The Top Five Regrets of the Dying

Many people spend a lifetime on chasing happiness. We imagine, that if we get a new job, a new lover or a new car, then happiness awaits just around the corner.
But now a nurse shows us, that we have mistaken ideas about happiness.

According to Bronnie Ware happiness is not hidden behind expensive cars or a new job. She concludes that happiness for most people is right in front of us, if only we dare to pick it up.

For many years, nurse Bronnie Ware cared for people who were dying. During these years, she found, that the dying, surprisingly enough, all shared the same regrets.
Because of this, she made a list of the top five “regrets of the dying”, and published them in the book “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying.”

TOP FIVE REGRETS OF THE DYING:

1: I wish I’d had the courage to be true to myself, and not just live up to others’ expectations of me.
– This is the most common among all regrets. Most people who look back on a long life realize, that they have not even met half of their dreams.

2: I wish I hadn’t worked that much.
– People deeply regret that they have spent so much time in the daily grind. For afterwards, they find they have been cheated out of both their children’s youth and their partner company, says Ware.

3: I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
– Many people suppress their feelings to avoid problems. As a result they have never outlived their full potential.
Many people are sick, because they have held back their entire life, says Bronnie Ware.

4: I wish I had kept in touch with my friends.
– Many do not consider how important friendships are, before time is running out. Everyone misses their friends the day they await death. Many regret they have not given their friendships the time and attention they deserved, while there was time, she said.

5: I wish that I had allowed myself be happier.
– Too many people discover, when it is too late, that happiness is a choice they make for themselves.
They are stuck in the old patterns and habits. Fear of change makes people delude themselves and others into thinking, that they are satisfied. But deep down they long for a good laugh, and to be silly, she says.

My regret would be no. 4. Time runs too fast, and before I know it, I haven’t seen friends for a longer time.
Since this is one of the top 5, I better take that one more serious than I do now.

For the rest, I’m fortunately very ok.
-Work a lot in periods, but always make sure, I can have my time off at other times.
-Live as I believe I should. Not according to what others think I should do.
-I express my feelings. Politely, but I express.
-And I allow myself to be as happy as I can be.

What about you?

Ending World Hunger, One Grilled Cheese at a Time

Ending World Hunger, One Grilled Cheese at a Time.

FeelGood is a volunteer youth movement of change makers committed to ending global hunger in our lifetime. Around the country, people are raising money for the end of hunger by running FeelGood Grilled Cheese Deli’s on college campuses. Every penny raised is invested in hunger-ending organizations with a proven track record of success.

Start a chapter: http://www.feelgood.org/start/

Kristin Walter and Talis Apud-Hendricks are passionate about ending world hunger in our lifetimes. After meeting in college in 2004, they co-founded FeelGood as a student organization with the belief that even something as small as a grilled cheese can make a difference. Kristin has been FeelGood’s Executive Director since graduating in 2005 with a Finance Degree. Under her leadership, FeelGood has grown from a single-campus initiative into a vibrant national movement with over 29 chapters and 17 more currently seeded. FeelGood partners with over 1200 student volunteers, impacting the lives of thousands and raising over $1.4 million for the end of hunger. Talis manages the innovation for FeelGood’s education and technology programs. With an M.S. in Innovation from the Monterrey Institute of Technology, she has pioneered an online platform for meaningfully connecting FeelGood’s many student communities and developing their educational and entrepreneurial goals. Before coming to FeelGood, Talis was a professional athlete, qualifying for the Mexican Olympic team in 2008. She has over seven years experience as a consultant in inter cultural management.

Words Can Be Your Relationship Deal-breaker

Watching your words can save a relationship.

The reasons that relationships untangle and relationships end in infidelity or break-up might well be tracked to three key deal-breakers: money arguments, disagreements about children, and unkind words. Lack of respect for one’s spouse can lay the foundation for irreconcilable conflicts. A startling article in the Wall Street Journal pointed out this week in “Meet the Marriage Killer” that nagging is often the deal-breaker.

And often times nagging and unkind words come about either because of thoughtlessness or frustration.

Can falling out of love happen because of your words? Unkind words, that indicate a lack of respect for one’s spouse, lead to the disintegration of relationships.

The deal-breaker words

Therapists are quick to tell us to watch our words. The unkind words that we hear from an angry spouse are those that drive a wedge in relationships.

* When will you ever learn?
* Why don’t you get it?
* How many times do I have to tell you?

“These words make the problem worse,” he said, “because the message the person hears is this: ‘I am incomplete.”

Neglect as the Silent Relationship Killer

Another deal-breaker is what Puhn refers to as “the silent killer” in relationships — neglect. “Foremost in a relationships, you need to be your mate’s head cheerleader. It’s common that over time we stop appreciating our mate, and that’s when the mate’s eyes start to wander. If you are not your mate’s head cheerleader you are leaving the job open for someone else,” she cautions.

There is a very simple way to try to resolve conflict and the words “We need to talk” won’t do it.

She is the advocate of “The 5 Minute Priority Conversation” where you put your cards on the table — but in this case think of a sandwich.

• Bottom slice is the positive –
  ..“I love you and I miss being close to you. Can we talk about it?”
• Between the bread you place the problem –
  ..“Our life is not what it once was and I don’t want to go on pretending that everything is fine. . . .
  ….How do you feel?”
• The top slice is to lay out solutions –
  ..“If both of us want things to be different, then I am sure we can change the situation together.
  ….I think we need to make the relationship our number one priority. What do you think?”

Saving your relationship

For my newspaper columns I often talk with therapist Michele Weiner-Davis. She says, “It is important to know that no matter how bleak things might seem, it is possible to revitalize a relationship [even one] deeply wounded. But it takes teamwork and commitment from spouses willing to work hard at getting their relationship back on track. Re-establishing trust and finding ways to manage overwhelming painful emotions are key to the healing process.”

To help a relationship get back on track — try making words of gratitude a part of your daily conversation. Let the words, “I love you” light up your eyes so he believes that he is feeling loved. And a warm touch can be magical.

Generation Me: Study Finds College Students Lack Empathy

Are today’s college students narcissists?

A study presented at the recent meeting of the Association for Psychological Science found that, compared with individuals their age 20 or 30 years ago, today’s college students are lacking in empathy. Researchers look at exposure to video games and social media as a possible cause for the rise in narcissism and students’ ability to ‘tune out’ the emotions of others.
A recent study led by Sara Konrath at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research suggests that today’s college kids are significantly less empathetic than their peers in the 1980s and 1990s. With the assistance of U-M graduate student Edward O’Brien and undergraduate Courtney Hsing, Konrath conducted a meta-analysis of 72 different studies examining almost 14,000 American college students between 1979 and 2009.Generation X is often called the ‘Slacker Generation.’ Will the Millennial Generation be known as ‘Generation Me?’

The researchers focused on studies that used the Davis Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), which was designed in 1980 to measure ’empathy,’ or the ‘tendency to react to others’ observed experiences.’ The IRI scores participants on four different areas of interpersonal sensitivity:

• Empathic concern
• Perspective taking
• Fantasy
• Personal distress

A high score on the IRI indicates ‘increased prosociality and decreased antisociality’ – in other words, the ability to empathize and ‘play well’ with others.

Konrath et al’s literature review found that similar studies conducted over the past decade have indicated that, over time, college students show rising rates of individualism, self-esteem, narcissism and positive self-views. Hypothesizing that increased levels of self-centeredness would correlate with a drop in students’ ability to relate to others, the researchers predicted that IRI scores have decreased over time for college-age individuals.

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The Rise of ‘Me’ and the Fall of ‘Us’

After reviewing data from all 72 IRI studies, the researchers found that their supposition was correct. Overall, today’s college kids are 40% lower in empathy than their peers of 20 or 30 years ago, with the biggest drop occurring after the year 2000. Modern students are significantly less likely to agree with statements like ‘I often have tender, concerned feelings for people less fortunate than me’ or ‘I sometimes try to understand my friends better by imagining how things look from their perspective.’
Breaking the results down into the four main areas of interpersonal sensitivity, the researchers found a decline in two areas: Empathic concern and perspective taking. (There was no decrease in fantasy or personal distress.) Although there have been some peaks and plateaus since 1979, there’s a strong downward trend in students’ IRI scores in these areas.

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Data from and graphs modeled after Changes in Dispositional Empathy Over Time in American College Students.

Reflecting on their research, Konrath commented, ‘Many people see the current group of college students – sometimes called ‘Generation Me’ – as one of the most self-centered, narcissistic, competitive, confident and individualistic in recent history.’ Her co-author O’Brien added, ‘It’s not surprising that this growing emphasis on the self is accompanied by a corresponding devaluation of others.’

What is it about modern society that has created a generation of young adults severely lacking in empathy? Although ‘why’ was outside the purview of this study, both Konrath and O’Brien have suggested several potential reasons that they hope to investigate in future research.

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Media May Be Isolating and Desensitizing Modern Students

One factor that Konrath pointed to is contact with media, noting that the average American is exposed to three times more ‘network-related information’ today than they were 30 years ago. Much of the content of modern media is heavily saturated with violence, exposure to which could lead to a drop in empathy. Konrath refers to studies conducted by other researchers at U-M that have shown that exposure to violent media, such as first-person shooter video games, tends to numb people to the pain of others.

O’Brien added that the explosive rise of social media may have also played a role. The casual relationship people have with their online ‘friends’ makes it easy to, as O’Brien phrased it, ‘just tune out’ when users don’t feel like dealing with others’ problems and emotions. As these social media relationships consume more and more of our time, it’s easy for this online behavior to bleed into real life.

O’Brien also identified the ‘hypercompetitive atmosphere and inflated expectations of success’ that have arisen from phenomena like reality shows as contributing to ‘a social environment that works against slowing down and listening to someone who needs a bit of sympathy.’ Students’ lives have become so focused on promoting themselves that they don’t make the time to empathize with others.

What’s your empathy level? Find out how you compare with the average college student with the University of Michigan’s online empathy quiz.

Empathy

Empathy… See what others see, hear what others hear, and feel what others feel.

I Don’t Feel Your Pain: Overcoming Roadblocks to Empathy

Why empathy is import at home and work and how to be better at it.
Published on March 7, 2013 by David F. Swink in Threat Management

What is Empathy?

According to emotional intelligence author, Daniel Goleman, empathy is defined as (1) understanding the emotional makeup of people and (2) treating people according to their emotional reactions. Goleman and other emotional intelligence and workplace competency researchers have consistently identified empathy as a core component of emotional intelligence and a powerful predictor of success in many professions. Empathy helps us to develop deep levels of rapport and trust.

Having poor empathy skills can lead to serious consequences. It can lead to conflict born of misunderstanding. Without it we can feel lonely within a relationship. Lack of empathy can cause companies to make catastrophic blunders that alienate their customers or employees and it can even incite violence.

The Importance of Empathy

Recent research conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital has shown solid evidence that physician empathy plays an important role in forging strong patient-physician relationships and boosting patient satisfaction as well as patients having better treatment adherence and suffering from fewer major medical errors.

Empathy is also important in the workplace. A study conducted by the Center for Creatively Leadership investigated 6,731 leaders from 38 countries. Their results reveal that empathy is positively related to job performance. The study concluded that managers who show more empathy toward direct reports are viewed as better performers in their job by their bosses.

Our Brains on Empathy

Neuroscientists have recently discovered that humans are wired to experience empathy through multiple systems of mirror neurons in our brains.

These mirror neurons reflect back actions that we observe in others causing us to mimic that action in our own brains. When we observe someone in pain or when we are with someone happy, we experience that to a certain extent. These mirror neurons are the primary physiological basis of empathy. They create a neural Wi-Fi that connects us to the feelings of people around us.

Many people seem to be naturally empathetic. Others are not. The good news is that research shows that empathy can be learned. There are however a few potential roadblocks to empathy that must be overcome.

Overcoming Roadblocks to Empathy

Roadblock 1 – Not Paying Attention

Mirror neurons kick in strongest when we observe a person’s emotions. We see facial expressions, eye expressions, body position, and gestures. We may lack motivation to pay attention to a person or we may be too distracted by our own thoughts or by other things around us while we are multi-tasking.

The Solution:

Motivate yourself to be more empathetic by knowing how important empathy is to success at home and work. Put your PDA and computer away and minimize distractions. Learn about and practice active listening.

Fine tune your nonverbal observation skills. Learn about micro-expressions target=”_blank” (small quick facial expressions) and eye reading. Daniel Goleman in his book, Social Intelligence, states that “the more sharply attentive we are, the more keenly we will sense another person’s inner state.”

Watch TV with the volume down and practice your nonverbal interpretation by reading what each character is feeling and talking about. This is best done with subtle dramas, not action movies.

Roadblock 2 – Feeling the emotion of the other person but not knowing how or when to communicate empathetically.

The Solution:

Increase your awareness about your own non-verbal expressions (eyes and micro-expressions). Notice what you are doing nonverbally when you are interacting with others. Ask people that you trust, to give you honest feedback about your non-verbal communication in various situations especially ones that are more emotional.

Notice with whom you have difficulty being empathetic. Examine why.

Learn more about voice tone. Listen to people who are known as empathetic leaders, teachers, friends, politicians, or even TV interviewers. Listen to how they use their voices to express empathy.

Try saying the sentence, “I’m sorry that happened to you,” several different ways with various voice tones. See if you can tell which sounds most empathetic or ask someone else to give you feedback.

Recognize that there are some situations where it may be counterproductive to respond empathetically, such as when a person is sending signals that they don’t want to interact with you or they don’t want to share with you how they are feeling.

Roadblock 3 – Not feeling the same emotion of the other person but knowing intellectually that you need to communicate empathetically. This is known as cognitive empathy.

The Solution:

Know that you can disagree with someone and still understand what they may be feeling and why. This is especially important when someone is having a strong emotion and is asking you to do something that you can’t do.

Sometimes just listening without judgment is enough to convey cognitive empathy. Communicate to the person in an authentic way that you understand what they are experiencing.

Can you fake being empathetic?

Sometimes it may be necessary to act empathetically to achieve a desired outcome even when you feel antagonistic to a person. Eg. hostage negotiators are trained to act empathetically toward the hostage taker in order to establish the rapport necessary to influence him to give up and not hurt anyone. In fact, the negotiator most likely despises a person that would hold a woman and baby as hostages. What is interesting is that after a couple of hours many negotiators actually start to feel some empathy toward the hostage taker as a result of “acting” empathetic. Most of us will never find ourselves in that position, but you may need to fake empathy to influence someone to an important end. Hopefully, you won’t experience that frequently, because there is often a price to pay for being consistently inauthentic.

Empathy is one of the building blocks of social intelligence. Stress, self-absorption, and lack of time can gang up on empathy to kill it. Knowing what your empathy roadblocks are and exploring ways to overcome them can help you develop a tool that is vital to your success at home and work.

Do you believe people can increase their ability to be empathetic?

Have you increased your empathy skills or helped others to do it? How?

What impact do you believe empathy plays in the workplace?

Do you think some people are too empathetic?

It Takes Two to Tango (But It Only Takes One to Love)

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For most couples, conflict involves a gradual—or not so gradual—escalation of hostilities. But there is another way to dance through our love, and it contains some pretty “unexpected” steps…

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Dr. Kelly Flanagan is a mixture of several stubborn-blooded ethnicities, including Irish and German. His wife is mostly Portuguese, so her blood tends to run a little hot.
Kelly Flanagan admits, when they were first married, they had no idea what to do with all of their hardheaded energy.

In his eBook, he describes one fight that ended with a door slammed so hard it cracked right out of the plaster wall. His wife and he were experts at “negative escalation” of conflict. Most people are.

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The Dance to Divorce

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Negative escalation is a cold, clinical term describing the very hot kind of one-upmanship that happens during most conflict, both within marriage and without:

You yell—I yell louder.

You put up walls—I lay my walls with brick and mortar.

You insult—I sling back an even more painful zinger—So you insult my mother—So I insult the way you mother our children. And so on.

Each iteration of the conflict is like climbing the rungs of a ladder. Except it’s the ladder of vengeance, and when you finally reach the top and fall off you don’t bust your skull—you break a heart or two.

But here’s the really counterintuitive and disturbing fact revealed by decades of “sequential analysis” research: positive escalation is also damaging to marriages. That is, couples who engage in a quid pro quo exchange of positive behaviors also report less satisfying relationships.

When our behavior in marriage is dependent or contingent upon what has been done to us—regardless of whether that behavior is positive or negative—it results in the destruction of relationship.

In high-conflict marriages, we obliterate our love with hostility and anger. In polite marriages, we smile our way into saccharine staleness. It takes two to tango—two people executing all the expected, eye-for-an-eye steps in relationship—and we can dance ourselves all the way into divorce.

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Love is In the Unexpected
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It takes two to tango. But the the good news is, it only takes one to love. The very same marital research has revealed negative escalation can be disrupted when just one partner chooses to do something different and new.

As it turns out, love is doing the unexpected. Love is refusing to read from the script. It’s refusing to play the usual games. Love is laughing at yourself when you’re supposed to be yelling at your partner. Love is snuggling in when you would normally be choosing a night on the couch over a night in the bed. Love is a cup of coffee on the bedside table the morning after a big fight. Love is a surprise, and it only takes one.

And sometimes, the biggest surprise of all is when we respond with empathy instead of a retort.

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Transforming Conflict into Common Ground

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Empathy is a place of common ground where we understand the interior landscape of the other because we feel it, too. I know what you’re wondering: How in the world can we find that kind of common ground when we’re cut and bleeding from the daggers being thrown at us?

The answer is deceptively simple but painfully hard: the daggers lay the foundation for common ground. When our partner is hurting, they behave in ways to make us feel exactly the hurt they are feeling. They want us to “know what it feels like.”

Kelly Flanagan see this happen every day in marital therapy: Husband hurls an insult and wife gets hurt. He stop the interaction and he ask the wife how she feels and she says, “I feel hurt and alone.” And the angry husband fires back, “Well, that’s exactly how I feel.” They often look at Kelly Flanagan in stunned disbelief when he says, “Good, now you are both feeling the same thing. You can make that the common ground where you meet and have real empathy for each other. Or you can keep fighting. The choice is yours.”

And the truth is, it is up to each spouse. Either partner can be the one to do the radically unexpected—to transform that hurt into a place of empathy, to put down the verbal weapon that will move the conflict to the next rung of the vengeance ladder and instead to take a step down.

The surface of our conflict is loud, so we rarely become aware of the quiet and shared emotions beneath the surface. The gentle, vulnerable emotions whisper instead of screaming. They sob instead of shouting. They feel hurt instead of spreading hurt. They go completely unnoticed, and yet they are the common ground in which we can all exist together, look each other in the eye, and say, “Yeah, me too.”

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Climbing a New Kind of Ladder

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Our best research has revealed that love thrives when we stop giving our spouses what they deserve and start giving them the unexpected embrace of all that they are—when we give them, in a word, grace.

Ironically, in this regard, our scientists sound a lot like some of our theologians.

Let’s be still and quiet, and let’s listen for the pain beneath our anger. And when we finally notice the quiet common ground beneath the surface of our conflict, let’s go there. Let’s put words to it. Let’s be vulnerable. Let’s connect within it.

And let’s start climbing an entirely different kind of ladder together.

Comments? What makes it hard to de-escalate conflict and to empathize in this way?  Share your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of this post.

Free eBook:

Kelly Flanagans eBook, The Marriage Manifesto: Turning Your World Upside Down, is available free to new subscribers of his blog.

The 5 Barriers to Empathy in Marriage (And How to Overcome Them)

Empathy is the foundation of any authentic connection. It’s the bedrock of togetherness, it’s the fuel of compassion, and it’s the mortar of grace. We must hone our ability to feel it and to give it. But empathy can be elusive. Even psychologists, who are skilled in empathy, can struggle with it when they walk out of the office and into their homes…

Dusk is closing in when the shrink arrives home from work and walks in the back door. Some nights, all is well. His wife is smiling, the kids are happy. But on other nights, all is not well.

Some nights, his wife is tired and worn-thin after a long day at work and the onslaught of the children’s cries for food and attention. Some nights, his oldest son is anxious and fretting about the upcoming standardized tests, which his teachers have been hyping more than the Superbowl. Some nights, his middle son is sad and distraught about the various injustices suffered by any middle child. Some nights, his youngest daughter is bouncing and bubbling with joy and eager for a Daddy mirror, for someone to reflect all that effervescence.

Some nights, everyone wants a little empathy and the therapist is feeling stubborn.

Some nights, he gets home, and he knows what he should do. He should remember that sometimes the people we love act in such a way toward us that we begin to feel exactly what they are feeling. He should get quiet and notice that just beneath his stubbornness are his own feelings of fatigue and frustration and anxiety and injustice…and maybe even joy. He should notice this and offer himself up, reach out, find the common ground.

He should. But he doesn’t.

Because even for psychologists, empathizing with the people we love is so hard to do. And I think it’s particularly hard to empathize with our spouses. After all, we don’t expect much empathy from our children. But we expect an awful lot from our partners.

The Five Reasons We Don’t Give Empathy

I think there are at least five fatal barriers to establishing empathy in our intimate relationships:

1. I don’t want to go first. In any relationship, both members need empathy. But at any given moment, empathy is unidirectional—it can only flow in one direction at a time. Which means someone has to go first. Someone has to be willing to meet the needs of the other, before their own needs are met.

2. I don’t agree with you. Empathy requires us to place ourselves in another person’s shoes, to allow our hearts to beat to the rhythm of theirs. We often fundamentally disagree with their perspective, and so we are tempted to debate them intellectually, rather than join them emotionally.

3. What if I get it wrong? When we try to place ourselves squarely inside of someone else’s emotional landscape, it can be a little scary. It’s unfamiliar territory. They are inviting us in, but what if we get it all wrong? Empathy can be terrifying if we have any perfectionism within us.

4. I don’t want to feel that. On the other hand, you might know exactly what your partner is feeling. It may bring up thoughts and feelings in you that you would prefer to avoid. If we don’t want to feel our own sadness, we won’t want to feel sadness on behalf of the person we love.

5. It’s not my job to fix you. We confuse empathy with “fixing.” We think we have to do something to take the emotion away, and we don’t want to be put on that hot-seat. Or some of us will have the opposite reaction: I’m going to fix you. But this undermines our ability to provide empathy, as well. Because empathy is not fixing. Empathy is joining.

Climbing the Barriers

If we want to give empathy in our relationships, we will have to sacrifice some values we hold dear:

We will have to be willing to lose, because it will feel like losing. It will feel like our partner’s needs are being met before our own. But there is no other way.

We will have to put aside all of our intellectual debates. Empathy is not a matter of deciding who is right and wrong. It is simply a matter of finding an emotional common ground.

We have to be willing to get it wrong, because we will get it wrong. Empathy is messy. There are no three-easy-steps to accurately understanding the person we love. We have to be okay when our partner tells us we’re not getting it. And then we have to try again.

We need to embrace our discomfort, because empathy will take us into some uncomfortable place within ourselves. If we are unwilling to go there, we need to quit talking to our spouse and start talking to a therapist of our own.

And we have to quit trying to fix things. There will be a time for that later. For now, empathy is about connecting within an experience, not making the experience go away.

Empathy is for Everyone

Some nights, I know that stubborn-grumpy therapist, because he is me. I wish I could tell you he always finds his way to empathy, but I can’t. Some nights he does. Some nights he doesn’t. And you won’t always find your way to empathy, either. But that’s okay. That’s not the point. The point is that we begin to try.

Because empathy isn’t just for therapists, it’s for all of us.

Questions: What makes it difficult for you to empathize? Share your experience in the comments section at the bottom of this post.

Free eBook: New eBook, The Marriage Manifesto: Turning Your World Upside Down, is available for free to new subscribers of the blog: http://drkellyflanagan.com
Your subscription confirmation e-mail will include a link to download the eBook. Or, the book is also available for a low price on Kindle and Nook. As always, thank you for reading.

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The story of a blind girl

There was a blind girl who hated herself just because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her.
She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry her boyfriend.

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her and then she could see everything, including her boyfriend.

Her boyfriend asked her, “now that you can see the world, will you marry me?”

The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend was blind too, and refused to marry him.

Her boyfriend walked away in tears, and later wrote a letter to her saying:

“Just take care of my eyes dear.”

The Koala and the Little Lizard

A koala is sitting up a gum tree smoking a joint, when a little lizard walks past, looks up and says “Hey Koala! What are you doing?”

The koala says: “Smoking a joint, come up and have some.”

So the little lizard climbs up and sits next to the koala and they have a few joints.

After a while the little lizard says his mouth is ‘dry’, and is going to get a drink from the river.

But the little lizard is so stoned, that he leans too far over and falls into the river.

A crocodile sees this, and swims over to the little lizard, and helps him to the side, then asks the little lizard: “What’s the matter with you?”

The little lizard explains to the crocodile, that he was sitting smoking a joint with the koala in the tree, got too stoned, and then fell into the river while taking a drink.

The crocodile says, he has to check this out, and walks into the rain forest,

finds the tree where the koala is sitting finishing a joint, and he looks up and says “Hey you!”

The koala looks down at him and says:

“Fuuuuk dude…….how much water did you drink?!!”

Love thyself

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You can not give, what you don’t have.
As a Life Manager; Are you doing a good job?

Do you walk around with the feeling that you are not good enough. A constant fear that you might not have what it takes.
Then let’s make one thing clear. You are absolutely good enough, and you deserve love and affection like everyone else. Never for one second ever doubt that.

That said, you need to believe this your self. If you don’t believe it your self, you will never get rid of the fear that goes with it. And remember this; You are your own best friend and you own life manager. And looking at your self in these roles; Do you take good care of yourself? Do you give yourself a pat on the back when you do something good for yourself or others? Do you love yourself and work every day to make your life better? Or do you work for everyone else, trying to avoid them being disappointed in you, because you don’t jump every time they ask you to?

It is time to take care of you. Do what you enjoy. Love yourself for that unique human being that you are.

I’m not saying that you should be selfish and step on others along the way. Of course you need to respect others as you respect yourself, but if you are in a habit of pleasing others, because you are not worth pleasing yourself, then it is time to take care of you too. You are just as important to this world as anyone else, and if not for yourself, then at least take care of you for your loved ones. After some time, you will see that you are worth it, and begin taking care of you… for you.

You will find, that the more you love and respect your self, the more you love and respect your life, the less fear of failing or being rejected you will have to endure.

But how can we love ourselves?
Well this is where Louise Hay comes into the picture.
Louise L. Hay is the author behind the best selling book “You Can Heal Your Life“. She is also known as one of the founders of the HayHouse.

Through Louise Hay’s positive philosophy, millions have learned how to create more of what they want in their lives, including more wellness in their bodies, minds, and spirits.

One of the techniques she is using, is what she calls Positive Affirmations.

Positive Affirmations are like little reminders to the inner-self. The Positive Affirmations harness the power of positive thinking to keep the inner self on track! Not only is it important to regularly think these affirmations, it is a great idea to leave them lying around, where you will occasionally notice them. These affirmations are very powerfully reinforced by looking at yourself in the mirror as you speak them

The following is taken from “You Can Heal Your Life“. Louise has written it in such a way that it has appropriate affirmations to cover all aspects of your life. It is good to use to get started with affirmations and especially at night to just read through before going to bed. Make the affirmations work even better by looking in the mirror and say these things to yourself

Louise Hay affirmations:

“Deep at the centre of my being there is an infinite well of love. I now allow this love to flow to the surface.
It fills my heart, my body, my mind, my consciousness, my very being, and radiates out from me in all directions and returns to me multiplied.”

“I am open and receptive to all the good and abundance in the Universe.”

“The more love I use and give, the more I have to give, the supply is endless.”

“The use of love makes me feel good; it is an expression of my inner joy.”

“I lovingly do everything I can to assist my body in maintaining perfect health.”

“I love myself, therefore I take loving care of my body.
I lovingly feed it nourishing food and beverages.
I lovingly groom it and dress it, and my body lovingly responds to me with vibrant health and energy.”

“I love myself, therefore I provide for myself a comfortable home, one that fills all my needs and is a pleasure to be in.
I fill the rooms with the vibration of love so that all who enter, myself included, will feel this love and be nourished by it.”

“I love myself, therefore I work at a job that I truly enjoy doing, one that uses all my talents and abilities, working with and for people that I love and love me, and earning a good income.”

“I love myself, therefore, I behave in a loving way to all people for I know that that which I give out returns to me multiplied.”

“I only attract loving people in my world for they are a mirror of what I am.”

“I love myself, therefore I forgive and totally release the past and all past experiences and I am free.”

“I love myself, therefore I love totally in the now, experiencing each moment as good, and knowing that my future is bright, and joyous and secure, for I am
a beloved child of the universe and the universe lovingly takes care of me now and forever more.”

“Today is a delightful day. Money comes to me in expected and unexpected ways.”

LouiseHay.com
HayHouse.com

Affirmations and Positive Thinking
Affirmations are small but key positive messages to the self. They are used as reminders, helping to keep positive messages at the forefront of our consciousness. Not only is it important to regularly think these affirmations, it is a great idea to leave them lying around the place, where you will occasionally notice them. The affirmations are very powerfully reinforced by looking at yourself in the mirror as you speak them
Affirmations are a very powerful tool in supporting positive thinking and are very effective in changing life patterns and perspectives.
The benefit of positive thinking is medically well established. Affirmations allow you to consciously harness the power of positive thinking and direct it to specific areas of your life that need attention or where you want to bring about change. The great news is that affirmations really work and can transform your life!
Affirmations and positive thinking are very powerful tools that can bring about healing and change. But BEWARE, negative thoughts are just as powerful and can be very self-destructive. Whilst we have no real control over the world and certain aspects of our lives, we do have control over the way we interpret and react to it.

“The thoughts we think and the words we speak create our experiences”

You experience your interpretation as an internal dialogue. Thoughts, judgements and feelings are ceaselessly swirling through your mind. Thoughts like: I like this; I don’t like that; I am afraid of this; I am unsure about him/her.
This internal dialogue is not random, it is generated from a deep level by your beliefs and assumptions which have been formed and accumulated from the time you were born. It is worth remembering, that a lot of these assumptions and beliefs were formulated as a child and have never been re-examined and therefore may be highly inappropriate to you as an adult, or just simply wrong. When someone’s interpretation changes, a change subsequently takes place in their reality. Thus we can make big changes in our lives by changing our thinking.
“When your interpretation changes, so does your reality”

Making Changes in our Thinking
Awareness – Firstly, it helps to become aware of your thoughts and meditation can help us in the process of getting back in touch with ourselves. Just stopping and taking a second to think about why we are reacting to something or someone can also help us to get back in touch with what is really going on inside. Alternatively, we can just accept that our thoughts, whilst probably helping us in the past, may not be serving us now and just choose to “re-programme” ourselves with positive thoughts that heal and nourish us. The process of doing the new affirmations will start to release the old negative messages whether or not we are aware what they are.

Related article: Fear

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Wallpaper quotes; Click to download

We will greatly miss Steve Jobs

We will greatly miss Steve Jobs.

A man crazy enough to think he could change the world, and did.

Let it be

Beautiful description on how senseless it all is in time of war.

We live in a greedy little world

“Ka-Ching”
We live in a greedy little world, 
that teaches every little boy and girl,
to earn as much as they can possibly,
then turn around and spend it foolishly.

We’ve created us a credit card mess.
We spend the money that we don’t possess.
Our religion is to go and blow it all.
So it’s shoppin’ every Sunday at the mall.

All we ever want is more.
A lot more than we had before.
So take me to the nearest store.

[Chorus:] 
Can you hear it ring.
It makes you wanna sing.
It’s such a beautiful thing – Ka-ching! 
Lots of diamond rings.
The happiness it brings.
You’ll live like a king,
with lots of money and things.

When you’re broke go and get a loan.
Take out another mortgage on your home.
Consolidate so you can afford,
to go and spend some more when you get bored.

All we ever want is more.
A lot more than we had before.
So take me to the nearest store  

[Repeat Chorus]  

Let’s swing!
Dig deeper in your pocket.
Oh, yeah, Come on I know you’ve got it.
Dig deeper in your wallet.

Oh, All we ever want is more.
A lot more than we had before.
So take me to the nearest store  

[Repeat Chorus]  

Can you hear it ring.
It makes you wanna sing.
You’ll live like a king,
with lots of money and things.

Ka-ching!

The Turtles

A turtle family decided to go on a picnic. The turtles, being naturally slow about things, took seven years to prepare for their outing.

Finally the turtle family left home looking for a suitable place. During the second year of their journey they found a place ideal for them at last!

For about six months they cleaned the area, unpacked the picnic basket, and completed the arrangements. Then they discovered they had forgotten the salt. A picnic without salt would be a disaster, they all agreed.

After a lengthy discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to retrieve the salt from home. Although he was the fastest of the slow moving turtles, the little turtle whined, cried, and wobbled in his shell.

He agreed to go on one condition: that no one would eat until he returned. The family consented and the little turtle left.

Three years passed and the little turtle had not returned. Five years…six years… then on the seventh year of his absence, the oldest turtle could no longer contain his hunger.

He announced that he was going to eat and begun to unwrap a sandwich.
At that point the little turtle suddenly popped out from behind a tree shouting,

‘See! I knew you wouldn’t wait. Now I am not going to go get the salt.’

 

You don’t have control. And trying to control your environment, will only lead to failure.

Don’t waste your time waiting for, and always expecting, that people will not to live up to your expectations.
Instead of being concerned about what others are doing, release your expectations and start living. You can only live your life. Let others live theirs. And be free of the never ending bad feelings due to lack of control.

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A short story about joys and sorrows

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: “TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.”

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one, who had been slapped, got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After the friend recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: “TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.”

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?”

The other friend replied: “When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.”

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A short story about feelings

 

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all constructed boats and left. Except for Love.

Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment.

When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.

Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said,
“Richness, can you take me with you?”
Richness answered, “No, I can’t. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you.”

Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. “Vanity, please help me!”
“I can’t help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat,” Vanity answered.

Sadness was close by so Love asked, “Sadness, let me go with you.”
“Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!”

Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her.

Suddenly, there was a voice, “Come, Love, I will take you.” It was an elder. So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. Realizing how much was owed the elder,

Love asked Knowledge, another elder, “Who Helped me?”
“It was Time,” Knowledge answered.
“Time?” asked Love. “But why did Time help me?”
Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, “Because only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is.”

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Buddhism (def.)

• What is Buddhism?

A bag of nails

 

Once upon a time there was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he should hammer a nail in the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. But gradually, the number of daily nails dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the first day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He proudly told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.

“You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out, it won’t matter how many times you say, ‘I’m sorry’, the wound is still there.”

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Nirvana (def.)

Free downloads

Audio:

Meditations:

• Surrender
  Meditation for Empowerment by Anita Pathik Law. 13 mins. Anita’s website is Power of Our Way
• Quiet Mind Meditation
  by Jafree. 12 mins. Jafree’s website is Enlightened Beings.com
• Conscious Creation
  By Laura West. 12 mins. Laura is a Master Certified Hypnotherapist and owner of Hypnosis Maryland Training School. Her site is HypnosisMaryland.com
• Financial Freedom
  by Edward Mills. 16 mins. Visit Ed’s website at Evolving Times.com
• Divinity Movie
  by Anita Pathik Law. 7 mins. Power of Our Way

Interviews:

• Surrender to the Now
  30 mins by Zencast.org
• The Secret of the Sectet
  How to use the Secret by Sandy Forester. 61 mins. Here’s her website Wildly Wealthy.com
• Making and Keeping Resolutions
  Anita & Laura West. 88 mins. Anita’s website is Power of Our Way and Laura’s site is HypnosisMaryland.com
• Jessica LaRock interviews James Arthur Ray
  63 mins. Visit Jessica’s siteUniverse of Power.com
• Producer Revolution Radio interview with James Ray.
  41 mins. Visit James website at James Ray.com

Motivatioanl Speaches

• Purpose, Vision, and Goals
  by Bob Proctor. 32 mins
• Decision
  by Bob Proctor. 31 mins. His site is Bob Proctor.com
• Instant Manifestation
  by Leslie Fieger. 55 mins. Leslie Fieger.com

A journey of a thousand miles, must begin with the first step

 

We have all tried it. Having that feeling, that the world is crashing down on us and everything is against us.

Not a very nice feeling, but unfortunately we can’t run away from the fact, that life is both good and bad.

There is a saying, that trouble comes in bunches. And once you think it can’t get any worse, something else happens.

It is a great talent to be able to take a step back, and see the big picture. But sometimes the big picture is just too much, and the result is, that we can’t find our way out of all the problems, and get paralysed. In such a situation, it is better to just see things one thing at a time.

Let me tell you a story.

Sign a Petition

Take a pick. Sadly there are plenty of causes to choose from.

More cause summaries will be written later.

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Stop Wolf-Killing in Utah »

Target: Utah Governor Gary Herbert and Utah State Legislators

Sponsored by: Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund

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The state of Utah has it out for wolves. Back in session for less than a week, Republican state Sen. Allen Christensen already introduced and ushered through committee a bill that would require state officials remove or destroy all wolves who cross into areas of Utah unprotected by the Endangered Species Act.

Christensen’s argument: “This bill simply says any wolf within Utah will be captured and killed. We don’t want any of them here.”

Utah’s draconian proposal has already been pared back, not for the wolves, but to avoid conflict with the federal Endangered Species Act. But we need to make sure the proposal dies — so wolves don’t.

Tell Governor Gary Herbert to protect Utah’s fledgling wolf population and stop this dangerous bill.

I signed this on mar 20, 2010 – Please do the same.

My god. Have a heart. Any person from Utah outside Utah boarders, will be captured and killed. We don’t want any of them here.

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Stop the Abuse of Afghan Women »

Target: President Karzai

Sponsored by: Care2.com

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When Gulsoom was 15, she was forced to marry a 40-year-old man. Her husband was a drug addict who regularly beat her. Feeling trapped in her abusive marriage, Gulsoom attempted suicide by setting herself on fire.

More and more Afghan women are resorting to suicide to escape abuse within forced marriages. Last year, a law was passed in Afghanistan that legalized marital rape. Laws like this keep Afghanistan’s hospitals overrun with women who attempt suicide by self-immolation. These women do not have the support of their governments to report their abusers and leave their abusive husbands–they see death as the only way out of their miserable circumstances.

Women should not be seen as second-class citizens. Until the government enforces protection for women and outlaws domestic violence, the women of Afghanistan will continue to seek refuge through suicide. Tell the President of Afghanistan that women need more laws to protect them from violence and abuse.

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Stop McCain’s Anti-Supplement Bill »

Target: U.S. Senate

Sponsored by: Alliance for Natural Health USA

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Senator McCain introduced a new bill that threatens access to dietary and health supplements many Americans depend on.

It would repeal key protections in the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) and give the FDA sweeping new powers.

Senator McCain’s bill, called the “Dietary Supplement Safety Act”, would likely mean drastically fewer supplements available and higher prices.

The public outcry has gotten Senator McCain’s attention, but time is running out. A final big push could change McCain’s mind and put on the brakes in Congress.

Please take a moment and send the U.S. Senators a message urging them NOT to co-sponsor or support Senator McCain’s bill. With your help there’s a good chance we can halt this harmful anti-supplement legislation.

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Help Save Japan’s Dolphins »

Target: President Obama, Vice President Biden and Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki

Sponsored by: TakePart.com/TheCove and SaveJapanDolphins.org

In The Cove, a team of activists and filmmakers infiltrate a heavily-guarded cove in Taiji, Japan. In this remote village they witness and document activities deliberately being hidden from the public: More than 20,000 dolphins and porpoises are being slaughtered each year and their meat, containing toxic levels of mercury, is being sold as food in Japan, often times labeled as whale meat.

The majority of the world is not aware this is happening. The Taiji cove is blocked off from the public. Cameras are not allowed inside and the media does not cover the story. It’s critical that we get the word out in Japan. Once the Japanese people know we believe they will demand change.

Send a letter to President Obama, Vice President Biden and Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki urging them to address this issue. Everyone who signs the letter will be able to have their name displayed in a widget that will be posted on top social networks, web sites and blogs in Japan. The widget will link to actions people there can take to make a difference.

Stop Expanded Logging in the Tongass National Forest »

Target: U.S. Congress

Sponsored by: The Wilderness Society

Legislation currently working its way through Congress could give a single corporation, Sealaska, the green light to log some of the best, oldest and most biologically-rich areas left in Tongass National Forest in Alaska.

The Tongass is one of the last remaining, largely intact temperate rainforests in the world — home to all five species of salmon, black and brown bears, wolves, whales and rare birds. With more than half of the largest trees clearcut, protecting what is left is of paramount importance.

Sealaska Corporation, which has a history of clearcutting its lands, is seeking ownership of some of the most ecologically and biologically diverse parts of the Tongass National Forest. In fact, the lands targeted by Sealaska have more than ten times the habitat value of other Tongass forest land!

A House hearing is scheduled for March 17th and a Senate Committee could soon decide the fate of the Tongass National Forest. Send a letter to Congress and urge them to protect the Tongass from expanded logging and commercial development.

Help Stop Child Marriage »

Target: Members of Congress

Sponsored by: Plan USA

Right now there are an estimated 60 million child brides worldwide—some as young as 7 years old.

It is hard to believe, but it’s happening all around the world: Young girls are forced to marry much older men, and often these girls are pressured to bear children as soon as possible.

Right now, Congress is considering a new bill that would give the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) more power to work with countries around the world to fight child marriage.

We can’t leave a single vote to chance. We need as many people as possible to write their legislators to make sure this bill passes. Will you send your letter today and urge your elected official to protect girls from child marriage?

These girls face unimaginable risks to their health. Their dreams and independence are snuffed out before they even reach puberty.

Something MUST be done to stop this horrible practice. Please tell Congress to pass this critical bill.

Stop Mercury Contamination in Streams! »

Target: EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson

Sponsored by: Care2.com

A recent study done by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) showed that 100 percent of the 291 freshwater fish tested contained mercury contamination. Of these, 66 percent had levels higher than the “level of concern” set by the Environmental Protection Agency.

This strikingly high number sets a new standard for how concerned Americans should be about mercury in fish. Mercury can have devastating effects on young children, but in high levels can also affect older adults.

Mercury pollution occurs almost entirely from air-born emissions, primarily burning coal. We need to stop this pollution at the source before we start to see improvements in contamination levels.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for regulating industrial mercury from factories and plants. Please tell EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson that mercury levels should be strictly regulated. We can’t get much worse than 100 percent.

Save The Loggerhead Sea Turtle »

Target: The National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Sponsored by: Care2.com

As the struggle for survival continues, sea turtle populations dwindle more each day. The loggerhead sea turtle has experienced an aggressive decline in the past decade — with an 80 percent decrease in the North Pacific and a 40 percent decline in the Northwest Atlantic, their most popular nesting spot.

Right now, the loggerhead sea turtles are only one of six remaining turtle species left in the United States. Fortunately, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service understand the importance of saving our dwindling sea turtle populations, and recently proposed to change the status of the North Pacific and Northwest Atlantic loggerhead sea turtles from threatened to endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

Listing the loggerhead as endangered will be a major step in guaranteeing further protection. Speak up for sea turtles and sign the petition to list loggerheads as endangered.

Harper: Put Down Your Forkful of Seal Meat and End the Slaughter NOW! »

Target: Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Sponsored by: Care2.com

Last week, the Canadian Parliament was served up a fresh plate of…seal meat?

And you thought your cafeteria food was bad.

The MP’s ate seal meat to show solidarity and support for the Canadian commercial seal slaughter amid battles with the EU, who has banned imports of seal products. Although the seal hunt claims to be sustainable, humane, and a significant income for isolated communities, nothing could be further from the truth. Here are some facts about the seal slaughter:

* The Canadian commercial seal hunt is the largest marine-mammal slaughter in the world.

* 98% of harp seals killed are under 3 months old.

* The hunt is wasteful: Hunters are usually only interested in their pelts as there is no market for seal meat. They leave the ice littered with carcasses.

* In the area where 90% of seal hunters live, the revenues from seal hunting add up to less than one percent of gross domestic product.

The seal hunt is incredibly cruel, unsustainable, and does not provide significant financial benefits for Canada or the Canadian sealers. The slaughter needs to end now. Tell Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to stand up against the seal hunt and end this cruel, unnecessary practice.

Urge Congress to Increase Funding for Emergency Food Assistance »

Save The Loggerhead Sea Turtle »

Harper: Put Down Your Forkful of Seal Meat and End the Slaughter NOW! »

Hold Sodexo Responsible for Contributing to Poverty! »

Send Rush Limbaugh a Farewell Card! »

Time is Up Congress: Pass Health Care Reform This Month! »

Pledge to Keep Kids Safe »

Reform America’s Broken Immigration System »

Target: U.S. Congress
Sponsored by: Reform Immigration FOR America

The American immigration system is broken and hurting families, workers and the economy. What we need is a distinctly American solution, one that combines fairness, accountability, dignity and an ethic of getting things done.

It’s time to stand up to the extremists who want to expel 12,000,000 hard working immigrants and fight for a practical immigration solution rooted in the restoration of the rule of law, earned citizenship, united families and fair treatment for all workers.

President Obama supports immigration reform, but only Congress has the power to pass legislation. Tell Congress: “It’s time to fix the broken immigration system. Pass comprehensive immigration reform this year!”

Now is the time, this is the year — we need our leaders to lead. Act now to help fix America’s broken immigration system.

I signed this on mar 21, 2010 – Please do the same.

Urge Congress to Permanently Protect the Arctic Refuge! »

Don’t Let Congress Gut the Clean Air Act »

Congress: Protect Our Fisheries! »

Congress: Extend the Ban on Ivory Trade! »

Tell China: Free Tibetan Filmmaker »

Save Critical Habitat for the Florida Panther »

Don’t Let Congress Risk Your Health Care! »

Oppose the Murkowski Attack on the Clean Air Act »

Finish the New START Treaty »

Encourage Secretary Clinton to Continue Fighting for Women’s Rights »

Break the Stereotypes: Legalize Medical Cannabis »

End Childhood Hunger in America! »

Stop Age Discrimination »

Stop Shell’s Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling in the Arctic »

Target: President Barack Obama

Sponsored by: Center for Biological Diversity

Right now, the Obama administration is poised to allow major petrochemical company Shell Oil to drill for gas and oil off the Alaskan coast this summer. If this goes through, Shell Oil will pump 1,800 tons of pollution into the fragile Arctic ecosystem in just six months.

The pristine Arctic ecosystem and its wildlife are already suffering the effects of past oil and gas development and this latest plan will only exacerbate the environmental destruction. Further, if Shell has an oil spill, there’s no telling how massive the damage to the environment will be.

The Arctic, including the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, is one the world’s last pristine ecosystems. It is home to endangered polar bears, walruses, seals and whales. It is no place for industrial oil rigs, pollution, noise and oil spills.

Please sign the petition to President Obama and tell him not to allow any off-shore oil and gas drilling in Alaska.

I signed this on mar 20, 2010 – Please do the same.

Obama: Keep Commercial Whaling Illegal »

Stop the Whale and Dolphin Slaughter in the Faroe Islands »

Protect Arctic Alaska from Drilling »

Stop the Money Train to Washington »

Investigate the Link Between Pesticides and Parkinson’s Disease »

7 Cents Can Save a Child’s Life »

End Alaska’s Awful Aerial Wolf Killing Programs — Support the PAW Act! »

Restore Coastal Louisiana »

Close Concentration Camps in North Korea »

Stop the construction of a dolphinarium in Oludeniz, Turkey »

Stop Corporate-Sponsored Wolf Slaughters ».

Target: Cabela’s and Sportsman’s Warehouse

Sponsored by: Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund

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What is a “predator derby?” It’s a contest, where people compete to see who can kill the most wolves and other animals over a two-day period. What is a predator derby, really? It’s a relic, from a time when we didn’t know how important wolves are to the health of the American west.

Cabela’s and Sportsman’s Warehouse — two major outdoor retailers — sponsored three wolf-killing derbies in Idaho, held by the misleadingly named Sportsmen for Wildlife. Even worse the fees paid by derby contestants were funneled to support anti-wolf lawyers and lobbyists whose job is to keep wolves off the endangered species list and in the crosshairs.

Grassroots opposition has already convinced Nikon to drop its sponsorship of the predator derbies. Now its time for Cabela’s and Sportsman’s Warehouse to hear from citizens concerned for wolves and the American west.

Demand that Cabela’s and Sportsman’s Warehouse stop sponsoring wolf-killing predator derbies.

I signed this on mar 20, 2010 – Please do the same.

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Enact bill to protect radio collared research bears »

Outlaw the Cruel Practice of Canine Devocalization »

Save Our Shelter »

Justice for Rigsby! Beheaded dog! »

Help America Protect Animals from Domestic Abuse! »

Senators: Where is Banking Reform? »

Anti Whaling Crusaders »

Support Global Elimination of Measles »

Justice For Military Dogs »

Stop Antibiotic Abuse on Factory Farms »

End Water Pollution from Mountaintop Removal Mining »

Protect Endangered Species From Harmful Pesticides »

Stop the Calderon Dolphin Slaughter in Denmark »

Target: Denmark’s society, and its goverment!!!

Sponsored by: Carla Valdivia

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Every year, in Denmark, specifically the Faroe Islands, innocent and helpless Calderon Dolphins are slaughtered brutally by the danes. Why you may ask, simply because. A pointless and stupid right of passage to manhood.

What points is there in killing another living being just to prove you have “evolved”, you have transcended. There is simply no need.

This poor dolphins are stabbed a number of times, but as if that weren’t enough, they bleed to death, probably in excruciating pain while the whole town watches.

Needles to say, that killing a deffensless animal is no prove of anybody’s manhood.

So, I urge, as I am sure many more have, to stop this nonesense. And take action.

Never, ever, killing an other creature, another living being, with whom we share this world, has done any good, to anyone. So let’s stop it.

I signed this on mar 20, 2010 – Please do the same.

I never heard of this before, and it doesn’t sound very Danish. But I must say, that if this is true, I’m embarrassed to be Danish. Not to mention, embarrassed to be a part of the human race.

STOP Bill C-428 Residency Requirements for Old Age Security Act »

Help STOP the Hunting of Feral Cats in NJ »

Townsville Council: ban exotic animal circuses! »

Make Nuclear Disarmament Part of U.S. National Security Strategy »

Immigration Reform Must Keep Families Together »

Target: U.S. Congress
Sponsored by: Reform Immigration FOR America

The American immigration system is broken and tearing American families apart.

Every day, hard working immigrants are forced to choose between living in poverty and oppression with their families — or in America without them.

Our outdated family immigration channels, which keep close family members separated for decades, must be reformed to restore our commitment to promoting family unity. Those stuck in endless “backlogs” should have their admission expedited, and those admitted on work visas should be able to keep their families intact.

Act now. Sign our petition and tell our leaders that now is the time to fix America’s immigration system — and ensure that American families are kept together.

Support Stronger Boxer-Kerry Climate Bill! »

Speak against the ABUSE of Dairy Cows »

Stop Japan from Commercial Whaling »

Modifica legge 189 20 luglio 2004 »

Tell Sarah Palin to Get Her Facts Straight »

SAVE THE ANGEL OAK ON JOHNS ISLAND, SC »

Help save dogs that have been abused by nasty humans!!!!!!!! »

Support the UN’s Response to Haiti Quake Victims »

Congress Belongs to the American People — Not to Fortune 500 Companies »

End International Violence Against Women »

DEMAND JUSTICE FOR BUDDY! »

The Iberian Lynx needs our help! »

STOP LIVE SHARK FINNING/ONE PERSON JOINED ONE SHARK SAVED »

Urge Hillary Clinton to End Child Trafficking »

Help save the Red Wolf! »

Demand Equality & Respect for ALL Students »

Florida Panthers Could Disappear Forever Without Your Help »

Protect National Parks from Climate Change »

Ban the sale of dolphin meat »

Chinese Animal Welfare Awareness Campaign »

Justice for Rape Survivors »

Stop the defamation of Paramahamsa Nithyananda »

Stop Abuse of Ringling Bros. Circus Elephants »

Stop cruelty to Spanish greyhounds (galgos) »

Save the Mexican Gray Wolf From Extinction »

STOP THE MASS KILLING OF DOGS AND CATS IN SERBIA »

China fur Farm »

Fight to End Hunger! »

Demand Ohio to pass Felony Law to protect Animals »

Bring Water to Gaza Residents! »

Keep the East Van Farmers Market at Trout Lake »

Support Early Education »

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Naming Newton North High School’s New

Animal Police In Denmark

Target: Start with 1,000 signatures and expand there from.

Sponsored by: Jan de Richelieu

One of my greatest ambitions is to get enough support to be able to start an Animal Police in Denmark like I have seen many states in the U.S.

Can I start with getting support for this petition, then maybe later I will start a collection to get this ambition off the ground.

I signed this on mar 20, 2010 – Please do the same.

I absolutely agree. Every country should have this. And It would be my great pleasure to join this animal police force if possible.

Interesting blog posted by Melanie

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No Band Aids

I read a book that told me I can do, have and be whatever I wanted. That all I had to do was think positively. So I tried it. I thought positively. I modified my negative thoughts and dramatic reactions. I told myself the negativity wasn’t productive and no good could come of it.

The Noble Eightfold Path (def.)

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In summary, the Noble Eightfold Path is 8 basic steps to focussing the mind on being fully aware of our thoughts and actions, and developing wisdom by understanding the Four Noble Truths and by developing compassion for others.
In other words, the Noble Eightfold Path, is our path from suffering.

The Four Noble Truths (def.)

The basic concepts in Buddhism can be summed up by the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.

I sent you two boats and a helicopter

This is a story of a man, who was a firm believer of god.

One day it began to rain very heavily. It kept raining and a big flood came.
The man climbed up on the roof of his house, and knew that he would be ok. God would protect him.

It kept raining and now the water had reached his waist. A boat came by and a guy in the boat said: “Hey, jump in. We will take you with us”.
“No thanks”, said the man. “I’m a firm believer in God. He will rescue me”. He sent the boat away.

It kept on raining and now the water had reached his neck. Another boat came by and a guy in the boat said: “You look like you could need some help. Jump in and we will take you with us”.
“No”, said the man. “I’m a firm believer in God. He will rescue me. Don’t worry about me”. The boat sailed away.

It still rained and the water now reached his mouth. A helicopter came by and a guy in the helicopter threw down a rope and said: “Hi there my friend. Climb up. We will rescue you”.
“No”, said the man. “I’m a firm believer in God. He will rescue me. I know he will”. The helicopter flew away.

It kept on raining, and finally the man drowned.

When the man died, he went to heaven. When entering Heaven, he had an interview with God.
After giving a polite greeting and sitting down, the man asked: “Where were you. I waited and waited. I was sure you would rescue me, as I have been a firm believer all my life, and have only done good to others. So where were you when I needed you?”
God scratched his confused looking face and answered: “I don’t get it either. I sent you two boats and a helicopter”.

Many who believe in God or in Karma etc. somehow believes that signs of help and guidance comes as a big event of some kind, when actually it would probably come as small signs of help here and there along the way.

Listen to the world around you. You might just find the answer there.

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Dharma (def.)

 

The Universal Law of nature.
Dharma means the source of things and Truth.
That which is universal.
The laws of the universe.
“Dharma” may be seen as an ultimate and transcendent “truth” or ultimate reality or “the way things are”.
Dharma is the truth that is here, when we leave our fantasies behind and come into the present. When we pay attention, we start to see the characteristics of the Dharma and the life we are living in.

(Dharma is a Sanskrit word that means “purpose in life.”) This law says that we have taken manifestation in physical form to fulfil a purpose. You have a unique talent and a unique way of expressing it. There is something that you can do better than anyone else in the whole world–and for every unique talent and unique expression of that talent, there are also unique needs. When these needs are matched with the creative expression of your talent, that is the spark that creates affluence. Expressing your talents to fulfill needs creates unlimited wealth and abundance.

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Why meditate?

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What is the essence of meditation?
What does it mean to be awaken to the world, your self, your body and your mind?

Om Mani Padme Hum

One of the most potent mantras, Om Mani Padme Hum contains the entire wisdom of the Buddhist teachings in a single phrase.

A quick thought

While walking through life, I tend to get a quick thought, on which I build articles or what ever I believe fits the thought.
I will post some of them here:

Translate this webpage

Translation:

Oversæt, Vertalen, Kääntää,
Tercüme etmek, Traducir,
Tradurre, अनुवाद करना,
Tłumaczyć, Traduire,
переводить

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Overview

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Recent posts:

Fear Stand tall, Body language Enlightenment Spirituality Choose your path Spirituality in Business Life Coach & Spirit Karma Free donation Spirituality & Science – DNA Experiments

The 7 Natural Laws The 7 Life laws Gratefulness Quotes Relationships The story of a Donkey If you never failed… Love is All Feel like giving up A beautiful way Be kind

A quick thought Recommended reading Anthony Robbins Michael J. Losier Stephen R. Covey Phillip McGraw Wayne Dyer Jack Kornfield Why meditate? The Four Noble Truths The Noble Eightfold Path

A journey of a thousand miles, must begin with the first step Sign a Petition

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Karma (def.)

Karma (The Law of Cause and Effect)

Sanskrit; Pāli: kamma. kárma, kárman = act, action, performance.

In short u can say, that Karma is the law of course and effect.
What ever you send out into the universe, will come back again.
It’s not some kind of strange belief but logic at it’s best.
Eg. if you act bad and angry toward other people, what do you think will return to you? People acting bad and angry towards you of course.

Anthony Robbins

Michael J. Losier

Stephen R. Covey

Phillip McGraw

Spirituality & Science – DNA Experiments

Can we heal ourselves? Can we affect our environment on a great distance? Can we feel each other’s well being, without seeing or hearing each other?

Fear

Fear is a basic survival mechanism, that is programmed into our brain for our own protection. This programming make us avoid and escape danger, when we are in a potential dangerous situation. In fact, fear is our friend, but it can be a little too protective sometimes. Warning us of danger’s that are not really there or blow a potential small danger totally out of proportions.

Stand tall, your body language helps you acquire certain feelings

 

Body language is used as non-verbal communication, and it is well known, that the body language is affected by your mood. This is how you can show your environment (consciously or unconsciously), how you really feel. When we are in a bad mood, we tend to change our body pose, facial expressions, use different gestures, and eye movements. The changes depends on the mood we are in.

But many doesn’t know, that it also works the other way around. That the body language also can help you determine you mood.

Enlightenment (def.)

 

The explanation of enlightenment differs a bit, depending who you ask. But the meaning is much the same:

Spirituality (def.)

 

Traditionally, religions have regarded spirituality as an integral part of religious experience. Many still think of spirituality and religion as one and the same. But a declining membership in the organized religions, and the growth of secularism in the western world has broaden the view of spirituality.

Photos used in this blog.

Wayne Dyer

Jack Kornfield

Wallpapers

Choose your path.

Choose your path. Or it will be chosen for you.

Spirituality in Business

Coming soon

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