Is Workplace Conflict Destructive or Creative?

Whenever you work with people, conflict is inevitable. The tension created by daily conflict either results in wasted time, decreased productivity, and poor decisions or the sort of internal competition that pushes each individual to do their best, if for no other reason that convince their coworkers that they can do it.

This inevitable conflict is either destructive or creative. The destructive conflict is toxic to relationships and hurts people and organizations and this is the one that needs managing. In my experience creative conflict seems to be cultural in nature. It's how the people themselves react and address each other and the situations they face together.

If you've ever seen "American Chopper" on the Discovery Channel you know what I mean by creative conflict. There is a lot of yelling going on. These guys are not shy about sharing their opinions when they disagree with one another. If you were a stranger who walked into their shop you might think WWIII had broken out.

In fact, that is how they relate to one another - there is no ambiguity, they tell it like it is in the moment. Imagine how much more they accomplish because they use the tension to air their different opinions, right now - and then get on with it. It's possible that this is just a TV show and these guys have nice quiet meetings in the board room, listening to various committee reports, before the speak up, but that's not likely. I bet they are who we see them as being.

In three decades working with family businesses I have seen dozens and dozens of companies who harness conflict creatively, and in so doing get the most out of everyone as well as optimum results overall. They don't waste time on what's not working just because it was the bosses idea. They stop what they're doing and point out the other person's mistake then show them how to fix it. Nothing and no one or their opinion is sacred - it's all about getting the job done.

Sadly I have seen experts try to get them to change their behavior, be more polite to one another and offer more politically correct input in an ever more constructive manner. In other words they (the experts) want other people to be more like them.

So instead of helping their clients manage the destructive conflict that exists, they are offering suggestions on how to fix what isn't broken.

I am talking about the conflict that distracts employees and managers from otherwise productive use of their time. Studies reveal that up to 30% of a typical managers time is spent dealing with conflict. And that 42 percent of their time is spent reaching agreements with others when conflicts occur.

Sometimes destructive conflict is simply because the people don't like each other. In the universe of family owned companies sometimes brothers, sisters, cousins, and in-laws are thrown together in ways none of them like. Conflict is the only way they have of displaying the frustration they feel about the situation they're in.

It is no wonder that an estimated 65% of performance problems result from strained relationships like these. Between employees who are not happy with each other - not from deficits in their training, skill, or motivation.

The most common way that destructive conflict shows up is about "how" a certain task should be accomplished. I met a farmer once whose son (age 50) refused to do things the way he wanted them done. He sited an example by driving me on the back of his four wheeler (you could not get there any other way) to a field that illustrated his point.

He and his father before him had always plowed the field north to south - his son was plowing it east to west. I am not making this up. It didn't have anything to do with soil erosion, conservation, or the environment - he was doing it this way against his dad's wishes, just to get his goat. And it was working.

I bet you can think of things at your company that are being done a certain way because that's the way they've always been done. And if you're the one who wants to change history, good luck!

Destructive conflict about how things are being done, what things are being done, and whether or not a certain thing should even be done can paralyze the organization.

Wasted time arguing about things that don't matter, an unwillingness to consider another person's point of view based on their experience, and the blame game when the results are in all cry out for a self-help process you can use to manage your differences so that all conflict is creative.

The end result of a successful self-help mediation process is that you (as a group) turn together and focus on the challenge or opportunity you all face. You see the problem as the stumbling block and not your coworker.

Self-help mediation tools allow two individuals the opportunity to discuss their assumptions about the other person's motives. In many conflicts the simple process of testing these assumptions face to face using active listening skills will resolve the issue entirely, because the parties realize the conflict is simply a misunderstanding.

Self-help mediation tools pave the way for more effective decision making. Obviously decisions made under conditions of conflict are going to be inferior to decisions made when cooperation prevails. If ongoing conflict (even a low grade resistance to cooperation) is present between people who share decision-making authority, the resulting decisions are likely to be flawed by the power struggles between those people.

As business owners we know that good decisions must be based on an optimum quality and quantity of objective information. So when information is withheld or distorted by those we are depending on to provide it, the decision cannot be the best one possible.

There is now doubt, workplace conflict resolution strategies - especially those that will allow you to do it yourself - will save you money, time, energy, and enhance your workplace by helping you make better decisions, retain your best employees, and design a future course for the business everyone will actively support!

Wayne Messick's web site http://www.iBizResources.com has many additional conflict resolution articles and strategic planning resources to help you grow your business. If you are a small business advisor and want to maximize your professional and financial potential, here are the resources we are using to systematically multiply our new business, our revenues, and our client's satisfaction.

What Does God Say? What Are Dreams?

Sleep accomplishes much more than resting the physical body. The spirit within us never sleeps - we are sparks off the Divine Flame, does God ever sleep? No, and neither do the Angels. Our spirit inhabits our bodies like electrical wiring in a house. And while we sleep, no lights may be turned on, but that does not mean the current isn't active. Dreams are often remembrances of the rich and wonderful spiritual life that we accomplish while our physical body sleeps. There are seven main categories that dreams fall into, and most of them achieve fantastic work.

(1). Night School: Called a school because there are many participants with you in a classroom setting, this is a time of being taught a lesson and then trying it out for yourself. These are often choices not between right and wrong, but about good and greater good. After the teacher shows the variables of the lesson, the student is then placed into a scenario in which they can apply what they have learned and see for themselves what works. Similar to a test pilot using new skills in a simulator. Although very few people remember the classroom part of their dreams, many people do remember the scenarios.

(2). Guidance for others: This is where we get to actively use what we have learned at night school in real life situations. This is where most of our remembered dreams come from. When our body sleeps, our spirit is not in it, but is tethered by what is often termed an umbilical or silver cord. It is there until we die, and is the same one seen by near-death experiencers. During this time, we get to act as guides for others who are awake. Not all guides are still attached to physical bodies, some have died and are assigned specific people to help, similar to a guardian Angel. Compassion is a very big incentive in bringing out our best effort; so often God will choose for us to see our loved ones in these situations instead of the people that are really there.

For example: I had a dream where my teenage daughter had become pregnant and had run away from home. She was seen living under a bridge with other homeless people, so I got in our station wagon with our family dog and her grandpa and a friend, and went to bring her home. When I opened the car door, the dog ran up and found my daughter. She was afraid, but I carefully pulled her hair out of her eyes and she looked up and smiled, and said yes to coming home. I then awoke with a start, not knowing if this was a prophetic dream of things to come or not, so I asked in prayer, and was given the answer. I was actually helping find a black girl who was a pregnant runaway, a family abuse situation. The station wagon was a police car; the dog was a police dog. Yes the girl was afraid, and I was helping a social worker to calm her down, wiping the hair from her eyes, saying comforting words, and giving the worker inside information as to what was going on in the girl's life and additional compassion to help her choose the best way to help. The girl gained confidence that she would not be sent back to her abusive family and went with the social worker. Often in these dreams we feel like we are really there because we are.

Remember that while in spirit you will experience everything as a spirit does. You can fly, go through things, objects and light looks different, you can't see distance the same, you can't stare at your feet, time is not important, you can see other spirits, ghosts, Angels, unHoly Angels, etc. These dreams may find us in different countries, or even in different times, as God decides where to utilize us and time does not move just in a linear fashion; by ripple effect this changes the future or present time. In these dreams we may also help with storms or wildfires, or any number of things with the planet or its animals. And even though we feel is it happening to us, we are there helping others. If you remember to look in a mirror while in these dreams, you will see it is not you. Also, not all outcomes will be good, people will still die, or end up in poor situations. This is because you are not there in place of the free will of the person you are helping, but only to assist them with a subconscious awareness of opportunities and choices.

The combined experiences of real life and night school qualify us to be there to help, and you were sent by Divine direction to do this. This also means that you have your guardian Angel with you, and are directly wired to greater help which will be there instantly if the thought crosses your mind that you need it. This means Holy Angels are called to help you and the situation.

(3). Items from the stream of consciousness: Living on earth encases us in a vibratory soup of subatomic particles - we are intrinsically linked together, every part of us resonating with everything else. But the connection goes even further than that; we emotionally feel subtle and tremendous inflections in our very soul. It is that same place that mystics have been saying throughout time, that "we are all One." It is that same connection that we have with one another at all times, it makes no difference whether we are asleep or awake. When we are just about to sleep, or just coming out of it, there are opportunities to be very conscious of this stream, and to literally see it in front of our eyes; sometimes like sheets of rain in a storm, or big and little dots layered together. It is like a newsreel that runs day and night, with all information from all over the world on thousands of TV sets. All with their volume up and playing out the most dramatic and emotional scenes - which means the biggest bad things, and the best good things.

Why do we have this in us? The same reason we are called to help in guiding dreams - to make a difference in the world. The stream of consciousness is a place of awareness for us, and connection to God and one another. It is not technically a dream, but we may think it is when we are half-way in between awake and asleep; we see many situations and very quickly move between them. Remember that when we see things that are not the way they should be our desire to make it better helps it to do just that. There are children born who work in this picture-within-a-picture all the time, and depending on how big the picture of the stream is, decides how much they can function in the "real" world versus the one they are actively participating each moment. What we consider day-dreams can come from here too

(4). Visits from the other side: You would probably feel scared if your dead great-great grandmother appeared in front of you right now; and because of the fear, the bigger picture for the visit may not get through. This is the reason why Angels and spirits (different than ghosts who have not yet gone to God) do not appear very often, since they do not want to make us afraid. When we are asleep is the best time to say "Hi!" and tell us what we need to know, or even to have full conversations. This is also why most visitations occur shortly after a loved one's death, because they want to let you know they are OK, so you can be comforted that they are not really gone. Visits can also occur from the other side in negative ways, with visits of beings that want to scare us, make us feel helpless or hopeless or make us think that if we don't do certain things that bad will befall us. These will sometimes even appear like a loved one or a Holy Angel or even God. But these are fallen Angels, also called unHoly Angels or demons. When God made Angels he made them with free will, and some unplugged from his Love. How can you tell the difference? There are things that you can do.

Before you go to sleep at night, include in your prayers that no unHoly Angels may come near you, talk to you or cause any harm. Also, if you forget, simply remind yourself in your dream to ask one question of them, and no matter what they appear to be, the truth will be known. No matter what religion you are, ask "Do you love Jesus Christ now?" It is important to add "now" because at one time they all did, as part of one big Angelic brotherhood. The one who came to be known on earth as Jesus Christ had a pre-human existence, and was the firstborn son of God. All the Angels know who he is, what responsibilities he was given, how they were fulfilled, and the expanded power and authority he has now. If they are truly who they appear to be, they will answer "yes," if not, they will give all kinds of excuses, or curse, or try to scare you, and all you have to do is call in the Holy Angels who will protect you.

(5). Prophetic Dreams or Messages from God: These can be prophetic dreams telling of something coming up that we need to be aware of or make certain choices in (there is no such thing as fate). Or they can be outright messages to us from an Angel, from Jesus or an appearance of God himself. These are usually very BIG feeling dreams, and are rarely seen as anything else than what they are by the dreamer. A person may have none or several in a lifetime, but they are always considered life-changing and very real. They are easy to remember even years after they occur. They also happen to people who may not consider themselves very spiritual or religious, or to people who think they never dream. But when they happen they know it, and recognize that it is different than anything else they have ever experienced.

(6). Memories from previous lives: These can happen in two different ways. We are born with a veil in place that does many different things; one thing is a cover over our previous lives so that we can concentrate on the one at hand and not fret about what we should have done in a past one. When God lifts the veil, it is to reveal times of encouragement for us of our successes even in the midst of great difficulty. But if we have gone to someone for "past life regression," we have opened a big can of worms and can have all sorts of things come up that are distressing and distracting. Openings in the veil are most clear during sleep, and the memories are seen as dreams. These can occur as day-dreams as well.

(7). Scattered downloads and sorting from the day and memories from this life: This category is where you will find written all the self-help books about deciphering dreams. And though this is where most of people's energies seem to go, it is actually the least important category of all. The purpose of these dreams is simply to help sort, shuffle and organize the mind's input and connection. It may be a mixture of all kinds of things - TV, worries, stories, etc. Although these dreams are a linking between mind and spirit, there is little here worth remembering or applying to our conscious lives, and are really just remnants we may or may not remember viewing; mostly jumbled scenes which make very little sense.

So there are basically seven kinds of dreams that we have, and most are remembrances of the rich and wonderful spiritual life that we accomplish while our physical body sleeps. And we can also experience whatever is Divinely in place for us for the night, or we may also ask for a specific kind of dream. For example, we may request to have a "fluffy" dream that is light, joyful to help us shift more easily from the often stressful "guidance" dreams, so that would be the last thing on our minds before awakening. Never feel that you are not doing enough in your life, the bigger plan is already in place; God can utilize us even while we rest. Dreaming is hard work but wonderful, so never feel guilty that you need your sleep!

About the Author: Tiffany Snow carries the 5 marks of the Holy stigmata, and is a documented miracle healer, award-winning author, NDEr and public speaker. Her latest book: "God's Workbook - Shifting into the Light" is available on Amazon.com. Distant healing, deliverances, classes, live teleconferences and more articles are offered through the websites. This article may be reprinted and shared in any form without permission: please list websites - http://www.TiffanySnow.com, 800-535-5474 God's L.A.W. Love Always Wins!

Home Improvement Tip - Fixing a Squeaky Floor

Question: I have a floor that every single time I step on it I get the most annoying sound. I don't know what it does to me or why it bothers me so much. My kitchen floor squeaks and actually moves up and down if you are standing on it. The whole floor moves. How do I stop it from moving and squeaking. Help Me Greg!

Answer: It sounds like you have a broken floor joist. You are going to have to go under your house. If you have a basement this will be a little easier to fix. It is my guess that you don't have a basement or you would have seen the broken floor joist by now.

Have someone stand on the floor in the spot that squeaks and have them move up and down while you are under the house. Don't have them jump up and down while you are under the house. This could cause more damage to the structural framing of the floor. Once you are in the right position under the floor you can have them start moving slowly. What you are looking for is one of the floor joist that are moving.

If you see one of them moving. Look to see where the damage is. Is it a split, crack, wood rot or a big knot in the wood that has loosened up and fell out. Once you find the damaged floor joist you can now think about repairing it.

If you don't see any floor joist moving. Have the person on top start moving a little bit more and you can even have them jump on it a few times until you see something out of place. If you still don't see any broken floor joist. Start looking at the sub-floor, this will be plywood of some form, 1 x 6 or 2 x 6 materials.

What you are looking for is movement of any kind. Is there a separation or movement between the sub-floor and the floor joist. If you still can't find the problem maybe it is time to call in a professional.

The main thing you are going to be looking for is movement of any kind.

Most squeaky floors are caused from the sub-floor rubbing up and down on a nail. If you have carpeting and you have a squeaky floor you can do your best to locate a floor joist and screw right through your carpeting into the floor joist.

For more help on fixing squeaky floors visit http://gregvan.com/wood_repair.htm

Thanks for the great question. I hope it helps.

Greg Vanden Berge has been in the home building and remodeling business for over 30 years. With this knowledge he has created a few websites that provide useful information for home owners as well as contractors. His main goal is to educate professionals in the home related businesses, dealing with problems that can easily be avoided with just a little bit of information.

His website http://gregvan.com provides all kinds of answers to remodeling and new house building issues that could create major damage as well as possible damage to your pocket book.

Visit us now for Home Improvement Tips

Greg Vanden Berge Quotes

Why You Should Buy Everyone You Know a Copy of the Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude

I am a huge lover of books. Huge. I have surrounded myself with bookshelves filled with fiction, non-fiction, historical biographies, autobiographies, quotes, National Geographic Magazines, old text books, and so on. I leave no genre untouched and no genre leaves me untouched.

One of my favorite books to return to again and again is the one I'd love to tell you more about: Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude - How to FInd, Build, and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of Success This is one amazing little book.... It's a little gold powerhouse and I love everything about it. I love the artwork, I love the quotes, I love the positive attitude of the author, and I even love that the book is 199 pages long instead of 200. It would have been terribly easy for the author to have said, "199? Let me go back and breath a little more wind into one or two of the paragraphs..." But 200 would have been far too typical and far too ordinary for such an exceptional book.

I have three daughters who are, like most young people, very busy. Between school, jobs (for 2 of them), boyfriends, friends, and homework - my girls are coming and going just about all day and all night. Because I read a great deal of books (I honestly couldn't keep a running count if I wanted to), I occasionally come across books I very much want them to read. They know where to look for what I term "exceptional books" - on an antique bookshelf in our home office. They know that the books they see stacked on this special family heriloom are "exceptional" and that "mom" would love for them to read them. It never fails to touch me when I see one of them walking through the house with one of these books in their hands or when I find them sprawled across a bed or floor reading one.

After each had finished reading this Jeffrey Gitomer book, they noticed that I still kept it on the antique shelf along with newer books. My oldest finally asked me why I hadn't moved what she called "The YES! Book" to another shelf. I told her the reason was that I would be recommending it for the rest of my life AND that they should return to it often for a YES! fix.

You become what you think about all day long. - Earl Nightingale

When I first read "Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude," I felt like I could tackle hell and all its demons with a toothpick - before I'd even reached page 20. I carry a notebook in my purse where I keep track of books I want to buy, At the top of the list there's a standing order: Anything written by Dean Koontz, Mitch Aplomb, John Grisham, Nicholas Sparks, and Jeffrey Gitomer. The "and Jeffrey Gitomer" was added after I read this book. If Mr. Gitomer writes it, I will read it.

He has a special way of looking at the world and a special way of sharing this view with his readers. I actually consider myself a very positive person, but I was encouraged to be even more so after reading this wonderful book. As he points out with a brilliant combination of wisdom and wit, most of the things we complain about simply aren't worth the attention we give them. We're making stars out of them when they should be fading way into the background.

As I said, I read countless books each year, but if I were to make a list of the Top 10 Books That Will Change Your Life, this book would not only be on the list, it'd be riding very, very high.

As Jeffrey Gitomer, himself, says, "At the beginning of any task, more than anything else, your attitude will affect its successful outcome." Our attitude is as pivotal to our success as anything, more so than most. This book will help you succeed in any and all areas of your life - at home, at work, and at play. You'll feel, and enjoy its benefits in every aspect of your life for the rest of your life.

I'll close with one of my favorite snippets from the book. It's in a section that deals with being more positive at home and in your relationships. The following "Attitude Actions" are given in response to the question, "How can I be more positive at home?"

• Praise others.
• Don't belittle.
• If "familiarity breeds contempt" lives at your house, kill it.
• You know the buttons. Don't push them.

I also love his "note" that follows these tips: "Home attitude determines work attitude."

Read this delightful, fast-paced, hilarious book today - each of your tomorrows will thank you for it.

As someone once said, "Self isn't something one finds, it's something one creates." So, why not create a masterpiece?

My name is Joi and I'd love for you to follow me to Self Help Daily. See you there!

Old Versus New Construction Adhesives

When I first started building in 1978 as a young carpenter and an apprentice to my father. I had the grand illusions of becoming what they call on the east coast a master carpenter and on the West Coast a journeyman carpenter.

Part of my training in construction was learning to use the proper adhesive and caulking for different parts of the building project. We used to use a standard solvent-based construction adhesive when we were building our stairs and they would also use this adhesive on the floors to eliminate squeaks.

This glue dried extremely hard and everyone thought the harder the better. This construction adhesive was great when I started using it in 1978. There wasn't the polyethylene super elastic expandable multi-use glue and caulking construction adhesives at that time.

We used this brittle glue and it always seemed like a waste of time. As the wood dried and started to shrink the brittle hard glue would crack and break away from the wood it was glued to. Normally the glue was breaking away from plywood floor sheeting. I have seen 2 x 12 shrink 3/8 of an inch before in as little as a few months during the summer.

Now as time went on the old construction adhesives were replaced with a new window sealant made by a company called TOPS. This stuff was the hottest and best product of the decade to me. I used this stuff for everything.

This new urethane glue was now being used for sub floors, stair treads, sealing the windows flashing and siding. This stuff is still in use today and is a great choice for all of the uses I mentioned above. The price for this sealant is about double that of most water-based or solvent-based glues. But it's worth it.

So there you have it I like the urethane glues because of their flexibility, elasticity, their ability to adhere to wood concrete or metal and their performance in the years ahead.

There is one thing to keep in mind when using construction adhesives. Most construction workers seem to ignore the fact that the wood needs to be dry and clean before applying the construction adhesive. There have been quite a few times I have witnessed carpenters working with me and ignoring my advice.

Don't put yourself into this category. Doing quality work and following the manufacturers recommended installation instructions for their product will decrease your liability if there is ever a problem. Read the instructions carefully on all of the building products you use.

The manufacturers of these construction adhesives have thoroughly tested them. So use them properly and follow all safety warnings.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and Carlsbad Structural Repairs

What Happens To Nonbelieving

Everything That's Beautiful is Cracked, That's How the Light Gets In

What is beauty anyway?

The answer to that question seems to come at us everyday through magazines like; People, Chatelaine, Men's Health, Vogue, Hello, Esquire, newspapers, television shows like; Extreme Makeover, Entertainment Tonight, The Miss Universe Pageant, Access Hollywood and the advertisements that come with those publications and shows, that purport to know what beauty is. We seem to take for granted that the narrow, superficial societal definition of beauty is essentially related to physical appearance and attraction. But have you really stopped to ponder what beauty is, really?

Leonard Cohen; singer, songwriter, novelist and poet said that "everything that's beautiful is cracked, that's how the light gets in." I do believe he has captured the essence of beauty.

Beauty is in the nature of our flaws. It is in our reflective self-awareness and acceptance of our imperfections that we discover our true beauty. Once we begin to reach that level of maturity and self-esteem, approaching self-actualization, we increasingly behave and even radiate an inner goodness, grace and dignity, which becomes evident to the people around us. Acceptance of ourselves is eventually what leads us to becoming self-actualized. It allows us to transcend our imperfections, highlight and focus on our strengths and forge a life for ourselves and for those who we love in a congruent way with the essence of our being.

To translate; "that's how the light gets in," is meant to mean quite literally becoming "enlightened." When the light shines through the cracks in our outer armor rather than blinding us, it illuminates areas in our lives that we need to bring attention to. Those cracks or flaws are what often keeps us from achieving that level of esteem that all of us desire, whether we are consciously aware of them or not. We can do two things in relation to our imperfections, work to bring about change that will perhaps eliminate or minimize them or just come to accept them as a part of who we are in the world.

So, don't be afraid to let the light shine through the cracks, open up to it, bask in its warmth and glow, work with it to bring harmony to your life, find your true self then share it with the world.
I believe that in spite of the seemingly complex nature of our world today, our true self is actually love reflected. Become a positive force for good, it will make you feel better.

James Ladd
Your Personal Coach

JAMES LADD B.A., C.H.R.P., C.P.I.R. Life & Business Coach, author and speaker, who has without a doubt been down the "Road Less Traveled," having survived and thrived after a double lung transplant in August of 2003. Jim comes to this place in his incredible life journey with a dynamic combination of work and life experience. Jim worked as an Organizational & Human Resource Development Specialist for over 35 years in the private, public & non-profit sectors and also managed a provincial government employee assistance program serving over 15,000 employees. He has authored and facilitated a wide variety of training programs covering such diverse topics as; managing organizational change, conflict resolution, performance management, managing and/or coping with stress, interviewing & counseling skills, supervisory & management skills. His most recent publication titled; "THE PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION GUIDE: Raising Awareness of Self to Slay the Dragon," is available through his website. In the community he became an award winning football coach over the course of 25 years (Coach of the Year 3M of Canada, Coach of the Year, Developmental Category, Coaches Assoc. of Manitoba

Hiring a Contractor For Bathroom Remodeling - Remodeling Contractors

Well here's the age old question, how do we go about finding a decent bathroom remodeling contractor.

Here's some things you will be looking for in a contractor.

1. Is Your Contractor Fair and Honest?

2. Does Your Contractor Have Experience Remodeling and Designing Bathrooms?

3. Can You Actually Find a Contractor Who Will Complete the Job in a Timely Manner?

4. Do You Think the Workers Will Be Able to Clean the Job up Daily?

5. Will the Contractor Show up on Time?

6. Is the Contractor Going to Work At Least Eight Hours a Day?

7. Does the Contractor's Crew Have Experience?

8. Is Your Contractor and His Crew Courteous?

If you find a contractor for your bathroom remodeling project that has answered yes to all questions above, hire that person immediately. Most contractors can sincerely answer yes to half of the questions above. If you're looking for the ultimate bathroom remodeling contractor, you could be searching for quite a while, you're looking for some one that is competent and you feel comfortable with.

When hiring a contractor, look for someone who has your interest in mind first and not theirs. Find someone who is willing to help with the designed process of your bathroom and the remodeling. If you find a contractor to be arrogant or controlling, there is a good chance, your bathroom might not turn out the way you envision it.

When hiring a contractor for your bathroom remodeling project or any home improvement project, the most important thing to keep in mind is, whether or not you feel comfortable with this person or not. Never hire a contractor you're not comfortable with.

If a contractor is referred to you by someone you trust, this does not guarantee you will be happy with the bathroom remodel. Most referrals that I have gotten over the years are like rolling the dice, I believe I would have done just as good picking a name out of a hat.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building stairs and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

When Do We Get To Meet God

It's Not About You!

Its not about you. Its not bout your own personal fulfillment, your goals or your achievements. Nor is it about the title that comes after your name, the big corner office you sit in or the big shiny car you drove to that office.

American historian Christopher Lasch calls it the "culture of narcissism" a society of total self absorption where people have retreated to personal preoccupations. Its a world of "self actualization", zen, and of too much getting in touch with feelings, eating healthy foods, working out and reading self-help books.

Too often we crave to be admired more than to be loved making us increasingly impoverished when it comes to intimate, close relationships. Many of us who are busy and overworked complain incessantly, but it is often with an undertone of boastfulness with the hidden message that I'm so busy because I'm so important. Coupled with the fact that in today's society there is a growing determination to "live for the moment" and an attitude of instant gratification, its no wonder that an estimated 19 million North Americans suffer from depression.

Despite the self help manuals, the diets and the exercise they are not happy with their situation, they lack fulfillment, they are alone. This is also apparent in the dissolution of families and a lack of community and authentic intimacy. There is in all of us a void nothing else can fill. A need for human relationships, for community, a need to connect with others. This need for community and deep connectedness with other people has no substitute. Not money, not achievement, not busyness and not self. That void that is in all of us can only be filled with one thing, LOVE. Because its not about you . . . Its about LOVE!

In 2002 I fell ill and was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), a poorly understood variably debilitating disorder of uncertain cause/causes. CFS often manifests itself with widespread myalgia, cognitive difficulties, chronic mental and physical exhaustion, often severe, and other characteristic symptoms in a previously healthy and active person. There is no known cure for CFS and only 5 - 10% of all cases are ever fully resolved.

With time I came to consider my illness a great blessing and a phenomenal opportunity. My struggle with CFS has bestowed upon me a passion and fascination for all things that have to do with overcoming and triumphing in the face of challenges. Ordinary Miracles is about showcasing that passion through real-life inspirational stories, a positive, can-do attitude and the application of life-changing concepts such as Emotional Quotient (EQ) and Relational Intelligence(RI). For me having to "play injured" has become a privilege, the benefits of which vastly outweigh any downside brought on by my illness.

Its my hope and prayer that Ordinary Miracles inspires not only you to do great things but for you to be an inspiration to others to achieve greatness.

The surest way to happiness is to lose yourself in a cause greater than yourself.

http://omiracles.wordpress.com/

Home Selling Tips - Best Real Estate Advice Ever

One of the most important things to remember when selling your home is to keep it as clean as possible. If you need help or don't have the time to organize your stuff, you can hire a home staging professional in your area. Ask your real estate professional for more information.

1. Remove any clutter from the home and place it in storage. Do not store this stuff on the property if you don't have enough room. Storing clutter in closets or in your garage, will often make these areas look smaller. By removing clutter or even large pieces of furniture, the rooms will look larger.

2. Disconnect yourself emotionally from your home. This is a big problem for people who have lived in their house for long periods of time. If you've raised a family here, the children could have emotional ties also to the home. Some home sellers are looking for someone special to buy their home, if you've got the time and money to wait, you can be selective but be careful, because the longer you wait, the market could go up or down.

3. When your real estate professional is showing the house, it's always a good idea to leave the home until the potential homebuyers are gone. One example of this would be if you were in a bad mood or didn't have a good day and were a little upset at the world. Your mood could cause potential homebuyers to lose interest in the property. I've seen this more than once.

4. Make sure everything is operating properly. This would include doors, door knobs, windows, kitchen appliances, garage door openers, cabinet drawers, bathroom fixtures, toilets, faucets, lights, switches, electrical outlets and anything else that moves, slides, turns or rotates that is part of the home.

5. The Interior and exterior walls of the home should be in good shape. Make sure there's no termite damage, wood rot, peeling paint, broken windows or holes in the walls.

6. Make sure the flooring is in good shape. Some real estate professionals will suggest, replacing the carpeting with a neutral color. This method often works pretty good but I have seen plenty of homes that were re-carpeted and after the home was purchased the carpeting was replaced again, by the new owners. Just make sure the flooring is in good shape.

7. Here's a trick that definitely works a little magic when selling a home. Leave some cookies or a nice fruit bowl on the dining room table. There is no need to leave a sign that says "Eat Me". It gives the home a warm feeling, almost like a country atmosphere.

8. Even better than home selling tip number seven would be baking some cookies just before the perspective buyers arrive, it's not the cookies, it's the smell from the cookies that most people cannot resist.

These are just a few home selling tips but the most important is to keep the inside and outside of the home clean.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a home buyers guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Don't buyers sell a home without checking how the problems with poor home repairs.

Questions To Ask Your Pastor

Self Help Technique to Developing a Stronger Vocabulary

We all know that people who have a stronger command of the English Language are considered smart and intelligent. This means more people are willing to listen to them and hear their words, even confide in them with problems and ask for solutions. If you can increase your vocabulary, you will find yourself and your career moving up in the world.

But how can one go about increasing their vocabulary, isn't that an awful lot of work and rote memorization you ask? Well, yes it is some work and yes, you will have to memorize many new words to insure that your new vocabulary is proficient and yet if you will apply a tactical program to combat this problem and a long-term approach, you will find yourself well on your way.

The best way I have found to increase my vocabulary is to take one page in the dictionary each day and read those words 10 times throughout the day, and make sure you use each word twice in a sentence or an email throughout the day. You will have to get rather creative to do this, but that makes it fun. I recommend you get a small dictionary with no more than 365 pages.

Believe me there will be plenty of new words you can add even in a small dictionary. The words that are hardest to use in a sentence are the words that are least likely used and thus, you will actually remember them much easier. Please think on this self-help technique and strategy to assist you in developing a stronger vocabulary and please start today!

Oh and if someone asks you why you are carrying around a dictionary all the time, tell them, they may also need to increase their vocabulary and will surely thank you later, they always do.

Lance Winslow - Lance Winslow's Bio. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/.

Finding Homes Using the Internet - Home Shopping

You can simply type the words real estate or homebuying into any search engine on the World Wide Web and you will come up with hundreds, maybe even thousands of websites that are extremely helpful and full of great information. Like the one you're on right now.

Finding homes with the internet, combined with a skilled real estate salesperson, provides you with the most effective technology available today. Most websites start out, having you select a state you would like to search in and then, select a city, with your price range.

By answering their questions, this narrows the search down to all of the homes available in the area. The internet has made home shopping very simple. Considering what you had to go through in the 1970s. You found a realtor or by looking in the yellow pages, sometimes you found a good realtor and if you are lucky, maybe you would find you a good home.

Most of the time, the first homes you would look at, were owned by the real estate professional you were working with.

There are however a couple of problems with using the internet to find your dream home. Some of the verbage used and photographs taken can create a wonderful illusion of a tropical paradise but the reality, it's a regular home in a decent neighborhood.

Some of these photos are taken by skilled photographers who take advantage of every angle and tend to give an illusion of grander. When you actually start driving around and looking at these homes, only then will you get a reality check, of what the home actually looks like. You'll get used to it.

After you've looked at a few of your future dream homes, you will get a better idea of what I'm talking about with these wonderful pictures and the extraordinary home descriptions like "Beautiful Three Bedroom House with an Ocean View." When reality it's a two-bedroom house with an extra closet for the third bedroom and the ocean is 45 miles away, but you can see it on a clear day if you actually climb to the top of the largest tree on the property.

Take your time when searching for your dream home and don't let any one push you into making a decision if you're not ready. If you find your real estate professional a little too aggressive or pushy, get out of your contract, if you've signed one and find another, more helpful real estate salesperson to help you with your home purchase.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a home buyers guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Find other real estate tips and great advice, from another one of the Internet's best website creators.

Questions To Ask Your Pastor

Council of Nicaea Conclusion - The Origins of Christian Belief

In the year 325A.D the emperor of Rome, Constantine gathered a group of church bishops and other leaders who believes in Christianity. The purpose of the meeting was to define the true God for all Christians and eliminate any confusion within Christ's church.

By the end of this council, Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit were considered one and the same. Before the council, there was confusion about, whether they should believe in one God, two gods or three entities.

Here's a statement from got questions, a popular Christian website, "The Council of Nicea affirmed the deity of Jesus Christ and established an official definition of the Trinity-the deity of The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit under one Godhead, in three co-equal and co-eternal Persons."

This was a pretty interesting article, if you've got time to read it, I would also suggest checking out Wikipedia for more information about the Council of Nicaea.

Here's Some of the Problems I Have with This Small Group of Proclaimed Christians.

If I'm reading this statement correctly, a group of people or religious leaders, 1700 years ago decided that Jesus, God the creator of everything in the universe and the Holy Spirit are the same. What does this mean to you? To me it establishes as a fact that a group of men, at a meeting, under the control of the Roman empire and the Emperor Constantine, made an agreement within the Council of man, not gods, that the Trinity was now a fact.

If this one thing was created by a group of men, doesn't it get you thinking about other things in your religion that might be false or even misleading. These are some of the facts that most Christians tend to either ignore or don't even have a clue that they exist.

I believe more Christians and other organized religions should inspire their followers to learn more about how their religions were formed and where they came from. I cannot verify that the Council of Nicaea ever took place, I'm basing this information on historical writings from man, that I either gather on the Internet or through books. I don't know if any of this is true or false, always use religion responsibly.

I don't need to believe the information, I don't need to believes the information in the Bible, I need to research and gather more information and with this information I can make an educated guess, and be happy with that, I suggest you do the same.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing, marketing, and personal development

Greg is currently working on a self help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion

Dog Creates Remodeling Nightmare

How many homeowners normally leave their dog in the backyard or they have full time access to the backyard through a doggie door. You're probably wondering how can a little dog create a remodeling nightmare for any contractor.

This wasn't the case this dog was a large Labrador retriever and tore up everything in the backyard constantly. The house remodel we were working on was a two story room addition over a single story house. This job lasted around six months and the dog was a daily reminder of how much attention a large dog actually needs.

Let's start with the first item of value the dog actually destroyed. It was my favorite tool bags of course that I have taken care of for over five years and deeply appreciated the fact that they were broke in just the way I wanted them to be. Kind of like a baseball mitt that doesn't quite fit right because of how stiff it is until you break it in.

While the homeowner of course apologized and never even offered to replace them. Oh but after that he did mention never to leave anything lying around in the backyard. Lesson learned of course and never forgotten. Well to make a long story short this large dog could chew up tools, lumber, plumbing pipes, electrical wire and was even able to destroyed the plywood fencing we would use to keep him away.

I'm going to stop right there with the remodeling nightmare created from this dog in hopes that other contractors can learn from my valuable lesson. As a contractor you should never assume that a homeowner will replace any damaged or broken tools and materials.

As a homeowner with a dog reading this article, think about having a place to enclose the dog if necessary while remodeling work is done on your home.

I love being around dogs and other animals but sometimes a problem like this can make life extremely miserable for both parties.

Greg Vanden Berge has been building and remodeling for over 30 years and his information has proven valuable to most contractors and homeowners all over the world. He usually tries to write at least two articles a day on home improvement or remodeling problems.

Greg is in the process right now of working on a home inspection website that will revolutionize the home inspection business. He is also working on a book to help homeowners and contractors as well as other home related professions in dealing with the home inspection process.

You can visit the home inspection website currently under construction at Home Inspection Help

Personal Development

A One Minute Meditation

Maybe learning to meditate intimidates you, and in any case it's tough to find the time for daily meditation. The solution to both problems is an easy meditation you can learn right now, that will only take a minute to do each day.

An Easy Meditation Technique

Breathing through your mouth expands your chest, but if you breath through your nose you'll notice how your abdomen extends. You see, nose-breathing causes the diaphram to pull air to the bottom of your lungs. This delivers a good dose of oxygen into your bloodstream and brain. It also tends to relax you.

Breathing through your nose is healthier, and it's the basis of this one-minute meditation. You simply close your eyes, let the tension go out of your muscles, let go of your thoughts (to the extent possible), and take four slow, deep breaths through your nose, paying attention to your breathing.

Is Meditation This Easy?

You're not likey to get you into a deep meditative state with this simple exercise. You will get benefits, though. These will almost certainly include a clearer mind and a reduction in stress.

Try to develop a "trigger" for your meditation. You can do your four breaths when you get into the car, for example, or right after lunch each day. A trigger is a place or time that reminds you, so your meditation becomes a habit.

Some may say this isn't "real" meditation, but there's nothing wrong with enjoying the relaxation you'll get from this technique. You can always pursue deeper meditation later, if you wish. In the meantime, remember that not everything has to be difficult to be of value. Why not do an easy one-minute meditation right now?

Steve Gillman writes on many self help topics including boosting brainpower, losing weight, meditation, habits of mind, creative problem solving, learning gratitude, generating luck and anything related to self improvement. You'll find more at http://www.SelfImprovementNow.com

Repairing a Leaking Toilet

Let me explain how a toilet works. First when you go to flush the toilet a little arm pulls a rubber flapper up and lets the water drain into the toilet bowl. The water draining into the toilet bowl forces the old water out along with the number two or number one waste and extremities.

If the toilet sounds like it is running there is a good chance that the seal between the rubber flapper and the plastic rain at the bottom of the toilet is broken somehow. The sound you are hearing is water running around this ring and in to the toilet bowl.

This leak is actually causing no damage to the toilet itself but is wasting water. Hence the water bill will be a little higher if you don't fix the leaking toilet. The best way to find out if this is actually your problem is to take the toilet tank lid off. Then stick your hand down into the toilet bowl and press gently on the rubber flap.

If the water stops leaking or starts running faster this is your problem. Turn the water off to the toilet. There will be a shut off valve on the wall under your toilet bowl in the bathroom. After you turn the water off removed the plastic flap and examine it.

You will be looking for a warped toilet flap or of some sort or grooves on the flapper itself. Take the toilet flapper down to your local home improvement store and buy a new one. Go home and replace the new toilet flapper and this should solve 90% of your leaking toilet problems.

There is one more thing it could be. With the toilet tank lid off, check to see if water is overflowing into the little round plastic pipe. This plastic pipe should have a small hose running from the float valve assembly into it.

If the water is over flowing from the toilet tank into this little plastic pipe you will need to adjust the float.

First thing you will need to do is while the toilet is running lift up on the float lever arm. If the water stops you can simply bend the metal arm of the float lever. The purpose of bending the arm will force the float deeper into the water there for stopping the water from rising over the small tube in the center of your toilet.

There are few parts to a toilet and most parts can be purchased at your local hardware or home improvement centers. Toilet repairs like this can be made simple and the parts used to replace are inexpensive.

Happy Toilet Repairing.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more House Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and Some Great Plumbing Ideas

Will All Men Ever Hate Jesus

The Different Types of Buddhism

Just like there are many different denominations of Christianity including Protestant churches and Catholicism, the different types of Buddhism reflect the way that this religion is practiced.

Buddhism is a dharmic religion and form of spirituality that revolves around certain beliefs and practices all of which are aimed at bringing the participant closer to Buddhahood the highest level of spiritual awareness. However, because the religion has gained followers in several different parts of the world (mostly in Asia), the way that Buddhism is practiced has split into several different sects. All of the Buddhist sects believe certain things in common: all accept Buddha as their teacher, use the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path in their teachings, and believe that Buddhahood is the highest attainment.

Most scholars divide the different types of Buddhism into three sections. The first of these is Southern Buddhism, or Theraveda Buddhism. The word Theraveda is a word in the Pali language (thought to be spoken by the Buddha) that means the Doctrine of the Elders. The biggest aim in the Theraveda practice is to use meditation to train the mind, and to encourage freedom of the mind from suffering. This freedom from suffering will allow you to reach the greatest spiritual goal Nirvana. Theraveda Buddhism is the only surviving school from the earliest years of Buddhism, and it is mostly practiced today in Sri Lanka, Laos and Cambodia.

The second type of Buddhism that is mentioned is Eastern Buddhism, also known as Mahayana Buddhism. This sect not only teaches the Pali Canon (which is the religious text of Theraveda Buddhism) but also includes additional texts and beliefs. In order to reach Nirvana, Mahayana Buddhists believe that a person must practice universal compassion, which is the altruistic quest of the Bodhisattva to attain the Awakened Mind of Buddhahood. Mahayana Buddhism also has a level of mysticism involved. This type of Buddhism is practiced in China, Korea and Japan, as well as parts of other Asian countries.

The third of the different types of Buddhism is Northern or Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism is also considered to be a type of Mahayana Buddhism, but it also embraces other teachings, texts and practices that are not seen in the Eastern type of Mahayana Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism is also sometimes called Tantric Buddhism or Vajrayana. This type of Buddhism uses both the Mahayana and Theraveda scriptures, as well as a number of Buddhist Tantras all of which are aimed at attaining Buddhahood in just one lifetime instead of requiring many reincarnations.

While all of the different types of Buddhism have the same goal and same basis for their beliefs, the way that Buddhahood is obtained varies from sect to sect. It is important to understand the way that each sect works before choosing to practice a type of Buddhism.

Read free dahli lama quotes daily for peace and enlightenment at DahliLamaQuotesDaily.com

Planning Your Bathroom Remodel Budget - Home Improvement Ideas

As a bathroom remodeling contractor, I get calls from people, that have no idea what they want or how much anything is going to cost. Here's some simple tips that can be very helpful when planning a bathroom remodel budget.

Bathroom Remodeling Investment

In 2008, the average mid-range bathroom cost around $16,000 and you could recoup around $12,000 of your original investment upon the sale of your home. According to a popular remodeling magazine, larger bathrooms using expensive fixtures, tile, bathtubs, woodworking, toilets and showers had an average of $52,000. Upon the sale of a home, you could recoup around $36,000 of your original investment.

Finding out How Much Things Cost

My first suggestion, would be to visit your local home improvement center, lumber yard or plumbing supply warehouse. Larger stores like Home Depot and Lowe's, seemed to provide you with value pricing but don't have a large selection. While doing some research on the Internet I noticed that some of their pricing is outrageously, outrageous. Some plumbing supply warehouses can provide value but beware others won't.

Create a List of Bathroom Remodeling Parts

You can get a good idea of your bathroom remodel costs for your budget by making a list of bathroom parts with pricing and then adding them up for a grand total. If you're a total bathroom remodel budget is $15,000 and you have a $6,000 bathtub with $4000 worth of tile, you could have a budget problem.

Figuring out the Labor

You will have to contact a contractor to get an actual cost for the labor. Sometimes you can double the cost of your bathroom remodeling parts to get a rough idea. If you have a list or a couple of lists and a few pictures of some sample bathrooms, this will make the contractor's job easier and often they can give you a labor price within a few days.

Give Yourself a Cushion

I would suggest leaving yourself a small financial cushion for any additional remodeling items. For example, you could see a different toilet, or instead of painting the walls, you now choose to wallpaper, you could incur additional expenses that you haven't planned for. If you know exactly what you want and stick to the original bathroom remodeling plan, you shouldn't need the cushion.

Financial problems often transfer into construction problems, so spend some time figuring out, how much money you want to spend on the bathroom remodel and try not to go overboard on the budget. I hate to see homeowners struggling with home improvement loan payments. Try to create a bathroom remodeling budget that is realistic and will not create a financial burden upon you or your family.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a home buyers guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your looking for some more bathroom remodeling or home building ideas.

Effects Of False Prophets

A New Day For Less Stress

We are in amazing times! Do you believe that in this new day the human body can handle so much stress and excitement? From the economy to the environment the body is bombarded daily by stress inducing factors. Stress is like a fast flowing avalanche of water; stress is the flood and plague of our times.

Although we live in such amazing times with stress levels of immense proportions many ways exist to expunge the body and mind of stress with lightning speed and faster. To clarify one's brain after a stressful day requires some self-initiative and a mindful awareness...hardly a facile task when you're tired and overwhelmed. But when you learn right now the steps to relieve stress in a most powerful way you'll absolutely know in the moments of overwhelm what to do to mitigate the damage and reverse the aging effects that stress induces. And to make sure the mind/body is expunged fully of most stress before we lay down to sleep (an imperative step for wellness) we will focus on an ancient art of body awareness.

This awareness will bring you to a place that is nearly stress free. These crucial exercises important as they are and as powerful are but a warm-up for the one time that can reduce stress levels to undetectable levels. This process we will now discuss is an ancient process old as life itself. Without it we will die in minutes and without a daily period of conscious breathing we absolutely cannot live stress free. Breathing rhythmically and as deeply and fully as feasible before bedtime is like a key that unlocks the deepest secret of stress release. The secret is oxygenated and unencumbered sleep.

It is something that everyone must do yet so few know how to unlock the full potential for stress reduction and healing that can take place nightly. Fortunately you are reading this and will be empowered and perhaps compelled to tell your family and friends of these stress relief techniques. Once you experience the amazing leaps of growth and expansion in your life and the downright astonishing moments of luck and "coincidence" you will be compelled to share your light and truth with the world.

The ancient art of pranayama meaning to lengthen breath and life will change the body from the inside out and allow the body to slip into the deepest level of sleep imaginable. After doing these exercises stress levels will plummet to levels that you may have only experienced when you were a newborn. Many of us have been since birth exposed to stress. Even if the first years were in a peaceful (and smoke free) home nearly all of us and almost everyone reading this is exposed to one of the most prolific inducers of stress of our time...electromagnetic frequencies. Daily stress factors are many but the following combination of powerful breathing exercises and a deep restful sleep is enough to renew the body, mind and spirit. And you'll sleep like a baby.

Before beginning be sure to sit down and keep both feet on the ground (Do not attempt while driving or flying a helicopter, operating a hover craft...get the picture).

The first exercise involves bringing the right hand to the face and covering your right nostril with your right thumb while the index and middle fingers touch the center of your forehead. Now exhale fully out the left nostril then inhale fully...now cover the left nostril with the ring finger and exhale out the right nostril. Inhale through the right nostril then cover it with the thumb. Exhale out the left nostril followed by an inhale...cover it then out the right.

Left, right, left, right, left, right... Do this exercise for two minutes or for ten cycles.

Now the next exercise: sitting tall drop your chin to your chest and tighten your abdominal muscles and buttocks. ("Locking" the chin down and locking the abs and butt will isolate the breath to the upper chest). Take a deep breath and start to inhale and exhale rapidly while the lowest ribs expand and contract powerfully. Do this for 30-50 exhales.

Next: Sit tall and "lock" your chest and shoulders tight; lock the buttocks and inhale deeply into the lower abdomen and belly. Quickly inhale/exhale and deliberately expand and contract the stomach 30-50 times. The stomach muscles should be tightened as much as possible on the exhalation and expanded equally on the inhalation.

And lastly stand up with feet about shoulder width apart or wider. Inhale deeply and thrust the hips up and forward while tightening the muscles of the reproductive organs. Exhale and stick the butt out and squat down slightly while tightening the center of the buttocks. Breathe up and in, then down and out 8-10 times.

The simple and profoundly effective series of breathing exercises we just learned can be done every night before bed. The breath has the effect of massaging the organs, calming the mind and releasing any blocks in energy within the tissues of the body. These benefits have the effect of stimulating the various systems of the body to operate more efficiently and in harmony within the whole system. When this energy is allowed to flow the effect on our sleep is profound.

The brain waves will harmonize into their natural frequency with deeper and longer and even waves. Releasing stress with the breathing exercises allows the mind to detach from the thoughts. The electrical system of the body harmonizes with the breath. All systems are allowed to align with a vibration of peace and well-being. The benefits continue all night long and the amount of surplus energy you gain will propel you to new levels of understanding of yourself and the world. We are in amazing times. Maximize the tools you possess to thrive in these times.

HypnoFreedom is currently offering a free teleseminar series "Clearing Your Path for Abundance: The Best of the Best for Boundless Well-Being". Please learn more and sign up here: http://www.alternativedesignsolutions.com/HypnoFreedom/bestofthebest.html

Shawn Duyette is a martial artist of ten years. He has been trained in several energy healing modalites including reiki, quantum touch, and Native American energy healing. Shawn is also a Certified Hypnotherapist and massage therapist. He has been trained in herbology and Chinese medicine (acupuncture, shiatsu, tui-na bodywork) and is currently on sabbatical from medical school.

Shawn is a life long meditator who began meditating at a very young age sitting for hours in the woods of his suburban childhood home in the northeastern United States.

Shawn enjoys writing poetry and has been published as a poet with some of his works found at http://www.Poetry.com

Currently he is blogging for hypno-freedom and he is working on his first book which is aimed at sharing metaphysical principles with children.

Attic Odors and Strange Smells

If you've ever opened up your attic access hole, only to find one of the worst odors you have ever smelled in your whole life, I've been there too. What causes these horrible smells and what can you do about them?

Let's start with the cause of these smells, moisture, dirt, mold, mildew, dead animals, animals that make their home in your attic and the biggest problem of all is normally poor ventilation.

Poor ventilation is the biggest problem with musty smells in the attic. These smells are often caused from moisture accumulating in the building materials over time. If there is enough moisture in the attic, the wood will start to rot but this wouldn't be a normal situation, unless there was a roof or water leak.

Roof leaks can cause a constant supply of water to one part of the attic. This constant supply of water will eventually rot the wood and damage the ceiling. Water leaks from pipes can provide a steady supply of water and the situation can attracts termites and mold. Not a good thing.

One of the worst possible smells or odors in your attic would be a dead animal. Don't under estimate the size of some of these animals, they have found dead raccoons, cats, snakes, large birds, squirrels, rats and mice in some attics. These animals usually enter through damaged access holes or vent blocks, roof vents, large gaps, holes and even fireplace chimneys.

Once these animals die, their bodies start to decompose and produce one horrible odor. Once the body is completely decomposed, the smell usually goes away if the attic is ventilated properly. These smells can seep into the homes living area, often creating a room that no one wants to enter.

Home peststhat make their home in your attics, often create smells from urinating and defecating in the areas around their nest. Large birds like owls can become a problem over time.

Now that we've figured out some of the causes for attic odors and strange smells, what can we do to prevent this from happening and if it's already happened, how can we get rid of the smell.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your having problems in your attic, find out more at pest control books and home building ideas.

When Do We Get To Meet God

Mentor Schmentor

I don't think I could count how many times I've read in Personal Achievement-type books that I must find a mentor, and that I simply can't expect to reach great heights in my life without one.

It seems to be part of a "formula" that also includes other "necessary" prerequisites that in addition to the mentor spiel, include the importance of setting goals and building a "mastermind" group. Another popular ingredient is for an author to mention in one of the initial chapters, about that particularly amazing mid-1900's Harvard study - or is it Yale - where the 3% people who had written their goals, had actually achieved them.

I am not disputing the value of having someone play the role of a mentor, or of writing down your goals, despite the above. However, the millions of readers of these kinds of self-help books will only benefit themselves by thinking with their own mind. Treating advice as gospel merely because the book had been written by a successful businessman can tend to put a damper on one's creativity and/or his or her own individual intuitional urges to take one's own inspired action.

It is primarily the mentor subject I wanted to discuss. You don't need anything except for a willingness to allow supply and abundance (i.e. living in thought and feeling as the version of you that is already living your ideal circumstances), and the trust to listen to your own inner urgings towards action in the right direction.

All you need will be attracted to you - including a "mentor", if in fact your desired objective requires extra knowledge. You will meet this person in exactly the right time and in the right place, and receive what you need from the person. It might even be a Combo deal where this person can both impart knowledge and be a business partner, or a source of funding.

For example, if you have excitement over an objective of producing non-profit events for a particular Cause, but you had never accomplished anything of the sort, there are obviously many directions you could decide to take.

Don't limit yourself by simply reading one of the many books on the business shelf, and arriving at the conclusion that because the author claimed that to stand any chance at success, you must secure a mentor, this means you have this responsibility to find a guru with spare time. This belief can tend to put someone in Seek-Approval mode, which is not attractive.

Instead, adopt a belief system that contains the possibility of a Universal Mind connecting everything, with an unfailing Organizing Principle - simply do what's before you to do, taking calm action. Merely taking action based on information you already have is a powerful way to impress the end objective onto the same Universal Mind that is discussed in either the movie: What The Bleep, or in Wiliiam Walter Atkinson's Thought Vibration, a century prior.

Also, spend just a few minutes a day contemplating what it would feel like having an event completed with success, shaking the hands of those few remaining attendees who are on their way out the door or your first event, and who had donated. Feel the exhilaration.

When you are taking on the identity, this powerfully, of someone "who simply does successful charities", the intensity to which you are Radiating this from just your Presence, will attract exactly the help you need from the woodwork.

Once you've left behind the version of yourself that doubts (shifting the quality of your can-do thoughts over that 50% line), the Infinite Intelligence orchestrates whatever needs orchestrating. (as new-agey as that sounds) to match up the outer and the inner.

Why would we ever try to do everything, related to achieving an objective, all by ourselves including finding some mentor that an author says you must find yourself? The Intelligence that runs the entire Universe has a slightly better access to information, including the ability to send someone stumbling into your life, that is specifically needed in the manifesting of any particular objective.

http://www.scienceofrealitycreation.com
is a place which celebrates the Connection between Ancient Spiritual Literature and Quantum Physics with Resources and Articles on Wealth and Personal Freedom

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Hiring a Contractor For Bathroom Remodeling - Remodeling Contractors

Well here's the age old question, how do we go about finding a decent bathroom remodeling contractor.

Here's some things you will be looking for in a contractor.

1. Is Your Contractor Fair and Honest?

2. Does Your Contractor Have Experience Remodeling and Designing Bathrooms?

3. Can You Actually Find a Contractor Who Will Complete the Job in a Timely Manner?

4. Do You Think the Workers Will Be Able to Clean the Job up Daily?

5. Will the Contractor Show up on Time?

6. Is the Contractor Going to Work At Least Eight Hours a Day?

7. Does the Contractor's Crew Have Experience?

8. Is Your Contractor and His Crew Courteous?

If you find a contractor for your bathroom remodeling project that has answered yes to all questions above, hire that person immediately. Most contractors can sincerely answer yes to half of the questions above. If you're looking for the ultimate bathroom remodeling contractor, you could be searching for quite a while, you're looking for some one that is competent and you feel comfortable with.

When hiring a contractor, look for someone who has your interest in mind first and not theirs. Find someone who is willing to help with the designed process of your bathroom and the remodeling. If you find a contractor to be arrogant or controlling, there is a good chance, your bathroom might not turn out the way you envision it.

When hiring a contractor for your bathroom remodeling project or any home improvement project, the most important thing to keep in mind is, whether or not you feel comfortable with this person or not. Never hire a contractor you're not comfortable with.

If a contractor is referred to you by someone you trust, this does not guarantee you will be happy with the bathroom remodel. Most referrals that I have gotten over the years are like rolling the dice, I believe I would have done just as good picking a name out of a hat.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building stairs and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Using Words In The Bible Effecti

Your Blissful Life - Your Definition

The beauty of your blissful life is the simple fact that it is all yours! You, and only you, define exactly what it means to you, in every part of your life. There have never been two individuals wanting exactly the same thing in every part of their lives. While they may share some common desires, they will have unique meanings for their respective blissful lives. Just as each of us are a unique beautiful people, so is our definition of our blissful life! As you execute the process of defining your blissful life, you are creating a work of art that is all you. Your work of art is you in all your beauty and glory.

How can each of us have such a unique definition for the same object of our desires? Let me explain;

As I discussed in earlier articles, we are all made up of many components or parts. Recall also that all of these aspects or parts are unique to each and every one of us. It is because of this that we all place different values on our various parts. l place a certain value or importance on my professional career while you place a completely different value or importance on yours. You may place greater importance on your relationship with your friends (your friends part) as opposed to your professional career. Everyone you know such as your significant other, mother, father, and siblings, acquaintances etc. will all place various parts higher or lower on their importance scale when compared to yours.

The importance that we each place on our various parts uniquely defines not only who we are and how we act; it also uniquely defines your blissful life. The reason that you are currently reading this article is you, for some reason, feel a need to redefine, re-rank, resolve a conflict within or between your parts, or to define new parts and integrate them into yourself. This is your unique definition. This is how you identify, compare, and take action on a daily basis, in every moment. Everything you do is driven to satisfy and achieve the definition you have for your parts which, when combined, define yourself as a person.

After completing my this and my next two articles, you will have identified all of your parts, ranked them in order of importance to yourself and your life, and what you want your blissful life to look, sound, and feel like to you.

For me, your blissful life means a balance between my parts that allowed me to assist others in achieving their goals while providing a satisfactory standard of living. It also means that I have the freedom and permission from myself to continue to grow and discover more about myself and the world I live in, no matter what! To me this means that there are no silly or ridiculous ideas or paths. I have given myself permission to explore all of them, no matter where they might lead. I have learned that in order for me to live my blissful life, I must be true to myself, my ideals, my thoughts, my intuition, and my feelings. When I do this, I can do anything, be anything, and discover anything I desire. When I am doing this and helping others enrich their lives that I am truly living my blissful life.

Take some time now to reflect;

Review your list of parts my previous article Your Blissful Life: The Struggle Within.

Review all of the parts you identified after reading the article.

Have you discovered any other parts? If so, note them here.

Mr. Timothy A. McGinty is the published co-author of the highly regarded Wake Up... Live the Life You Love series. This series is a collaborative effort with such inspirational leaders as Tony Robbins, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Brian Tracey, Steven E, and Lee Beard.

Mr. McGinty is also the author of "Your Blissful Life", a book which takes the reader by the hand and walks them through a process for defining their "Blissful Life" and the action plan for achieving it.

Imagine Yourself... is an organization focused on enabling clients "breakthrough" in achieving their success. Mr. McGinty has helped many organizations and individuals discover their passion, define the life balance they seek, develop strategies for achieving that balance, and held them accountable for reaching their goals. His clients have been so successful that Mr. McGinty is known as "The Breakthrough Guy"

Imagine Yourself...
13477 Prospect Rd. Suite 204
Strongsville, Ohio 44149
Telephone: 440-236-6519
Web: http://www.timothymcginty.com
E-mail: tim@timothymcginty.com

Finding Something You Don't Like About Yourself - Creating Habits

Finding something you don't like about yourself is usually very easy for most people. Most of the time you don't even have to ask your family or friends because you have heard them complain about the same thing for years. How many times have you heard someone mention, I need to lose weight?

Here's a list of things people don't like about themselves. If you're one of those people that has a hard time finding something wrong with yourself, you could always ask one of your friends for some suggestions. I'm sure they would like that.

1. The need to lose weight. This of course is one of the worst problems with Americans. Most people need to lose weight and let's not forget there are some people that need to gain weight.

2. The need to stop gambling. As more Indian reservations are allowed to build gambling casinos and of course as the Internet gambling gets larger, I've noticed some people with gambling problems.

3. The need to stop drinking alcohol. The abuse of alcohol has been going on for many years. These people have an excuse for why they drink and most of the time it doesn't make sense.

4. The need to stop smoking. This could be one of the most difficult things I've ever seen my friends and family deal with.

5. The need to stop excessive behaviors. For example, gossiping, cruelty, bullying, lying, cheating, stealing, partying etc. You get the idea.

6. Don't forget the dreaded shopaholic. Most shopaholic's seem to have large credit card debt and can't seem to stop this vicious circle of buying and owing money to their creditors.

7. Working long hours or the workaholic. Sometimes this is a necessity but I would suggest that you change your lifestyle if possible. Reevaluate your reasons for working so hard.

8. Religious fundamentalists. People that spend too much time at their place of worship and soon find themselves feeling guilty if they're not doing something spiritual.

9. The need to be on time. This would include people that have problems giving themselves enough time to get ready for work or school.

10. The need to stop doing drugs. I thought by now, approaching my 50s, that drugs would no longer be a problem in the United States, but it is. It's one of the most damaging things people can do to their lives.

There are plenty of things that people would like to stop doing or start doing. If you're a smoker and you seem to shop excessively near the casinos, I would advise you to start with something small and work your way up to the big stuff.

What are you going to change today about your life? Make a list of things that you're not happy with about your life and start making the changes today that you need to create the life you deserve and desire.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a personal development video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

If I Hate My Brother

Goals to Live by and Guild Your Life - Self Help Tips

The start of the new year is a traditional time to reflect on the accomplishments of the previous year and establish goals for the future. Our family started setting goals when our children were still in grade school. We sat at the kitchen table, each with a blank page of paper before us. We encouraged them to be creative and dream big. The variety of my families goals surprised me. Some of their goals were loftier than others. They included:

- Skydive

- Finish college

- Invent something

- Travel to all 50 U.S. states

- Be in the Guinness Book of World Records

My husband and I also set big goals for ourselves. After each session, I typed up our goals. I printed each of our goals separately and mounted them in picture frames posted outside our bedrooms where we would see them every day. Several times a year we take them down and review our progress. We note the completed goals, make modifications or add new goals. New pages are printed and inserted as the top sheet in the frame. We have been doing this for 15 years now. During the review process, we look back on previous year goals are tucked behind the glass. When we reflect on our progress, I'm delighted to see how many of these big goals we have accomplished. Wally Amos is one of the most inspiring and goal focused people I know. I had the chance to visit with him recently at his cookie Chip and Cookie store in Waikiki. Wally says there are no big goals. According to Wally, some goals just take longer to achieve than other goals. If you get an opportunity to visit Oahu, Hawaii, stop by to say hello to Wally and sample the cookies at his "Chip and Cookie" stores. Where do you what to be next year? Start off 2009 by setting goals for yourself.

April M. Williams, Career Coach and Public Speaker - Have the courage to change!

And now I would like to offer you my free weekly newsletter of career and networking tips http://www.AprilMWilliams.com/

Five Reasons Why Solar Power is Right For Your Water Fountain

A solar water fountain could become the highlight of your entire landscape. Some people plant bedding flowers and flowering shrubs and perennials to beautify their gardens. A solar fountain will make an interesting feature to your garden or patio dcor simply, easily and inexpensively.

If you have hesitated about buying a garden water fountain before, the benefits of solar power will quickly change your mind.

• There are no running costs - No mains electricity or batteries to buy
• No installation costs - Are easy to install for all skill levels
• Eco-friendly - do not use non-renewable fossil fuels
• Can be placed anywhere - user-friendly and easy to set up
• Inexpensive and last for years

When you purchase your solar water fountain, it will be a self-contained unit. You may buy a direct power kit but you will probably want to go with the power pack. The power pack has the advantage of absorbing the suns rays then storing that energy for continued usage, day or night. You can take advantage of the fountain even when the sun goes down for those evening garden parties or poolside parties.

Because you are not using mains power, you are not contributing to the depletion of the Earth's resources. There are no holes to dig, no electric cables to install and no dry cell batteries to buy. You do not have to worry about hooking them up to a power source to make them run. Solar fountains and solar water pumps require no power source and so can be installed anywhere. Find a nice spot in your garden where your fountain will have maximum impact

Setting up a solar water fountain is an easy project even for the most novice DIY person and you will have your fountain up and running in no time. Just add water.

Solar powered water fountains are comparatively inexpensive and will last for years. Even when you redesign your landscape, the fountain can be incorporated in a different area of the garden and continue to run effortlessly.

Solar water fountains will enhance the beauty of your garden or patio.

Solar fountains run off the energy of the sun and are quickly becoming very popular.

Solar fountains are extremely friendly to the environment. They don't require any external power source so they don't increase the demand for electricity from polluting coal or natural gas electric plants. Solar fountains are the organic way to enhance the ambience of your garden. Few sounds are as pleasing as the slow murmur of cascading water.

Outdoor water fountains come in all sorts of designs, from those with cascading waterfalls to those that include a birdbath pool, to those that spout jets of water into the air, to decorative wall fountains. serenityhealth.com has a great selection of solar water fountains available in many different styles for use landscapes and in ponds.

There is a large range to choose from, depending on the style you're after for your garden's new image. Make the solar fountain the centerpiece of your garden or simply use them as accents, to increase your gardens overall beauty.

Solar fountains are a great addition to a water feature. Take advantage of their benefits.

Now emerging from the mist of a colorful and varied career, Ian Patterson was born early in is life somewhere in a long forgotten postal code. The mantra that he learned from his parents, while growing up on their farm was "if you want it done right, then do it yourself".

That's just what he did.

Ian Patterson is someone who's been there, done that, printed the T shirt and wrote the book. A firefighter, soldier, yachtsman, skier, climber, mechanic, plumber, electrician, data technician, business continuity planner, and web writer are just some of the things he's been.

He was a pescaterian before it was fashionable and is an avid animal lover and a longtime dog handler. He has traveled to most countries around the world. Set up home in three of them and learned their language and culture.

Now he is the founder and CEO of Write Research Office since 2004.

Light Workers Movie on Estoic Wisdom

This video tells of the estoic wisdom between the three types of light workers and how they are going to bring the earth into a new earth full of love and light.

Life of Jesus

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a spiritual help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Accomplishing Your Goals

How Do You Build a Close Relationship With Your Grandchild When You Live Far Away?

It was Sunday morning. I was 7 years old. Nothing was happening in my house. I mean nothing! Church did not hold any charm for me despite the prevalence of rituals and devices of divination. Yet, at least I could stare at the woman with the fox heads trying to eat each other around her neck and strategize ways to touch them without being discovered. My parents expected me to remain dressed up for Sunday. In fact, it was a day filled with expectations. I hated Sundays.

But once a month, the Sunday routine was broken by a visit to my grandparents. It could be that they lived in the city; it could be the four flights of stairs shrouded in darkness that convincingly resembled spooky spaces housing dead peoples' spirits; it could be the smells of pink applesauce cooking on a converted coal stove in the narrow, linoleum-clad kitchen. But I suspect it was more the look in my grandmother's eyes when I walked through the door. I knew that there was nothing that I could ever do that would dilute the idolatry I received. Furthermore, when I saw that look, there was no doubt in my mind that I completely deserved the idolatry.

My grandfather was a plain man, having grown up as a farmhand. His world knew no glamour and as I began to experiment with the adornment that only a twelve-year old could aspire to, he was mesmerized by blue eye shadows, colorful streaks in my hair, glitter on my cheeks, and flashy jewelry. In his eyes, I was Esmeralda dancing in the admiration of a hundred adoring fans. When around him, there was no doubt in my mind that I was utterly beautiful.

* * *

A package arrived with instructions not to open until I called my son, hundreds of miles away in Kansas City.

"Kevin?! I received the package."

"Wait, let me get Jamie to the phone."

My mind raced with a little concern. Jamie had just begun medical school. Kevin had just begun a new position. Are they buying a house? Do they need help? Is one of them sick?

"Ok, Mom, open the box." Said Jamie.

As I unfolded the paper lining in the box, I saw a bib clearly marked "Grandma."

The bib transported me back to the loving embrace of my own grandparents but when I thought about not being able to see the baby every month or week or day, I was disheartened. How could I give that child the experience I had when I lived so far away?

I still do not live closer to my grandchildren, yet, with effort, I tried to replicate the grandparent relationship that I enjoyed. How? I tried to send regular packages, letters, or pictures to them and made regular phone calls. However, there were many times that I would buy something, intending to mail it, and it sat on my kitchen counter for weeks until I got around to shipping it. I was not able to make a strong enough connection with such irregularity and twice a year visits.

Oh yes, one more thing. I am a professor and train psychologists. I know what it takes to build a close connection with a child. Psychologists call it attachment, which is another name for connection. Attachments are formed within the first two years of life and are the result of consistent nurturing contact. The more a child experiences that connection, the tighter the bond. The more a child feels he or she can depend on the person to act in the same nurturing way, the more the child builds trust. The more the child trusts other people, the more confident he or she feels about herself/himself.

However, do not assume that the child develops strong connection and sense of self merely as a recipient of love. The child must also learn that he or she can, in turn, affect the relationship. The child must learn that his or her response to the love matters. In this way, the child learns self-esteem and self-efficacy in that the things he or she actually does, builds the connection as well. This is relational reciprocity.

Putting the distant grandparent dilemma into the context of attachment, for such a connection to occur, it would take the following: a) regular consistent happy experiences that can be anticipated without disappointment, b) a way for the child to associate the happy experience with a particular person, and c) a required response from the child. In order for the experience to be happy, it must be relevant, i.e. developmentally appropriate and important to the child.

Dr. Suni Petersen is a family therapist, professor of psychology, and president of Toy Connex. Toy Connex is an on-line retail store and a toy-of-the-month subscription service that accomplishes the requirements for building strong bonds with a young child. The grandparent (or parent) completes a play profile so that a developmentally, educationally appropriate toy is sent to the child at the same time each month. Along with the gift, the child receives a photograph and message from the subscriber, and a thank you card on which to draw, then mail in the already-addressed and stamped envelope. http://www.toyconnex.com