The Cultural Significance of Symbolic Art

Symbolic art is a universal cultural phenomenon. The symbolic significance that man assigns to external objects may reflect more about him than about objective reality. Ultimately all visual objects can have symbolic significance. Symbolic art can remind the viewer of resolutions or goals, inspire particular feelings and emotions, and harmonize attitudes and relationships. Carl Jung writes in Man and His Symbols, "The history of symbolism shows that everything can assume symbolic significance.... In fact, the whole cosmos is a potential symbol."

The meaning of symbolic imagery may depend on the age and gender of the viewer as well as the cultural context. Art can be chosen based on its symbolic significance with the intention of invoking particular feelings or emotions in the viewer. Art can also be chosen to remind the viewer of resolutions or goals.

Landscape symbolism is probably the most universal visual language in art. The sun or circle is the most basic symbol in existence. The sun is the source of warmth and life. Plato viewed the sun as symbolic of the psyche. Many religions have used the image of the sun as a symbol of spiritual illumination and wholeness. Other cultures view the sun as a symbol of the masculine principle or God Himself.

The moon is usually representative of the hidden aspects of life such as the unconscious or the dream world. The earth is often considered to be symbolic of matter and the feminine. Like the sun, water is often representative of the source of life or highest good. Similarly, mountains, rocks, trees and flowers all have symbolic meaning.

Other images replete with symbolic meaning include geometric forms and colors. More sophisticated levels of symbology are inherent in most traditional religious works and icons. Understanding artistic symbolism can deepen your experience of the visual world and greatly enhance your enjoyment of art.

Kathleen Karlsen is a professional artist, writer and design consultant residing in Bozeman, Montana. Kathleen is best known for her contemporary impressionism style and her colorful forest, landscape and flower paintings. Kathleen's original art and fine art gifts can be seen at http://www.livingartsoriginals.com

For an extensive article about flower symbolism see http://www.livingartsoriginals.com/infoflowersymbolism.htm - To see a selection of Kathleen's flower paintings, please visit http://www.livingartsoriginals.com/originalfloralart.htm

Finding Homes Using the Internet - Home Shopping

You can simply type the words real estate or homebuying into any search engine on the World Wide Web and you will come up with hundreds, maybe even thousands of websites that are extremely helpful and full of great information. Like the one you're on right now.

Finding homes with the internet, combined with a skilled real estate salesperson, provides you with the most effective technology available today. Most websites start out, having you select a state you would like to search in and then, select a city, with your price range.

By answering their questions, this narrows the search down to all of the homes available in the area. The internet has made home shopping very simple. Considering what you had to go through in the 1970s. You found a realtor or by looking in the yellow pages, sometimes you found a good realtor and if you are lucky, maybe you would find you a good home.

Most of the time, the first homes you would look at, were owned by the real estate professional you were working with.

There are however a couple of problems with using the internet to find your dream home. Some of the verbage used and photographs taken can create a wonderful illusion of a tropical paradise but the reality, it's a regular home in a decent neighborhood.

Some of these photos are taken by skilled photographers who take advantage of every angle and tend to give an illusion of grander. When you actually start driving around and looking at these homes, only then will you get a reality check, of what the home actually looks like. You'll get used to it.

After you've looked at a few of your future dream homes, you will get a better idea of what I'm talking about with these wonderful pictures and the extraordinary home descriptions like "Beautiful Three Bedroom House with an Ocean View." When reality it's a two-bedroom house with an extra closet for the third bedroom and the ocean is 45 miles away, but you can see it on a clear day if you actually climb to the top of the largest tree on the property.

Take your time when searching for your dream home and don't let any one push you into making a decision if you're not ready. If you find your real estate professional a little too aggressive or pushy, get out of your contract, if you've signed one and find another, more helpful real estate salesperson to help you with your home purchase.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a home buyers guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Find other real estate tips and great advice, from another one of the Internet's best website creators.

Meditating On Religious Scriptur

Qualities That You Need to Achieve Your Goals

We all have our own heroes; people that we admire, ones who achieved something significant despite all the odds stacked against them. For some reasons, we feel attracted to their lives, what they did exactly to achieve their goals, what kind of character they have, what is their driving force in life. We are attracted to all the articles about them, all the books written by them or about them in search of the answers.

If you are not a kind of person who reads everything about any celebrity you might be wondering why you are so attached to these people. People who are attracted to us or who we feel to be attracted to usually show us our own negative aspects that we need to get rid of or positive traits that we need to develop to realize our full potential.

You are attracted to particular people; you admire them because they possess the qualities you need to develop to be able to live the life of your dreams.

Write down the names of five to ten people you admire. What traits do they have that attract you?
Prepare a list of at least five traits for each of them. Do they have some traits in common? What are they? Write them down. These are the traits that you need to develop yourself.

Prepare a plan how you will show the new qualities in your daily life. What habits do you need to develop to support the new you? Reinforce these new habits daily. In about two months your new habits will become automatic and will steer your life into a new direction, direction of your dreams.

Do you need help to make your dreams come true? Visit http://www.pathstopower.net for a free book and more details

Are you interested in natural health, weight loss, energy secrets? Visit http://www.nutrifitpower.com/ezine.html for free reports and more details

Lynn Alex is a Life-Skills Coach, Yoga Teacher and an American Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner

Finding Homes Using the Internet - Home Shopping

You can simply type the words real estate or homebuying into any search engine on the World Wide Web and you will come up with hundreds, maybe even thousands of websites that are extremely helpful and full of great information. Like the one you're on right now.

Finding homes with the internet, combined with a skilled real estate salesperson, provides you with the most effective technology available today. Most websites start out, having you select a state you would like to search in and then, select a city, with your price range.

By answering their questions, this narrows the search down to all of the homes available in the area. The internet has made home shopping very simple. Considering what you had to go through in the 1970s. You found a realtor or by looking in the yellow pages, sometimes you found a good realtor and if you are lucky, maybe you would find you a good home.

Most of the time, the first homes you would look at, were owned by the real estate professional you were working with.

There are however a couple of problems with using the internet to find your dream home. Some of the verbage used and photographs taken can create a wonderful illusion of a tropical paradise but the reality, it's a regular home in a decent neighborhood.

Some of these photos are taken by skilled photographers who take advantage of every angle and tend to give an illusion of grander. When you actually start driving around and looking at these homes, only then will you get a reality check, of what the home actually looks like. You'll get used to it.

After you've looked at a few of your future dream homes, you will get a better idea of what I'm talking about with these wonderful pictures and the extraordinary home descriptions like "Beautiful Three Bedroom House with an Ocean View." When reality it's a two-bedroom house with an extra closet for the third bedroom and the ocean is 45 miles away, but you can see it on a clear day if you actually climb to the top of the largest tree on the property.

Take your time when searching for your dream home and don't let any one push you into making a decision if you're not ready. If you find your real estate professional a little too aggressive or pushy, get out of your contract, if you've signed one and find another, more helpful real estate salesperson to help you with your home purchase.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a home buyers guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Find other real estate tips and great advice, from another one of the Internet's best website creators.

Using Words In The Bible Effecti

Walk With Norse God Odin - Become a Rune Wizard

Rune - Wizard - Odin

As an aspiring Rune Wizard, it is important that you connect with the energies of Odin, the All-Father. He is the master Norse Sorcerer, Wizard, Shaman, and Magician.

When I say connect, I mean you must build resonant frequencies within your own Aura to Odin. What energies we carry in our Aura attracts people, places and events into our lives.

We don't want to use out dated Asatru and Viking Rituals that bring us back into the time of Odin and the Vikings. We want to bring Odin into the 21st Century so he can walk with us and guide us into the NOW.

Speaking of the 21st Century, we are now in the galactic space called the Age of Aquarius. Our whole Solar System has rotated around the Galactic Sun. We need a new paradigm for contacting and attracting the wisdom and energies of the Runes and Norse Gods/Goddesses.

The Age of Aquarius has given us the Laws of Quantum Physics. The Laws of Quantum Physics have given us the language we can use to build our new paradigm.

Simply stated: the Laws of Quantum Physics tell us that there exists an infinite ocean of thinking, intelligent energy called the Quantum Ocean. It is for all intents and purposes the Mind of God.

Everything that ever was, is or will be exists in the Quantum Ocean. There is no time, no past, present nor future. There is only the NOW. There is no space only the HERE. That is a good definition for the Creator God, an infinite point called the HERE-NOW.

The runes and Gods/Goddesses of the North all exist in the Quantum Ocean in the Here-Now. As a Rune Wizard, you will want to contact and connect with the energies of the Runes and Odin in the HERE-NOW OF TODAY. You don't want to go backwards. You want to bring the energies of Odin and the Runes to you, in the now.

How do you get the energies within your Aura so that you can use and communicate with Odin and the Runes?

The Laws of Quantum Physics tell us that what you think upon you will attract. Thoughts and symbols are all tools that you can use to connect with Odin and the Runes.

Therefore, on a daily basis, have thoughts of Odin, meditate on his image, inhale his Runes into your Aura.

You can simply start by holding the print of Odin in your hands and looking at it. Do this in your favorite chair every morning, before leaving the house to go to work.

Now, mentally inhale and intone, "I am now making contact with Odin and I am bringing him and his wisdom out of the Quantum Ocean and into my Aura where I can talk with him and use his energies.

Do this three times. Talk to Odin in your mind. Visualize him sitting in the room with you. When you leave your home bring him with you in your car and take him to work with you.

Befriend him. Talk to him. Feel him. Soon you will know him and you will feel him in your every day life. Ask him Rune Wizard questions. Keep a notebook with you at all times and record your impressions, thoughts and intuitions.

You want Odin and his wisdom in your life? Build resonant linkages. I did and I met him on a snowy evening in the mountains of Pennsylvania. I wrote about it in my book "Conversations with Odin."

Ellis Peterson AKA Ragnar Storyteller is a retired math professor and electronics engineer. He has been studying astrology, runes, radionics, metaphysics and alternate healing treatments for over 30 years. He is 70+, in very good health and lives in the boonies of the Pocono mountains with his wife Lory. His writings are unique and refreshing. To see more of his writings visit his websites.

http://www.olevikingshop.com/

and

http://www.runes-for-health-wealth-love-now.com/

Or go to goggle and type in his pen name RAGNAR STORYTELLER for his listings. He is also a ghost writer and will write and article for you. Email Ragnar for his FREE 10 PART MINI-COURSE, "How-To use Quantum Physics in Your Every Day Life to Attract More Wealth, Health and Love, Now." You can contact him by email.

epete@ptd.net

Window Header Framing Problems

As a building contractor it is my job to assemble the house to meet the specifications from the architect and the structural engineer. I do this by looking at the building plans and installing the specified lumber sizes. I can take it upon myself to install a larger size wood beam or window header adding an additional cost to the job of course. I don't think so.

It's not uncommon for a framing contractor that has an additional 5 foot scrap piece of 4 x 8 left over that he now has no use for. He can then choose to use the 4 x 8 instead of a 4 x 6 for the window header. This type of building is common and acceptable.

If the structural engineer calls out for 4 x 6 window and door headers do not take it upon yourself to replace the 4 x 6 with a 4 x 4. I have seen too many framing contractors or carpenters make an on-the-job judgment like this.

A good example would be a single story house with 2 foot wide windows that require a 4 x 6 window header. As the carpenter builds homes over the years he can come to his own conclusion that a 4x4 will work fine for this application. Again keep this in mind as a framing contractor and a carpenter you are assembling the home not designing it.

Do not change the sizes of any headers or beams.

A long time ago carpenters used a standard rule of thumb, you could go up two sizes larger than the window opening for your header. Let me give you an example of what I'm trying to explain.

A 4 foot wide window opening would require a 4 x 6 window header. A 6 foot window opening would require a 4 x 8 window header. This should give you an idea of what I mean by going up two sizes larger than the window opening to figure out the lumber necessary to use for your window header.

This rule of thumb does not necessarily apply in today's building industry. The reason for this is structural changes from earthquake damage. The structural requirements that are required for building a home require a lot more metal bracing and strapping. Therefore some of the lumber requirements for beam sizes and window headers will be different.

This message is for general contractors, framing contractors and carpenters. When installing a window header and you take it upon yourself to change the size you also assume the responsibility if the building fails. This type of mistake is common and you guys know what I'm talking about.

It's not worth it. Keep in mind you are the assembler and not the designer of the building you are working on.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and House Framing Structural Repairs

Are Christians Really Interested

One Self Help Technique That You Need to Know

If you wish to get along with others better so that you can improve your marriage, career, relationships or achieve your goals and dreams, then you are not alone. One of the biggest reasons folks fail is that they cannot hold their tongue and spout off their opinions and demand that others see their point of view. Unfortunately, this also prevents them from learning anything new and surprise, surprise they never change their personal point of view.

Okay, so here is something for you, it's a self-help technique one, which you can use. I am going to give you a clue. Rather than, turning away from those who see things differently, ask them about their views, experiences, observations and then continue to engage them in this line of questioning. Then perhaps, give them an alternative hypothesis or explain your observations and thoughts, now you have engaged your counterpart in a friendly discourse and dialogue and not a drop dead, "I am right, you are wrong" debate.

Does, this technique work all the time, no, not always, as occasionally you meet someone like yourself, so opinionated that they fail to see the real world for what it is. You will learn a lot about yourself and a lot about the world and your place in it. After using this technique myself for some 32-years, I am often amazed at how much I know and how easy it is to engage just about anyone in conversation and get into deep and interesting dialogues in minutes. Indeed, it helps me write cool articles too, like this one.

"Lance Winslow" - Lance Winslow's Bio. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/.

Slow Market Home Pricing Advice

Homes are going to be sold in good markets and bad. When times are good, people often forget that bad times will be coming eventually. During good times, people often get caught up in the hype of the real estate boom. During tough times, houses will be sold eventually, or taken off the market and sold later. If you need to sell the home as soon as possible, for financial or other reasons, you will have to adjust your price with the current market and don't get greedy.

This is the hardest thing for most people to do, lower the price of their home in order to sell it in a slow real estate market. Don't get caught up in the value of your home, six months or even a year ago. Last year's prices are not going to be this year's prices and you need to get that through your thick skull. If the average homes in your neighborhood are selling for $250,000 and you have a swimming pool or done some upgrades, maybe a room addition. Your home is going to be worth more than the average selling price.

Most real estate professionals will price your home according to the length of time you have to sell it. If you're in a hurry to sell, they don't have time to test the market. The price of your home would need to be competitive or lower than homes selling in the area. Whether homes are selling fast in a good market for selling slow in a bad market, if you have time, you can ask a little bit more for your home. If the market hasn't reached the bottom, waiting could actually hurt you, because the prices of the homes in the area would still be dropping.

Listen to your real estate professionals advice when pricing your home. That's what you're hiring them for, they are in the real estate business. Your neighbors, relatives, friends and people you work with, will probably be guessing if you asked for their opinion on pricing your house.

Your house is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Finding that person is the key to selling your home, finding that person as soon as possible could give you the illusion that you sold your home to cheap. Don't worry about it, your final objective is to sell the house.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a home buyers guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If you really think your home is safe, check out these pictures about home water damage.

Another Crappy Rule In The Bible

A Season For Thankfulness

It's nearly that time of year when Harvest Themes arrive in the stores, so whether you're looking forward to a harvest feast or you're simply thinking about this year's workouts, here are some quotations to provoke your thinking about 'gratitude' and 'self-restraint' to nudge you forward.

At the very least, if you pick one of the following quotes to ponder over the coming few days it will send you into your Thanksgiving celebration with a new attitude, perhaps one of kindness, acceptance, and yes, appreciation. Let go of any mishaps of the past. This is a brand new celebration.

Gratitude

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. Albert Schweitzer

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful. Buddha

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. Cicero

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. William James

Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul. Henry Ward Beecher

Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy -- because we will always want to have something else or something more. Brother David Steindl-Rast

Self-Restraint

I have always repented speaking, but never of holding my tongue. Xenocrates Self-control is the chief element in self-respect and the chief element in courage. Thucydides

Remember, there is always a limit to self indulgence, but none to self- restraint. Mahatma Gandhi Some people are molded by their admiration, others by their hostilities. Elizabeth Bowen

There is little that can withstand a man who can conquer himself. Louis XIV

The best executive is one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants them to do, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it. Theodore Roosevelt

I wish you a safe and enjoyable celebration of the rewards you've earned through the 'planting and plowing' you've done all year. Be thankful for your 'harvest' - the results of a year of great work. It's my warmest hope that your own sense of gratitude and of self-restraint have a fuller sense within you also. Enjoy your discoveries!

Keeping your skills fresh for your career will help you accelerate your success. Enjoy Master Certified Coach Ann Golden Egl's weekly Success Thought for the Week as an aid to success. You can sign up here: http://www.GVAsuccess.com or email: info@GVAsuccess.com.

Bathroom Moisture Problems - Home Repair

Right above my bathtub in my master bathroom the paint is peeling off the wall. The area is peeling above the tile in my bathtub and shower combination. I tried to glue the peeling paint back and only made the situation worst.

First things first. The paint is peeling because there is to much moisture in the bathroom while you are using it. Do you have any windows you can open or a ventilating bathroom fan. If you have a window crack it open part way while you are showering.

The water droplets will accumulate on the walls and drip into any cracks. Right above the tile grout is a great place for moisture to accumulate. Oh yeah moisture loves grout and drywall. If you have any unpainted areas or an area that has cracked. Guess what you have now.

Your paint is peeling because the bathroom gets hot and cold. Moist and dry. If you have the door and windows shut. You just created a moisture trap. Most people prefer their privacy and will closes the door when using the shower. Well then open the window and let some cold air in while you are taking a nice warn shower. I don't think so. Most showering fools don't like that idea either.

Ok one more idea keep the windows shut so you don't let the cold air in. Then lock the door so no on barges in on you. If you have a ventilation fan turn it on. This will at least pull fresh air in from under the door and send the moist air out of the house.

But the fan is so noisy and I can't enjoy my nice warm vapor producing shower that will eventually cause me to get sick from mold particles floating around in the air while I am using my bathroom.
Does this about sum it up for you and don't we all do this from time to time. We want to enjoy our shower time, so we close up everything and when we are in our bath sauna environment relaxing our house is getting some damaging moisture that could cause mold and mildew.

Open a window or door a little when you shower. Get some air circulating through the bathroom and prevent damage to your nice house.

Put up with a little inconvenience for you homes sake and your pocket book.

Greg Vanden Berge has been in the home building and remodeling business in California for over 30 years. With this knowledge he has created a few websites that provide useful information for home owners as well as contractors. His main goal is to educate professionals in the home related businesses, dealing with problems that can easily be avoided with just a little bit of information.

His website provides all kinds of answers to remodeling and new house building in North San Diego Home Remodeling Carlsbad Home Remodeling

Visit us now for Bathroom Ideas

Was Jesus A Good Example

Qualities That You Need to Achieve Your Goals

We all have our own heroes; people that we admire, ones who achieved something significant despite all the odds stacked against them. For some reasons, we feel attracted to their lives, what they did exactly to achieve their goals, what kind of character they have, what is their driving force in life. We are attracted to all the articles about them, all the books written by them or about them in search of the answers.

If you are not a kind of person who reads everything about any celebrity you might be wondering why you are so attached to these people. People who are attracted to us or who we feel to be attracted to usually show us our own negative aspects that we need to get rid of or positive traits that we need to develop to realize our full potential.

You are attracted to particular people; you admire them because they possess the qualities you need to develop to be able to live the life of your dreams.

Write down the names of five to ten people you admire. What traits do they have that attract you?
Prepare a list of at least five traits for each of them. Do they have some traits in common? What are they? Write them down. These are the traits that you need to develop yourself.

Prepare a plan how you will show the new qualities in your daily life. What habits do you need to develop to support the new you? Reinforce these new habits daily. In about two months your new habits will become automatic and will steer your life into a new direction, direction of your dreams.

Do you need help to make your dreams come true? Visit http://www.pathstopower.net for a free book and more details

Are you interested in natural health, weight loss, energy secrets? Visit http://www.nutrifitpower.com/ezine.html for free reports and more details

Lynn Alex is a Life-Skills Coach, Yoga Teacher and an American Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner

Removing Interior Walls

Here's a word of advice for any contractor, Carpenter, handyman or homeowner that is planning to remove an interior wall from your home or someone else's. Beware of removing interior walls, to eliminate your fears of the house collapsing. Some of the interior walls inside of the house are important structural components of the building.

Some of these walls hold up floors, roofs and other loadbearing sections that could create safety problems within the structure of the house itself. This is an area where an expert with framing skills should be consulted. What is the definition of someone with excellent framing skills? Some one with at least 10 years as a master framing carpenter.

My home building experience consists of three decades for over 30 years of assembling some of the most difficult sections of a home. During these years I have seen damage done to houses from removing structural interior walls. Most of this damage could be repaired with a little structural engineering. Some of the damage could not be repaired and caused other damage to different sections of the house. The damage caused in some cases to the floor and the roof framing had to be completely rebuilt.

I'm not telling you about every single thing I have ran into but you would be surprised if I started to make a list of all the homeowners and professionals in the building industry or home selling and buying business that contacted me to remove a structural component of a building. There have even been a few of these people that told me everything was going to be okay just go ahead and remove the structural building component.

Needless to say I would leave these people very irritated but I'm sure they found someone to do the job. The bad news is I was normally the person they would hire to go back and repair the damaged building after these people were gone and out of business. There have been cases where people have removed an interior walls against my better judgment and over the years of driving by in these homes I personally got to witness the structural damage that was occurring on the outside of the house.

I have no idea what the inside of the house looked like but could only imagine. My advice again when removing interior walls is to hire an experienced contractor or at least get some advice from an experienced framing carpenter. This does not include your basic know it all that has basic construction experience like your father in law, parents, friends, golfing associates or people you work with that tell you not to worry about it, just do it, everything will work out just fine.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and What Does A Shear Wall Do

Effects Of False Prophets

Life is a Short Rant

Life is short, don't sell your soul, life, and time for money for too long of a period. Don't let little things get in your way of what you really want to do. Stop making excuses about why you can't do something. If you really want something, change it from a "should" and make it a "must".

Life is to be experience and enjoyed. Life is not meant to be spent doing something you don't want to do your whole life. Plan out your life so that you can soon do what you want, and work because you want to not because you have to, that is, if you even decide to work. Everyone is looking for one thing in life: Happiness. So why is it that most people want to cling to things that make them unhappy? The answer is FEAR. Fear of losing that sense of security, which for most of us, is a false sense of security.

Quit doing what the average person does or you will end up living a life that average people live. Be a kid again and dream big. Don't let the limitations of your income bring your dreams down. Plan your life in a way that will let you experience those dreams. By doing so you will inspire those around you. Don't get caught up in making a living instead of designing your life. Don't be one of those people who wake up one day when they're old and say to themselves "what happened to my life?" Letting the little things in life get in the way of big things in life is foolish.

You're probably thinking one of three things at this point (that is if you've read this far). One is "blah blah blah, easy for this guy to say, he doesn't know me, he doesn't know how complicated and hard my life is". Two: "Eh, I'm cool where I am right now, I might not being living my dreams, but I'm comfortable". Three: "I understand where he's getting at, but even if I wanted to live out my dreams, I wouldn't know where to start".

1. Whatever you're facing or going through, there are millions of people who have it worse than you. Stop complaining about circumstances. Circumstances happen to everyone, it's what you do about it that matters. If you keep complaining, you will only end up living a life worth complaining about.

2. Being in the middle is probably the worse place to be. You're not living the life you want to live but your life is not bad enough for you to do anything about it. This is where most dreams are destroyed and lives are ruined. We get comfortable. We start rationalizing "it's not that bad, I have it better than a lot of the people I know". If you want to be average, keep rationalizing. If you want to live your dreams, be honest with yourself. Don't be like the dog that whines because he's lying on a nail but doesn't do anything about it because it doesn't hurt enough. Jump on that damn nail as hard as you can so that it will wake you up and get you moving towards the life you really want to live.

3. Everything starts with you. For things to change, you must change. As long as you have strong enough reasons why you MUST live the life you dream of, the "how-to" will eventually come to you. That determination and undeniable belief that you WILL live your dreams will soon attract people into your life who can help you get to where you want to be. Start surrounding yourself with people who will encourage you and who can see you for who you can become instead of just who you are today. Negative people are energy drainers, dream stealers, life destroyers and you should get as far away from them as possible. Your life will never far exceed the expectations from your peer group. Want to know how your life will turn out, look at your friends. If you don't like what you see, get new friends.

In closing, life really is short. Tomorrow was never promised. No one ever said you will still be alive 5 years from now, or even 3 months from now. The more time you spend on doing things you don't like, the less time you will have doing the things you enjoy. What ever it is you want to do in life, start today, don't delay, make a plan and start right now!

Kevin Ngo is the creator of motivational-well-being.com - a motivational resource website that provides free tools to help people stay motivated long enough to create successful habits in order to obtain their goals. Ready to get back on track? You're one click away.

http://www.motivational-well-being.com

Home Improvement Tip - Fixing a Squeaky Floor

Question: I have a floor that every single time I step on it I get the most annoying sound. I don't know what it does to me or why it bothers me so much. My kitchen floor squeaks and actually moves up and down if you are standing on it. The whole floor moves. How do I stop it from moving and squeaking. Help Me Greg!

Answer: It sounds like you have a broken floor joist. You are going to have to go under your house. If you have a basement this will be a little easier to fix. It is my guess that you don't have a basement or you would have seen the broken floor joist by now.

Have someone stand on the floor in the spot that squeaks and have them move up and down while you are under the house. Don't have them jump up and down while you are under the house. This could cause more damage to the structural framing of the floor. Once you are in the right position under the floor you can have them start moving slowly. What you are looking for is one of the floor joist that are moving.

If you see one of them moving. Look to see where the damage is. Is it a split, crack, wood rot or a big knot in the wood that has loosened up and fell out. Once you find the damaged floor joist you can now think about repairing it.

If you don't see any floor joist moving. Have the person on top start moving a little bit more and you can even have them jump on it a few times until you see something out of place. If you still don't see any broken floor joist. Start looking at the sub-floor, this will be plywood of some form, 1 x 6 or 2 x 6 materials.

What you are looking for is movement of any kind. Is there a separation or movement between the sub-floor and the floor joist. If you still can't find the problem maybe it is time to call in a professional.

The main thing you are going to be looking for is movement of any kind.

Most squeaky floors are caused from the sub-floor rubbing up and down on a nail. If you have carpeting and you have a squeaky floor you can do your best to locate a floor joist and screw right through your carpeting into the floor joist.

For more help on fixing squeaky floors visit http://gregvan.com/wood_repair.htm

Thanks for the great question. I hope it helps.

Greg Vanden Berge has been in the home building and remodeling business for over 30 years. With this knowledge he has created a few websites that provide useful information for home owners as well as contractors. His main goal is to educate professionals in the home related businesses, dealing with problems that can easily be avoided with just a little bit of information.

His website http://gregvan.com provides all kinds of answers to remodeling and new house building issues that could create major damage as well as possible damage to your pocket book.

Visit us now for Home Improvement Tips

Personal Development

Christian Thinking

There is a popular saying from Mark Twain about Christianity. Mark Twain - "If Christ Were Here Now, There Is One Thing He Would Not Be, a Christian."

Giving this some thought and looking around at the people that view themselves as Christians got me to thinking. Do you think, if Mark Twain were alive today, he would have the same view towards Christians and Christianity as a whole? I wonder if Christ's vision of a better world or society is what's going on today. I read somewhere, where this over 33,000 different types of Christian religions, is this what Jesus had in mind over 2000 years ago.

I don't think Mark Twain was referring to Jesus as being a bad person and Christians not wanting to associate with him. I believe it's the other way around, Jesus was an exceptional person and believed in living a life as an example towards others with kindness, forgiveness and love.

Sometimes Christians get a little carried away when they start talking about loving their neighbors like they would themselves or asking for forgiveness while choosing not to forgive others. It's hard to imagine what Jesus would actually think of modern day Christians or even what he would think about Christianity over a hundred years ago.

I wonder what Jesus would have thought a thousand years ago about Christians. Mark Twain brings up a very good point, if Christ was here today, would he be happy. If you're living a life as a Christian and following in the footsteps of Jesus, you should be proud of yourself. If not, maybe you should start thinking about changing your ways.

If you are following the path of Christ, are you following a path that has been changed and manipulated to benefit organized religion and the advancement of Christianity, or are you following the true path of Jesus. Something to think about if you're planning on spending the rest of your life in the Christian religion.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing, marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his latest articles, What Is The Secret Of Life

Greg is currently working on a self help video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Stair Lighting Problems

Walking up and down the stairs in the dark could become a safety issue. If the stairs in the house are not that old, there should be a light switch at the top and a light switch at the bottom of the stairway. This is a three way switch and is designed to allow you to turn the stair lighting on as you walk up the stairs and then turn the stair lighting off, once you've safely reached the top of the stairway. And vice versa as she walked down the stairs.

If you don't have a light switch, there are motion sensor lights that are battery operated and can be installed easily in the stairway. These lights can provide you with peace of mind, while protecting your family from accidents.

Stairway accidents are nothing to joke about, I lived in a two-story house with four other people and was the last one to fall down the stairway. None of us got seriously injured and the stairway was built to meet local building codes and was inspected by a building and safety inspector. The stairs were built correctly and the stair lighting was no problem, but people still fell down the stairway and it always happens in the evening.

During the day time there were two windows that let plenty of light into the stairway and in the evening the stairway became quite dark, rarely was the stair lightning ever turned on. This could have been outright laziness but nevertheless, it was rarely used and eventually became a safety issue.

Lighting your stairway might not end all of your problems but it can and some of your problems. There are plenty of stair lighting systems available on the market today and some of the battery operated stair lighting systems can be installed by most homeowners.

Think safety always and do your best to solve your stair lighting problems as soon as possible to prevent injuries or accidents.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your looking for some more building stairs or home building ideas.

Should The Bible Be Edited

Mental Fitness - Social Stress - Contributory Factors

In relation to mental health, it was estimated ten years ago in our country, that one in six people in the community suffered from anxiety, depression and other symptoms. Now in 2008 the proportion has risen to one in four.

Statistics also tell us that one in four will get cancer, one in four will suffer heart disease, and another one in four will suffer from kidney disease, leaving a small quarter of the population to contract and die from other complaints!

Faced with this, it is difficult for us to have an attitude other than that of real concern. We are all affected by a social climate where such information increases our disease awareness and strengthens the evidence that we are living in a very unhappy society under stress.

We would all like to avoid suffering. But it is the increase of mental diseases that causes us real pessimism about our own chances to avoid not only physical disease but the possibility that we may need psychotherapy and treatment for mental disorders.

We are wise to be cautious about this relatively uncharted field of healing. Although earlier, primitive methods have been replaced by chemical drugs, but this method that produces side effects, incurs the additional risk of addiction.

Through the press we hear of many serious health concerns in the community including the general lack of mental fitness. Our anxiety is intensified by hearing of all the disasters, violence and unnatural crimes committed in environments that are suffering mental pollution.

Our young people have an unfortunate example before them, of their potential future if they live expecting to suffer the same with a final loss of dignity should they lose their mental faculties or suffer mental disease in their last years.

There is a need to focus upon building health naturally. We need to eradicate the poisonous ingredients and pollutants in the environment. We need also to re-constitute our ideas and principles of our culture to exemplify a civilized way of life, else all of us are likely to be deprived of any joyful anticipation of a future as a happy, healthy and stress-free society where mental fitness is the norm.

Sally Janssen is an writer and educator who from an early age trained in Raja Yoga--that branch of the ancient science that deals with the mind and its complexities. She subsequently gained an international reputation for her skills and her wisdom in the training of the mind.

In her wonderfully readable book entitled Mental Fitness: The Complete Self-help Guide she presents simple, self-help practices that help to generate and maintain mental fitness just as the natural principles for physical fitness can be personally applied by us all.. The book may be found here: http://www.mentalhealthandfitness.com This is a must-read book for us all. You can also visit her blog at http://www.mentalhealthandfitness.com/blog

Old Versus New Construction Adhesives

When I first started building in 1978 as a young carpenter and an apprentice to my father. I had the grand illusions of becoming what they call on the east coast a master carpenter and on the West Coast a journeyman carpenter.

Part of my training in construction was learning to use the proper adhesive and caulking for different parts of the building project. We used to use a standard solvent-based construction adhesive when we were building our stairs and they would also use this adhesive on the floors to eliminate squeaks.

This glue dried extremely hard and everyone thought the harder the better. This construction adhesive was great when I started using it in 1978. There wasn't the polyethylene super elastic expandable multi-use glue and caulking construction adhesives at that time.

We used this brittle glue and it always seemed like a waste of time. As the wood dried and started to shrink the brittle hard glue would crack and break away from the wood it was glued to. Normally the glue was breaking away from plywood floor sheeting. I have seen 2 x 12 shrink 3/8 of an inch before in as little as a few months during the summer.

Now as time went on the old construction adhesives were replaced with a new window sealant made by a company called TOPS. This stuff was the hottest and best product of the decade to me. I used this stuff for everything.

This new urethane glue was now being used for sub floors, stair treads, sealing the windows flashing and siding. This stuff is still in use today and is a great choice for all of the uses I mentioned above. The price for this sealant is about double that of most water-based or solvent-based glues. But it's worth it.

So there you have it I like the urethane glues because of their flexibility, elasticity, their ability to adhere to wood concrete or metal and their performance in the years ahead.

There is one thing to keep in mind when using construction adhesives. Most construction workers seem to ignore the fact that the wood needs to be dry and clean before applying the construction adhesive. There have been quite a few times I have witnessed carpenters working with me and ignoring my advice.

Don't put yourself into this category. Doing quality work and following the manufacturers recommended installation instructions for their product will decrease your liability if there is ever a problem. Read the instructions carefully on all of the building products you use.

The manufacturers of these construction adhesives have thoroughly tested them. So use them properly and follow all safety warnings.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and Carlsbad Structural Repairs

Religion Articles

Creating and Using a Victory Journal

During an interview with Sandi Givens, the discussion lead to how women sometimes have a difficult time disassociating themselves from the things that they do. In other words, when a woman presents an idea to someone, and the idea is rejected or she's told it's not a very good idea; many women find it difficult to remember that it was the idea itself that was rejected and not the "woman". In other words, women become so closely attached to their ideas and the work that they do, that if something they've brought up is put down, it's often seen by the woman as a put down or reflection of themselves.

In order to help encourage "disassociation" between yourself and your work; or between yourself and your ideas; Sandi recommends creating and using a victory journal. You should purchase a nice notebook or blank journal - the nicer the better because you want to look forward to holding it in your hands and writing and reading from it!

On the very front page of your journal, the "cover page", you'll want to nicely write "Victory Journal". You could handwrite it, or you could make it fancier and use scrapbooking supplies or stickers. Whatever makes you feel good when you look at it.

In this "Victory Journal", you are going to write down your victories, wins, successes of each day. Do not ever write something and belittle it; in other words- don't say "I just had a good meeting today". The word "just" dismisses the victory and that is what we are attempting to overcome with a victory journal.

The other important thing to remember when writing in your victory journal, is your victories do not have to be earth shattering. In fact, it's about all the little things that make up your day that are considered successful. You could write that you met a deadline. You could include that you got your little ones off to school on time and without complications or arguments.

If you're not a big writer, there is no reason to write long winded explanations or anything. A victory journal is actually just as effective if you write your successes and wins for each day in a bulleted list - just short phrases that tell you what the success was.

When someone rejects a proposal or idea that you have come up with, you will immediately pull out your victory journal and read some of the successes you've had. You'll be able to see that you are not your idea; that the idea is not you - and that you have so many victories and successes that having one rejection cannot dismiss all of that goodness about you.

Janet Beckers is the host and founder of Wonderful Web Women
An award winning on-line community recognized for generous and honest marketing advice for women on the internet
To learn from the most successful women on the internet through live webinars, masterminds and forums absolutely free, visit http://www.WonderfulWebWomen.com and join today

Success Starting in Your 40s

You're going to find it hard to believe, but very seldom does an individual peak with creativity until they reach the age of 40. The average individual usually makes the most money between the age of 40 and 60. This doesn't have anything to do with retirement. Most highly creative people keep producing until they die.

If you're 55 years old and looking for a new career or can't seem to find a job in the profession you have worked at your whole life, don't be alarmed or fearful. Do you think you could start your own business? Is there something, you have always wanted to do but have put it off until retirement, or until you had enough time to do it?

Why wait, if you can't find a job in a business you never truly enjoyed, maybe you can find a new job doing something you love.

I have worked in construction for 30 years and at 44 years old started to pursue a career in writing and plan to create award winning websites and best selling books, for the rest of my life. This doesn't mean, I won't work in construction ever again, but I will become a best selling author within the next 20 years.

Most people don't take the time required to learn a new profession. If you're sincerely interested in another career, and you're 50 years old, there is plenty of people out there to give you hope and inspiration.

If you would like some proof, here's a couple successful American businessman who succeeded after the age of 40. Henry Ford is probably one of the most popular and became extremely successful after the age of 40. Andrew Carnegie, an American industrialists who transformed the steel business and did not start reaping the rewards of his efforts until he was well past the age of 40.

I gathered this information from the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. There is a section in the book where he talks about people after the age of 40 with phenomenal success. Anyone who's interested in gaining wealth through spirituality or finances should read this book.

I've often heard the statement, "People Often Over Estimate What They Can Do in a Year and Often Underestimate What They Can Do in a Decade." If you want to accomplish something after the age of 40, I would advise you to start with a plan and then put that plan and the action. Your plan could take five to 15 years to achieve or longer but think about the rewards, whether spiritual or financial.

Gregory Vanden Berge is working to promote personal development ideas and spiritual reform. He has started a web site for videos and articles based on current information about subject he is very familiar with.

"Education has freed me, to pursue other ideas and release me from the bondage and fear of organized religion."

Gregory Vanden Berge

Religion Articles

Thought Vibration by William Walker Atkinson - Book Review

Written in 1906, Thought Vibration by William Walker Atkinson, is as current and relevant today as it was a century ago. Atkinson, a somewhat forgotten New Thought pioneer, was also an attorney, merchant, publisher, editor and author of more than 100 books, many under pseudonyms.

Without being preachy, Atkinson explores the ideas of increasing willpower, mastering the real self, living fully, ridding the mind of negative thought, training habits, harnessing emotions, and developing new brain power. His older writing style is still lively and surprisingly refreshing 100 years later.

I love Atkinson's "in your face" attitude about will power. (If you don't have any, you're mentally lazy!) And his thoughts on what he calls "asserting the life-force" or really living and experiencing each moment of every day, call us to stop doing things half-hearted. Take an interest, man!

Atkinson spends a lot of time discussing fear and how it affects our attitudes and, eventually, our ability to succeed. Fear, he says, is an expectancy of the feared thing. To banish fear, start to do some of the things you could do if you were not afraid to try. Assert courage and, eventually, the fear will recede.

Atkinson leaves us with some thoughts on our views of successful people. We imagine successful people to be superior. And if we ever get the chance to meet someone we deem as superior, many times we are disappointed to find that they are the same as ourselves! The difference, Atkinson asserts, is the successful person's belief in themselves and their ability to concentrate. Resist the urge to undervalue ourselves and overvalue others.

Amazing how the world around us is so different yet the human element remains the same!

Annette Greco is co-owner of a successful home remodeling business, author of The Kitchen Remodeling Cookbook: The Survival Guide to Cooking When Your Kitchen Can't and co-founder of On The Level Consulting. The remodeling business requires a successful combination of sales, marketing, administration and production. It is even more important for the small remodeling company to execute all areas well and in the right combination. Find out how to maximize profits while minimizing time and stress. Sign up for On The Level Consulting's FREE online newsletter to find out how. Visit http://www.onthelevelconsulting.com

Hiring a Contractor For Bathroom Remodeling - Remodeling Contractors

Well here's the age old question, how do we go about finding a decent bathroom remodeling contractor.

Here's some things you will be looking for in a contractor.

1. Is Your Contractor Fair and Honest?

2. Does Your Contractor Have Experience Remodeling and Designing Bathrooms?

3. Can You Actually Find a Contractor Who Will Complete the Job in a Timely Manner?

4. Do You Think the Workers Will Be Able to Clean the Job up Daily?

5. Will the Contractor Show up on Time?

6. Is the Contractor Going to Work At Least Eight Hours a Day?

7. Does the Contractor's Crew Have Experience?

8. Is Your Contractor and His Crew Courteous?

If you find a contractor for your bathroom remodeling project that has answered yes to all questions above, hire that person immediately. Most contractors can sincerely answer yes to half of the questions above. If you're looking for the ultimate bathroom remodeling contractor, you could be searching for quite a while, you're looking for some one that is competent and you feel comfortable with.

When hiring a contractor, look for someone who has your interest in mind first and not theirs. Find someone who is willing to help with the designed process of your bathroom and the remodeling. If you find a contractor to be arrogant or controlling, there is a good chance, your bathroom might not turn out the way you envision it.

When hiring a contractor for your bathroom remodeling project or any home improvement project, the most important thing to keep in mind is, whether or not you feel comfortable with this person or not. Never hire a contractor you're not comfortable with.

If a contractor is referred to you by someone you trust, this does not guarantee you will be happy with the bathroom remodel. Most referrals that I have gotten over the years are like rolling the dice, I believe I would have done just as good picking a name out of a hat.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building stairs and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

When Do We Get To Meet God

A One Minute Meditation

Maybe learning to meditate intimidates you, and in any case it's tough to find the time for daily meditation. The solution to both problems is an easy meditation you can learn right now, that will only take a minute to do each day.

An Easy Meditation Technique

Breathing through your mouth expands your chest, but if you breath through your nose you'll notice how your abdomen extends. You see, nose-breathing causes the diaphram to pull air to the bottom of your lungs. This delivers a good dose of oxygen into your bloodstream and brain. It also tends to relax you.

Breathing through your nose is healthier, and it's the basis of this one-minute meditation. You simply close your eyes, let the tension go out of your muscles, let go of your thoughts (to the extent possible), and take four slow, deep breaths through your nose, paying attention to your breathing.

Is Meditation This Easy?

You're not likey to get you into a deep meditative state with this simple exercise. You will get benefits, though. These will almost certainly include a clearer mind and a reduction in stress.

Try to develop a "trigger" for your meditation. You can do your four breaths when you get into the car, for example, or right after lunch each day. A trigger is a place or time that reminds you, so your meditation becomes a habit.

Some may say this isn't "real" meditation, but there's nothing wrong with enjoying the relaxation you'll get from this technique. You can always pursue deeper meditation later, if you wish. In the meantime, remember that not everything has to be difficult to be of value. Why not do an easy one-minute meditation right now?

Steve Gillman writes on many self help topics including boosting brainpower, losing weight, meditation, habits of mind, creative problem solving, learning gratitude, generating luck and anything related to self improvement. You'll find more at http://www.SelfImprovementNow.com

Checking the Building For Square

The most important thing when building a home is the ability to keep everything as square, plumb and level as possible. Starting with the foundation, if the foundation is not square or level, the rest of the house is going to be out of alignment.

You've probably heard the saying, start with a good foundation. This applies to the building industry as well. There are quite a few ways to build a square foundation, it all depends on what kind of tools you have, to build it with.

Some of these tools can be quite expensive but it used every day can save you a lot of time and of course time is money.

You don't need expensive tools to build a square foundation. You could actually build a square foundation with less than $100 worth of tools. It might take you a little longer but could be done.

Let's start with the 3 - 4 - 5 rule.

Okay lets see if I can explain this in layman's terms. If no West side of the foundation is 3 foot and the north side of the foundation is for foot, then the diagonal measurement from the southwest corner to the northeast corner would be 5 foot. Out of square building can create foundation problems

This can also be done using 30' x 40' should equal 50 foot. You can use this if the building is large and you need to check it for square.

By measuring the foundation diagonally from each corner, the measurement should be exactly the same. If it isn't, the building is out of square and should be adjusted before the concrete is poured. This measurement should always be checked before you get too far along in the form building process.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your having problems in your attic, find out more at concrete contractor basics and home building ideas.

Ask And You Might Receive Or Ask

Keeping a Positive Attitude During the Financial Crisis

The President tells us we have staved off a Great Depression with the giant mortgage crisis bail out. The Democratic Candidates tell us that the middle class is dying, people are losing their homes and jobs and the economy is in shambles. We all know that fuel prices are too high and the costs of nearly everything we buy are on the rise.

Treasury Secretary Paulson warns us we are not out of the woods yet and former FED Chairmen Greenspan tells us that this is a one in a century emergency and the 700 billion dollar bail out is the only plausible option. The Commercial Real Estate Industry says they might be next and the retail sector along with car sales are in trouble. GM may need a bail out and the Airlines are all on the verge of stalling out. Corporate America has announced massive lay-offs and huge consolidations, all bad news, very bad news.

So, with all this doom and gloom how on Earth is anyone going to keep a positive attitude? Well, they need too, as "consumer confidence" can often be the difference between economic collapse and a short recession. It's up to all of us now, our leaders have spoken and are taking action, this can work, but not without our help.

It's up to all Americans to think past the mass media hysteria, to believe in our financial system, and to allow it to work through this crisis. After all if you allow yourself to dip into negativity, all you are going to do is cause yourself stress and health issues. And in doing so, you will not be helping yourself, your family or our nation through these turbulent times.

"Lance Winslow" - Lance Winslow's Bio. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/.

Slow Market Home Pricing Advice

Homes are going to be sold in good markets and bad. When times are good, people often forget that bad times will be coming eventually. During good times, people often get caught up in the hype of the real estate boom. During tough times, houses will be sold eventually, or taken off the market and sold later. If you need to sell the home as soon as possible, for financial or other reasons, you will have to adjust your price with the current market and don't get greedy.

This is the hardest thing for most people to do, lower the price of their home in order to sell it in a slow real estate market. Don't get caught up in the value of your home, six months or even a year ago. Last year's prices are not going to be this year's prices and you need to get that through your thick skull. If the average homes in your neighborhood are selling for $250,000 and you have a swimming pool or done some upgrades, maybe a room addition. Your home is going to be worth more than the average selling price.

Most real estate professionals will price your home according to the length of time you have to sell it. If you're in a hurry to sell, they don't have time to test the market. The price of your home would need to be competitive or lower than homes selling in the area. Whether homes are selling fast in a good market for selling slow in a bad market, if you have time, you can ask a little bit more for your home. If the market hasn't reached the bottom, waiting could actually hurt you, because the prices of the homes in the area would still be dropping.

Listen to your real estate professionals advice when pricing your home. That's what you're hiring them for, they are in the real estate business. Your neighbors, relatives, friends and people you work with, will probably be guessing if you asked for their opinion on pricing your house.

Your house is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Finding that person is the key to selling your home, finding that person as soon as possible could give you the illusion that you sold your home to cheap. Don't worry about it, your final objective is to sell the house.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a home buyers guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If you really think your home is safe, check out these pictures about home water damage.

Structuring Your 24 Hour Day

Change Your Thinking About Life

What do I do when I get down and out. Well that use to happen to me often and I seemed to suffer with some minor depression. It would seem like time would stand still. I would look at the clock and notice the time. Let's say 2:23 in the afternoon. I would look back to see what time it was about fifteen minutes latter and it would be 2:26. Wow what in the heck is going on with this clock.

I just couldn't believe it seemed like the day would never end. I would just sit there and think about all the stuff going on in my life, good and bad of course. This seemed to last until I was in my early twenties. I just didn't want to feel like this any more. I made a Conscious design not to get depressed period. I never wanted to feel like that again.

I read a book on ESP and in the book it described visualizing a rose as you went to sleep. I started doing this every night and while I was doing the exercise it seemed to make me feel relaxed in a way I never had felt before. The reason for the exercise was to teach you to visualize something peaceful. This in turn would put you in a peaceful state of mind.

Then a thought came into my noggin. What if when ever I start to feel bad or seem to be going into a sort of depressive state of mind I change my thoughts. It worked... I would start to visualize something else that made me feel comfortable and give me a peaceful feeling. Man was I surprised with my results.

Keep in mind I didn't think of this all on my own but I did put the pieces of the puzzle I needed to together that I needed to change my life. It seemed like I could use this form of self control in different parts of my life. If I was at work and someone made me mad.... Well this didn't work all the time... I still got mad. Let's pick something else OK.

I would worry about something on the job that wasn't going right. Then I would get irritated over something else that wasn't even related to what I was worrying about. Why did I take it out on the other person when what I was really mad about was something else. We do this all the time in our lives. We seem to get mad, get even or give up. Why do we do this and what can we do to stop it.

My main point to all of this is we can change our thinking and change our lives. We can learn new things to change our thinking. We don't need to give up hope that we will always be like this. Change the things you don't like about yourself. Do it today. If you need some help there is a great book that will help you change your life for the better.

You can find it at http://www.live.spiritualideas.com This book has a lot of tools to create the change in your life you want to have a more full filling life.

Most people give up just when they're about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown. Ross Perot.

Start Living Your Dreams Today and Create a Wonderful Life For Yourself And Your Family. Greg Vanden Berge is one of the best inspirations on the planet. You will be hearing a lot about this guy in the future. You can count on it.

Is The Bible Historically Accura

Brain Fitness

STEP ONE:Do you know when to stop?Do you know how much is enough?Especially with brain injury and age related brain fitness decline, overwhelm defeats motivation every time.Do you get overwhelmed?

Okay, here is the solution.Decide exactly how much you are going to do and how you are going to measure it.For example, if you are going to do some gardening or walking, decide on 20 minutes.Then set the kitchen timer for 20 minutes.When the bell rings, stop.

Now, when you know you can stop after 20 minutes, do you feel more encouraged?It's just 20 minutes!Feeling like you can do it creates the MOTIVATION WHEEL.This is step one.

Know when to stop.Decide on how much you are going to do.When the timer rings, stop.

COACHING TIP:If you still don't feel like doing it, cut your effort/time in half and try again.Keep cutting the effort/time in half until you it's so easy that you laugh as you get into action!For example:20 minutes too much?Set timer for 10 minutes. Just get that motivation wheel moving!

STEP TWO:Do you count your effort like coins of gold?Do you easily forget what you did yesterday or last week?When you look at your effort today, you kill motivation by thinking that 20 minutes will do no good.

The solution is to get fun stickers.Put a sticker on your calendar or chart every time you put in your measured amount of effort from step one.
Now count the stickers on your calendar like they were coins of gold!Congratulate yourself because your stack of golden effort is growing.Fall in love with growing your stack of gold.

When you count and congratulate yourself daily for growing that stack of golden effort, you are CREATING MOMENTUM.Momentum means that your wheel is picking up speed.When you create momentum, motivation isn't an issue.

Stack your effort.Count it like coins of gold.Create momentum.

STEP THREE:Do you know exactly how far you have travelled?Everyone knows where they want to go.Motivation is often killed when you look forward at the distance left to travel to your goal.It seems so far...impossible!

However, when you look back to SEE HOW FAR YOU HAVE COME that is a powerful motivator.Dwell on the facts of what you have done.

This is where a BEFORE TEST is so important.Many people ignore creating a before test because they are embarrassed by this information.Stop what you are doing, and take those appropriate measurements right now.Take a photo of your weedy garden or unpainted room, stand on that scale, wrap the tape around your waist, time the minutes it takes to walk to the mall.You need that BEFORE DATA.Put it in the drawer.

Now every month, take the same measurements, pull the BEFORE DATA out of the drawer, and celebrate how far you have come.SEEING PROOF OF SUCCESS KEEPS THAT WHEEL ROLLING for another month.Inch by inch, life's a cinch.

Keep records so you can't forget. Review monthly how your stack of effort is changing your data.Dwell on your proof of success.Remember, every step, no matter how small, counts.

WHEN YOU USE THESE 3 STUNNINGLY SIMPLE STEPS YOUR MOTIVATION WILL GROW INTO YOUR POWERFUL ALLY.Soon you will be leaping buildings in a single stride! Celebrate.

Linda Schaumleffel, Olympian and head injury survivor, guides people worldwide with faltering memory or head injuries, by teaching them how to thrive again, strive for peak productivity, and build a hedge against dementia. Get a jump on your own brain health with "Brain Fitness: The Top 17 Activities That Will Revive Your Brain at Any Age!" special report at http://www.PowerBrainFitness.com

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Good Communication Makes All the Difference

Have you ever heard the phrase "we just can't communicate?" We just don't get along anymore and we never did anyway or what about, she just doesn't understand me. Most people identify communication with the ability to read or write well. This might not be the case as you will soon find out.

How many times have you been to the doctor's office and listen to an educated professional explain something to you that just doesn't make any sense. These people keep asking you, "Do you understand," Am I making myself clear and sometimes out of embarrassment because you don't want to look like an idiot you tell them yes I do understand. This isn't a good way to communicate either.

How do we communicate in a positive way to get our point across? I'm going to share a secret that works time and time again and some very successful communicators use this often. Ask the person you are communicating with if they understand what you just said, if someone is talking to you then use the statement, "Just to Make Sure That I Understand What You Just Said" and then repeat back your understanding of their conversation.

Sometimes just asking a view simple questions and clarifying your understanding can bring great benefits to any communication.

In some countries like Japan for instance you might find them reading your body language more than the words you are communicating with. Sometimes just by the way someone stands or reacts to something you said can give you a valuable insight to what can be understood in the conversation.

Don't forget however this could lead to a misunderstanding also. Again if you think someone understands how you are communicating with their body language, try not to assume that you know for a fact how they are reacting. Always ask them if they understand what you're talking about.

A person is responsible for what he says and to make sure that the other person understands completely the point he is trying to get across. I don't know how many times I have mentioned something to someone only later to find out there was a problem with my communication.

One of the greatest problems in business, marriage and most relationships are poor communication skills. Why not start using some of the simple skills used in this article to help with communication. You will start to see the benefits within a short period.

How do we do it? Why do we do it? And when are we going to change? How do we change our lives to become fulfilling sources of extreme happiness and joy. What is it going to take to open your eyes and finally seek the information you need.

If you're looking for a secret to happiness or a missing piece to the puzzle you quite possibly could find what you're looking for but no guarantees at spiritual books.

Check out Greg Vanden Berge.

Thomas Paine

Moral Leadership of The Christian Community

The presidential election of 1992 introduced the discussion of
family values as a political issue. Apparently the populous
did not accept this issue as being significant. Christian
organizations were reluctant to enter political activities so
they did not push the concept of family values as being a
religious imperative.

Do some of these issues seem too "political" for the Christian
community to become involved? Are not, however, some of these
issues important enough to be hammered home by the clergy of
this country? When is sin significant enough to talk about
it?

ABOLITIONIST MOVEMENT

"Amazing Grace" was written by a slave trader who came to know
Jesus and his life changed dramatically. John Newton was a
sailor on a slave ship. After his conversion, he became an
Anglican minister and influenced Wilberforce against Slavery.

William Wilberforce, along with John Newton and Granville
Sharp lived in England in the late 1700's. These three men
stopped slavery in England and throughout the British Empire.
Sharp's work led to the emancipation of slaves in England in
1772 while the work of Wilberforce led to the abolition of
slave trade and the emancipation of slaves throughout the
British Empire.

Key Evangelical Christian leaders in the United States
included Samuel Hopkins, Lyman Beecher, Charles G Finney, John
Brown, Theodore Weld, Jonathan Blanchard, and Harriet Beecher
Stowe. These individuals preach Christ for the salvation of
the individual but also saw the total injustice of slavery in
the "land of the free". Abolition was not a hobby with them.
It was also not all they did. They were also Evangelical
Christians. Their efforts led to the abolition of slavery in
the United States and the emancipation of the slaves of
America.

AND NOW

The involvement of Christian leaders throughout modern church
history demonstrates the historical basis of involvement of
the church in secular affairs. Social reform is the business
of the church. Social reform is not "socialism". Social
reform is not "government handouts" or "entitlement". Social
reform is moral leadership.

Christian lifestyle is a moral lifestyle. Moral leadership is
not the imposing of "blue laws" or "religious fanaticism".
Moral leadership deals with life and death issues. It deals
with freedom under God. Christian morals protect life and
property, things that even non-Christians cherish. Decisions
concerning morality must not be left to the atheists and to
the anti-Christians.

Christian leaders must take the initiative in developing a
corporate moral character for the country and the world. We
Christians are the "salt of the earth and if that salt loses
its taste, just what is it good for." These words in quotes
are not my words but Jesus's words. Perhaps we better start
applying the "salt".

Doug Johnson has been writing and online publishing Christian and Social Conservative articles since the 1990's on http://www.IndependentChristian.org/

Doug has been a Bible believing Evangelical Christian since childhood. He has been received into fellowship with the Evangelical Free Church, the Plymouth Brethern, the Assembly of God, the American Baptist, and the Southern Baptist.

In the early 2000's, he was received into full communion with the Catholic Church after careful study of the Catholic Catechism and the Bible. He believes Catholics and Bible believing Protestants should build on what they have in common rather than looking at what is different.

He is presently helping to establish the Independent Christian On-Line Academy at: http://www.ICOLA.us

Doug has an online retail wallpaper business at: http://www.TheWallpaperPirate.com/

Doug is available as a consultant and or speaker. To reach him, use the Contact Us page at any of the above websites.

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The Purpose of Dreams

Dreams have been somewhat of a mystery to man for a long time. Dreams hold many captive at night wondering if it is reality or simply the imagination working overtime. We have all awoke from dreams upset that it wasnt reality and on the same hand, we have woke up thanking God that a terrible nightmare wasnt a reality.

There are many different theories about the meaning, origin, or purpose of dreams. Some believe that dreams are an extension of our subconscious. In other words, we may dream about things that we think about, whether we are aware of our subconscious thoughts or not. Others believe that dreams are a part of REM or Rapid Eye Movement sleep, which helps to restore our minds and bodies while we sleep. Finally, some people believe that dreams are one mode of communication that God uses to send us messages.

I believe that there is some truth to each of these theories of dreams, but I will focus on the theory about God using dreams as a mode of communication with us and what I believe his purpose in communicating with us through dreams is. Although I do believe that God communicates with us through dreams, I dont believe that every dream that we have is from God or even God attempting to communicate with us. Since I believe that some dreams are from God and others arent, this poses the question, How do you know which dreams are from God and which ones arent?. This is a difficult question to answer because there is no scientific answer to this question. My answer to this question is that you will know in your spirit. In other words, the inner voice will say this dream meant something.

Your spirit may even be troubled when you wake up like Nebuchednezzar was in the Bible after he had a dream from God. In the Bible, in Daniel 2:1, it says Nebuchednezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. I believe that this was his spirit communicating to him that there was a message in the dreams for him and maybe others. Also, in the Bible, in the book of Daniel 7:15, Daniel states that after having a dream, that he was troubled in spirit and the visions that passed through his mind disturbed him. When I have had dreams that I believe are from God, the same thing has happened to me when I have awoken from a dream from God. I usually will first remember the dream or many parts of it very vividly. Next, I feel unsettled in my spirit, as if something needs to be resolved or settled.

After establishing that God does in fact, communicate with us through our dreams just as he did with Daniel and Nebuchednezzar, and Joseph in their dreams, you may have been wondering why. Why would God choose to communicate with us through our dreams? I believe that God has 6 purposes for communicating to us through our dreams and it is up to us along with our communication with the Holy Spirit to discern which purpose he has for communication with us.

The first purpose that I believe God uses dreams for is to call us to pray or intercede for ourselves and/or others. Sometimes God gives us dreams to call on us to pray about a situation or for a person. If we have a dream about someone or something that we know is not positive, even if we dont know the interpretation of the dream, we can pray and intercede about the situation or for the individual(s). Prayer changes things, so if we are obedient, we can change someones outcome for the better.

The second purpose for our dreams may be to warn us. God may want to warn us about a direction we are headed in or a decision that we are about to make that may be outside of his will and that may lead to destruction. In the Bible, in the book of Daniel, chapter 4, God gave Nebuchednezzar a dream to warn him. King Nebuchednezzar was warned in his dream, that if he didnt acknowledge that God is more powerful than man and things, his power and riches would be taken away from him. Nebuchednezzars warning was to acknowledge and turn to God or lose his earthly privileges. Having this dream and having it interpreted by Daniel, a Godly man, gave Nebuchednezzar the opportunity to take action to avoid disaster and calamity in his life. God gives us this same opportunity if we heed and are obedient to God.

The third purpose for God give us dreams is to give us hope. The Bible says in the Book of Proverbs 13:12 that "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." You may be experiencing a dark time in your life and you may be tempted to throw in the towel and give up. God may give you a dream to show you the light that lies ahead and to give you hope in your future. Having a visual image of a dream that he births in us gives us the opportunity to think about and hold onto that vision when things arent going the way we hoped or planned.

The fourth purpose for dreams is to encourage us and encourage others. This goes along with hope, but it may be a bit more subtle. God may want us to share a positive dream with the person we dreamed about to encourage them, or he may just want to encourage us that he is with us and hasnt forsaken us.

The fifth purpose may be to give us confirmation about something that he has either already tried to communicate to us either through our spirit or through someone else. Also, if we asked God for confirmation for something, he may give it to us through our dreams.

Finally, I believe that God communicates with us through our dreams sometimes to let us know that he is God. It is hard to forget or disbelieve in the power of God when he is using something like dreams to communicate with people and ordinary people like Daniel and I to interpret dreams.

If you believe that God has been communicating to you through your dreams, do the following : 1. Pay close attention to them; 2. Write them down in a dream journal as soon as you wake up from the dream, so that you capture all of the important details; 3. Obey his instructions and heed to his warnings, in other words, pray for yourself and others immediately when he calls on you, act when he gives you confirmations that require action, always hold onto hope, and always give God all of the Glory!

If you are interested in having a dream interpreted, sharing your dreams with others, or simply being a part of a discussion group and learning more about dreams, please visit my website at www.dreamsinterpret.com. Try it out for free.

Written by : Lisa M. Kohut

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Wishing For Riches - Self Help Tips

Anybody can wish for riches, and most people do, but only a few know that a definite plan, plus a burning desire for wealth, are the only dependable means of accumulating wealth.

This statement is at the beginning of Chapter 13 from the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill.

There are so many different methods, from so many different people, but most people don't know where to start, or plan their way to success.

I have heard some people mention the hardest part is actually starting, while others say you have to start somewhere, anywhere but start. Starting is usually the hardest part for most people, they get defeated by their own beliefs and of course never even start.

Fear of failure and fear of success, seem to be at the top of the list when thinking about starting a business. It's always been hard to imagine people being afraid to succeed, when this is what they seem to desire the most.

Wishing for riches can motivate you to start, thinking about the many different ways to succeed can motivate you to plan. A burning dire to succeed well often motivate you to start and create a plan eventually.

The key to creating wealth is developing habits and good daily habits performed over a lifetime, most of the time, will lead you to wealth beyond your wildest dream's. Sometimes this wealth is going to have nothing to do with money.

Get some books, talk to some people, watch some biographies about successful people throughout history, find out what they did and start paving your own trail. But you're going to have to start somewhere.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing, marketing and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world.

George S Clason

11 Easy Ways to Manage Anger

The first step in being able to learn effective anger management techniques is to recognize the situations that make you angry and your body's warning signs of anger.

List things that can trigger your anger

Make a list of the things that often set off your anger (for example, running late for work and getting stuck in a traffic jam, your teenager leaving not helping out around the house or a co-worker blaming you for something you didn't do). If you know ahead of time what makes you angry, you may be able to avoid these things or do something different when they happen.

Pay attention to the warning signs of anger in your body

Notice the things that happen to your body that tell you when you are getting angry (for example, a pounding heart, flushed face, sweating, tense jaw, tightness in your chest or gritting your teeth).The earlier you can recognize these warning signs of anger, the more successful you will probably be at calming yourself down before your anger gets out of control.

Find anger management techniques that work for you

There are a number of different ways of managing anger and some strategies will suit you better than others. Here's some simple ways to put an end to the vicious cycle of stress that anger can bring:

Control your thinking

When you're angry, your thinking can get exaggerated and irrational. Try replacing these kinds of thoughts with more useful, rational ones and you should find that this has an affect on the way you feel. For example, instead of telling yourself "I can't stand it, it's awful and everything's ruined," tell yourself "It's frustrating, and it's understandable that I'm upset about it, but it's not the end of the world and getting angry is not going to fix it." Psychologists call this type of thinking "self talk."

Develop a list of things to say to yourself before, during and after situations in which you may get angry. It is more helpful if these things focus on how you are managing the situation rather than what other people should be doing.

Before:

"I'll be able to handle this. It could be rough, but I have a plan."

"If I feel myself getting angry, I'll know what to do."

During:

"Stay calm, relax, and breathe easy."

"Stay calm, I'm okay, s/he's not attacking me personally."

"I can look and act calm."

After:

"I managed that well. I can do this. I'm getting better at this."

"I felt angry, but I didn't lose my cool."

Take time out

If you feel your anger getting out of control, take time out from a situation or an argument. Try stepping outside the room, or going for a walk. Before you go, remember to make a time to talk about the situation later when everyone involved has calmed down. During time out, plan how you are going to stay calm when your conversation resumes.

Use distraction

A familiar strategy for managing anger is to distract your mind from the situation that is making you angry. Try counting to ten, playing soothing music, talking to a good friend, or focusing on a simple task like polishing the car, doing the dishes, folding laundry or walking the dog.

Use relaxation techniques

Relaxation strategies can reduce the feelings of tension and stress in your body. Practice strategies such as taking long deep breaths and focusing on your breathing, or progressively working around your body and relaxing your muscles as you go.

Learn assertiveness skills

Assertiveness skills can be learnt through self-help books or by attending courses. These skills ensure that anger is channelled and expressed in clear and respectful ways. Being assertive means being clear with others about what your needs and wants are, feeling okay about asking for them, but respecting the other person's needs and concerns as well and being prepared to negotiate.

Avoid using words like "never" or "always" (for example, "You're always late!"), as these statements are usually inaccurate, make you feel as though your anger is justified, and don't leave much possibility for the problem to be solved.

Try to acknowledge what is making you angry

Acknowledge that a particular issue has made you angry by admitting it to yourself and others. Telling someone that you felt angry when they did or said something is more helpful than just acting out the anger.

Make sure you think about who you express your anger to, and take care that you aren't just dumping your anger on the people closest to you, or on people who are less powerful than you. For example, don't yell at your partner, children, or dog when you are really angry with your boss.

Sometimes it can help to write things down. What is happening in your life? How do you feel about the things that are happening? Writing about these topics can sometimes help give you some distance and perspective and help you understand your feelings. Work out some options for changing your situation.

Rehearsing anger management techniques

Use your imagination to practice anger management strategies. Imagine yourself in a situation that usually sets off your anger. Imagine how you could behave in that situation without getting angry. Think about a situation where you did get angry. Replay the situation in your mind and imagine resolving the situation without anger.

Try rehearsing some anger management strategies with a friend. Ask them to help you act out a situation where you get angry, so that you can practice other ways to think and behave. Practice saying things in an assertive way.

How are thousand of people learning simple anger management techniques while enjoying a calmer, confident and more productive life? Michael Atma has created the ultimate anger management program for busy people!