Friday, June 09, 2006

CRACKED POT...

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a Pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full
portion of water.

At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked Pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, With the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the
Poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable
that It could only do half of what it had been made to do.
After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to
the Woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because
this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your
house."

The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your Side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?" "That's because I Have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your Side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them."

"For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to
Decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there
would Not be this beauty to grace the house."

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we
each have that make our lives together so very interesting and
Rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and Look for the good in them.

So, to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!
And send this to any or all of your cracked Pot friends within 5 Minutes and see what happens! Don't forget the one that sent it to you! And I'll just get back to my flowers.
Have a great day!!

Posted by -Paulo- :: 4:02 PM :: 0 Comments:

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Friday, June 02, 2006

Beat the Blues for a Better You

Beat the Blues for a Better You

Turn that Frown Upside-down
Do you know that there is one exercise you can perform right now, no matter where you are, that may decrease your risk of a heart attack? This exercise doesn't require you to lift weights, hire a trainer or even go near a gym.
What could it possibly be? Simple: it's called smiling.

You don't have to be a fitness expert to smile. All you need is the right attitude to lead a healthy and happy life.

Beat the blues
It may sometimes seem easy to let the blues set in, taking the excitement from your day. This unhealthy attitude can hurt you in the long run.

There is no need to ever get down on yourself. As long as you learn from your mistakes, you can concentrate on the future.

Keep in mind that if you let the pressures of everyday life get to you, you are hurting your health along with your happiness.


Mood magic
Results of a 27-year study at Duke University Medical Center show that individuals with long-lasting depressive symptoms have a 70% higher risk of heart attack than those who are usually cheerful.

Remember this statistic the next time you find a frown on your face. Although you may not have long-lasting depressive symptoms, you want to avoid falling into the pattern of feeling down. Refuse to let a mood dictate your happiness.

Proactive pampering
Ever notice that when you feel a little down, you tend to pamper yourself? You give in to your craving for whatever your weakness may be. And that weakness is usually bad for your body - chocolate, cigarettes, and alcohol. Doctors believe that this may be one of the ways in which depressive symptoms contribute to your body's decreased health.

You can still indulge yourself when you feel blue, but you don't Have to hurt yourself. Take a soothing bath or get a massage the next time you need a break.

How does it all work?
By understanding your psyche A little better, it's easy to see how A blue mood can really hurt your Health. But how can you shake that feeling? It's simple with a few easy guidelines:

Exercise, exercise, exercise-it relieves stress, lowers blood pressure, and makes you feel great about your body.
Meditation or some other form of stress relieving technique-they is simple to do, even at the office. And they provide a mini-break from your day.
If you feel you are suffering from clinical ongoing depression that hinders your relationships with others, consult a doctor regarding therapy.
Feeling down is nothing to be ashamed of or get stressed about. A little healthy self-indulgence in what makes you feel better is good at times. Just remember that you can turn your life around by beating the blues with a smile.

Posted by -Paulo- :: 8:35 AM :: 2 Comments:

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---------------oOo--------------- 6 Secrets to Happiness

6 Secrets to Happiness

By: Lynne E Kaska



Have you ever thought that you could have more, be more and do more? Have you ever wondered what it would take to really have a successful life? What if you could have the life of your dreams?



Happiness is just within your reach. It’s just on the other side of the gnawing fear. It’s just on the other side of that self-defeating game that you keep on playing. The question is how do we get “there” from “here.” The question is what do you have to do?



The first secret to happiness that I have found is in identifying what makes you truly happy. It’s a difficult task to do especially if you really do this from your heart, not what your head tells you. I discovered when I went through this process that the things that I want are not like what anyone else wants for me. I had to discover what I want and let go of old ideas and pleasing other people. For me, happiness means that I walk down the sidewalk with my head held high because I know that I am right with God or a Higher Being. Happiness means that I’m not held back by all the garbage in my past. Happiness is feeling like I have a purpose and living my life with passion and vibrancy.



What is it that you really want in life? Do you want a stronger relationship with your spouse/partner? Do you want a more fulfilling career? Do you want to be able to sleep at night without any chatter in your head? Is your true desire to just want to get out of bed in the morning and embrace the day for what it is? Do you want to have a strong faith and put aside all fear and live life to the fullest?



Well, if you fall into any of these categories, then I encourage you to keep reading. We all want to be happy. But what separates the men from the boys and the women from the girls is the willingness to do the work. In my own experience, I found that when I get into enough pain, I’m willing to go to any length to quit feeling the way I was feeling. Are you willing to go on a journey? Are you willing to trust a process that is rewarding?



The next step to achieving happiness is to identify what is not working in your life. I have found that there are several self-defeating games that I play, playing the victim, get them before they get me, being a problem, using drugs/alcohol/food, not showing up, and lying. Which of these games do you use and how? Write a paragraph on three times that you’ve used a self-defeating game. Write about how it worked for you, what it cost you, etc….



Another key step to creating a life of happiness is the power of choice. So many times in my life, I didn’t think that I had a choice, but I really did. Particularly abuse survivors think that they don’t have a choice in their situation. They are controlled by fear, but the truth is that if they were willing to step outside of their comfort zone and what seems normal to them, there are ways that they can get out of their situation. As a survivor myself, I had to learn that even though the things that happened to me were not my fault, I did however continue to place myself in a position to be harmed. And I did make the choice to stay in the situation however painful it was for me. There are hundreds of agencies out there today that are designed specifically for women in these situations. Making healthy choices for ourselves gives us an amazing feeling of empowerment. It is something that is indescribable.



Taking Responsibility for our actions is probably the most difficult part of creating a life of happiness. I want you to pretend that someone who you blame for something is standing in front of you; now point your finger at them. What I never realized is that when I point the finger at someone else, I have 3 pointing back at me. When I was able to really start looking at my part in things, the growth that I went through was incredible. I felt as if I was stopping a cycle. And I did!!! By taking responsibility for my own actions and seeing where I was wrong, I was able to identify the things that I did to other people, therefore I was able to truly make amends to them. By seeing my part, I changed a lot of behaviors.



Forgiveness is the next step. For a detailed explanation of forgiveness, please see my article titled “Forgiving the Unforgivable.” When I went through the process of forgiving the people that hurt me, I felt as if nothing in the world could stop me from having the happiness that I had longed for, for so long.



Giving back is the final step in achieving the happiness that you want. As I began to de-clutter my heart and get rid of all the things that kept me in the darkness, my heart felt full, I felt alive, and I felt like I had so much to offer the world. That was when I first decided to start getting articles published, and I took steps towards getting books published, and I even wrote my first e-book. If people weren’t there for me to help me through this process, then I wouldn’t be where I’m at today. I can’t just ignore the things that people did for me. Service work can be done in a number of ways. It doesn’t necessarily have to be being a candy striper at a hospital. There are a number of places that need volunteers. It could be visiting a nursing home, or just smiling at a cashier. It could be holding a door open for an elderly person or carrying their groceries to their car for them. What I have found is that by giving back what was given to me, I am able to keep the things that I’ve achieved.



My hope for you is that you find value in some of the steps above as well as my experiences. My hope for you is that you will finally discover the happiness within you. My hope for you is that you will finally find the freedom that you so deserve.

Posted by -Paulo- :: 8:33 AM :: 2 Comments:

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