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- How Americans Became Uber-Consumers - by Submitted on Jul 14, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsSometimes, it helps to have an historical perspective on our behavior as a society. In 1883, when I was a college senior at Sarah Lawrence, I studied a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries called the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution is when we were convinced that ...
Views: 888(2 votes) - Letting Go of Perfection: Set Yourself Free - by Submitted on Jul 14, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsIt is good to remember that one of our goals in life is to not be perfect. We often lose track of this aspiration. When we make mistakes, we think that we are failing or not measuring up. But if life is about experimenting, experiencing, and learning, then to be imperfect is a prerequisite. Life ...
Views: 1944(2 votes) - The Story You Tell - by Submitted on Jul 14, 2009 from Kidest OMEverything you think on any subject, is a story your mind is resurrecting and reciting. Even your smallest of daily activities are accompanied with a mental chatter, a distant or faded story about something or someone, playing in the background. Your mind strings thoughts together in reaction ...
Views: 1309(4 votes) - Recognize the Gifts! - by Submitted on Jul 13, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsI am a strong believer that to God and the universe, time doesn't exist. Everything you have and experience in life is only a reflection of your current-held beliefs. Today let "thank you" be your mantra! Express it aloud to anyone you appreciate--take to time to write someone a letter of ...
Views: 1267(2 votes) - Direct Service: How You Can Help Someone In Need - by Submitted on Jul 13, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsDo you ever wonder who could possibly help a homeless person? The answer is each of us can help. It's called direct service - helping someone in need ourselves. But how? There are many ways to help a person in need, including giving a homeless person a blanket. That's how we started Children ...
Views: 1415(1 vote) - What Are They Like Over There? - by Submitted on Jul 13, 2009 from Terrie AndersonAs I am a traveller, I am often asked by people 'What are the people like, in this place or that place?' My answer is always a simple one ' How do you find the people where you are now?' The truth is - how you find the people where you are right now, is how you will find the people ...
Views: 2330(2 votes) - Being Happy with Your Job: Giving Your Gifts to the World - by Submitted on Jul 12, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsIn our search to define ourselves, we often look to our job to show us our worth. Society does not judge all professions equally, however, and it is not uncommon for the individuals who hold what others may consider to be ordinary or menial jobs to feel that they themselves are ordinary or ...
Views: 992(2 votes) - My Little Miracle Maker - by Submitted on Jul 12, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsI saw my grandchild for the first time yesterday. I was such a huge moment that it took me more than twenty four hours to process it and be able to write about it. As I held the little bundle of joy and delved into his luminous grey eyes I felt a sense of indescribable joy and wonder. It was a ...
Views: 670 - Smaller Can Most Definitely Be Better - by Submitted on Jul 12, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsI’m just back from a delicious, envigorating, visit to Bay Path College in Longmeadow, Mass. Suzanne Strempek Shea (whom some of you may know from her exquisite writing in Sundays in America and Shelf Life, amongst other things) had arranged for me to give a talk on the six archetypes, and to ...
Views: 605 - Creating Memories - by Submitted on Jul 12, 2009 from Leslie GailI love summertime because of all the simple pleasures and fun you get to have with family and friends. It is a time during the year when you can create wonderful memories and experiences for yourself and your loved ones. Some activities I always look forward to are picnics and barbeques, bike ...
Views: 1326 - Just for the Fun of It! - by Submitted on Jul 11, 2009 from Joan Marie WhelanWhen is the last time you’ve given yourself permission to do something just for the fun of it? I know…we all get caught up in work, family, and home. But isn’t it time that you made time for yourself? With summer in full swing, you should kick off your shoes and step back into your childhood ...
Views: 1517 - 3 Amazing Ways to Fill Your Life with Happiness - by Submitted on Jul 11, 2009 from Michael LeeHappiness is a state of mind. Although certain circumstances can’t help but affect you, the decision to laugh or cry remains yours to be made. So instead of drowning in sorrow, why not teach yourself how to become a happy person? Turning your frown upside down comes with a lot of benefits. ...
Views: 3019(1 vote) - Misery Loves Company No More - by Submitted on Jul 10, 2009 from Ann-Mhayra AlecksonIn these uncertain economic times it is heartening to know that happiness spreads more robustly than unhappiness and seems to have a greater effect than money. A recent study from James Fowler of University of California at San Diego and Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School showed ...
Views: 1786 - Ideal vs. Real - by Submitted on Jul 10, 2009 from Awakening Potentials Inc Drs Tony and MarcelleRelate to this? A worker sitting at his/her desk and imaging how life would be better almost anywhere but right there - feeling unsatisfied with the present situation but also not knowing how to break free. Now ask yourself: Why anyone would settle for the mediocre and mundane? True, there ...
Views: 5102(1 vote) - Create Recess in Your Life - by Submitted on Jul 09, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsDuring a workshop I was faced with someone throwing the gauntlet: “Okay sunshine girl what cheery bit of advice do you have about the recession?” I replied, “You know what they say what doesn’t kill you can make you stronger!” Here is the gist of the rest of the session: The recession can help ...
Views: 898(2 votes) - Are You Dead Or Just Comfortable? - by Submitted on Jul 09, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsAre you hearing people talk about how uncomfortable they are these days? Kind of makes sense given all the uncomfortable changes accompanying this fine recession we find ourselves in. I attended a conference last week in San Francisco where one of the speakers said something that to some, ...
Views: 609(1 vote) - Michael Jackson, You, and Me - by Submitted on Jul 09, 2009 from Martia NelsonWhen Michael Jackson died, I became riveted to the stories that emerged about him. Not so much about his death, but his life. It seemed that after he left us we were finally getting insight to what he was like as a man, not just an icon. Deepak Chopra, who had been a friend and spiritual ...
Views: 1357(3 votes) - Healing Your Heart - by Submitted on Jul 08, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsI have doing a lot of work with the heart-area recently and wanted to share the following thoughts and exercises for healing your heart. If you struggle in relationships, suffer from a broken heart, have been let down, hurt, abandoned, or just feel like your heart could use some love, this will ...
Views: 1011(1 vote) - Permission to Feel: Pushing Away Emotion - by Submitted on Jul 08, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsThroughout our lives, we may experience emotions that disturb or distress us. Often, our first reaction is to push our feelings away. We may say, "I don't want to think about that right now, I'll think about it later" and we bury our emotions, deny the validity of our feelings, or distract ...
Views: 904(1 vote) - Barriers to Living a Happy Life - Part 2 - by Submitted on Jul 08, 2009 from Pat MussieuxIn the last article, I referenced the 4 major barriers to living a happy life. The first major barrier is Habits (you can get a copy of that issue by visiting my website at www.steps2happiness.com). In this issue, we will examine the second major barrier – attitudes! Now, we all know that ...
Views: 2546(2 votes) - How to Prepare for Outdoor Entertaining - by Submitted on Jul 08, 2009 from Jeff HesterWhile the fourth of July may be the apex of summer entertaining, every Northerner knows that no matter when it starts, the season is short. Those planning on outdoor entertaining must seize the moment. Whether a big bash is in the works or a small intimate gathering, having the outdoor spaces ...
Views: 1204(3 votes) - Break Free! You Can Release Yourself from Depression. - by Submitted on Jul 19, 2010 from Allison Love, MAWill my life ever get better? When will I be happy? Is this the year my life changes? These were two questions I asked myself over and over again until the answers came in a manner I never imagined. After 34 years living a life limited within the parameters of Depression and Post Traumatic ...
Views: 1592 - Too Miserable to Be Happy - by Submitted on Jul 12, 2009 from Alan ASo, are you too miserable to be happy? This may sound funny to some but I’m guessing that there are people out there who understand this all too well. There are times that you may be in a state of such tremendous negativity that it’s almost impossible for anyone or anything to positively ...
Views: 2503(3 votes) - The Medical Model for Treating Mental Disorders - by Submitted on Jul 06, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsWhen I began working in the mental health field I began as a caseworker for the county mental health authority. This essentially involved working under psychiatrists as a caseworker. The system being utilized to diagnose and treat mental health "disorders" was, and still is, referred to as ...
Views: 2637(3 votes) - Do you have a story to share? - by Submitted on Jul 06, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsMy main intent and maybe even raison d’etre is to help you discover your most authentic, happy, and compassionate self. Toward that end, I’m seeking stories of people who’ve become under- or unemployed since the economy avalanched. I want to hear what they (you/us) want others who remain ...
Views: 626(2 votes) - Overwhelmed with where to begin spiritually - by Submitted on Jul 06, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsQuestion: I am so overwhelmed with spiritual growing. I have no formal religious background. Where do I start? I believe in a spiritual entity. And that we are all connected. I believe there was a man named Jesus that walked the face of the earth and was given information from god. I do not ...
Views: 885(2 votes) - Spring, and how we see it - by Submitted on Jul 06, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsThe trees are looking a bit more promising these days. The twigs that looked so bare and naked in January have now, even at a distance, gained substance; and close inspection reveals that buds are waiting to make themselves known. Each year Nature does this and each year we think it’s doing ...
Views: 610(2 votes) - Barriers to Living a Happy Life - by Submitted on Jul 06, 2009 from Pat MussieuxI have a few questions for you to consider. Do you have the potential to be a nicer person? Do you have the potential to have more fun in your life? Do you have the potential to make more money? Do you have the potential to grow your business? Do you have the potential to have more ...
Views: 2128(2 votes) - International Happiness Day is on July 10th! - by Submitted on Jul 06, 2009 from Aymee Coget,Hi there! I know you are a happiness activist because I assume you want to help to create Peace on Earth. If we had peace on Earth, then we would have people who were smiling and laughing. Happy people smile and laugh and now we can teach happiness like we can teach math with the new ...
Views: 1890(4 votes) - How Do You Know When It's Spring? - by Submitted on Jul 05, 2009 from Intent.com Authors“It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!” ~Mark Twain I’m so happy I’m so happy I’m so happy!!! It is the first day of spring. Woohoo. ...
Views: 1008(1 vote) - 3 Ways To Live In a Changing World - by Submitted on Jul 05, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsWhen everything looks hopeless we do have the chance to grow into something better: what the caterpillar calls the end of the world, we call a butterfly! But, like a butterfly, the journey to such growth can be a difficult one, including having to transform ourselves as completely as a ...
Views: 685(1 vote) - Being Highly Sensitive and being “Special” - by Submitted on Jul 03, 2009 from Antonis RemoundosIn 1996 Elaine Aron created the term “Highly Sensitive Person” or HSP to describe and study a big part of the population (and also higher animals) that has different ways to deal with stimuli, information, thoughts and emotions. This term is neither metaphysical nor spiritual, is very practical ...
Views: 2808(3 votes) - It Is Better To Be Transparent and Truthful - by Submitted on Jul 02, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsWe do not live our lives truthfully. We show a different face to the different people we interact with in accordance with the expectations of the situation. We act differently with our parents, with our friends, with our bosses, with the gardener, our spouses, homeless people, etc. We have ...
Views: 830(1 vote) - Things Are Not Always As They Seem - by Submitted on Jul 02, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsThe other day I nearly crushed another human being. Driving down the road I met, in the middle of the lane coming towards me, a woman pushing a shopping trolley. The sidewalk was not to her liking, but antiquated Buicks offering imminent destruction around curves were, it seemed, much more her ...
Views: 682(1 vote) - Passive Aggressive Behavior: Claiming Our Feelings - by Submitted on Jul 02, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsIf you've ever found yourself repressing your anger and behaving in other ways to get your point across, you may be someone who is adept at engaging in passive-aggressive behavior. Although passive-aggressive behavior is recognized as a psychological disorder, it also describes the behavior that ...
Views: 734(1 vote) - Not Entirely Happy With Your Life? Well Answer This One Key Question - by Submitted on Jul 01, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsMom. Dad. Your spouse. Clergy. An ex. Your big brother. Who is in your head? And do you allow them there? Carefully watch the choices you make. Carefully watch the actions that you take. Are you certain you are living your own life? If you feel anything less than very happy with ...
Views: 695(1 vote) - Renewing Yourself for Spring - by Submitted on Jul 01, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsThough it may be a little hard to tell if you are living in Southern California like me, spring is definitely in the air. Longer days, kids spring break approaching, and more spring outfits (despite a cold spell!) are all signs of change. While there are many poetic notions of spring and ...
Views: 827(1 vote) - Are you a Rogi, a Bogi or a Yogi? - by Submitted on Jul 01, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsMany years ago, when Ed was training in India, his yoga master suddenly turned to him and asked, "Are you a rogi, a bogi or a yogi?" Ed was stunned and confused, what is he saying? Isn't yoga all about love and goodness and happiness? Aren't yogi's people who never say or do anything wrong? ...
Views: 1492(1 vote) - Springtime Renewal - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsSpring time is here all over the country... at different degrees depending on where we are. But the feeling is the same: fresh, green, alive, growth, possibility, and new committments. I have been thinking about what I do for renewing myself... The trees do it, flowers do it, animals do it, ...
Views: 704 - Spring Is the time to Expand - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsFor every up, there is a down; when the sun rises, it is followed by a sunset set; what contracts, will then expand. Such are the cycles of life. Such are the seasons. During summer, we are expansive. During the fall, we contract. In the Winter we continue to contract. In the spring ...
Views: 684 - President Obama, Persistence, and Hope - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsPresident Obama said last night that he’s a “big believer in persistence.” Are you? I am. For good or not, tenacity, perseverance, and sometimes just plain stubbornness mark my character. Kenny Rogers sang, “You gotta know when to hold em’, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, know ...
Views: 837(1 vote) - In with the New: Spring Cleaning - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsAs the last vestiges of winter depart, all of nature enters into a lively and animated state of renewal. In the springtime, earth's life energy is awakened from dormancy, and the cycle of life starts anew. We have the ability to sense this change taking place even before the seasonal flora ...
Views: 607(1 vote) - Stop Fighting - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsI hadn't realized, but I was fighting things most of my life. It still happens, but I'm learning now that life can flow easily if we stop fighting. That's where peace is found. What do we fight? We fight what happens to us, what other people say about us, we fight our own thoughts or ...
Views: 618(1 vote) - Act to the Contrary to Change a Bad Mood - by Submitted on Jun 28, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsIt can grip you--a bad mood that seems to come from nowhere can wreck your day if you let it. The good news is you don’t have to let it. You can dodge a bad mood by simply shifting your actions. Think about the way you stand, look, or speak when you’re in a bad mood. Chances are your shoulders ...
Views: 994(1 vote) - Joy Changes Our Lives Forever! - by Submitted on Jun 28, 2009 from Menno SpijkstraJoy is what our Creator wants and intended for us—it's our right of birth. Joy is definitely what we want from life. Being joyful is a great and fantastic business. Happy and enthusiastic individuals produce more. And it does not take a lot of your time or cost a bunch of dollars. Being joyful ...
Views: 763(1 vote) - Over And Over Again: Having The Same Experiences - by Submitted on Jun 28, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsThere may be times in our lives when it seems like we keep having the same kinds of experiences. The situation or the people involved may be different each time, yet one experience may feel exactly like the last one and the one before that one. Perhaps we left a job where we were unhappy and we ...
Views: 597(1 vote) - How Does A Waitress Deal With Rude People? - by Submitted on Jun 28, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsA few weeks ago we wrote a blog called "Walking Your Talk: How Do You Treat a Waitress?" We had a great response and so this time we thought we would look at the same issue from the other side: How do we deal with people who are rude? There is no doubt that waitresses can get the worst of ...
Views: 1613(1 vote) - 66 Ways to Lessen Stress and Feel Happier - by Submitted on Jun 28, 2009 from Russ SmallHang out with positive people Avoid negative people Hang up pictures of loved ones Call a friend Call a relative you haven't been in touch with for a long time just to say "Hi, I was thinking about you!" Smile at someone Acknowledge a complete stranger with a greetings, good morning, etc ...
Views: 2018(1 vote) - Acceptance of Self - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2009 from Deborah McIncrowAcceptance; when your higher power created you he or she put together a priceless package and you were presented to the world, probably kicking and screaming. Maybe you even scored a perfect 10 on your Virginia Apgar assessment. As your life was beginning, in all probability, it was filled ...
Views: 963 - What Gives You Hope? 7 Guaranteed Ways to Find Hope - by Submitted on Jun 25, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsOkay, I can’t absolutely guarantee it, but I can share from recent experience during some seemingly hopeless times a few things that have shored up my faith and hope, and have made me smile through tears. 1. Find a yellow daffodil about to bloom and enjoy a one-minute reverie. 2. Close ...
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