The Power of Words

Posted on January 17, 2012 by savi0043

Pathways to Success: Structuring Self Improvement
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Henrico_A_Norris]Henrico A Norris

We all try. The first and most important step to creating positive change is cultivating a positive, productive mindset. Remove all negative thoughts including, but not limited to, doubt, fear, antagonism, bitterness.

The Power of Words

A daily affirmation is useful in establishing a firm base for successful thinking. Affirmations can come from a variety of sources including you. By simply stating what it is you want and putting it into words, you have taken a deliberate action toward making that thing a reality. Influential quotes or spiritual texts can be used for motivation. Sometimes, people outside of our particular situation can still articulate matters of our heart, mind, and spirit better than we can alone. The following quote is a prime example of how overwhelming concepts are broken down and made easier to understand for personal use.

“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.” -Henry David Thoreau

Now isn’t that beautiful and profound? What Thoreau is saying is that we can’t simply change on a whim, think a thought once and be done with it. We must continually and everlastingly think the “thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.” We have to train our minds to work in new ways, completely shift our thought patterns through repetition and persistence. In my experience, it’s best to envision yourself living the life you want to and working your way backward from there.

Are there quotes or verses that inspire you? Use them as daily affirmations.

Asking the Right Questions

What Kind of Person Do I Want to Be?

Many times, the only thing separating us from our productive, good selves is the accumulation of bad habits. There’s nothing stopping you from developing the habits necessary to become the type of person you want to be. It doesn’t mean forcing yourself to do things you don’t want to do. It simply means giving yourself the opportunities to act on your more positive impulses. If you have a heart after giving, donate to your local charities. If you have a thirst for excitement, commit to trying new things more often. If you have a passion for sharing knowledge, consider careers or activities that allow you to do so or perhaps just open up to your friends more and be the voice of reason for a change. Whatever it is you want to make a part of your actual character, actually do.

What Are My Passions?

We all have passions, whether we want to admit it or not. Invest in the good ones. There is a place where each of us can say “I’m in my element.” Spend more of your time doing the things you love and your demeanor will make a change for the better. It’s one of the simplest ways to immediately improve the quality of your life. Secondly, find productive passions. It’s fine and well to do things you like, but try to invest in activities that provide positive reinforcement of your other good qualities and create joy when you do them. Don’t mistake habits and small hobbies for your passions. Our passions are connected to the deepest parts of who we are; they represent our purest form of self-expression. Perhaps you are a writer, a counselor, or someone who is deeply spiritual. Knowing your passion allows you to naturally free your minds and imagination. Finding your passion is worth the time and effort, because it helps bring you closer to your essential “self”.

What Are My Hopes and Dreams?

Take the steps now to achieve as many of them as you can. Don’t be afraid to try. Think of it this way. Everyone dreams and wants things, but a very small percentage even begin to work toward their fondest desires. By simply beginning, you’ve brought yourself closer to your dreams than you could have ever believed. Small activities like building your resume and applying for a new job, auditioning for theater, or writing a story or two are the first steps toward realizing your dreams. Rid yourself of fear and know that you’re worthy of success. Set long and short-term goals so that you can see your progress. Be realistic in your approach, but remember that no dream is too big to turn into reality. It just takes work and dedication. Maintain a keen awareness of what you truly want out of life; too many times we forget and become apathetic towards life because we’ve neglected to follow our hearts.

What Do I Honestly Think of Myself?

Evaluate yourself honestly and crudely; take care to keep an open mind. From there, work to create the self-image that represents the quintessential “you”.

By constantly improving your self perception and always finding new, positive goals to add to your desired self-image, you give yourself structure and a guide toward success. Your self-image is the backbone of your path to success. We sometimes cultivate bad perceptions of ourselves without knowing. These negative beliefs come in the form of self-doubt, self-deprecation, and relying too much on external validation. In order to improve your self-image you must work under positive assumptions, ones that empower you. This is fundamental to improving your self-image–in fact, it is vital to your improvement overall as a person. Repeat the following to yourself whenever thoughts of doubt concerning what you have to do creep into your mind:

There is nothing I cannot achieve, no obstacle I cannot overcome. I am my own person, defined not by external circumstances, but my own heart and mind.

Believe that much if nothing else. Choose to define yourself. Recognize that as humans, we are constantly bombarded with instinctual desires, subject to external influences, and emotional instability. These are unfortunate realities, but it is also a fact that you have the power to decide what will actually have power over you. Developing this sort of mental independence will save you a lot of heartache. Developing a good self-image will improve many areas of your life: relationships, dealing with failure, stagnation, negative thoughts, and even depression. Equip yourself to face things that contradict your goals. Your mind is the door to your success or your failure. The choice is most certainly your own.

The Big Picture

Self improvement is a process and it doesn’t occur overnight. As you grow and experience things, you’ll learn more and more about yourself and the world around you. Take advantage of that knowledge but do not allow that knowledge to take advantage of you. You have all the control when it comes to defining who you are.

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Making a Handmade Pen

Posted on January 16, 2012 by savi0043

Making a Handmade Pen – The Process Ensures Success
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=William_D_Ake]William D Ake

There a number of ways to make a handcrafted pen, each as different as the artist. But, fundamentally, each ends up with a process that roughly consists of selecting the materials, crafting the pen components, and then final assembly. Here is one process that will work for making a handmade wood pen.

Selecting Materials

Inspiration starts the process, and once an artist is inspired to follow a direction that they want to explore, they need materials with which to create. All artists need to start with their material palette. For painters, this can consists of selecting the type of canvas material, the types of paints, brushes and framing materials. For an artist making handmade wooden pens, the type of the wood and the types of metal hardware are two of the key components.

Often, you have an idea with which to start, but won’t know where you will end up until you are well down the path. You may select one type of material to start with, such as a Gabon Ebony wood and silver hardware, but once started, events may conspire to change your direction. The wood may exhibit more color, less color, or different colors than you expected. Remaining agile during the creative process is key.

Crafting the Wood Pen

There are many options available to create and shape the body of the wood pen. One of the most popular is to turn the pen on a wood lathe. This results in a round body (single body, upper / lower bodied pens) that can be easily held in the hand.

A wood lathe is used to hold the wood blank, which will be mounted on a mandrel. The lathe turns the wood blank while the craftsman will use a variety of wood-turning tools to remove wood from the blank. The result is a cylindrical pen that is usually tapered from end-to-end.

The pen’s body can be turned to be straight, have a slight bow, taper, curve or can have beads, groves or other decorations included. Many options exist, and it is only limited by the imagination of the artist. Not all pens need to be turned round, as pens can be hexagonal and have other interesting shapes.

Once the pen body has been shaped, it is typically sanded and then a finish is applied. There are some pens that are simply sanded and then a wax topcoat applied, which is called a friction finish. I prefer to apply a more durable finish on my rel=nofollow [http://www.mazurkapens.com]handmade pens, such as lacquer or other resin topcoat, as it is more durable and water-resistant and lets the grain ‘pop’ through the finish.

Final Assembly

Once the pen body has been finished, and the pen hardware has been selected, the final assembly process can commence. Each style of pen can have different steps on how it needs to be assembled, but the following steps are usually common:

Pressing the nib into the lower body
Assembly of the clip and top
Pressing the top / clip assembly into the upper body
Assembly of the middle decoration band
Insertion of springs and ink cartridge
Pressing the upper body and lower body together
Final inspection and polishing

The above sequence is typical of the assembly steps, although some steps may not be required. A single bodied pen doesn’t have an upper and lower body, as it has only one segment. There are many, many variations, depending upon whether the pen is a twist-style pen, or a click pen. Pencil kits can have additional steps. Fountain pens and rollerball pens have options of the installation of ink cartridge assemblies as well as a more complicated body assembly.

The key to a successful assembly process is to pay close attention to the details. It is these details are what set apart a simple pen from one that has been crafted with care and great attention to quality. For example, it is very important that the ends of the body are perfectly square to the tubes, otherwise small gaps may appear around the area where the top clip and nib meet the body. Additionally, careful attention needs to be observed where any joint exists to make sure it is flush, sound and tight after assembly.

It is this process that is critical and it is paramount not to forget any small step, or take shortcuts. Selecting the material, crafting the pen, and performing final assembly are all key steps in a successful pen-making process. Overlooking steps or taking shortcuts is almost always a reason that the pen will be of lower quality. If careful attention is paid to these steps, then a quality handmade pen will result.

William D. Ake invites you to view his handmade pens at Mazurka Pens. Each handmade pen is a unique work of art that can be enjoyed for years. Sign up for his newsletter to receive updates on his latest creations at [http://www.mazurkapens.com/newsletter/]http://www.mazurkapens.com/newsletter/.

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A Special Valentine Love For Your Loved Ones

Posted on January 12, 2012 by savi0043

A Special Valentine Love For Your Loved Ones
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Judith_Davenport]Judith Davenport

Valentine’s are a special way of showing love to loved ones around the world and Cupid is the little guy with the arrows of “love”. As an ambassador of love he can be found in every country and every town. He is especially important in Loveland, Colorado.

Cupid has already arrived in Loveland to meet with the volunteers of the worldwide Loveland Valentine Re-Mailing Program. The valentines will come from all 50 states and over 100 foreign countries including Brazil, Kenya, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, Taiwan, Russia, Vietnam and Yugoslavia. Large numbers of valentines come from Canada, Great Britain, Japan and Australia each year to be re-mailed. Valentine’s Day in Loveland, Colorado is a day of loving fulfillment for the citizens of this small town in northern Colorado.

The re-mailing program was started in 1947 by Ted Thompson, a local businessman, and postmaster Elmer Ives. Mr. Ives had received about 40 Valentines from people requesting they be mailed from Loveland, Colorado with the Loveland postmark as it would be a unique romantic touch. The two men talked it over and presented it to the Chamber of Commerce as a marketing opportunity to promote Loveland. The re-mailing program was promoted locally by the Loveland Reporter Herald and word was sent out nationally by the wire services. The Loveland Valentine Re-Mailing Program was born.

The first Loveland cachet was a heart pierced by an arrow with the message, “A Valentine Greeting from Sweetheart Town, Loveland, Colorado”. Volunteers hand stamped the cachet on over 300 valentines the first year and each thereafter the number of valentines re-mailed has increased. It is estimated that over 300,000 valentines will be stamped with the 2010 cachet. The cachet is formed by joining the art and a four line verse into one stamp and then it is applied to each envelope by volunteers. The art and verse are submitted each year by local citizens in competition to win the coveted cachet.

The volunteers are mostly senior citizens who look forward to February when the sorting and stamping begins. The valentines are sorted by color: red envelopes require a black cachet and white envelopes are stamped in red. The envelopes are sorted by size and counted. Processing the envelopes can be as high as 55,000 in one day. The envelopes are then taken to the Loveland post office and stamped with the distinctive Loveland cancellation mark created each year. This is truly a labor of love and a source of pride from the volunteers as each envelope is handled approximately 15 times from start to finish.

If you would like to have your valentine postmarked Loveland, Colorado: address the valentine’s envelope and apply proper postage to each one. Place the valentine(s) in a larger envelope and address it to:

Postmaster
Attention: Valentines
Loveland, CO 80538

Your envelope must arrive in Loveland no later than February 5th to ensure delivery by Valentine’s Day. If you are a stamp collector and would like your valentine postmarked February 14th note this is in your packet to the postmaster. Make this Valentine’s Day extra special for the ones you love.

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Paranormal

Posted on January 8, 2012 by savi0043

My Theory on Spirits of the Paranormal
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Edward_Shanahan]Edward Shanahan

“One thing I have learned in a long life; that all our science measured against reality is primitive and child like – yet, it is the most precious thing we have”

— Albert Einstein

I put the quote above by Albert Einstein to illustrate some things often overlooked in the paranormal field. The reality to the world around us is very vast and our science can not explain very much of it today. When we look at spirits and the spiritual side, it is easy to see why science can only go so far at detecting and explaining it.

I feel science is important out there in the paranormal field. Some theories out there can be understood, explained, or discounted just knowing some science. So here, I will attempt to put what science you need out there to understand. This is just about the only way to understand my own theory that I have, that came to me by my own inner knowledge and experience with spirits.

This is an attempt to for those interested to give you a possible view of what is actually happening with the use of Science and Spiritual inner knowledge. This is written for a reference and not meant for you to remember all the details, but, to teach some concepts to possibly understand more about the spiritual world and what could actually be happening.

Everything in Our World is Energy

E=mc² is Einstein’s theory of relativity from 1905. Yes, it has been around quite some time. What does this mean? Do not worry, I am not going to go into the entire width of what this means. But, just enough to point out some of it’s implications that would concern the science to understand what spirits might or might not be.

This little equation says quite a lot and goes far beyond what I will discuss here. But, it does say this; “Energy equals matter” (energy equals mass (of matter) times the speed of light squared). This means, all life, all things are made up of energy. Matter is energy, but, in a different form.

All things including the air we breathe, the items in your house, you and me, everything you see around you is made up of matter. The smallest molecules of matter are atoms. Each atom has electrons, protons and neutrons. Electrons are negatively charged. Protons are positively charged. Neutrons are neutrally charged. Meaning, atoms are essentially energy.

Now, you do not have to remember all this. There is no test at the end. You only have to read it and grasp the concept that atoms are essentially energy. Therefore all matter is energy, just in a different form.

So when we say; “Energy can neither be created nor destroyed.” that refers to matter as well. Our world is energy. That is reality. For an example; light a match. Have you just created energy? Not really. The energy is already there, just in a different form presented in atoms of what makes up the match before it is lit and changes when the match is lit. You can see how this theory of energy applies to matter as well.

5 States of Matter Currently Known By Science

1. Bose-Einstein Condensates

2. Solids

3. Liquids

4. Gases

5. Plasmas

These are the 5 states of matter currently known by science. They are in order of how close the molecules or atoms are to each other. The first one (Condensates) have the atoms closest together. The last (Plasma) have the atoms furthest apart.

Do not concern yourself with the first state of matter (Condensates), as it doesn’t apply at all to what I am discussing here. I will leave the discussion of what they are out, as to not confuse you. I only list Condensates here, to show there are actually 5 states of matter known to science today.

Our entire world consists of matter in the states listed above. (Well, there may be more that science does not know of yet.) I believe most people will be familiar with Solid, Liquid and Gas states of matter.

So I will skip explaining them here. However, Plasma will be discussed later.

Charge and No Charge – What is energy?

Atoms are usually balanced out by positive and negative charges. This is because they have the same number of protons (positive charges) and electrons (negative charges). So, unless an electron or proton is missing, you have a neutral charge. That’s because the electrons and protons cancel themselves out and are a neutral charge. A piece of metal for instance would have a neutral charge and be undetectable to an electro magnetic field detector (EMF detector).

Plasma however, is positively charged. You can find plasma in florescent lights, lightening, neon lights and in plasma balls. The atoms are further apart than gas. The other types matter listed are neutral. Matter can become charged, like electricity in wiring or filament in a light bulb. When there is a charge, whether positive or negative, it is referred to as an electrical charge. This is generally what people refer to as energy and will be picked up by an EMF detector.

What is an EMF?

EMF stands for electromagnetic field. It is a field of charged particles. You could also call it an energy field. Electricity and magnetism go together and are synonymous. The energy field could be so large it encircles the earth or very small.

These energy fields can be created by naturally occurring substances such as copper, iron, limestone, chalk, salt and water or any combination of these things and among other elements and substances. When you add a water source and especially a moving water source such as a river or stream, it increases the EMF’s. It is important to know what is around a site before taking EMF readings for this reason. When you add humidity and other naturally occurring factors, it could also increase the likeliness of an EMF.

Iron and copper are good conductors and absorb energy from the surrounding environment and earth. In areas where there are heavy deposits of these minerals you will see high EMF’s, such as, areas where there are iron mines. These are areas where EMF detectors are going to pick up EMF’s easily. Baseline readings are not going to help in this situation. EMF’s can move and fluctuate in these areas. So readings no matter when taken will not prove or disprove spirits existence.

Limestone and chalk work much like batteries in a way. They absorb and hang onto the energy of the environment and earth. Limestone tends to be very helpful in providing the earth with energy for trees and new plant life during the spring for this reason. Chalk is even a better energy absorber than limestone. Limestone is found in cement and cement bricks. Even people and animals have EMF’s surrounding them. Even guinea pigs could register. This is not a piece of equipment I personally use. I put this information here so that people have this information if they decide to use one and they will know what to look for.

My Theory on Spirits:

We don’t really have the answer to what they are for sure. There is no way to test this theory at this time. Nor, do I think it will be possible for quite some time. But, here is my theory.

Given that EMF (electro magnetic field) detectors do not always pick up the presence of a spirit, one would have to conclude that if they were a charged energy like electricity, we would be able to detect them all the time. We know that is not the case. So, spirits should be a neutral charge with all the electrons and protons in the molecules balancing the charges of positive and negative charges much like a piece of plastic or metal would be. So, spirits would be a state of matter that is neutrally charged. Which if they were, it would make spirits virtually impossible to pick up using an EMF detector.

Even humans are detectable with EMF detectors. We are like a machine where our bodies are producing energy and taking in energy all the time. All living things have some energy they emit.

So, what are the EMF detectors picking up?

OK, ruling out naturally occurring electro magnetic fields from iron, copper, limestone and a host of other elements that can create electro magnetic fields on their own, I believe what they pick up is not the spirit, but, the area that the mass of matter that a spirit is, affects. This would be in the idea of static electricity.

This would explain why EMF detectors do not always pick up a presence when there are experiences at a site where people have no doubt of a spiritual presence. But, sometimes do pick up something on some occasions. It would also explain fluctuating readings and not having consistent readings.

When matter attempts to occupy the same space it can cause a friction or rapid movement of the atoms in the surrounding area that make up the air. Much like walking across a carpet with socks and you get a shock from touching a doorknob. The movement of the mass into the area, (especially suddenly or when there is more than one mass) would cause all the atoms of the atmosphere of the air and area to move and crush the molecules against each other into a smaller space, disturbing the electrons in the atoms that make up the area. This would cause an electromagnetic field (energy).

Which means, what is detected by an EMF detector, is the area affected by the spirit, not the spirit itself.

Plasma is Close, but, not Quite Right

Plasma has many properties that are close to what a spirit is. Plasma can go through solid objects. How? This happens because the molecules to plasma are farther apart. Because they are, it can go through the space of the atoms in a solid object. So passing through closed doors, walls or other objects is possible.

Plasma also has an outer skin, much like a force field that keeps it together. The atoms can stay together in a cohesive entity much like blowing a bubble. You see this phenomenon in plasma balls (not the lights you buy at Halloween).

They are also known as prairie lights. The problem with plasma is that it is very hot. (Think of lightening.) We know this is not the case with spirits. Plasma is also positively charged and will affect the area and create electromagnetic fields and should be detectable all the time. So you see the few problems with thinking spirits are plasma. It just does not work out fully.

If we think of spirits being a 6th state of matter, which is not yet known by science, it makes perfect sense. Not only would it be of no charge, but, has many of the characteristics of plasma that allow it to go into or pass through solid objects. If this matter had a skin like plasma, it would probably be much like an orb that so many people take pictures of. It would mean that it could maintain as a cohesive mass of matter, much like we are.

It could change shape and drift like a gas or go through solid objects. But, can also transform. After all, this would be a mass that had intelligence much like us. It’s just a different state of matter that we can not detect, much like the air we breathe that we know is there, but can not see. And, that is gas, not a mass that has the molecules even further apart.

What about the Cold Spots?

Cold is the absence of energy (think of outer space). We know from many reports of spirits and my own experiences that spirits can manipulate energy around them. They can also move objects and things. So, not only could you be feeling the spirit themselves (cold spots), but, might be feeling the manipulation of that energy.

If a spirit is ‘energy’ then there would not also be a cold spot at the same spot. With all I’ve witnessed the cold spot is being picked up in an area not exactly the same spot as the EMF detector reading. Thus confirming that the energy is the area affected by the spirit, not the spirit itself, and the cold spot would be the mass that we call a spirit.

I write this to share with you my thoughts and inner knowledge I received.

Edward Shanahan – A Spiritual Observer.

(c) 2007 Edward Shanahan

Edward Shanahan is a Spiritual Observer, Medium and Reader. He has been written about in two paranormal books and will be in at least two more books in 2008.
Sunday nights he co-host the Internet radio show ‘The Unexplained World’. He also does private readings and runs Psychic Fairs in the Chicago land area plus takes groups of individuals to paranormal locations.

To find out more about Edward Shanahan, go to his web site at: http://edwardshanahan.com

To view the web site for his Internet radio broadcast’The Unexplained World’, go to: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/tuw

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You and Me Against the World

Posted on January 7, 2012 by savi0043

You and Me Against the World – The Beauty of Friendship
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Cathy_Raff]Cathy Raff

Real friends are so hard to come by. It is so tragic that once we find them, we so often let them slip through our fingers because we forgot to let them know our new address or became too busy and important to care what happened in their lives.

The secret of finding the true beauty that lies in a long lasting friendship is simply to let it grow. There are no pressures in a real and trusting friendship, other than to simply be there when you are needed.

The problem is – how do we know when we are needed? Ah – this is when problems begin; this is when we begin to realise that being a friend requires a little attention from time to time.

We all have a wide circle of people we contact for this or that reason: friends who share our bowling nights; friends who join our annual hike around the lake for charity in the summer; friends who tagged onto the end of our networking site; work friends; drinking buddies. These people are part of the tapestry of friendship; pleased to see us from time to time as we are pleased to see them.

Long term friends are different. They are the people who cried with you when you lost your pet puppy; the shoulder you cried on when your girlfriend dumped you for the class hero; the guy who lent you his last dollar so you could buy your Mom a birthday card. Those people require and deserve a little loving care.

‘You and me against the world’ friendships are rare; buried treasure in a sea of casual cordialities. Those friendships need looking after and as true friends ask for so little when you consider how much you get back. Buy your best friend a rel=nofollow Christmas friendship gift that means a little more than a trite and worn out phrase in a tacky Christmas card. It seems little to do for someone who would drive miles in the dead of night to be by your side if you need them.

Friendship between best friends is a two way exchange – the eternal sharing of trust and love that outclasses just about every other relationship you will ever have. Look after it – it may be the only one you will ever be blessed with. Give it some air from time to time and feed it with plenty of contact and an occasional thoughtful friendship gift.

I believe in Friendship, I believe that it is so healthy for us. I know that if it was not for my friends I would be in a different place today and not a better place! I also like giving – no I love giving! I believe that when you give you get – and you get even bigger!

For those two reasons I have created The Friendship Stone, come and join us watch how The Friendship Stone travels the globe and infects people with the Giving Feeling! http://www.thefriendshipstone.com!

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?You-and-Me-Against-the-World—The-Beauty-of-Friendship&id=3404078] You and Me Against the World – The Beauty of Friendship

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