Fortunate Contest

I have never felt comfortable going to the doctor but I knew that I needed to start going and getting regular check ups since I was now in my thirties. I have been on the alberta health and wellness plan for about two months now and I love it. Not only is it a great insurance plan but they also helped me find the right doctor. I went to my first check up last week and I had a very nice experience. The doctor and nurses were very nice and I felt very at ease though out the whole thing.

I am a big health nut and so I take about ten vitamins a day usually. So you can imagine my surprise when after reading the Blaylock wellness report on vitamins that not all of them even get into my system. So it seems that I have been wasting tons of money on pointless pills that have been doing hardly anything for my system at all. I am so glad that my friend turned me on to this report otherwise I would still be buying all of these vitamins and thinking that they were actually doing something when they are not.

If my life were just the total of my experiences then I am half
dead. I mean, I’ve been thought to be dead several times, but I
wasn’t one of the ones thinking that. If I believed my palm (I
learned a bit about reading palms), I died over thirty years
ago, since my ‘life-line’ quits rather abruptly after barely
starting across my palm.

If quality of life were all that’s important, I wouldn’t want to
live; but with the occasional glorious moment that appears, I’ll
stay. I like living; I enjoy the people around me, the feel of
my husband’s arms around me, the hug of a child or grandchild. I
want to be able to know as many great-grandchildren as possible
and go to ball games to cheer for my boys, no matter their ages,
or my great-granddaughter some day.

Yes, I live with pain every moment of every day; sometimes the
extreme agony decreases, but it never leaves. Lupus, rheumatoid
arthritis, fibromylagia, spondyl arthritis, and severe migraines
are more than just words to me; they exist in my body daily,
hourly. Does that make me disabled? No, they just make life a
bit more challenging, and, yes, at times more difficult. I’ve
had to learn to do some things differently and to learn to
ignore other things. My house certainly isn’t as spotless as I
would like; I don’t cook huge meals for my extended family any
more; I don’t make bread from scratch as I once did. However, I
still enjoy a colorful sunset; I use faster film to take
photographs; my mind weaves stories as well as ever. I still
enjoy life and living.

I stumble more often, even fall a few times, but I’ve learned to
hold God’s hand and rely on my own power less. I count my
blessings more often and pray for my loved ones more intensely.
The losses of a child, of grandchildren, of my parents leave
holes that nothing can fill. Therefore, I try to appreciate the
loved ones left even more.

Once my life overflowed with things and doings. Now I have to
close the faucet partially so that the stream isn’t as
fast-flowing. Everyday I learn to adapt, even if I’m not a fast
learner in that respect. I live my life; I live a full life. I
may suffer pain, but I wouldn’t want to miss the dance.

Given the opportunity to do something how do you approach it?

My son came home from school complaining about a ’stupid rule’ his school recently established. After hearing the rule, I agreed that for a child like my son, the rule was stupid. However, I explained to him that the rule was enacted because they had to create a bar. A bar is a minimum standard of acceptance. This bar (which is set very low), is a bar that a lot of the students will use as their maximum code of behavior.

Think of an elementary school child told to read 15 minutes a day. The ones that need it the most will start getting antsy ten minutes into their reading session. By they time they reach fourteen and a half minutes, they’re already beginning to close the book. To get them to read for fifteen minutes, the bar has to be set higher.

Or, you tell your child to take out the trash. “But it’s not full is the response” No, but the rotten milk container in the trash makes it stink.” Because his bar is set to react only when the trash is full, a rancid smell is not included in his trash bar so the stinky trash will sit.

See where I’m going?

There are bars set in society in an attempt to set a minimum standard of living. These bars, are not necessarily set very high. How do you set and react to the bars in your everyday life?

I was recently commissioned to write short articles for a client. I was given a few hundred titles to write. Not knowing how many I could get done in a week, I allowed myself the luxury of 1 a day 5 days a week. It was agreed I could submit 5 articles weekly. Good. Bar is set.

After a few weeks of becoming well versed on the topic, I realized I could complete 3 times as many articles within the same time frame. Should I keep this low bar as my maximum? Should I raise my bar to commit to 15 articles rather than the original 5? Why push myself? Why reset the bar and expect more of myself.

I decided to reset the bar. Why not develop, expand and challenge myself? It’s a win-win situation. My client gets more of what he wants, and I not only rise to the occasion (a small victory for me), but I also earn additional income.

This made me look at other areas of my life. Do I need to adjust a bar here or there? I’ve found that people with low expectations tend to look at everything as near impossible rather than something to grow from and overcome. Raise the bar just once, and you may raise it twice. After raising your bars a few times, it might become a habit. You’ll start to look at everything differently,

When you make it a habit to raise your bar, other people tend to look at you as “you’re so lucky, look what you’ve got”. It’s not luck. It’s called raising the bar. Expect more from yourself and you get more.

Celebrate your victories and move on.

Felicia Williams is a Freelance Writer and owner of http://www.tidbitsandstuff.com

Have you encountered a time when you were in a traffic jam and
was running late for an important meeting? Did you stay calm
and focused? Or did your mind wander into the dark side of
the impending consequences that may occur?

If you’re always picturing people getting mad at you and
thinking of negative outcomes, then your body suffers as well.
You may experience chest pains, anxiety disorders, indigestion,
and other health problems. Why worry when you can’t do anything
about the situation? Moreover, you don’t even know yet what
will happen. Both good and bad things happen unexpectedly.
Why bother to worry? It’s just not worth it.

Your mind directly influences your body’s capabilities and
reactions; so if you always project negative thoughts and
images in your mind, your body suffers as well. But if you
always think of positive and enthusiastic stuffs, your body
will react positively too.

The mind is an absolute powerhouse, a dream granter, and
goal achiever, all rolled into one. But do you know how to
optimize it for best performance?

Many times we’ve heard people say that “If you think you can
or you can’t, you’re right.”

That is so true. But do you know exactly how to use your
thoughts in reaching what you desire to achieve?

They say affirmations work. Yes, they do. But the results
might be minimal and might not turn out according to your
expectations.

Do you want to know a method that is much more powerful? What
I’m going to tell you is a technique that is so effective in
itself; that if you combine it with affirmations, then you
possess one of the deadliest combos of self-improvement.

Want to know the secret? Here it is.

Visualize images. It’s as simple as that. Our mind
communicates with our body using images. You know that the
thought of people getting angry with you can negatively
affect your health. Otherwise, picturing yourself relaxing
at your favorite vacation spot can ease some of your stress.

Take this exercise.

Imagine the juiciest whole piece of fried chicken right in
front of you. You can smell its tempting aroma. You sliced
it into pieces and heard the crispy crunching sound. Picture
yourself taking a large bite and enjoying the gastronomic
experience. Did that made your mouth water? Did that made
you hungry?

Images are very powerful and can be used to improve your
health, attain your goals, and achieve anything that you
put your mind into.

For instance, you’re a burn victim. You have a wound that
is quite agonizing. Don’t just say, “Hey, burn wound. Get
out of my skin.” Picture it in your mind getting smaller and
smaller. Visualize it melting and vanishing into thin air.

You may imagine the wound itself healing miraculously, or you
may designate any object of your choice to represent that
wound. For example, you visualize a black stone as a symbol
of your illness. Imagine that object shrinking and
disintegrating slowly. As you’re thinking of this, feel
your wound and all negative forces simultaneously going
along with the action of the black stone. Let them become
smaller and smaller until they have ceased to exist.

So which technique is better - imagining the real thing or
assigning a representational object to it? It all depends
on you. Pick and apply the method that you are more
comfortable with, the one that you are more inclined to
think and visualize upon.

But it’s not as easy as you think. Practice makes perfect.
One way you can optimize the power of imagination is by
becoming more observant and meticulous. If you’re going
to use a certain flower in your visualization, go to the
park and become a keen observer of that flower. Touch it.
Smell it. Feel its texture. The more senses involved, the
more powerful your visualization will become.

Visualization can be a very powerful tool in getting what
you want in life. Practice and apply it often. You’ll be
amazed at the results.

Michael Lee is the author of “How To Be A Red Hot Persuasion
Wizard,” an ebook that reveals how to easily seduce others to
like you, fully improve your relationships, multiply your
profits, win negotiations, and attain freedom and power.
Visit http://www.20daypersuasion.com and grab a sample chapter.