Today, we bid farewell to the greatest musician who has been a part of our lives. There will be no other artist who shall replace him. We will all miss him, but has music shall still be apart of us.
You are childhood memories.
You are great songs from our adult lives.
You are an extraordinary talented human being.
I will miss hearing you sing new songs, and I will especially miss watching you dance with so much passion to your music.
Your musical legacy will live on forever and forever.
You will always live in our hearts.
May you rest in peace, Michael.
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Stay Open to the Possibilities
Wouldn't it be great to live in exactly the kind of house you'd like to live in and have it situated in the precise spot in the world you'd most like to live. Of course, you'd also drive your very favorite model of car and if you worked at all, you'd have the job of your dreams and earn scads of money. You get the picture, you'd have it made, you'd have perfection... or would you really? Sometimes the things that we consider to be perfect for us; the things that would surely make our lives complete, are not really the best for us at all.
No one has their life filled with everything that they would desire, but hopefully most of us have lives that are filled with some of the components of what we consider the "good life". That leaves us wishing for and working for the other ingredients to improve our circumstances and enrich our lives and that is good for us. Perhaps having to get by with less than we'd like or having to work diligently to attain that which we lack is somehow beneficial for us in the long run.
Many of us know people who appear to have very little in the way of worldly possessions and who manage to make do with very limited means and yet seem to live lives of richness, joy and happiness. On the other hand, most of us also know people who seem to have the world by the tail. They have an abundance of money, good looks and all the trappings that we associate with happiness and success and yet remain unfulfilled and joyless.
So what is the secret to the happiness that we all desire? If it isn't necessarily having a lot of money or good looks or power and prestige, what is it?
It's certain that we can't all have everything we'd like, however, I am convinced that if we chose to make the most of that which we do have and work with commitment and determination toward that which we desire, we can achieve our goals and find success in many areas of our lives.
Undoubtedly, most of us have found ourselves in situations or circumstances which we didn't request and certainly didn't desire that ended up being really good experiences for us. Sometimes these experiences have changed the entire direction an individual was heading in their life; perhaps taking them on a career path which they had never really considered and yet which would ultimately lead them to great satisfaction and success.
Perhaps we need to be open to the possibilities that present themselves to us even when they sometimes come into our lives as what we perceive as unwelcome intruders.
No one has their life filled with everything that they would desire, but hopefully most of us have lives that are filled with some of the components of what we consider the "good life". That leaves us wishing for and working for the other ingredients to improve our circumstances and enrich our lives and that is good for us. Perhaps having to get by with less than we'd like or having to work diligently to attain that which we lack is somehow beneficial for us in the long run.
Many of us know people who appear to have very little in the way of worldly possessions and who manage to make do with very limited means and yet seem to live lives of richness, joy and happiness. On the other hand, most of us also know people who seem to have the world by the tail. They have an abundance of money, good looks and all the trappings that we associate with happiness and success and yet remain unfulfilled and joyless.
So what is the secret to the happiness that we all desire? If it isn't necessarily having a lot of money or good looks or power and prestige, what is it?
It's certain that we can't all have everything we'd like, however, I am convinced that if we chose to make the most of that which we do have and work with commitment and determination toward that which we desire, we can achieve our goals and find success in many areas of our lives.
Undoubtedly, most of us have found ourselves in situations or circumstances which we didn't request and certainly didn't desire that ended up being really good experiences for us. Sometimes these experiences have changed the entire direction an individual was heading in their life; perhaps taking them on a career path which they had never really considered and yet which would ultimately lead them to great satisfaction and success.
Perhaps we need to be open to the possibilities that present themselves to us even when they sometimes come into our lives as what we perceive as unwelcome intruders.
Happiness - Be Kind to Yourself
Want to be happier: be kind to yourself.
Jumping out of bed and being spectacular everyday is not necessary for happiness. There are times when you may feel like staying in bed longer to rest and reflect. Give yourself permission to lounge around or do what you want, not what you think you should. If there are tasks that just must be done on a given day, do them quickly and treat yourself afterwards.
No one is as hard on us as we are on ourselves. We push ourselves to exhaustion and berate ourselves for not getting enough done. Good is never good enough for many people. I hope you're not one of them.
Living a happy life depends on how well you take care of yourself. You know that a beautiful flower needs watering, sunshine and care to survive. You, too, as a unique creation need care as well.
Practice taking care of yourself in other ways:
* Avoid taking on more than you can handle.
* Live your dream, not someone else's.
* Schedule breaks in your day and in your week.
* Take pride in your achievements, but give yourself a break when you make
mistakes.
* Pamper yourself on occasion.
* Eat nourishing food that enhances your energy and spirit.
* Breathe deeply, letting oxygen in and toxins out.Get adequate sustained sleep,
even if it requires investing in a new mattress or pillows.
When you are kind to yourself, it increases your energy, improves your attitude and makes you more compassionate toward others. When you are kind to yourself it will be easy to be kind to others, for you will be putting a variation of the Golden Rule into effect: "doing unto them as you have done unto yourself."
Jumping out of bed and being spectacular everyday is not necessary for happiness. There are times when you may feel like staying in bed longer to rest and reflect. Give yourself permission to lounge around or do what you want, not what you think you should. If there are tasks that just must be done on a given day, do them quickly and treat yourself afterwards.
No one is as hard on us as we are on ourselves. We push ourselves to exhaustion and berate ourselves for not getting enough done. Good is never good enough for many people. I hope you're not one of them.
Living a happy life depends on how well you take care of yourself. You know that a beautiful flower needs watering, sunshine and care to survive. You, too, as a unique creation need care as well.
Practice taking care of yourself in other ways:
* Avoid taking on more than you can handle.
* Live your dream, not someone else's.
* Schedule breaks in your day and in your week.
* Take pride in your achievements, but give yourself a break when you make
mistakes.
* Pamper yourself on occasion.
* Eat nourishing food that enhances your energy and spirit.
* Breathe deeply, letting oxygen in and toxins out.Get adequate sustained sleep,
even if it requires investing in a new mattress or pillows.
When you are kind to yourself, it increases your energy, improves your attitude and makes you more compassionate toward others. When you are kind to yourself it will be easy to be kind to others, for you will be putting a variation of the Golden Rule into effect: "doing unto them as you have done unto yourself."
Monday, 6 July 2009
Creating More Success, Happiness, and Vibrant Health
Being wildly successful, incredibly happy, and optimally healthy require taking responsibility for our own lives. Being responsible requires us to move outside our comfort zones and be, do, or learn things that are new, different, and possibly challenging. It is the threat of a potential challenge to our comfortable status quo that holds us back.
I want to believe that everyone wants vibrant health. But getting there requires us to know more than we currently know or do things differently than we are now doing. It is this fear of doing and knowing that keeps us stuck. We are afraid that we might have to give up something that is currently making us happy, not realizing that the health and vitality gained by making better choices will make us far happier in the long run.
We all want more money and more freedom, yet stay in jobs that bore or irritate us. We complain about the boss or management, thinking we have better ideas or answers, yet we aren't willing to stick our necks out on the line and take that chance for ourselves.
We all want to be happy. It's that simple. But we are always waiting for something to make us happy: a better job, a better lover, more money, a nicer house, better weather, a vacation, new clothes, a night on the town. Happiness is in the moment. It is appreciating yourself for who you are right now, in spite of the difficulties that you may be facing. Living in the moment requires faith, which is the belief that everything is as it should be. "Everything happens for a reason." It sounds so cliché, especially when applied to experiences that are tragic, but living life to the fullest challenges us to grow. Without being open to growing and changing, we become stagnant, going around and around in the same old boring dance.
I used to get so annoyed at making my CEO's richer and richer as my salary stayed basically the same year after year. I got tired of complaining, though, and had to sit myself down and have a serious talk about my potential, "If you think you are so smart, experienced, talented, and motivated, what are you waiting for? Put it to good use and invest in yourself. Start your own gig and prove to yourself your own potential self-worth."
Don't wait until faced with a tragic health crisis, getting laid off unexpectedly without a plan, or being dumped because you are not reaching your true potential. Go ahead and have a little talk with yourself. What is important to you? Why? How might you change your life to accomplish this? What would you need to know, change, or do to get there? Who do you know that might be able to help you? What do you need to know to motivate you? What do you need to know to be more successful, happy, and healthy than you currently are?
Learning something about the Law of Attraction is vital to stepping outside your comfort zone and stretching to new heights. Being able to remain in the moment, even in the face of pressure, stress, and uncertainty, will make the difference between success and failure. Risking nothing will get you nothing. Sure, risk is scary, but what is more scary - not having what you want or having what you want?
I want to believe that everyone wants vibrant health. But getting there requires us to know more than we currently know or do things differently than we are now doing. It is this fear of doing and knowing that keeps us stuck. We are afraid that we might have to give up something that is currently making us happy, not realizing that the health and vitality gained by making better choices will make us far happier in the long run.
We all want more money and more freedom, yet stay in jobs that bore or irritate us. We complain about the boss or management, thinking we have better ideas or answers, yet we aren't willing to stick our necks out on the line and take that chance for ourselves.
We all want to be happy. It's that simple. But we are always waiting for something to make us happy: a better job, a better lover, more money, a nicer house, better weather, a vacation, new clothes, a night on the town. Happiness is in the moment. It is appreciating yourself for who you are right now, in spite of the difficulties that you may be facing. Living in the moment requires faith, which is the belief that everything is as it should be. "Everything happens for a reason." It sounds so cliché, especially when applied to experiences that are tragic, but living life to the fullest challenges us to grow. Without being open to growing and changing, we become stagnant, going around and around in the same old boring dance.
I used to get so annoyed at making my CEO's richer and richer as my salary stayed basically the same year after year. I got tired of complaining, though, and had to sit myself down and have a serious talk about my potential, "If you think you are so smart, experienced, talented, and motivated, what are you waiting for? Put it to good use and invest in yourself. Start your own gig and prove to yourself your own potential self-worth."
Don't wait until faced with a tragic health crisis, getting laid off unexpectedly without a plan, or being dumped because you are not reaching your true potential. Go ahead and have a little talk with yourself. What is important to you? Why? How might you change your life to accomplish this? What would you need to know, change, or do to get there? Who do you know that might be able to help you? What do you need to know to motivate you? What do you need to know to be more successful, happy, and healthy than you currently are?
Learning something about the Law of Attraction is vital to stepping outside your comfort zone and stretching to new heights. Being able to remain in the moment, even in the face of pressure, stress, and uncertainty, will make the difference between success and failure. Risking nothing will get you nothing. Sure, risk is scary, but what is more scary - not having what you want or having what you want?
Saturday, 4 July 2009
The Secret to Wealth and Happiness
There is an energy that effects all of our lives and it is produced by our thoughts. This energy can produce positive or negative results. These results in turn are effected by our thinking. Some call this cosmic energy or the power of positive thinking. But, whatever name you wish to refer it by, it works.
Almost everyone that has achieved success will attest to this. It is not only used by those that wish to amass great wealth, it can just as easily be used to lead a happy and productive life.
The amazing part is that it is so easy to use. If you want something all you need do is ask for it. Yet so many people go through life struggling for mere existence. What you receive in life is controlled by your thoughts. If you think negative thoughts, if you are always using the words I can't, then you won't find much success or happiness.
You must be the master of your thoughts. They can control you or you can make them your servants. You determine the path that your thoughts take. You must learn to control your thoughts. Stop any negative thoughts in their tracks. Refuse to allow a negative thought to take control of your thinking. You can and must only entertain positive thoughts.
You must feel that you deserve the good things in life. I don't mean that you should expect someone to give you the things you want. You must believe that you can do it yourself. Expecting handouts is negative thinking. Believing that you can do it yourself is positive thinking.
To achieve a goal you must have a goal. So you need to think about what you want most in life. Is it a new home, an expensive car or a wonderful happy marriage. Not all at once. Set one goal at a time and work toward that goal. When you accomplish that goal, move on to the next most important one.
Once you have your goal set, write it down in several places. Put it on your computer so that it appears whenever you go online. Put it on your bathroom mirror so you see it first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. Keep it always before you.
Believe that you already have it. Not something to be hoped for in the distant future. You have it now. You can feel it and enjoy it right now. Make it real and it will become real. All you need do is keep positive and believe.
Everything that you desire is only a positive thought away.
Almost everyone that has achieved success will attest to this. It is not only used by those that wish to amass great wealth, it can just as easily be used to lead a happy and productive life.
The amazing part is that it is so easy to use. If you want something all you need do is ask for it. Yet so many people go through life struggling for mere existence. What you receive in life is controlled by your thoughts. If you think negative thoughts, if you are always using the words I can't, then you won't find much success or happiness.
You must be the master of your thoughts. They can control you or you can make them your servants. You determine the path that your thoughts take. You must learn to control your thoughts. Stop any negative thoughts in their tracks. Refuse to allow a negative thought to take control of your thinking. You can and must only entertain positive thoughts.
You must feel that you deserve the good things in life. I don't mean that you should expect someone to give you the things you want. You must believe that you can do it yourself. Expecting handouts is negative thinking. Believing that you can do it yourself is positive thinking.
To achieve a goal you must have a goal. So you need to think about what you want most in life. Is it a new home, an expensive car or a wonderful happy marriage. Not all at once. Set one goal at a time and work toward that goal. When you accomplish that goal, move on to the next most important one.
Once you have your goal set, write it down in several places. Put it on your computer so that it appears whenever you go online. Put it on your bathroom mirror so you see it first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. Keep it always before you.
Believe that you already have it. Not something to be hoped for in the distant future. You have it now. You can feel it and enjoy it right now. Make it real and it will become real. All you need do is keep positive and believe.
Everything that you desire is only a positive thought away.
Golden Rules For Having a Peace of Mind
Have you ever noticed that some people seem to go through life and are not disturbed by life's challenges? I bet you are wondering how they are able to go through life and have joy and peace while on the other hand when other people are confronted with the same situation they complain and are unraveled. Did you know that having a peace of mind is something that you have to work at? The difference between people who are unmoved by life's challenges and those who are moved is that people who are unmoved know the Golden Rules for having a peace of mind. You will learn four things here that you can do to go through life and have a peace of mind. The 4 Golden Rules are: 1. Have a Positive Attitude 2. Celebrate You 3. Relax and 4. Be Solution Orientated
1. Have a Positive Attitude
The first rule to having a peace of mind is you must have a positive attitude. Have you ever been around a negative person? Negative people are always stressed out because they are focused on the wrong in every situation. When you are focused on the wrong your emotions will reflect it. A negative person is usually angry and sad all of the time. If you do not want to be angry and sad all of the time, you have to make a decision that you are going to be a positive person and see only the good in all people and in every situation. This takes practice but when you are focused on the good in all people and every situation, your emotional response will be calm and peaceful.
2. Celebrate You
The second way that you are going to have joy and a peace of mind is by celebrating you. I have found that a main reason people are stressed is because they spend so much time making other people happy that they do not have time for themselves. It is important for your inner peace that you see yourself as the most important being in the world. You also have to make time for you. Try this exercise to celebrate you: Make a list of at least 25 things that you enjoy such as your favorite foods, favorite songs, favorite television shows, favorite books etc. Pick at least one thing from the list everyday and do something nice for yourself. Fix yourself your favorite breakfast, listen to your favorite song while you are in your car, read a few chapters from your favorite book etc.
3. Relax
The third rule to having joy and peace of mind is learning how to relax and enjoy life. In you want to live with a peace of mind, you can not live your life being uptight and taking life too seriously. If you are uptight all of the time, you run the risk for being stressed out. Here are 5 things that you can do to help you relax. 1. Sit in silence for about 15 minutes a day 2. Take a walk 3. Notice the flowers and greenery when you are driving 4. Count the stars in the sky and 5. Make love more often
4. Be Solution Orientated
The fourth rule for having joy and a peace of mind is whenever you are faced with an obstacle in life you are going to work on finding the solution instead of talking about your problems. When you are focused on finding the solution instead of talking about your problems you will eliminate the stress factor because you are taking action to improve your situation.
These 4 Golden rules are a great starting point for developing ways to respond to life's challenges; however, there are many more tips out there that you can use. You should continue to discover and apply what works best for you in maintaining your peace of mind. Just remember that life is full of challenges but your job is not to concentrate on the challenge but on the best way that you can respond to the challenge.
1. Have a Positive Attitude
The first rule to having a peace of mind is you must have a positive attitude. Have you ever been around a negative person? Negative people are always stressed out because they are focused on the wrong in every situation. When you are focused on the wrong your emotions will reflect it. A negative person is usually angry and sad all of the time. If you do not want to be angry and sad all of the time, you have to make a decision that you are going to be a positive person and see only the good in all people and in every situation. This takes practice but when you are focused on the good in all people and every situation, your emotional response will be calm and peaceful.
2. Celebrate You
The second way that you are going to have joy and a peace of mind is by celebrating you. I have found that a main reason people are stressed is because they spend so much time making other people happy that they do not have time for themselves. It is important for your inner peace that you see yourself as the most important being in the world. You also have to make time for you. Try this exercise to celebrate you: Make a list of at least 25 things that you enjoy such as your favorite foods, favorite songs, favorite television shows, favorite books etc. Pick at least one thing from the list everyday and do something nice for yourself. Fix yourself your favorite breakfast, listen to your favorite song while you are in your car, read a few chapters from your favorite book etc.
3. Relax
The third rule to having joy and peace of mind is learning how to relax and enjoy life. In you want to live with a peace of mind, you can not live your life being uptight and taking life too seriously. If you are uptight all of the time, you run the risk for being stressed out. Here are 5 things that you can do to help you relax. 1. Sit in silence for about 15 minutes a day 2. Take a walk 3. Notice the flowers and greenery when you are driving 4. Count the stars in the sky and 5. Make love more often
4. Be Solution Orientated
The fourth rule for having joy and a peace of mind is whenever you are faced with an obstacle in life you are going to work on finding the solution instead of talking about your problems. When you are focused on finding the solution instead of talking about your problems you will eliminate the stress factor because you are taking action to improve your situation.
These 4 Golden rules are a great starting point for developing ways to respond to life's challenges; however, there are many more tips out there that you can use. You should continue to discover and apply what works best for you in maintaining your peace of mind. Just remember that life is full of challenges but your job is not to concentrate on the challenge but on the best way that you can respond to the challenge.
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
Overcoming Negativity - 6 Great Tips
Everybody is negative from time to time but a real problem arises when our pessimism arrives regularly and stops us from leading joyful, fulfilling lives.
Below are 6 effective tips on overcoming those unwanted negative thoughts -
1. Don't surround yourself with negative people. Period. Completely cutting yourself off from everyone that even slightly appears to have a pessimistic outlook is unfortunately not possible but choosing to surround yourself with positive individuals is an option. You know how the old saying goes - you are who you associate with. In the case of negativity it is particularly true as a negative attitude is often like a flu that can be easily rubbed onto others. Try socializing with people who are full of life and inspire you instead of making you more devastated and fearful of the future.
2. Look at the bright side. And yes there is a bright side. Always. In the the midst of negative turmoil there has to be something that you're still proud of or grateful for. Remind yourself of your past successes and achievements. None are lost just because it appears that way. It is up to you to treat something as a challenge or as a problem. If you confront a situation like it was an obstacle to overcome rather than tremendous life wrecking trouble you will invite solutions into your path and your negativity will appear to be just a cautious feeling. Numerous life stories finish with - if I only knew that this worst time in my life turned out to be the best thing that happened to me....
3. Just do it. Instead of focusing on your negativity and letting it stop you from accomplishing your desires don't think about it and do what you want to do even if you think that there is no way it will work out. Pre-plan your actions and start, just start, and you might find that in the process whilst you were busy accomplishing things your negativity had slowly drifted away. Keeping your focus elsewhere will take away the opportunity of indulging in being negative.
4. Get to the bottom of things. Ask yourself why are you really pessimistic? Are you really negative or is it maybe something else? What triggers your negative emotions? When are you most likely to feel negative? After you examine your state you should be able to have a more complete idea about your negativity, so you know what you're up against. If there are certain situations that bring on your negative instincts examine what you can do to avoid those situations. Keep in mind that if your negativity comes hand in hand with fear of the unknown it might be a good solution to first address and eliminate the fearfulness and then see if the negativity is still in sight. Find out what it is you don't yet know. We don't always know about things that happen to us. Just put them aside and know that one day you will know what happened. Until you do you won't be scared.
5. Bombard your negative feelings with laughter. Laughter really is the best medicine - for everything. Whenever you start feeling negative watch a funny movie, meet up with people who make you laugh, or read something joyful. When faced with fun and laughter negative thoughts weaken and frequently pass altogether.
6. Acknowledge negativity for what it really is. By keeping a negative attitude, constantly complaining and living in tension you are not only unwillingly programming yourself for failure, you become unbearable for people around you, and you risk your health. You're lowering your immune system and are more likely to suffer a heart attack or develop ulcers. Knowing that should give you another significant reason to stop with negativity for good.
Below are 6 effective tips on overcoming those unwanted negative thoughts -
1. Don't surround yourself with negative people. Period. Completely cutting yourself off from everyone that even slightly appears to have a pessimistic outlook is unfortunately not possible but choosing to surround yourself with positive individuals is an option. You know how the old saying goes - you are who you associate with. In the case of negativity it is particularly true as a negative attitude is often like a flu that can be easily rubbed onto others. Try socializing with people who are full of life and inspire you instead of making you more devastated and fearful of the future.
2. Look at the bright side. And yes there is a bright side. Always. In the the midst of negative turmoil there has to be something that you're still proud of or grateful for. Remind yourself of your past successes and achievements. None are lost just because it appears that way. It is up to you to treat something as a challenge or as a problem. If you confront a situation like it was an obstacle to overcome rather than tremendous life wrecking trouble you will invite solutions into your path and your negativity will appear to be just a cautious feeling. Numerous life stories finish with - if I only knew that this worst time in my life turned out to be the best thing that happened to me....
3. Just do it. Instead of focusing on your negativity and letting it stop you from accomplishing your desires don't think about it and do what you want to do even if you think that there is no way it will work out. Pre-plan your actions and start, just start, and you might find that in the process whilst you were busy accomplishing things your negativity had slowly drifted away. Keeping your focus elsewhere will take away the opportunity of indulging in being negative.
4. Get to the bottom of things. Ask yourself why are you really pessimistic? Are you really negative or is it maybe something else? What triggers your negative emotions? When are you most likely to feel negative? After you examine your state you should be able to have a more complete idea about your negativity, so you know what you're up against. If there are certain situations that bring on your negative instincts examine what you can do to avoid those situations. Keep in mind that if your negativity comes hand in hand with fear of the unknown it might be a good solution to first address and eliminate the fearfulness and then see if the negativity is still in sight. Find out what it is you don't yet know. We don't always know about things that happen to us. Just put them aside and know that one day you will know what happened. Until you do you won't be scared.
5. Bombard your negative feelings with laughter. Laughter really is the best medicine - for everything. Whenever you start feeling negative watch a funny movie, meet up with people who make you laugh, or read something joyful. When faced with fun and laughter negative thoughts weaken and frequently pass altogether.
6. Acknowledge negativity for what it really is. By keeping a negative attitude, constantly complaining and living in tension you are not only unwillingly programming yourself for failure, you become unbearable for people around you, and you risk your health. You're lowering your immune system and are more likely to suffer a heart attack or develop ulcers. Knowing that should give you another significant reason to stop with negativity for good.
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