Altameroy Blog

When my older son was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, my first reaction was relief - I finally knew the reason for his behavior. However, I was also overwhelmed with sadness, fear and anger. I felt sorry for my son and for myself. Like many others in similar circumstances, my question to God was “Why me?”

Through the grace of God, I am now able to focus on my gratitude. I believe God chose me to raise my son because He knew that I would give him the best I have. He will teach me to love and understand him for who he is. I am grateful that I have my son, and grateful that God chose me to be his mother.

There is power and healing in gratitude.

How can gratitude help us in our everyday lives as moms? Think about the difference you can make in your family’s life just by noticing and being thankful for all the great things they do. When you express gratitude, you show your love and appreciation. Everyone needs to feel these things every day. Sometimes as moms we feel that no one appreciates us - and it is true that moms are usually last on the list to be thanked. One way you can teach gratitude is by example. Even on the days when it seems your children or husband are doing everything wrong, find a reason to thank them. Take the time and energy to look for the good. Think about the things that your family does that deserve a thank you. You might say to your husband, “Thank you for working so hard for our family,” or, to your child, “I really appreciate your sense of humor - it feels good to laugh.” Expressing your gratitude helps family members to understand how it feels to be appreciated. And if they still don’t catch on, let them know when you feel unappreciated. You can also tell them how great it makes you feel when they do express gratitude.

Gratitude is a wonderful motivator when you need cooperation. When enlisting the help of my two year old, I praise him often and with enthusiasm. I let him know that he is a great helper. I know I am teaching him appreciation because he expresses it to me. The other day I brought a bunch of multi-colored roses home. For five days, at least once or twice a day, my son thanked me for the flowers.

Sometimes we get so busy and caught up in daily life that we forget to be grateful. We expect everyone to do their share without being asked. The only time anyone hears anything is when a chore has not been completed. This attitude, over the long haul, will develop very resentful and uncooperative family members.

When life is good, gratitude is easy. It becomes more challenging to be grateful when we are experiencing hard times. Financial hardship, long-term illness, the death of a loved one and marital strife can all be trying and difficult. It is hard to find anything to be grateful for. But while pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. We have a choice in how we view our circumstances. We can turn our hearts to God and trust that he has a plan for us. We can be thankful for the lessons we learn and the opportunities for personal growth and transformation. Look at all the people in this world who share the gifts they received during especially difficult times of their life. It is the painful times of my life that have made me stronger, wiser, and more loving today.

I recently attended a powerful seminar on the various levels of energy that a human being emanates. The presenter identified seven different levels of energy. The first level of energy is defined by feelings of apathy and thoughts of victimization. A person at a level two energy has feelings of anger and thoughts of conflict. As a person moves up the energy scale, their feelings and thoughts are more positive. At level seven, one would experience unconditional love and no judgmental thoughts. Only God radiates at level seven. The average person emits energy at a level of 2.5. To experience peace and joy, an individual must raise his energy level to 5 or 6.

So how can we raise our energy level and open our heart to joy? One powerful way is to develop an attitude of gratitude. Look at everyone with grateful eyes. Listen to your heart and the heart of your loved ones. Speak words of affirmation every day of your life. Be grateful for your life with all its lessons and blessings. The more grateful thoughts and feelings you experience and express the more instrumental you will be in healing the world. And your outlook on life will improve in the process.

Lori Radun, certified life coach for moms. Get her FREE monthly ezine for moms who want healthier and happier lives at http://www.true2youlifecoaching.com

© 2005 True to You Life Coaching, LLC

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There is nothing worse than seeing garbage blowing down
the street of your neighborhood, or finding broken shards of
glass at the local swimming hole where children play.
Wildlife is just as vulnerable to garbage and many have lost
their lives after becoming tangled in waste or mistaking
garbage for food. It is up to each of us to make an effort to
minimize this unsightly, and sometimes hazardous,
problem.

Animals, wind and traffic breezes put legs to loose garbage
and are able to distribute it great distances from the original
source. The first thing that we can do to prevent this is to
ensure trashcan and dumpster lids are secure. Metal and
plastic trashcans are more preventative than bags - leaving
a bag out over night or even for several hours, is an enticing
invitation for stray animals to wreak havoc. When taking a
load to the dump, be sure that it is securely covered by
tightly tying a tarp over the load with some rope or bungee
cords.

Carry plastic shopping bags on your walks to clean up litter
that you find along the way. Often, people are rewarded for
their efforts by the deposits returned from bottles and cans.
Those who have noticed your efforts will begin taking up the
same habit once they realize the impact it has.

Report any dumping you witness, whether it was done
illegally or accidentally - just get the license number and
leave the rest to the officials. Also, report any site where
garbage has been left by others. These problems can be
reported to the local city, highway, public works or
conservation office. Ask them to arrange for it to be cleaned
up.

By doing these relatively small actions, we prevent
contamination and injuries to people or wildlife in the area.
When separating recyclable items, we keep a valuable
resource out of the landfill. In addition, we maintain a
pristine environment for citizens, tourists and wildlife to
enjoy. We can all take pride knowing that by keeping
garbage in its place, we are making the world just a little
better for everyone.

Written by Dave and Lillian Brummet based on the
concept of their book, Trash Talk. The book offers useful
solutions for the individual to reduce waste and better
manage resources. A guide for anyone concerned about his
or her impact on the environment.
(http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit)

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It all started early one Sunday morning in September 1997
after a two-minute encounter that would end up changing
my life. It was with a man in a red pick up truck with a P.O.W.
license plate. We were the only two vehicles on the road that
morning.

I had no idea what I was doing with my life it felt out of
control. I had just moved to Port Charlotte, Florida from
Grand Rapids, Michigan just a few months before. I just picked up
and moved with no money, no job - just opened a map book, pointed
and moved.

I was 25 years old, super depressed and needed to get away from all
those who had defined me my whole life. I don’t know what
compelled me that morning, up to that point I was pretty much
pissed off all the time. I felt misunderstood, judged and unworthy.
I was sad.

I had no idea who I was or why I was here, but I remember feeling
very lucky and grateful to be in a country where I could go off and
find myself. I could take as long as I needed to figure things out
and I had the freedom to try as many different things as I needed to
until I found my purpose.

I’m sure I looked crazy as I pulled up next to the red pickup and
motioned the man to roll down his window. He looked at me very
suspiciously. I don’t blame him; I was just some punk kid with
aggressive facial hair and dark sunglasses.

I think most people would have hesitated, but after one more motion
he finally rolled down the window. I asked him, “Are you
the P.O.W. on your license plate? “Yes I am”, he replied. I took off
my glasses and said “Thank you for my freedom.” The light turned green
and I pulled away.

He caught up to me at the next light and with tears in his eyes,
he thanked me! He said “Not one time since I have been back from the
war has anyone said that to me, I will never forget you!”

I never got the man’s name and I have never seen him again, but
the look on his face changed my life. The feeling we shared that day
was not of this world, I felt it in my soul. From this experience
my life’s work was set in motion. To create a way for others to
experience the feelings I felt during that chance encounter.

That day I uncovered one of the secrets to life.
it’s not the love you receive but rather the love you share that
makes you truly happy.

© Andy Thompson - All Rights Reserved

Andy Thompson is a writer who enjoys the “growth” part of the
Self Growth Process. He recommends the breakthrough 21-day
self empowerment program Habit Busting and publishes a quality
information packed monthly newsletter. Read more at
http://www.BadHabitBreaking101.com/pow/ and sign up for our free 7-day
goal setting e-course.

You may reprint this article in your newsletter as long as appears
exactly as printed above including the link.

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I have, in recent years, come to believe that IQ tests are a waste of time for most of us, and a waste of money for some of us. In fact, as a general rule of thumb, if you want to know how stupid you are, check to see if you’re paying for an online IQ test.

In the course of my short and, let’s face it, aimless life, I’ve taken numerous IQ tests when bored, with scores ranging from the high end of piss-average (109) to the screaming madman genius stage (158), and pretty much everything in between.

As such, I’ve come to think that nobody actually knows how smart anyone else is, except in the broadest possible terms.

I have been told that MENSA tests are definitive, but to be honest I stopped playing after I scored that 158 and I don’t intend to consult MENSA from sheer egotistical fear that they will, as a particularly grating series of adverts might put it, “quote me unhappy.”

I was, however, amused today by a pop up ad beseeching me to take yet another IQ test. Most of them say fairly obvious things like “What’s your IQ?” or “How smart are you?”

This one took the novel and amusingly confrontational approach of “Are you stupid?” I can’t help but feel that if anyone did shout “No!!” and click it, the answer would unavoidably be “yes”, but I digress.

It’s quite scary, in actuality, when you can feel marketing ploys or ad campaigns working on you. It’s like an out-of-brain experience. You know that you’re just being rash and impulsive based on a catchy slogan, a shiny wrapper or on whatever would look cool, but you can’t help it. I’m 90% sure this is how Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected.

Some time back, my local supermarket reorganised it’s layout, with unexpected things in the midst of the more commonplace. For example, I went in for a bar of chocolate, and on one of the shelves in the chocolate aisle they had a small collection of CDs.

Ten minutes later I found myself outside with a Boost, a copy of “Blonde on Blonde” and a bemused look on my face.

I can’t help but be all the more astounded, then, at the universally dire nature of the vast majority of modern advertising. I can’t sit through more than about ten minutes of television these days without the really-quite-rational desire to hit someone in the face with a brick. Quite often it’s that prick from the Halifax who gives you extra. (I can only speculate as to extra what, although my money is on nausea…)

It could be possible that all the decent advert-men (and believe me, I really can’t think of a more mature sounding term for this profession) are working on online IQ tests, but when you look at the sheer volume of frankly terrible online adverts, one begins to wonder if there isn’t a universal creativity drought.

Personally, I blame the universities. In fact, I blame the universities for pretty much everything I can, but on this one it does at least have some rationality. The more we send talented people to design schools and art colleges, the more fodder we give to what is essentially a production line, and, subsequently, we can only expect the same sorts of ideas to crop up.

I’m not entirely sure where I lost the thread about IQ tests, but then I’m notoriously absent minded and tend to go off on tangents. I can barely even keep track of the things I’ve written about; IQ tests, advertising, universities, two large fries and a diet coke, the lost ark of the covenant, a partridge in a pear tree, go fifty-fifty or phone a friend.
…see?

Luke Haines

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One of the biggest obstacles to our self growth and personal development is……………..ourselves!

No, make that THE biggest obstacle.

When we say that we want to make changes, but develop resistance and fear and in doing so an internal battle follows.

It’s natural to feel scared and apprehensive when venturing into the unknown, but ultimately living within your comfort zone is all very safe, but not very life enhancing.

Taking risks can bring up a whole host of emotions. But what are e-motions? They are energy in motion. They are the stories we tell ourselves, that’s all. What’s the difference in feeling scared or excited? Only our interpretation.

Life makeover programmes are very popular in the UK at the moment. The whole theme behind the programmes is that people take risks: in getting back or starting the dating game, clearing their clutter (and all the emotional stuff that they’ve been hanging onto), change jobs and even being coached within six weeks to do something completely different.

A Barrister is coached to become a DJ, A Choirgirl becomes a rock musician. A Radiographer becomes a commercial photographer and fooling the experts who don’t realise that they are “novices”.

The most moving part of the program is the follow up - often a year later - where the program catches up with the risk takers and find that, as a result of this, their lives have changed immeasurably. Their self perception, self esteem, confidence and overall outlook on life and what they are capable of has changed forever.

Are you avoiding taking risks? Have you got into a rut? Try setting yourself a goal of taking one small (or large - if you’re up for it - some people can only get excited and motivated if they’ve set themselves a BIG challenge) risk for yourself, every week, month, year and follow through.

See what happens. Engage or enlist encouragement and support if you want. But DON’T tie yourself or become overly concerned with the outcome, just taking the risk is enough. Reward yourself appropriately after you’ve done so.

Our risk taking abilities are like muscles, the more we use them, the stronger we become and fear loses its grip on our lives. The fear never goes away as you take more risks, but it does stop defining your life. Fear is only an indicator that you are growing - it’s not meant to stop you in your tracks!

So get out of your own way and stop resisting the changes that you want to make and the risks you are going to take.

Because ultimately………….daring to dream and living a fulfilled life is the biggest risk of all!

Copyright 2004 Julie Plenty

About The Author

Julie Plenty is a Personal and Business Coach who specialises in coaching self employed creative professionals to live more creative, fulfilled lives. To sign up for the Life Design newsletter visit: http://www.self-help-personal-development.com

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