The Management Consulting Group

We all know the feeling, right? About 3:00 p.m. during the workday, something happens to our energy levels and all of a sudden, we feel tired, sluggish, or sleepy - and a nap seems like a really great idea! Well, if that’s ever happened to you, here are some tips that may help keep those energy levels up and revive your day!

Try Some Minty-Freshness

A simple trick for a quick pick-me-up is to pop in a piece of peppermint gum or a breath mint (sugarless, of course). Peppermint is thought to boost both mood and energy, making it a great afternoon re-charger. Another great peppermint pick-me-up is peppermint tea, which is available in both caffeinated and decaf varieties.

Take a Breath, and a Drink

Try taking a few deep breaths to get the oxygen moving through your system again and help you become more alert. Afternoon dehydration can be another energy-zapper, so drink some water (or peppermint tea!) to address this often overlooked cause of fatigue.

Perfect Your Posture

Sitting up straight can improve your alertness and relieve muscle tension, so be aware of how you sit at your desk. Slouching can cause your brain to get up to 30% less blood and oxygen, and also compresses your internal organs so your body doesn’t function as efficiently as it should. Try not to sit in the same position for more than half an hour at a time.

S-t-r-e-t-c-h

Try some simple stretching exercises at your desk, or take a quick walk around the office to stretch your legs. Moving around a bit will help perk you up and restore your energy.

Eat a Healthy Snack

Of course, a healthy snack will give your body the boost it needs to get through the rest of the day. Avoid sugary snacks, since these will actually make you feel more tired. Make sure your snack has real nutrition, preferably protein, so you get food-energy instead of food-coma.

Lauren Hobson is the Editor of Biz Talk Newsletter, a free monthly publication designed to provide small businesses and non-profits with tips and techniques to help them make the most of their web sites and marketing efforts without spending a lot of money. Biz Talk is published by Five Sparrows, LLC.

Tonight half of southern Japan is hunched down awaiting the arrival of the typhoon. This is #15 for the Pacific region this year, and the third one in about six weeks to come our way.

By the way, if you’re not quite sure what a typhoon is, it’s the Asian name for tropical storms or hurricanes.

Our little town of about 18,000 has only one industry — its white beach — and it waits all year for the two hottest summer months when hundreds of thousands of vacationers come from all over Japan to lie in the sun and play in the peaceful little bay.

And this particular night, the town had planned its annual fireworks display. They have something called “Message Fireworks” where a visitor pays up to a hundred dollars for somebody to read an announcement of his undying love just before a volley of fireworks are fired off. This one event raises many thousands of dollars for the town.

In addition, the local merchants make a sizeable part of their yearly profit during the summer months.

But tonight the beach is dark. No fireworks will dazzle the crowds tonight. No concession booths will sell snacks, and no families will congregate to enjoy the summertime display.

All those plans. All the money invested in food, in merchandise, in giant fireworks that shoot two hundred meters into the air.

So when a typhoon comes — and no amount of “positive thinking” will stop it happening from time to time — the merchants here just sigh, suck it up, and go to Plan B, which is to try again tomorrow night. And if that doesn’t work, then next weekend.

You see, they’ve seen it all before. They know that sometimes things WILL get in the way of their plans. So they stay flexible. They have contingencies, Plan B’s and even Plan C’s.

Now, the point I’m making is not that weather is a doggone nuisance.

Instead, I invite you to consider one question: how flexible are you prepared to be? (The operative word is “prepared”.)

When stuff happens — and it will — what’s your Plan B and your Plan C? Don’t have one? Then shouldn’t you think about getting one?

Because stuff WILL happen. That’s just the way life brings you special opportunities you never expected, never imagined, and never wanted. But once life brings it on, you need to be prepared to deal with it.

Like a boy scout, you need to be prepared with backup plans.

But to have a backup plan, you first need a main plan. And of course you’ve got one of those… right?

Charles Burke is the author of Command More Luck, the book that shows you why all those things keep happening to you. Learn why “luck” doesn’t work the way you’ve always been told. Not even close. The bad news — There’s no such thing as luck. The good news — There’s something even better. Learn how it works at www.moreluck.com

You are a powerful being, much more powerful than you may have
ever realized. Each and every one of us, are kings of the
highest nobility. We have unimagined powers to create anything
we want to experience.

Yet most of us completely waste our lives because we are
ignorant of our own incredible powers. We are Divine beings with
an unlimited spiritual and material inheritance.

I know that most of us, myself included, aren’t coming anywhere
close to fulfilling our potentials. Maybe that’s because there
is no limit to what we can achieve. But it’s also because of
mass ignorance of what we really are and what we’re capable of
attaining.

I’ve been studying various personal growth systems for 24 years,
to learn how to unleash my full potential. In essence, I’ve been
studying, how to become a Superbeing.

It’s a never-ending process. I always learn something new and
because of that, develop my personal power to a higher level.

The other day I made a stunning realization that is contained in
a five word magic phrase.

It’s only five words long and yet it contains the secret to
having anything you want. If you fully understand this phrase,
you’ll get whatever you want from life. I’ll explain with a
story.

Many years ago, when I was in college, I had problems getting a
girlfriend. I was rather shy and didn’t know how to meet women
and get them to go out with me. The funny thing is that I’m a
fairly attractive guy and yet I somehow repelled women.
Especially women I was interested in.

I know now what my problem was. I had fears and limitations when
it came to women. However, I discovered a technique that
instantly overcame my limitations, but I had forgotten about
this until recently.

The beauty of this is that you don’t have to go through years of
psychoanalysis. Just use my simple idea and you’ll instantly
smash through your limitations, whatever they are.

When I tried to ask a girl out, I was internally chasing after
her. I also subconsciously visualized failure because I had
anxiety about the whole process. Subconsciously I didn’t feel
worthy.

Sometimes when you want and grasp after something so much, you
actually repel it. This is exactly what I was doing. I wanted a
girlfriend so badly that they could sense that and this scared
them away.

Then one day I realized a spiritual principle from something I
read that I used to turn things around.

I had to stop chasing and striving after women, or any goal for
that matter. I had to change my energy flow from taking to
giving. I simply had to give love and be myself. Instead of
chasing, I attracted. Within a week of that realization, I got a
new girlfriend.

What I did was to create, instead of chase. If you want
something, simply create it in your imagination. Once you’ve
created it, it is a real substance in the spiritual dimensions.
It will automatically start attracting the mental and then
physical equivalent to you.

After all what is a visionary? All great athletes have a vision
of being a world champion. Arnold Schwarzenegger constantly
visualized his head on top of the body of Reg Park, who was a
famous body-building champion.

A thought is real and it has powerful magnetic properties. The
seed of all you acquire is planted inwardly first. Here are two
great quotes that illustrate my points.

by D.H. Lawrence

“Those that go searching for love only make manifest their own
lovelessness. And the loveless never find love, only the loving
find love, and they never have to seek for it.”

By Neville in his book “Awakened Imagination,” pgs 49.

“Man attracts what he is. The art of life is to sustain the
feeling of the wish fulfilled and let things come to you, not to
go after them or think they flee away.”

So what is this magic phrase I’ve been talking about? It’s
simply this:

*** Don’t Chase It, Create It ***

You get what you create, not what you chase after. The key is to
think from a state of already having what you want. Think from
satisfaction. Think from the end.

If you feel or focus on the lack of what you want, you will get
the lack of it. Many people don’t realize they are
subconsciously focusing on lack and limitation.

Enjoy what you want in your imagination first. That is the
birthplace of all creation. Once you’ve made it inwardly, you
immediately attract all the elements you need to create it.

The key to instantly overcoming all your mental blocks is this.
Simply ‘act as if,’ you’ve already achieved your goal. You don’t
need to ‘believe’ it’s true, just become an actor.

Model the state of mind and body you would have if you already
achieved your goal. This modeling will instantly defeat all your
personal limitations and hang-ups related to your goal.

What holds most people back with visualization are their
internal blocks. They visualize something they want, then five
minutes later their doubts and fears kick in and they
subconsciously create the exact opposite of what they want.
Their positive visualization is negated by the more constant
state of their negative thinking.

Just spend five minutes in the morning and before going to bed
visualizing yourself having already achieved your goal. Live in
your visualization, and enjoy it as much as possible. It is a
real thing, on the higher spiritual planes, however it may take
a bit of time for it to manifest physically.

Then throughout the day: walk, talk, act and feel as if you
already have your goal. Think from satisfaction and take action.
Don’t worry if it’s physically real or not. Just get into the
feeling and you’ll start attracting the ideas, people and
circumstances to make your dream a reality.

STRETCHING doesn’t have to just involve physical motion. I’m talking
about stretching yourself - moving outside of your box, shifting your
comfort zone, trying something new. It’s hard work. It’s uncomfortable.
It’s scary. But it’s also crucial to your wellbeing and success.

Many clients come to me with a desire to be pushed out of their comfort
zone, to be challenged to stretch to a new level. Allowing this stretch
gives you the chance to grow. Not only does it boost your confidence
each time you successfully step into a new experience, it broadens your
perception of the world. Your well of experience is suddenly deepened
and you become more connected to your courage. Feeling the
confidence boost after the work is done can be a lasting experience.

Living fearlessly is a troublesome topic. Some have no desire, some
don’t know how, some want it so bad but are just plain…scared! My wise
sister often says, “do something everyday that scares you.” Scary can be
going to lunch by yourself, quitting your job or skydiving. Big or small,
doing something outside of your ordinary routine can be intimidating.

I’d like to challenge you to try this. Each day, make a phone call you’ve
been avoiding, spend some time alone or try something new. Aside from
confidence, your sense of fearlessness grows. In no time, you’ll be
challenging yourself with new goals. Sitting still will no longer be a habit
because new interests will pop up. New passions will surface.

It’s easy to say that climbing is a passion of mine. Does it scare me?
Absolutely. If the climb itself doesn’t scare me, the fear of falling or
struggling does. So, why do I do it? Accomplishing a hard climb, trying a
new route, improving my strength and skill result in a pay off far greater
than the fear involved. I was scared of heights when I started and
absolutely scared of the unknown.

When you think about it, what isn’t scary about the unknown? How much
of our time do we spend trying to see every possible angle, preparing
ourselves for an outcome we can’t predict? What a waste of energy! Let
it go. Let life happen and learn to indulge.

I’m practicing this concept as well. I do a lot of fearless activities, but I’m
surrounded by individuals more fearless than I. Allow yourself to be
challenged. Open your mind and test your limits. Be safe, be cautious
even, but push yourself. As we grow, as we age, as we stretch, we
continue to peek out from behind our walls to see what is beyond our
boundaries.

Each new experience you add to your life allows your vision to stretch a
little farther. It is your decision whether you move out into the world with
confidence or continue waiting for the perfect view. With each step into
the unknown, the scenery becomes yours for the choosing. You may
find you have more control over a huge field of choices than a small box
of the ’sure thing.’ As a coach, I want my clients to soar, to take fearless
steps more easily and to create a huge space between themselves and
their limitations. Creating that momentum is the key to doing so.

Katie Mattson is the owner and professional coach at Momentum
Coaching. She empowers others to energize their moments by realizing
their natural gifts. She’s passionate about helping her clients move
outside of their comfort zone to take control of a life they love to live.

Contact Katie at: katie@energizeyourmoment.com

Find out more about Momentum Coaching at:

http://www.energizeyourmoment.com

To paraphrase a saying my mother liked to use occasionally, “The whole world is goofy - except you and me. And sometimes I’m not too sure about you!”

Rest assured that no matter who we are or what we do, there is at least a handful of people somewhere in this world who are convinced that we’re not rowing with both oars in the water. If you’ve been following along with some of the other blogs, you know that this is absolutely normal. Since no two of us have had exactly the same informational inputs and experiences in our lives, our programming will be different which will of course, prompt us to develop different perspectives of the events and situations we encounter. That produces differences of opinion and occasional conflicts. That’s just the way life is.

So why the heck then, do so many of us spend so much time and energy trying to convince folks otherwise? We try to make sure that we do the “right” things so we’ll blend in with the rest of the crowd. We say and do those things that are acceptable to “the group” - our friends, family and co-workers. We try really, really hard to fit the mold that we believe others would approve of. We sell our individuality for a reassuring nod and a pat on the back.

And yeah, I realize that sometimes our work requires us to generally reflect the “corporate attitude” in the things we say and do. It helps keep the coins flowing in. And there’s certainly no good reason to continually be a butthead just to see how many people we can aggravate today. (Of course, it is sort of fun to stir the pot once in a while to see what happens, isn’t it?) I realize too, that we all have our individual reasons for wanting to be accepted and liked. That’s OK to a point. But when one of our main objectives in life is to be universally loved, we’re just spinning our wheels because it ain’t agonna happen.

My suggestion? Just be you - whatever “you” happens to be today. Be goofy! Let it all hang out, baby! You can’t control what other folks think about you anyway. (Influence - yes, control - no…) If you have what you believe is a valid opinion - about anything - express it. It’s not necessary to be argumentative or confrontational. That can quickly build walls and become an obstacle to any kind of productive communications. But there’s nothing at all wrong with being a creative, independent thinker. Can you imagine what the world would be like if these types of individuals had never existed? We’d still all be huddled in caves wondering where our next meal was coming from. Thank God for goofiness!

So the next time you have a major urge to conform just for conformity’s sake - force yourself out of the cave and introduce your personal new “wheel” concept to the world. And whenever you see someone else wandering off in what you might immediately feel is likely a weird direction, at least give ‘em a pat on the back for having the courage to be themselves and the initiative to try to blaze a new path through life. This world can always use more thinkers - even the really goofy ones!

About The Author

Gene, through NuPathz.com, provides an easy reading self-help blog, articles and links along with affordable books and materials written to help folks find the road to a more enjoyable lifestyle, to pass on some of life’s “secrets for survival” in a chaotic world & offer a few smiles along the way. It’s a down-to-earth, simple approach to discovering a better life. You can visit Gene at http://www.nupathz.com/

gene@nupathz.com

These days it’s all about breaking things down into manageable pieces in order to be able to reach a goal and track your process/progress, and keep yourself from going insane because there’s not a lot of time to breathe.

And I’m a firm believer in this approach, in, as I’ve heard it termed: ‘microvision.’ But I’m also a believer in thinking ‘blue sky,’ or BIG. I call this MACROVISION. This is where you step back and open up and let everything move through you (not ‘in,’ but ‘through’), when you allow for any and every possibility without limitations - a kind of brainstorming - and see what surfaces.

In the world of macrovision, there isn’t any of the following:

judgment, pain, fear, accountability, logic, linear thinking, self-editing, eavesdroppers, guilt, past mistakes, worry, boundaries, barriers, limiting beliefs, rules or doubt.

If you can think of any others, delete those too.

Keeping this in mind, ask yourself the following questions about your writing (and your life where appropriate):

1) What is it you’re afraid to write? (You absolutely know what this is, just say it ‘out loud’ on paper.)

2) Why?

3) What do you think that says about you (what you are afraid to write and why), and why is that important? (Or better: is that important?)

4) For a story (fiction/nonfiction): what is it about your characters that you’re not showing?

For a poem: whose voice are you using? Yours or someone else’s?

For both: What is really important about this event/issue/idea you’re writing about that you’re not allowing yourself to see, feel and write?

Why?

5) Is there any direction/path you’d like to take in your poem or story (or essay or play) that you’re not taking because you feel locked in to the original idea?

Can you separate yourself enough to try that direction and see what happens? Can you trust yourself enough?

6) What are you worried people would say if they knew you wanted to write about this topic? Is there someone in particular you’re afraid of disappointing, or making angry, or hurting? (You can include yourself in the list if that’s the case.)

7) Who are you trying to please?

What is that critic inside your head saying? Write it down, look at it and KNOW in your HEART that all of it is ABSOLUTELY UNTRUE. You are talented. You are capable. You do have a unique vision. The work is worth it. You’re worth it. Now tear the critique up into little pieces and throw it away.

Quickly write down a list of words relating to this idea/event/whatever you want to write about - make a fast list without thinking, without stopping yourself.

If a wall goes up at any point and you slow down or ‘hit your head’ against it, pause and enter that space. Feel it around you - what is it like? Can you visualize/sense it? What is the message you’re getting (emotionally or actually through a voice)? Can you look at it for what it is (name it too) and release it?

Take a look at your list and do a five minute writing on it. No specific form unless that’s how it comes out. Just five minutes. If you want to go further, go ahead.

If you have to put this down for now, that’s okay. But don’t do so until you’ve picked a day/time to come back to the list later. Put that date/time on your calendar. This is really your rich writing territory. This is where your voice will really ‘come alive’ as they say. You don’t want to turn your back on it.

Challenging ourselves, allowing ourselves to feel a little uncomfortable, a little afraid, even excited when, and about what, we write will make the results deep, electric, and fresh. You have to push. Sometimes gently, sometimes full force.

Writing, like life, is about discovery. When you opened up and made your list of words, what rushed by that excited you? What made you nervous? Choose something you never do and do it. Or pick something you always do and do it differently. This will make you see differently, which will make you WRITE differently. Would you want to only hang out with the same friends for the rest of your life - no new people, no new ideas, no new stories, experiences, feelings? Didn’t think so. (I mean, I’m sure your friends are great but…) Don’t doom your writing to that fate either. Without new input we (and our writing) become stale; there’s no growth, learning, or risk. Don’t stand outside the door worrying about what, or who, is inside. Enter the mystery! We’re with you every step of the way and can’t wait to read what you’ll write about it.

“No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader.”
(Robert Frost)

Christine Stewart is an artist-in-residence with Creative Alliance in Baltimore. She has an M.A. and M.F.A. in creative writing and poetry, is the recipient of a Ruth Lilly Fellowship, a Pushcart Prize nominee, and has been published in Poetry, Ploughshares, and other literary magazines. She mentors and leads private workshops for adults and teens, and has taught writing in the extension programs at Los Angeles Valley College and Pasadena City College in California. Grab your copy of the upcoming “The 30-Day Writing Challenge,” and get a FREE writing evaluation. Details at http://www.therealwriter.com

According to U.S. research, you can add seven and a half years to your life just by being happy!

Backing this claim up is Laurie Hayes, Life Strategy Coach from Ontario, Canada who also states that genuine happiness is the key ingredient being sought after by most people who come to her.

Ms. Hayes has been working with people who have recognized this missing element in their lives and want to take corrective action towards a more meaningful, balanced existence.

“The pursuit of authentic happiness is an ongoing quest for many,” says Laurie. “Some people believe that by earning more money, working longer hours, and taking on more and more responsibility, they will somehow reap big benefits that will in the end guarantee happiness. Unfortunately that just isn’t the case, and research has now proven that the more comfortable life becomes, the more discontented and unfulfilled we become.”

Incredibly, professional men and women polled in a recent U.S. study were rated to be unhappiest of all. Most attributed work pressures, the need to achieve, family responsibilities, social pressures, busy lifestyles and the absence of personal and reflective time to feelings of discontentment, detachment, anxiety and even depression.

Ms. Hayes says people often wait so long to do anything about these feelings that by the time they come to her they are out of sync, overwhelmed, feeling heavy and isolated, and that it’s only through supportive, strategic life coaching they are able to learn how to live, laugh, play, and dream again.

Coaching used to be reserved for top-level executives, movie stars and large corporations, but is now being sought after by average, everyday people seeking positive life change. Already mainstream in the U.S., it is still relatively new in Canada. Coaching identifies core values, personal strengths and obstacles blocking people’s happiness and provides the forum for planning and carrying out a plan to create desired results. Unlike therapy, it focuses on co-creating a desired future based upon the person’s natural abilities and skills.

Laurie explains she got involved in helping people find their happiness because she lost herself many years ago.

“I know personally what it’s like to become so wrapped up in one thing that everything and everyone else in life seems to disappear. I experienced it years ago while building my first business. I was so caught up in success and achievement that everything else took second place, and I lost everything that really mattered to me - my home, my partner, etc. Back then there wasn’t such a thing as a life coach. I took a break, got my act together and reconstructed a more authentic and happy life. I learned a valuable lesson and now I want to do my bit to help others realize that they too can find happiness by not denying themselves. A lot of people don’t have anyone to support and listen to them, and that’s where I come in.”

Thankfully, real happiness is attainable and doesn’t have to come at the expense of something else. As a matter of fact, the source might be so close to us that we can’t even see it! The secret of extended life might be right under our noses, only waiting to be discovered!

Laurie Hayes is one of Canada’s leading Life Strategy Coaches. For private life coaching sessions, she can be contacted at (705) 560-0788 or by visiting http://www.wheretheheartis-lifecoaching.com

I have been a member of a group called the Women in Business
Connection (WIBC for short) in Cambridge, MA for about four
years. We get together for lunch meetings once a month. Last
week at our December event several of the women commented to me
how much they liked my newsletter. It is always nice to hear
complimentary feedback but one woman went even farther - she
said it was like getting a “Zen moment” in her email. (Thanks
Cibeline!)

Her comment got me thinking. That is exactly what I want to
provide - Zen moments for my readers. I am in no way a Zen
expert but I do hope that reading my monthly messages might
offer you a moment to temporarily unhook from what I call the
Perpetual Progress Grid of life. My wish is to share with you a
moment of reflection, appreciation and calm.

So today, I will describe for you how I “unhook from the grid”
for brief moments of time and at random intervals. I believe it
is this short but consistent “unhooking” that keeps me
refreshed, creative and ultimately at peace. By sharing my
techniques with you, I invite you to borrow, create or identify
your own.

I “unhook” from the pressures, desires, thrills, and obligations
of the Perpetual Progress Grid when:

– I hear my dog pitter-patter up the stairs to join me in my
office and I stop what I am doing for a few minutes, pat her
belly and thank her for coming to visit me.

–I take a work break, drive into town and get coffee at my
favorite independent coffee shop with my husband.

–I turn off my phone, ignore email and descend into creative
bliss when writing.

– I take a moment to stare out a window and notice the way the
rain, snow or sunshine is reflecting off the glass at just that
moment.

–I attend a yoga class and gratefully stretch both my mind and
limbs to their full expression.

–I take a deep breath and feel it extend my abdomen.

–I drive slowly and in silence.

–I rhythmically clean my house, cook a meal, wrap a gift or wash
dishes (yes, I sometimes like the feel soapy hot water on my
hands).

–I sit anywhere and watch the world for a moment - the people,
the trees and the clouds…whatever is happening in front of me
from my vantage point.

–I sing (badly too, trust me).

When I do these things I am temporarily “free floating” and my
mind is at some level disengaged from the need to achieve. It is
a place where small moments of joy live.

Deirdre Maigread McEachern is a personal coach who helps her
clients experience more joy in their lives. You can contact
Deirdre for a complimentary consultation at 207-439-4280 or
join her free monthly newsletter at http://www.vip-coaching.com.

Would you like to move your life ahead in spite of worry and fear? Everyone has fears and worries, what sets us apart is our ability to deal with them and move on. This article will show you how to manage your worries and fears, so you free yourself from them. This is the place to obtain quick, action-oriented advice on steps you can take right now to reduce your fears and worries.

The first step in managing your fears and worries is to recognize that you have them, and then to make them real.

Write out a list of each of the fears and worries you have. Many of the items on your list will not stand the light of day. You will immediately realize that some of them are silly or just aren’t things you should be worried about. Take each of these items off the list.

Next, take each item and make a list of all the things you can do about it. This shows you that in most cases you will be worried about something that you can’t control at all and that your worry serves no purpose. Vow not to worry about things you can’t control and take them off your list. In the case where you can do something to reduce the worry, your sense of control is enhanced, making you feel better.

Now, ask yourself what is the worst thing that could happen with each worry. In most cases you will find you can live with even the worst outcome and this will also make you feel better.

Once you are down to a hard-core list of fears and worries that you can control, set up a plan to control them. What options do you have? Who can you ask for help? Exactly what has to be done, when? Realize you have a lot of control here and give yourself credit for taking action as you do so in order to lift your spirits.

Also, it helps to realize that you can feel the fear and still take action. Fear serves a purpose in that it is a great “alert” mechanism that helps us stay out of trouble. But once we “get the message” fear has done its job and starts to get in the way. Fear and worry can be a positive if we use it as a call to action and fix a problem. If you acknowledge the fear, and then proceed with what you need to do, you will find you are able to function in spite of the fear.

Here are some other tips that will help you feel better. Make an effort to concentrate on breathing. We tend to limit our breathing when we are fearful. You will feel better, the more you breathe. Also, meditation will help reduce stress and take your mind off your worries. Visualization and affirmations that help you focus on becoming positive in light of the situation can help you move forward while acknowledging the fear. Do not forget physical exercise as a way of reducing the stress that goes with fear and worry.

Once you begin to have things under control, change your focus from the negative fears and worries, to the positive things in your life. When you catch yourself worrying, bring new positive thoughts into your mind. Change your thinking from the “cup is half empty” to the “cup is half full”. Suddenly things that were worries are now positives.

Another way to help reduce the amount of fear and worry in your life in the future is to begin to do more planning on the things you will be doing. Look for areas that could become problems and begin to cover all the contingences. Forward planning will build your self-confidence and ward off those nagging fears that something is not right.

So now you have the tools necessary to reduce the fear and worry in your life and replace them with a justifiably positive attitude backed up with action and solutions. Start using these tools right now and begin to live a happier life.

Edward W. Smith is the author of Sixty Seconds To Success, he produces and hosts the Bright Moment cable TV and internet radio show, is president of the Bright Moment Seminars, is a motivational speaker, and publishes the free, daily, email of the One Minute Motivator (quick peak performance tip). His website is http://www.brightmoment.com and his email is edsmith@brightmoment.com

Have you ever blamed someone else for something? Did you do that blaming whether that person was at fault or not? Did you ever get out of some problem or punishment because you falsely accused someone of something they did not do?

Did you ever blame yourself for something that you had no control over? Do you feel guilt because something happened to you that was such a surprise that you could barely react, let alone think things through?

Whatever you did to others or yourself does not matter because the facts are the facts. All the blaming in the world does not change one thing.

So whether you did something you should have not done or something happened to you that you had no control over one thing remains clear. The facts are the facts. Yes there can be circumstances around why you did something, but the fact that it happened remains unmovable.

Although what matters is HOW you react to something and (within reason) not what happened TO YOU is important. The facts are the facts and you must deal with this world reality. All the wishing, hoping and crying will not change what needs to be done about what has happened.

What this means is that you need to deal with the reality of the world. What that really means to you is that you need to face what is and not what you think something is. This may be a very sorrowful and bitter thing to try to do.

It is very important that you be strict with yourself. You must deal in reality. But also, be a littke kinder to those involved and especially to yourself.

Remember that nothing lasts forever…hopefully that means your pain to.