Transitory, Insubstantial and Conditional

To say that Buddhism is transitory, insubstantial and conditional is merely to restate its own understanding of the nature of things. Yet its teachings endlessly warn of the deeply engrained tendency to overlook this reality…. Instead of seeing a particular manifestation of the Dharma as a living spiritual tradition of possibilities contingent upon historical and cultural circumstances, one reifies it into an independently existent, self sufficient fact, resistant to change. Living continuity requires both change and constancy. Just as in the course of a human life, a person changes from a child to an adolescent to an adult while retaining a recognizable identity (both internally through memory and externally through recurring physical and behavioral traits), so does a spiritual tradition change through the course of its history while retaining a recognizable identity through a continuous affirmation of its axiomatic values. Thus Buddhism will retain its identity as a tradition as long as its practitioners continue to center their lives around the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and affirm its basic tenets. But precisely how such commitment and affirmation are expressed in different times and places can differ wildly. The survival of Buddhism today is dependent on its continuing ability to adapt. – Stephen Batchelor, The Awakening of the West from Everyday Mind, a Tricycle book edited by Jean Smith

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If Only Syndrome

Go to a party. Listen to the laughter, that brittle-tongues voice that says fun on the surface and fear underneath. Feel the tension, feel the pressure. Nobody really relaxes. They are faking it. Go to a ball game. Watch the fans in the stands. Watch the irrational fit of anger. Watch the uncontrolled frustration bubbling forth that masquerades under the guise of enthusiasm or team spirit. Booing, catcalls and unbridled egotism in the name of team loyalty. Drunkenness, fights in the stands. These are people trying desperately to release tension from within. These are not people who are at peace with themselves. Watch the news on TV. Listen to the lyrics in popular songs. You find the same theme repeated over and over in variations. Jealousy, suffering, discontent, and stress. Life seems to be a perpetual struggle, some enormous effort against staggering odds. And what is our solution to all this dissatisfaction? We get stuck in the if only syndrome. – Henepola Gunaratana,Mindfulness in Plain English from Everyday Mind, a Tricycle book edited by Jean SmithSponsored by www.vaness.ws  

The issue with TextSpeaking

Apparently, u cnt teach old K9s nu trix n oldA ppl cnt lern txtN. Wel 1st I’m nt an old k9 n 2nd may B I dnt wn2 learn textN coz wen I wrt a msg I prefr 2 put ll d proper wrds n pnktu*n n plce, evn on a mob ph. r gnNR8N – d babyboomers – wr brawt ^ 2 priZ gud gramA n pnktu*n + wrt TY letAs aftr evry xmas n BDay. Nw f u rx a msg from yr grnkids or evn yr kids, itz llklE 2B by txt or Emsg. Fr frm a lng chatty handrwitten note bout their lyf n w@ thyr doiN @ skool, d tx wl sA “ThnX Gran 4 fab presnt. LOL.”

D resirchers seem 2 thnk dis proves dat oldA ppl Rnt as brite as d yung. Id sA dat is shows dat d oldA ppl av diFrent skilz frm d yung, n dat u cnt teach yung K9s old trix. Try askN a yung pRsN 2 mak a gud cup of T UzN tealeaves, sew on a butN or mak a steak n kidney pie frm scratch. Difrent genA8nsr gud @ diFrent fings, bt dat duznt mean we’re doddery old fuls.

D truth S, of corZ, there’s no nd 2 txt. U cn leev a vm Nstead. txtN skilz S somit d yung lk 2 feel S theirs solo, bt we ll knw dat f u wan2B romantic, itz mcn nicer 2 snd a poem lk “Shl I cmpre the 2 smr’s dy, tho art mor lvly &mre tmprste”  thN “CW2CU xoxox”.

Nfu wn2 break it off, d “dER John” letta hs bn replacd by IUTLUVUBIAON. (That’s “I used to love you but it’s all over now”.)

I cnt imagin lyf without txting. Me n my frnds txt almst constntly, undr desks in lessons, at the cnma, evn whn abrd on hols – its ezy 2 kp in tch wd frenz whle in d sum on d bch, or bcpkng in oz.

Its a gd way 2 snd HnKs to boyf – esp sthng chezy lk “Evry part of me wants u, mayB coz  i waz md jst 4 u”, + 2 avoid awkwrd face2face momnts lk whn splttn up. Txtng also gr8 way to infrm parnts abt sthing without fcng consquences. Gvs them time 2 cool dwn.

 Y do so many ppl use txtsp? It’s simple n quick. I spend mre time shortning txts to 1 pge (jst 2 save mne!) thn actually txting.

It amazes me hw dfficlt adults fnd txting. I thnk they js wrk thmslvs up about it. @ lst u mst lrn 2 undrstnd lingo, bt thn its ez. I’ve succssflly taught bth parnts + sum oldr relatives 2 txt. They dnt seem 2 use it oftn – mum resorts 2 ridic 1 wrd replies such as “gd” – bt they admit txting hs uses. It mns they cn txt home 2 nag bout washing up drng d theatre ntrval or long mting at wrk.

The only disadvntages 2 txts r misundrstndings due 2 bad pnktu8n + Mphsis. Only rl lsrs send msgs 2 rong ppl.

Adults need 2 face thr fears, spend a few hrs with a yng friend, then practice 4 hwk. Uve mnaged to conquer typing PINs in shops + learnt 2 use “impssbl” tch-scrn train tx mchines. Srly its all jst buttons?

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For your heart’s sake

A Worldwide Epidemic

If it were an infectious disease, it would be considered one of the worst epidemics in the history of the world. One in four Americans have this disease and it is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States, killing more than a million Americans every year. Worldwide, the annual death toll from this disease is currently 17 million, and expected to rise to an annual rate of 22 million by 2020, over 60,000 deaths daily. The global cost to society in dealing with this disease is at least $500 billion every year. It now strikes more frequently in lower socioeconomic groups and is more common in India and china than in all the economically developed countries in the world combined.

What is this epidemic disease that is altering our society? It is CVD, or cardiovascular disease. It manifests itself in a variety of forms, including high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke, and congestive heart failure.

What is the cause of the CVD epidemic? Until recently, it was thought that high cholesterol was the culprit behind the clogged veins and arteries that are the hallmark of CVD. But analysis has shown that half the victims of CVD had normal cholesterol levels when they died! Clearly there is more to this problem than cholesterol levels.

The real culprit: Oxidative stress

Further research has shown that oxidative stress may be the differentiating factor. Oxidative stress, caused by an overabundance of toxic oxygen radical molecules in the body, has the potential to change cholesterol appears to be the primary culprit in clogging veins and arteries. Thus, oxidative stress may be a much more reliable predictor of CVD than cholesterol levels alone. But what is oxidative stress and what causes it?

To understand how oxidative stress cripples the cells in the body, compare the human body to a car engine. During the process of combustion, the engine uses gasoline (fuel) to create energy. However, in the process it also creates exhaust, a toxic byproduct that must be minimized or neutralized to prevent pollution and sickness.

Toxic Metabolic Byproducts

During the process of metabolism, converting food (fuel) to energy, the hman body also generates toxic byproducts that need to be minimized and neutralized. Among these byproducts are unbalanced, or “free” oxygen radical molecules that are highly reactive and destructive to cell walls, DNA, and the energy-creating mitochondria within each cell.

Further, if we run a car engine on poorly refined, low-octane gasoline, the exhaust byproducts will be dirtier and more toxic because the fuel does not burn cleanly. Similarly in the human body, if our diet is poor, heavy with sugars and fats and low on raw fruits and vegetables, the metabolic byproducts generated will be greater in volume and more toxic to surrounding tissues.

Some natural foods, however, contain specific nutrients that actively minimize and neutralize these free oxygen radical molecules before they can damage cells. In effect, they absorb them, eliminating their potential to create chain reactions of unbalanced molecules. These nutrients are collectively referred to as antioxidants.

Tests now measure antioxidant capacity

Thanks to recent testing procedures developed at Tufts University, we can now determine the capacity of various nutrients to absorb and neutralize free radicals. Logically, the test is referred to as tht Oxigen Radical Absorbance Caparity or ORAC test.

ORAC testing has revealed that many common vegetables and fruits are good antioxidants. We have further discovered that there are a handful of exotic fruits from all over the world that have an unsually high level of antioxidant power. By making extracts of these foods, their antioxidant power is further concentrated. If taken regularly, these concentrate significantly reduce oxitative stress within the body, slowing the aging process and preventing CVD.

Dozens of Free Radicals, Hundreds of Antioxidants

At this point it starts to get more complicated, because there are dozens of different oxygen radicals to oxidize the cells. Ten of the most common ones are:

1. Super Oxide
2. Hydrogen Peroxide
3. Hydroxyl
4. Singlet Oxygen
5. Peroxynitrite
6. Hypochlorous Acid
7. Lipid Hydroperoxide
8. Lipid Peroxy Radicals
9. Lipid Alkoxy Radicals
10. Activated Carbonyls

There are also hundreds of known antioxidant compounds that absorb these oxygen radicals. They are known by a variety of chemical names, including carotenoids, polyphenols, anthocyanins, flavanoids, etc. Some vitamins, like vitamin C, Vitamin D and Vitamin E are considered antioxidants as well.

Any given antioxidant food will only contain a small subset of all possible antioxidants. That is why some foods absorb certain oxygen radicals but not others. In order to absorb the full range of oxygen radicals and to provide antioxidants that work in all systems and organs of the body, it is necessary to eat a variety of antioxidant-laden foods. Generally, then, the more antioxidant compounds in your diet, the better you will be able to eliminate oxidative stress throughout the body, thereby preventing the onset of CVD.

Combine Foods to Absorb More Antioxidants

To create a super antioxidant food then, we can combine extracts of the most highly antioxidant fruits and berries. There are14 plant varieties, some of them not very well known, that have been shown to have tremendous amounts of antioxidant compounds.

But the challenge still remains to create extracts of these exotic fruits and berries that retain all their active ingredients. Tablets and capsules require high-temperature processing and drying which damages delicate antioxidant molecules. Mixing plant extracts in a liquid drink would work, but that introduces the inconveneince of carrying a bottle around with you and keeping it refrigerated.

GEL: The perfect carrier for plant extracts

A gel packet, which provides continuous hydration of nutrients and can be sealed sanitarily and hermitically, opens up a whole new delivery vehicle for the powerful antioxidant protection found in concentrated plant extracts. A gel antioxidant concentrate gives enormous benefits that can’t be obtained any other way:

• Incredibly convenient
• Completely sanitary
• Concentrated
• Food-like structure not found with pills or powders
• Preserves food synergies
• Premeasured doses
• Combines hundreds of antioxidants to absorb a full range of free radicals
• Protects active antioxidant ingredients through minimal processing
• Enhances bioabailability and absorption
• Tastes great and is easy-to-take.

These Gels are available for sale at www.vaness.ws

These gels can also dramatically increase your bank account. For more information, please visit www.vaness.ws

I feel so much pain inside. What can I do?

Pain and pleasure are intrinsic parts of life. People are so much afraid of pain that they repress pain, they avoid any situation that brings pain, they go on dodging pain. And finally they stumble upon the fact that if you really want to avoid pain you will have to avoid pleasure. That’s why your monks avoid pleasure — they are afraid of pleasure. In fact they are simply avoiding all possibilities of pain.
They know that if you avoid pleasure then naturally great pain is not possible; it comes only as a shadow of pleasure. Then you walk on the plain ground — you never move on the peaks and you never fall into the valleys. But then you are living dead, then you are not alive.

Life exists between this polarity. This tension between pain and pleasure makes you capable of creating great music; music exists only in this tension. Destroy the polarity and you will be dull, you will be stale, you will be dusty — you won’t have any meaning and you will never know what splendor is. You will have missed life. The man who wants to know life and live life has to accept and embrace death. They come together, they are two aspects of a single phenomenon.

That’s why growth is painful. You have to go into all those pains that you have been avoiding. It hurts. You have to go through all those wounds that somehow you have managed not to look at. But the deeper you go into pain, the deeper is your capacity to go into pleasure. If you can go into pain to the uttermost limit, you will be able to touch heaven. To be free of pain the pain has to be accepted, inevitably and naturally.

Pain is pain — a simple painful fact. Suffering however is only and always the refusal of pain, the claim that life should not be painful. It is the rejection of a fact, the denial of life and of the nature of things. Death is the mind that minds dying. Where there is no fear of death, who is there to die? Man is unique among creatures in his knowledge of death and in his laughter. Wonderfully then, he can even make of death a new thing: he can die laughing.

It is only man who knows laughter; no other animal laughs. It is only man who knows death; no other animal knows death — animals simply die, they are not conscious of the phenomenon of death. Man is aware of two things which no animal is: one is laughter, another is death. Then a new synthesis is possible. It is only man who can die laughing — he can join the consciousness of death and the capacity to laugh. And if you can die laughing, only then will you give a valid proof that you must have lived laughing.

conclusion, the concluding remark. How you have lived will be shown by your death, how you die. Can you die laughing? Then you were a grown-up person. If you die crying, weeping, clinging, then you were a child. You were not grown-up, you were immature. If you die crying, weeping, clinging to life, that simply shows you have been avoiding death and you have been avoiding all pains, all kinds of pains.

Growth is facing the reality, encountering the fact, whatsoever it is. And let me repeat: Pain is simply pain; there is no suffering in it. Suffering comes from your desire that the pain should not be there, that there is something wrong in pain. Watch, witness, and you will be surprised. You have a headache: the pain is there but suffering is not there. Suffering is a secondary phenomenon, pain is primary.

The headache is there, the pain is there; it is simply a fact. There is no judgment about it — you don’t call it good or bad, you don’t give it any value; it is just a fact. The rose is a fact, so is the thorn. The day is a fact, so is the night. The head is a fact, so is the headache. You simply take note of it. Buddha taught his disciples that when you have a headache simply say twice “Headache, headache.” Take note. But don’t evaluate, don’t say, “Why? Why has this headache happened to me? It should not happen to me.”

The moment you say, “It should not,” you bring suffering in. Now suffering is created by you, not by the headache. Suffering is your antagonistic interpretation, suffering is your denial of the fact. And the moment you say, “It should not be,” you have started avoiding it, you have started turning yourself away from it. You would like to be occupied in something so that you can forget it. You turn the radio or the tell on or you go to the club or you start reading or you go and start working in the garden — you divert yourself, you distract yourself.

Now that pain has not been witnessed; you have simply distracted yourself. That pain will be absorbed by the system. Let this key be very deeply understood: If you can witness your headache without taking any antagonistic attitude, without avoiding it, without escaping from it; if you can just be there, meditatively there — “Headache, headache” — if you can just simply see it, the headache will go in its time.

I am not saying that it will go miraculously, that just by your seeing it will go. It will go in its time. But it will not be absorbed by your system, it will not poison your system. It will be there, you will take note of it, and it will be gone. It will be released. When you witness a certain thing in yourself it cannot enter into your system. It always enters when you avoid it, when you escape from it. When you become absent then it enters into your system.

Only when you are absent can a pain become part of your being — if you are present your very presence prevents it from becoming part of your being. And if you can go on seeing your pains you will not be accumulating them. You have not teen taught the right clue, so you go on avoiding. Then you accumulate so much pain, you are afraid to face it, you are afraid to accept it. Growth becomes painful — it is because of wrong conditioning. Otherwise growth is not painful, growth is utterly pleasant.

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You’re told yourself you would stop procrastinating. Now stop putting that off. If only there was an actual hour of the day called “later”. That’s when everyone who has ever said, “I’ll do it later” would have to stop what they were doing and commit some time to that thing they’ve been putting off. Unfortunately, people often put exercise, healthy eating and relationships into the “Later” category. But because “Later” never is “Now”, things don’t get done. For days. For weeks. For months. For years. For decades. And one day, those people will wake up to find that they have no more “Later” left in their lives. So take a moment to take care of yourself now. You’ll thank yourself LATER.

 Sponsored by www.vaness.ws

You could stand here sick with ten illnesses today, and tomorrow have no evidence of any of them. Your body has the ability to replenish itself that fast. But most of you do not have the ability to change your thoughts that fast. So the amount of time that it takes between sickness and wellness is only the amount of time that it takes for me to figure out how to let it in — for me to figure out how to feel good, when I’m looking at something that makes me feel bad.

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How doctors feel about Gels?

Whenever a new health supplement enters the market, some of the most skeptical customers are doctors, who often feel that they end up fixing the problems some health supplements create. Typically, non-doctors design and market most of today’s new health supplements; sadly, the firsthand experience of doctors treating patients is not always sought during the product development phase.Why not involve them in the process? It is refreshing and reassuring, then, to see that Agel Enterprises, early on, created a panel of doctors to evaluate its gel nutritionals and advise company managers in their product development efforts. This panel consists of a select group of health professionals, headed by Dr. Todd Nilson, MD. Their work with Agel is invaluable and their opinions, as a group intimately involved in day-to-day patient care, are worth listening to.GelDocs: The Agel Professional Advisory Team Referring to themselves as Geldocs, Agel’s professional advisers are involved both in evaluating Agel formulations, as well as recommending gel nutritionals to their patients. They have the opportunity to see through their own clinical experience whether these gels really make a difference. And they have the opportunity to go a step beyond pure research in evaluating practical and important aspects of the gels, such as convenience and ease-of-use, in addition to their nutritional effectiveness. Further research on gel nutritionals is still needed, but so much of what they do is intuitive, that it requires doctor evaluations to provide direction for scientifically documenting what seems obvious.Nutrition, after all, is not a simple subject, and every individual has a unique genetic make-up that gives him or her a unique body chemistry with unique needs and preferences when it comes tot heir nutritional habits. Doctors and nutritionists are in a position to see how a nutritional product fares over a broad spectrum of different individuals with different conditions, different ages, and different lifestyles. in addition to the GelDocs team, there is a growing body of physicians worldwide who are discovering the surprising benefits of gel nutrition.To get these products and for an amazing Residual Income Opportunity, please visit: www.vaness.ws 

15 Best Diet Tips Ever

Everyone knows the keys to losing weight: Eat less and exercise more. Sounds simple enough, but in the context of real life and its demands, it can be anything but simple. So how do successful losers do it? 

Here’s it is:

Best Diet Tip No. 1: Drink plenty of water or other calorie-free beverages.

People sometimes confuse thirst with hunger. So you can end up eating extra calories when an ice-cold glass of water is really what you need.

“If you don’t like plain water, try adding citrus or a splash of juice, or brew infused teas like mango or peach, which have lots of flavor but no calories,” says Cynthia Sass, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

Best Diet Tip No. 2: Think about what you can add to your diet, not what you should take away.

Start by focusing on getting the recommended 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. 

“It sounds like a lot, but it is well worth it, because at the same time you are meeting your fiber goals and feeling more satisfied from the volume of food,” says chef Laura Pansiero, RD.

You’re also less likely to overeat because fruits and vegetables displace fat in the diet. And that’s not to mention the health benefits of fruits and vegetables. More than 200 studies have documented the disease-preventing qualities of phytochemicals found in produce, says Pansiero.

Her suggestion for getting more: Work vegetables into meals instead of just serving them as sides on a plate.

“I love to take seasonal vegetables and make stir-fries, frittatas, risotto, pilafs, soups, or layer on sandwiches,” Pansiero says. “It is so easy to buy a variety of vegetables and incorporate them into dishes.”

Best Diet Tip No. 3: Consider whether you’re really hungry.

Whenever you feel like eating, look for physical signs of hunger, suggests Michelle May, MD, author of Am I Hungry?

 “Hunger is your body’s way of telling you that you need fuel, so when a craving doesn’t come from hunger, eating will never satisfy it,” she says.

When you’re done eating, you should feel better — not stuffed, bloated, or tired.

“Your stomach is only the size of your fist, so it takes just a handful of food to fill it comfortably,” says May.

Keeping your portions reasonable will help you get more in touch with your feelings of hunger and fullness.

Experts share their top tips for weight loss success.

(continued)

Best Diet Tip No. 4: Be choosy about nighttime snacks.

Mindless eating occurs most frequently after dinner, when you finally sit down and relax.

“Sitting down with a bag of chips or cookies in front of the television is an example of eating amnesia, where you mindlessly eat without being hungry, but out of habit,” says American Dietetic Association spokesperson Malena Perdomo, RD.

Either close down the kitchen after a certain hour, or allow yourself a low-calorie snack, like a 100-calorie pack of cookies or a half-cup scoop of low-fat ice cream.  Once you find that you’re usually satisfied with the low-cal snack, try a cup of zero-calorie tea, suggests Perdomo.

Best Diet Tip No. 5: Enjoy your favorite foods.

“I think putting your favorite foods off limits leads to weight gain because it triggers ‘rebound’ overeating,” says Sass.

Instead of cutting out your favorite foods altogether, be a slim shopper. Buy one fresh bakery cookie instead of a box, or a small portion of candy from the bulk bins instead of a whole bag.

“You can enjoy your favorite foods, but you must do so in moderation,” says Sass.

Best Diet Tip No. 6: Enjoy your treats away from home.

When you need a treat, Ellie Krieger, RD, host of Food Network’s Healthy Appetite, suggests taking a walk to your local ice cream parlor or planning a family outing.

“By making it into an adventure, you don’t have to worry about the temptation of having treats in the house, and it is a fun and pleasurable way to make it work when you are trying to lose weight,” says Krieger.

And for those times you just can’t get out? Krieger stocks her kitchen with fresh fruit, which she thinks can be every bit as delicious as any other dessert.

Best Diet Tip No. 7: Eat several mini-meals during the day.

If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. But when you’re hungry all the time, eating fewer calories can be challenging.

“Studies show people who eat 4-5 meals or snacks per day are better able to control their appetite and weight,” says obesity researcher Rebecca Reeves, DrPH, RD.

She recommends dividing your daily calories into smaller meals or snacks and enjoying as many of them as you can early in the day — dinner should be the last time you eat. 

Best Diet Tip No. 8: Eat protein at every meal.

Protein is more satisfying than carbohydrates or fats, and thus may be the new secret weapon in weight control.

“Diets higher in protein [and] moderate in carbs, along with a lifestyle of regular exercise, have an excellent potential to help weight loss,” says University of Illinois protein researcher Donald Layman, PhD.

Getting enough protein helps preserve muscle mass and encourages fat burning while keeping you feeling full. So be sure to include healthy protein sources, like yogurt, cheese, nuts, or beans, at meals and snacks.

Best Diet Tip No. 9: Spice it up.

Add spices or chiles to your food for a flavor boost that can help you feel satisfied.

“Food that is loaded with flavor will stimulate your taste buds and be more satisfying so you won’t eat as much,” says Perdomo. 

When you need something sweet, suck on a red-hot fireball candy for a long-lasting burst of sweetness with just a few calories.

Best Diet Tip No. 10: Stock your kitchen with healthy convenience foods.

Having ready-to-eat snacks and meals-in-minutes staples on hand sets you up for success. You’ll be less likely to hit the drive-through or call in a pizza order if you can make a healthy meal in 5 or 10 minutes.

Sass stocks her kitchen with:

• 94% fat-free microwave popcorn (20-25 calories per cup, and you can make it in two minutes or less)
• Frozen vegetables
• Bags of pre-washed greens
• Canned diced tomatoes
• Canned beans
• Whole-grain wraps or pitas
• Pre-cooked grilled chicken breasts
• A few containers of pre-cooked brown rice

Within minutes, she can toss together a healthy medley.

Best Diet Tip No. 11: Order children’s portions at restaurants.

“When you are eating out, order a child’s pizza or a small sandwich as an easy way to trim calories and get your portions under control,” suggest Perdomo.

Another trick is to use smaller plates. This helps the portions look like more, and if your mind is satisfied, your stomach likely will be, too.

Best Diet Tip No. 12: Eat foods in season.

“If you don’t love certain fruits or vegetables, it could be because you ate them out of season when they have little taste or flavor,” says Pensiero. “When you eat seasonally, fruits and vegetables are more flavorful, at their best, and I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

At GiGi’s Trattoria, her restaurant in Rhinebeck, N.Y., she serves simple fruit desserts, like naturally sweet strawberries topped with aged balsamic vinegar, or low-fat yogurt or fresh berries in a compote.

Best Diet Tip No. 13: Swap a cup of pasta for a cup of vegetables.

Simply by eating less pasta or bread and more veggies, you could lose a dress or pants size in a year.

 ”You can save from 100-200 calories if you reduce the portion of starch on your plate and increase the amount of vegetables,” says Sass.

Best Diet Tip No. 14: Use non-food alternatives to cope with stress.

Sooner or later, you’re going to be faced with a stressful situation. Instead of turning to food for comfort, be prepared with some non-food tactics that work for you.

Sass suggests reading a few chapters in a novel, listening to music, writing in a journal, practicing meditative deep breathing, or looking at a photo album of loved ones. 

Best Diet Tip No. 15: Be physically active.

Although it may seem counterintuitive, don’t use exercise either to punish yourself for eating or to “earn” the right to eat more.

“When you do, it sets up a negative thought pattern, which is why so many people say they hate to exercise,” says May.

Instead, focus on how great you feel, how much better you sleep and how much more energy you have when you exercise. Physical activity is good for you whether you are trying to lose weight or not, so keep it positive and build a lifelong habit.

Sponsored by www.vaness.ws (Discover true financial freedom with the IPOD of the wellness industry) 

Make a decision and then make it right. There just are no wrong decisions. You could go this way, or that way, and either way will eventually get you to where you want to be. But in the moment you start complimenting yourself on the decision you’ve made, in that moment, you come back into vibrational alignment with who-you-really-are.Sponsored by www.vaness.ws (Discover true financial freedom with the IPOD of the Wellness Industry) 

Milk every moment for all the pleasure you can get from it. When you say, “It is my dominant intent to look for things that feel good today. No matter where I’m going, no matter what I’m doing, no matter who I’m doing it with, it is my dominant intent to look for what I’m wanting to see, to look for things that feel good,” and the more you develop the habit of that kind of vibration — the more the Universe understands that that’s who you are! And so, the more you have access only to those kinds of things!Sponsored by www.vaness.ws 

Three levels of vision

To create the highest vision for yourself, think about what you want on three levels:

• What you want to be
• What you want to do
• What you want to have

What we “have” and what we “do” are important, wonderful parts of our lives. But the only part of us that is changeless is the “be.” It’s great to have a beautiful home, take great vacations and achieve other material goals… but we are only the temporary custodians of these possessions.

We are enjoying them for a time, but who we are in our hearts goes on forever. You can and will create all the material success you want, but to experience the fullness of success, you must also create a “be” that is worthy of a child of Spirit. Life is not about what we have or what we do… it is about who we become.

As you create your vision, start with the most important and powerful level… “Be.” Then move on to what you want to “Do.” Finally, explore what you want to “Have” as a result. Goethe said, “Before you can do something, you must first be something.”

What type of person do you need to become to create the results you want to create?