and so did my trip.

Mid way through his rant, something struck me. Usually I would get really annoyed with a person like him and tell him to shut up. This time, however, I was smiling and thinking how negative and destructive his mind set was. How I was glad that I had learned to keep a more positive mindset by using my affirmations and changing my negative thought patterns on a regular basis.

Instead of choosing to blame the whole wide world for my problems, I choose to accept that I cannot change and work on the things I can. There is really no point in thinking that your problems were caused by everyone else around you. That will only hinder you as you work towards a successful life.

I think its a timely reminder to look back on the words of the Serenity Prayer and really put them into practice in your life.

by Reinhold Niebuhr

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

Irene Rexlee
http://www.articlesbase.com/motivational-articles/lesson-from-a-taxi-driver-its-all-about-your-mindset-118729.html