How Setting Goals and Following Through With Them Can Help You Achieve Success in Your Sales Career

Have you ever dreamt about what you would like to become and what you would like to be doing? Have you ever wished you had an unlimited source of money and could make decisions based on choice not dollars?

Now wishing and dreaming are things most people do every day. It's like buying a lotto ticket, hoping you'll win. That's why the majority of people are just surviving, getting by. They wish and hope that their luck will change and until then they settle for mediocrity, second best.

However, the small minority who make it to the top have one thing in common. They take action! Not just any kind of action, planned action, action based on predetermined goals.

It's true! Successful people can tell you where they are going, how long it will take and what they plan to do along the way. They are experts at goal setting. Their goals are specific, measurable relevant and trackable. They map out every part of their life, regularly reassess and fine tune for success.

Most people know the story about the Harvard class of 1954 where they tracked those who made goals and those who didn't.The small percentage that made goals on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis made more money, had more free time and more happiness than the others.

Well that same study has been replicated using a group of sales people. They found that 6 out of 10 do not set outcome-based goals at all and this group earns the least amount of all salespeople! Three out of 10 set earnings goals and as in the Harvard study, this group earns double the income of the no-goals group. Only 1 in 10 people sets specific goals but they earn 3 times as much as those who set no goals at all.

So if you want the kind of success in your career that only a minority have then becoming a master goal setter is the key.

Knowing how to set goals and then following through with them of course, guarantees to improve your career. It's the way to bridge the gap between what you are now and what you truly want to be.

Goals are really stepping stones to success. When you first start out learning how to set goals and follow through with them there are a few things you must keep in mind.

1. Make your goal achievable in the near future. It's all very well setting a goal that is just way out there....totally huge and fantastic. The problem with doing that however is that you can become overwhelmed and frozen into inaction. The task, although something you want to achieve may seem just too hard and you don't end up even taking the first step towards it. Better to break the major goal down into small steps that you can work on day by day and which lead to the bigger goal.

2. Write your goals down and share them with someone you trust or admire. This will help you stick to what you have said you will do and keep you accountable.

3. Celebrate your successes along the way. Each time to complete one part of the major goal or any of the goals you set, congratulate yourself. This can be done by actually saying positive things to yourself or giving yourself little rewards, like a night out at the movies, a takeaway dinner or a bunch of fresh flowers. Too often we are quick to berate ourselves when we don't finish a task or complete a goal rather than taking the time out to acknowledge the things we did do well.

4. Reassess your goals regularly to see if you are still heading in the right direction and rewrite them if necessary. It is better to do this than stick doggedly to something that is actually getting you nowhere.

Remember the wise saying of Confucius..... A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

We all have to start somewhere and taking that first step can be the beginning of something great! So start writing down your goals and remember it's okay to just start with small ones. When you achieve them you will feel so much better and be able to keep moving forward.

Donna Cox and Dayle Walker are the brains behind Success In Sales For Women. With more than 60 years experience between them in sales and educating people from all walks of life to achieving their true potential, Donna and Dayle now specialize in inspiring women who are keen to excel in the sales world. Learning how to set goals and follow through with them is one of the topics they cover in their membership Course. If you want to find out more go to http://www.successinsalesforwomen.com or contact them at dayle@successinsalesforwomen.com or donna@successinsalesforwomen.com

New Home Buyers Beware

Ican't believe how many homebuyers purchase a house, with very little information and a Lotta hope. I'm a general contractor and often work on these homes, after they have been purchased and a homeowner has their money, the real estate professional is no longer involved in the transaction and the new homeowner is starting to experience the pitfalls from buying the home, that they sincerely believe was in good condition.

It's usually somebody like me that gets involved with the new homeowners after everyone else is out of the picture and chooses not to return their phone calls or explains to them quite simply, it's not our responsibility, you're the new homeowner and we really feel sorry for you, please call us again if we can help you with anything.

You couldn't even help me with that, why would I want to call you again if I had a problem. I never could understand this thinking but have ran into it often. It sounds like an oxymoron when someone refuses to help you but offers you help in the future. What ever!!!.

If homebuyers had something else to rely on besides their real estate salesperson, home inspection service, mortgage or insurance professional, I believe they can eliminate some of these problems. Where do you start and how do you get the information. You can gather information from reputable people, books, the Internet and so on.

The problem is how do you know these people are reputable and the books on the Internet have good information. This brings us to another problem, but I've got the solution that will help eliminate some of the grief. I'm not going to remove all of the grief from your life but have a suggestion for you that will eliminate some of the pain when buying a home.

Arm yourself with a good home inspection checklist. You can search the Internet and they have quite a few good home inspection checklist to work with. These checklist can provide you with things you might not have thought of, and this is where you can eliminate some of the problems.

If you took one of these checklists with you while you were shopping for a home, you would be aware of some of the problems with the home. You might not find all of the problems but these checklist will help you with some of the problems.

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

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

Will All Men Ever Hate Jesus

Review of Energy Awareness Training

My name is Anita and I'm a therapy junkie - or, rather, I was. Like many people, I spent much of my time looking for something that would 'fix' me. In particular, I wanted something that would cure the Irritable Bowel Syndrome that had plagued my life for over a decade, leaving me exhausted and demotivated.

As luck would have it, prior to the birth of my son, I worked as a health journalist, which meant I was able to try out, and review, a diverse range of complementary and alternative therapies over the years. Some treatments I found helpful, others less so, but none was completely effective. Some - like yoga and reiki - I stuck with, others came and went.

And then, earlier this year, a friend told me about the Energy Awareness Training offered by Stephen and Lynda Kane. The theory behind the practice is that it's possible to develop your awareness so you become able to distinguish between energy-promoting and energy-depleting choices - whether about foods and supplements, people, places or activities. These choices, of course, having a knock-on effect on every area of your life, from work and relationships to finances, home, health and happiness.

Inspired by my friend's enthusiasm - not to mention her glowing skin and bright demeanour - I decided to give it a go. After all, what did I have to lose? I signed up for the very next training session, which happened to be taking place in my home town. It seemed like a good sign...

Despite the details I had downloaded from the website, I realised that I had little idea of what to expect. As a health journalist, yoga teacher and reiki healer, I consider myself to have at least some awareness of my body's energy, but I couldn't imagine how we could learn to work with something so intangible. Would it all be hopelessly theoretical and vague?

I needn't have worried. The course was decidedly practical in nature, and the techniques taught were straight-forward, accessible, and, above all, extraordinarily empowering.

Over the weekend, we practised a series of exercises designed to increase our awareness of the energies within and around us, working initially with external aids, before graduating to more subtle 'body awareness' techniques. We learnt how to accurately discover what foods and supplements were 'right' and 'wrong' for us. And how the environment and everything in it, from material objects to directions we face and colours, affects us. We even learnt how to check out our emotional responses, bypassing our surface knee-jerk reactions to people and situations, to access the body's innate wisdom.

In particular, I was fascinated by the results of the food testing. Items I had religiously avoided for years came out as okay for me, including wheat and red wine, while many I perceived as 'good', such as bananas, tomatoes, peppers and potatoes, turned out to be affecting me detrimentally, as my experience has subsequently shown.

We were also led through several unique energy-cultivating exercises, known as 'weaves'. Reminiscent of tai chi, these sequenced movements strengthen and clear the body's chakras (energy-centres) and energy-field, retrieving lost energy and generating new awareness.

Perhaps most eye-opening, though, was the work we did with a special energy protection device called an Energy Egg. I couldn't understand how this white egg-shaped aventurine crystal could possibly work, but Stephen convincingly demonstrated how it protected against energetic stresses in the room.

All in all, the course was both enlightening and comprehensive, and, by the end of the second day, we felt we had been equipped with a complete holistic toolbox of energy techniques.

Two months on, my toolbox is in daily use and I can't imagine being without it. Best of all, though, my IBS has totally disappeared - and, as an added bonus, after years of feeling blocked, I've finally written the novel I'd always been meaning to write.

When I first looked at the Energy Awareness website, I remember one of the testimonials catching my eye. It described the training as 'life-changing' - I assumed the person was exaggerating. I don't any more. The Energy Awareness Training can change your life. I know, because it's changed mine.

2008, Anita Hall. Reprints welcomed so long as the by-line below is included and all links made live.

Anita Hall is a health journalist, yoga teacher and energy awareness practitioner. She has taken and recommends the Energy Awareness Training and the Rainbow of Happiness with the School of Energy Awareness at http://www.eat.energyawareness.org

Finding Homes Using the Internet - Home Shopping

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Was Jesus A Good Example

Whose God is The Best

If you're part of a religious organization, and were asked this question, "Whose God Is Better" meaning of course, is your God better and stronger or smarter and better looking than the religious competition. Is this something that you believe or were taught while you were young? Obviously you wouldn't think that the Hindu god Brahma is better than Yahweh or Jesus, if you're a Christian. It just wouldn't make any sense to belong to a religion that was weaker than the competition.

It seems like most religions around the world have gods or even one almighty God that is the biggest and baddest god in the neighborhood, maybe even the entire universe.

If we look at the numbers, the Christian God Jesus of Nazareth is the strongest by far. A survey that was done in 2005, showed Christians 2.1 billion strong and growing. With numbers like this, their God must be doing something right. Do you think these numbers are large because of their financial influences in poor countries? Something to think about, how did Christianity become such a large religious institution. They've got plenty of money and pay relatively little taxes. Remember the golden rule, the person with the most gold makes all the rules.

Second on our religious scale are the Muslims, the Islamic religion has over 1.1 billion followers and that puts it at almost half the size of Christianity, but more than doubled the size of the third largest religion by the numbers.

The third largest religion in the world is Hinduism and most of India which is second only to China as the most populated countries in the world are Hindus. Hinduism ranks around 800 million followers.

I'll stop right there. I wanted to give you an idea of religion by the numbers, realistically the Christians and the Muslims believe in the same God but the Muslims recognize Jesus as a prophet and the Christians don't recognize Mohammad at all and Mohammad is the number one prophet for the Islamic religion. But if we put the two of them together, it would be the largest religion by far with almost no competition economically or with military strength.

So to answer our question," Whose God Is Actually Better", I would have to say the Christian God is the most popular and powerful God and the universe. The only problem is, there's no actual proof that Jesus, Mohammed, Yahweh, Krishna or any other supreme being is real. People follow these religions and base almost everything on faith with very little facts that can actually be proven.

I'm not talking about small facts, I'm talking about big ones like, how the world was created, you can choose to believe, anything that you want but until we have some facts or at least something that sounds pretty good, you should probably stop thinking, that your religion is the only way and your God the best. Show some compassion for other religions around the world, their beliefs are no better or weaker than yours.

Hope in Religion

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

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

Home Improvement Tip - Fixing a Squeaky Floor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for the great question. I hope it helps.

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

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

Visit us now for Home Improvement Tips

Are Your Prayers Being Answered

Solutions to Anger

Some of us have difficulty recognizing our anger; some of us find it so troublesome to acknowledge our anger that we deny it and turn it inwards on ourselves. Hmmm. Sounds painful. It is! Anger turned inward is called depression. (I can hear some of you, maybe even health professionals, typing away at a rebuttal.) That's okay, do whatever you need to do to deal with your anger issues. It is much healthier to take some action, provided it does not harm anyone including yourself, than to turn your anger in. Writing is a very constructive outlet for anger. And don't tell me I am opposed to antidepressant medication. I am not, if it is used as part of the solution. If we take a pill, legal or not, and collude with the prescriber, (or collude with the patient if we are the prescriber), saying the pill is the solution, we do a great disservice. Medication can be an enormous help in bringing one up to a level of functioning to effectively deal with the anger, fear and depression. Still, one does have to deal with the anger, fear and depression. Sorry, there is no magic pill and my magic wands have been on backorder for years now.

And, if you believe you have a "chemical imbalance" causing your depression, start balancing it with resolving your old anger. There is no harm in trying...it just might work. It's a chicken and egg deal...think about it.

So how does that anger stuff work? In an earlier article, we talked about children, (you?) who are brought up without being taught a constructive way to deal with normal anger. Watch a toddler get frustrated (angry) with trying something new, which they do about every two and a half minutes. If they are helped through both the something new and the frustration by another person, their anger (frustration) gets resolved. What's going on here? The toddler is angry because he cannot do or get something; he is fearful he will not be able to do or get something he wants. Take away his toy. What happens? He is angry because he has lost something. If he is helped to do or get what it is he wants, his anger goes away; if he cannot have whatever it is, but is coached through his feelings, receives empathy and hugs, and has his needs met, he moves on, not needing to hang onto the anger...someone has understood and helped him feel better in spite of not getting what he wants.

As adults, we have the same emotions: we get angry because we are afraid of losing something we have, or not being able to get or do something we want. For those with a history of being abused, this is very serious; you may have lost all trust in other people, all sense of self, have no self-esteem and be angry with God, if you believe there is a God. You, too, can heal. It just takes a lot of hard work.

If we agree that anger is an expression of fear, then part of the solution is to allow oneself to identify and feel it. Becoming vulnerable enough to experience the fear then allows us to look for a solution. Here's where it gets sticky. What is the fear about? Example: if it is real time and there is real danger, protect yourself. If you are angry and afraid of being thrown out of your apartment because you owe back rent, get a job. Get two jobs, sober up, stop spending money on entertainment and pay the rent. Then you don't have to be fearful and angry at losing your place.

People who are willing to look carefully at underlying fear usually find that they need to trust. Trust the process, trust the universe, maybe even trust that there is a God who is in charge and can help. Example: big business deal depending on decision by other party...you cannot control other party, are fearful of losing deal so are generally pissy with everyone, family and friends as well as your office manager. Not cool. If you have done everything you can, acknowledge your fear, then trust. Try praying, not for everything to go your way, but for acceptance; it can't hurt.

If your anger (fear) is based in old stuff, perhaps childhood neglect or abuse, abandonment or frequent frustration, the solution to your current feelings will require some sorting out. Most of this stuff is too much for anyone to do alone...your brain is not always your friend. Therapy can help, as can support groups, but you have to really use them; writing or journaling about old stuff is therapeutic. Physical activity to discharge some of the anxiety and irritability is the best medicine I know and changes brain chemistry to actually produce internal antidepressants called endorphins.

For those of you in a recovery program, you have access to tools, called steps, to deal with old stuff. Write your fourth step! For those who are not in recovery, similar "steps" provide the solution; they include reading, writing, talking with others, especially those who have been there, listening, and praying.

Get to work. It is not useful to carry around old fear and anger to make you depressed and no fun for your family and friends!

Dr. Dawn Obrecht is the only MD addiction medicine specialist on the western slope of Colorado. She is a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and her office is in Steamboat Springs. She does consultations and referrals anywhere in the country and can be reached at 970-846-8479 or through http://www.docdawn.com

Finding Homes Using the Internet - Home Shopping

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Was Jesus A Good Example

Motivate Teenagers to Achieve

I think most of parents agree that the cause of their children's underachievement in school is often simply a lack of motivation. What can parents do to motivate their teens? Here are some ideas I want to share with you.

1. Be your teenager's supporter
Teenagers are different with young kids. A teenager wants to be treated like an "adult". I think "respecting your teenager "is the key to build a trust relationship between parents and your teens. Parents should give your teenagers as much support as you can, not control but guide your teens.

2. Expose your teenager to various ideas and areas
Sometimes a teenager lacks motivation because he or she hasn't yet been exposed to what might be a life passion. Look for different programs, give your teen a chance to try them, and keep an open mind, to help your teen to find his or her interests and passion.

3. Help your teenager make connection between schoolwork and his interests
Sometimes children lack motivation because they do not see a connection between the work they are being asked to do and their interests and goals. A teenager who wants to be a doctor should know that math and science is important in those jobs. Parents may give examples how these courses help.

4. Teach your teenager responsibility
Parents should try to make your teenager understand that freedom and power brings along some responsibilities. If your teen wants to make his or her decisions, the teen will have to take the responsibility for them.

5. Guide your teenager to find his or her goals
Individuals who have goals are highly motivated because they know what they want and work hard towards the goals. For most of teenagers, they do not know what they want to be yet, they are exploring and trying to find their values and believes and their future paths. They are usually driven by the sheer joy of participating in something they love now, and do not consider them in a long run. Parents should talk to your teens about things they enjoy right now and guide them to find what they believe about their life and set up their goals as soon as they can.

6. Set high expectations
High standards lead to high performance. If parents set clear goals and expectations for their teens and support them to achieve their goals, the teenagers become successful. This success motivates teens to feel fulfillment and do even better.

7. Use short-term goals and rewards
Sometimes a teenager gets overwhelmed by a large task and gives up before he or she even begins. Help your teen separate the task into a series of smaller tasks. Make each small task a goal and try to setting an age-appropriate reward for that goal may help.

8. Help your teenager learn to manage time
When they start school, some children usually had few problems keeping up with school work because they could learn quickly and easily, so they did not get chance to learn to manage their time in order to get work done. After they become teenagers, they face more challenge tasks, they may feel overwhelmed by the work they need to complete and do not know how to set time aside to complete their tasks. Teaching your teenager how to create and use a time-management schedule will be helpful.

These are 8 Ways to motivate teenagers. As parents, we should be good models as well. Think positively, learn and make progress constantly lifelong. Keep ourselves motivated, then we can motivate our children more effectively.

Cana has a PhD and passion on education. She believes that Kids Are our Future, she is focusing on cross-culture parenting and education. The motivation for her is to learn and explore some parenting and educational issues in order to help children to achieve in the global society.

Welcome to subscribe the free newsletter at http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=2449821&loc=en_US and get the updates from http://www.parents-and-kids.com.

Inerrancy of the Bible - Are There Mistakes in the Bible

What does the word inerrancy main? Inerrancy would refer to text that is accurate and totally free of any errors or without any mistakes. Does this sound like any book that you have ever read or have knowledge of. Maybe there is a one sentence book that could fall into this category.

Most books however and even this article has mistakes. If I made a decision to base my life, my entire life and that of my children and grandchildren, I would want to make sure that it was accurate as possible.

Is the Bible, 100%, 90%, or even 50% accurate. Are these stories that were written by people many years ago and the lessons have been helpful but now need to be rewritten.

Does the Bible actually contain the will of God? Some scholars believe that certain sections of the Bible meet this criteria while others do not. How can these people judge if they are not God and how can we believe in this stuff is not true.

If the Bible was inspired by God but written by men, this could actually mean that God had complete control over writing the Bible or does this mean that the man wrote the Bible with gods inspiration. I'm inspired by God daily and often write about it, but don't seem to have enough followers to make it into the biblical Hall of Fame. I'm writing with inspired beliefs right now.

If there are errors in the Bible, how extensive or how many errors are there actually. There are actual stories that can be documented as historical facts. This doesn't mean the rest of the Bible is factual, nor does it mean it is historically inaccurate.

The Bible has some errors in it and some facts that we can prove but leaves us with the question, is this a book from the Creator of the universe or a book written by men, to make us believe, it was written by God and if so why are we still believe being in it. Why do some people read this book and other religious text daily? What motivates them to read holy Scripture regularly but doesn't seem to allow them enough time to find out if they are reading accurate information.

The biggest problem I have with the inerrancy of the Bible is the fact that most people tend to ignore certain truths and cling to their childhood beliefs about religion. If this is not the way or the truth, I would want to start looking for it, instead of following someone else's dreams or religious doctrine.

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

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

Questions To Ask Your Pastor

Our Beliefs and How They Stop Us From Success

Beliefs are constructs of our internal world and how we view them. They are based on what we have experienced and what we perceive to be true. We all behave as if our beliefs were true and that is what gives us direction. If you 100% believe that you will create a successful business or wealth, without any doubt in yourself, your ability or any other factors, then you will behave as if it were true. When you behave as if it were true, then every decision you make, path you take and conversation you have is all geared around that one thing. You in fact MAKE it happen. You will also see things and interpret events, people and actions based on your beliefs. For instance, if you believe your neighbor is a thief based on what Mrs Smith told you at number 23 down the street, you will behave with that person in a way based on that belief. So, your interaction with that person is likely to be guarded and therefore precipitate a response which is guarded from that neighbor based on your behavior towards them. So, due to the fact you now have confirmed they are "shifty" you in fact are creating your own reality. However, Mrs Smith got her facts wrong and the neighbor is really a Nobel Peace Prize winner for charitable acts but you have just confirmed to yourself that they are a thief.

Think about it - if you believe you are not capable - then you will behave and make decisions based on that fact. So, if you deal with those negative beliefs about yourself, think what a difference that will make to your capabilities and results? AND what are those beliefs that you are capable based on? A one time event which started a repeated behavior? A repeated belief? So, if your reality is subjective, then if you think you are not capable is that in fact reliable, or would you like to change it to something else? With our beliefs and our reality we view the world as if everything we are seeing is the truth is real and that anything outside of that must either no be real or we disbelieve it. Everyone lives within boundaries of some description - whether they are enforced by society, our environment, what we have experienced or the influence of others. We also make judgments about others based on those boundaries and make judgments which ultimately revolve around our own experience so if we come across something we are not familiar with, we can automatically disbelieve it or possibly treat it as a threat until we understand it or in fact dismiss it completely without consideration. The problem with this is that we limit ourselves to the possibilities of growth and the ability to develop and progress and learn. Can you change your beliefs today and allow yourself to achieve everything you know you can? Make your reality today.

The director of Emma James Training Ltd is Emma James (amazingly!) who is a trainer of NLP, Hypnosis and Master TLT but also a Master Practitioner in all three therapies. Originally from Northern Ireland she has the drive and passion to constantly prove that NLP works, not only in her sport and coaching of others, but in therapy at her clinic and also in business application, taking people to levels they didn't think were possible.

Change Your Thinking About Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Effects Of False Prophets

Motivating Others - The Secret!

Can you really motivate others? In a word: NO!

I know that sounds weird coming from someone who makes a living in the business of motivation and engagement in the workplace; but I'm not going to waste your time with lies, platitudes, useless slogans and metaphysical crap. The fact is there is no secret when it comes to motivating others. You can provide external motivation, inspiration and incentive but ultimately all effective motivation is internal. If you want to motivate others you need to employ some simple protocols that are too often ignored by organization leaders:

• Find out what personally motivates each individual on your team.
• Empower people with the resources and opportunities that support each person's vision of success & happiness.
• Make sure everyone knows how important his or her role is in the success of the organization.
• Hold each person accountable for his or her role in personal and organizational success.

One more thing: Get rid of anyone who will not accept personal responsibility for his or her own success and happiness!

I define power as your ability or capacity to act or perform effectively. Give everyone in your organization the opportunity to perform effectively and the organization becomes more powerful. Simple, not easy!

Too often power is confused with control. Power is not control; control is an imposition of will. Power is effectiveness and a person is most effective when he knows his work is generating personal success and happiness.

But...some managers say it's impossible to know the individual needs of everyone in an organization. Divide and conquer! External motivation is a process of effective coaching and mentoring and that's best done on a small scale. You can manage the scale in two way.

• Delegate closer contact to smaller groups. Hold each management level accountable for knowing what motivates his or her immediate team.
• Make some time for nearly everyone you want to motivate. A little meaningful contact makes a large impression.

I'm not advocating an uncontrollable system of appeasement where everyone gets everything he thinks he's entitled to. Control should not be confused with power, but control is necessary to some degree at every level of an organization. Every individual is, however, entitled to at least one thing and that one thing is opportunity. A motivated person who doesn't see opportunity in your organization is going someplace else; you don't want to lose self-motivated people!

An effective organization understands the motivational drives of its people and strives to provide the opportunity for the individual to satisfy his or her drive for success. That drive converts directly to productivity and profit.

• Understand what motivates individuals in your organization.
• Establish effective coaching and mentoring that supports individual success.
• Provide opportunity for individual development and success.
• Hold individuals accountable for supporting organizational success.

You may not be able to motivate others, at least not on an internal level. You can provide external motivation based on the needs of the individuals on your team. Make sure external motivation is in synergy with those needs and the mission of the organization. Be a motivational example for others and you've got real power!

Jim Bouchard is America's Black Belt Powervator; speaker, coach & author of Dynamic Components of Personal POWER!

Visit: http://JimBouchard.org
Download your FREE white paper: The Actual Value of Motivation and Engagement in the Workplace: http://www.jimbouchard.org/BusinessPOWER.htm
Book Jim for your next corporate event, conference, convention or retreat. Call 800-786-8502

Home Improvement Tip - Fixing a Squeaky Floor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for the great question. I hope it helps.

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

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

Visit us now for Home Improvement Tips

Does God Make Mistakes

How to Goal Set and Track Your Progress

Goal setting is the most important thing. If you don't have any goals in life you must be pretty bored. Some people sit around everyday and say they are content with going back and forth to work to the same job every single day, year after year. You see nothing happen and you can always guess where they will be because they never do anything out of their routine. You might be one of these people.

Setting goals helps you grow. It makes you feel good to set goals and work toward making them happen. Goal setting is healthy for your body and healthy for your mind. One of the things to consider when it comes to setting goals is that you do not want to sit around and talk about the goals you have. This will do you nothing but be discouraging.

When you set goals they have to be realistic and reachable or you will be discouraged. Always set goals that you really can reach and you see a way to meet them. It is important to write down the steps it will take to accomplish the goal. Decide how long it will take you to accomplish each task. This might be in days or weeks. Once you do this you will need to set a date that you will begin working toward the goal. Then you can set the project up on a calendar and write down where you should be with each task.

As you begin a project or a completion of a goal you must track the progress. As you meet certain milestones you need to treat yourself to something special because you are one step closer to doing something you feel is important. If you are running behind you might need to pick it up a step or extend out the deadline. Be sure that you are only running behind because you underestimated and you are really working according to task.

Goal setting is very important. When you set goals and lay them out with time frames and milestones you will be more motivated to complete them. As you reach certain milestones you will be motivated more than ever to reach the end of the project. This is a very positive way to work on projects especially if you have a hard time completing them.

Scott Wells invites you to read http://www.drugabusefocus.com/117/ where you can read about or share stories on drug or alcohol addiction. Help others or learn what it is like to be addicted to drugs or alcohol.

The Bible's Power Over One Child

I mentioned Sean in another one of my articles, the story of a young foster boy that we were taking care of. Sean's father was my ex-wife's uncle, and they were going through some tough times for a while and their three children ended up as wards of the state. We eventually ended up taking the oldest child because he was the hardest one to place and another home. His brother and sister ended up with a family that wanted to adopt them and eventually Sean went to live with them and I believe all three of them were adopted by this family. I don't know this for a fact though.

Sean was a emotionally damaged child. His parents would punish him with some strange and bizarre punishments. They weren't really physical punishments but seemed to leave the emotional scars on him and I often think about where he is and what he is doing.

We watched him for about a year and I learned quite a bit from this young man. He was in the third grade but was still at the first grade level for reading and math. I would spend a couple of hours each night during the week helping him with his schoolwork, I seem to have created some sort of allusion that I would be able to bring him up to the third grade level within a short period of time. Wrong. He must've had learning disabilities and of course I don't think I was that good teacher.

Sean was easy going, polite and extremely obedient. He would do anything to avoid getting in trouble and often blamed others for his mistakes. His punishments must have been more than he could bear before he arrived at our home. I think you're getting the picture about what kind of a child Sean was.

One day I found myself in a dilemma with Sean, I couldn't get him to tell me the truth, even though I knew he was lying. I forget what the problem was but I remember a hollow look in his face. It was almost like he wasn't really there. It was almost like he was just doing time, sitting on the bed, listening to me asking the same question over and over again, "Sean are you lying", but he wasn't even paying attention.

I normally would not punish my children for accidents, and never tolerated lying. I was trying to explain to him that he wasn't going to get in trouble, I just wanted to know the truth. He wasn't budging at all and stuck to his story. I remembered that his mother and father were Catholics and feared the church, almost as much as they loved it.

That's what I came up with my evil plan. I don't know where I come up with these ideas, but every once in a while one pops up in my head and I run with it.

I told Sean that I was going to bring the Holy Bible in, and if he could swear on the Bible that he was telling the truth, I would accept that and this would be the end of our conversation. I couldn't believe my eyes, as he started crying and screaming, frantically and excitedly as a yelled out, I did it, I did it, don't bring the Bible in, I won't do it again.

I couldn't believe that was all it took to get information from him. I have always been a pretty good interrogator and found myself gathering information from those people easily, but this was amazing. His fear of the Holy Bible got me thinking about how powerful this book actually is to some people. I remember when I looked upon this book, pretty much the same as Sean did.

It's just a book, like any other book. It's not made at a holy factory or a secret monastery in the Swiss Alps somewhere, it's made from paper and ink and can be damaged and destroyed like other books. I would be surprised if I threw the Bible into the fire, that it wouldn't burn. I would be even more surprised, if I seen three men standing in the fire, wait a minute that's another story in the Bible.

Is it possible for this book to actually control the lives of people. It seemed to control Sean, I wonder if I, could have actually been driving a nail home that his parents started. Could I have added to his belief, that the Bible is a book from God the creator of everything.

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

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

Religion Articles

Stop Suffering From Anxiety - Anxiety Self Help Tips

Suffering with anxiety is not a pleasant way to live your life. Learning different ways to cope with the symptoms and using self help methods can help you with easing the agony before it starts. There are several self help anxiety methods you can use for anxiety relief.

Diet

What you eat could very well be affecting your anxiety symptoms. Our bodies need a balanced diet in order to function properly. The foods we eat can not only affect our physical health, but our mental health as well. Some foods to avoid are drinks with caffeine, such as coffee and tea, chocolate, drinks and foods made with refined sugar, and processed foods. Include a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains, plus make sure you are getting enough calcium, magnesium, iron and potassium. Most of the vitamins and minerals necessary for good nutrition can be found in the foods we eat, but if your diet is lacking in these minerals, a supplement may be necessary.

Exercise

You know how important exercise is to keep your body fit and healthy, but a lack of exercise can increase anxiety symptoms. Exercising can help to relieve stress and release endorphins.

Endorphins are the "feel good" hormones which make you feel better after a work out. Getting at least thirty minutes of exercise a day can help alleviate stress and lead to better mental wellness.

Relaxation Techniques

As soon as you begin to feel stressed or anxious, start using relaxation techniques until you feel calmer. There are several techniques you can use, including breathing exercises, taking a bath, listening to music, taking a walk, or working on a hobby. The key is to pick an activity you enjoy and use that activity as your stress reliever. This can help to divert your thoughts to the what you are doing instead of focusing on the situation causing your anxiety.

Sleep

Getting enough sleep each night can greatly help when you suffer from anxiety. If you are having trouble sleeping, try using some of the relaxation techniques above. Also, before you get ready for bed, try to keep away from any type of activity which makes you feel anxious, such as watching news programs or balancing your checkbook.

Be Positive

Think positive thoughts as much as possible. Having a positive attitude will help you to have a better outlook on life. Negativity will usually just add to stress and anxious feelings, so it is best to avoid negative thoughts, actions and even people as much as possible.

These self help anxiety methods can get you started with basic ways to ease your suffering and get relief.

Finally, you can also take more steps to live your life free of panic and anxiety attacks. Make your decision now to change your life for the better and get back into control by going to http://www.banish-anxiety.blogspot.com/ for more tips and help today. You deserve to live your life full of joy and peace!

The above is not medical advice and is just for informational purposes. However, if you are suffering from anxiety, you should seek treatment as soon as possible.

Slow Market Home Pricing Advice

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Personal Development

Strategies for Surviving the Pit of Life

Does it seem as if life has presented you with situations where you have been knocked down and knocked around? Are you facing a barrage of obstacles, challenges, issues, and problems? Do you feel as if youve been knocked into a pit?

I define the pit as a state of being in which you feel helpless, hopeless and unable to succeed. Your energy is low, your actions are stagnant, and your faith is weak. Overall, you lack the ability to motivate yourself to take action.

I have found that once you fall in the pit, it is sometimes hard to come out. You struggle and cant get a grip. You slip, you slide, you fall flat on your face. Worse yet, you feel as if you cant see, and there seems to be no one around to help.

What I have come to realize, however, is that self-motivation is one of the most crucial resources to surviving the challenges of life. Self-motivation is when you can see beyond your current situation in order to move yourself into action.

Even though we all have self-motivation as a tool to increase our chances of avoiding lifes pitfalls, I have observed that there are those of us that find it extremely hard to remain motivated in living life daily. And worse yet, Ive realized that there are some who completely rely upon other people to motivate them.

No matter what life has tricked you into believing about yourself, understand that you must motivate yourself! When you are knocked down by the challenges of life, know that you are your greatest resource to getting back up again!

Here are five (5) strategies that I developed which will help you to remain motivated to climb out your pit:

Put on your Rhinestone Combat Boots: Put your foot down, take a stand and declare, Enough is enough! Feel good about yourself as you wear the knowledge, experiences, wisdom, and faith that will help you to fight battles, climb over challenges, and kick butt.

Focus on the Light: You must realize that your success depends on you believing in yourself and pushing beyond what you see. You must learn to focus on what lies ahead (i.e. job promotion, SBA loan, keys to your new home) and not dwell on what has passed (i.e. layoff, bankruptcy, divorce).

Grasp Again: Learn that when you slip in grasping for something that you want, that break gives you a chance to take a breath, regain your strength, and renew your focus, allowing you to see the best way to grasp again. As my favorite singer, Aaliyah, once sang, if at first you dont succeed, dust yourself off and try again, you can dust it off and try again, try again. Meaning, keep grasping until you get a firm hold and can overcome your obstacles.

Have a Flashback Party: Get together with a group of your closest friends. Allow those who know you well to shed light on the areas where you are great. You will gain strength as the memories reveal your achievements, successes, and moments of fearlessness. The flashback party will add to your self-confidence and boost your self-esteem and give you the energy to fight the darkness.

Sing a Tune: Singing a tune of positive words will uplift, encourage and motivate you to put forth your best effort to overcome the challenges of your life. Quotes, words of praise, affirmations, and scriptures are examples of positive tunes that you must play in your mind over and over again as you experience your darkest moments.

Success in life does require you to receive guidance, direction and assistance from others. Yet, the vital key to remaining out of and moving beyond the pit requires that you serve as the motivating force of your own life. When you Put on your Rhinestone Combat Boots, Focus on the Light, Grasp Again, Have a Flashback Party, and Sing a Tune, your actions will develop you into a capable individual who is wise and strong enough to overcome the challenges life throws your way.

Copyright @ 2007 SSANEE, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Cassandra Lee is a self-development expert that conducts seminars, moderates panels, facilitates workshops, presents speeches, and writes resources that provides instructions on personal growth and professional success. She is founder, president and chief executive officer of SSANEE Incorporated, an educational consulting firm in Chicago, IL, where she provides interactive, skill-building seminars and keynotes to associations, colleges, corporations, clubs, organizations, social service agencies, and universities nationwide. She is featured in Whos Who in Black Chicago, the Inaugural Edition and is the author of the audio CD D.I.V.A.BITS: 24 Enlightening Tips to Conquer Communication Skills and co-author of the books Survival Skills for the African-American Woman and The Young Womans Guide for Personal Success. To receive professional development strategies FREE each month, sign-up for her newsletter, Dialog Digest at http://www.ssanee.com

Nailing Or Screwing Drywall

Nails versus screws who will become the winner. When drywall first came out the installers used everything from regular steel nails to galvanized roofing nails. After a short amount of time they started to develop major problems from nails popping out of the finished drywall.

Nail popping results when the nail is driven into moist lumber and as the lumber shrinks the house settles and nail can actually pop out to the walls. Hard to imagine the nail could actually pop out of the drywall as the wood was drying out.

How far the nail would actually pop out was determined by how far it was driven in to the framing studs or ceiling joists. Well pretty soon drywall installers started to use ring shank nails to eliminate this problem. This worked great but these nails were hard to drive in and would often break.

As time went on the nails improved and were made out of galvanized metal with cupped shaped heads and came in a few different sizes. The size of the nail used was determined by the thickness of the drywall. These new nails worked great and had good holding power and eliminated a lot of nail popping.

Using nails means driving them in with a hammer. If you miss the nail you damage the drywall. This seemed to be a big problem and was virtually eliminated with the screws.

Well pretty soon people started using screws which had greater holding power and pretty much nail popping. Another advantage to using screws over nails is the simple fact you need less screws than you do nails to attach the drywall to the metal or wood framing.

This means less labor installing and finishing the drywall.

There is one problem with the screws and that is they have to be set perfectly. They can not break the paper surface on the drywall but have to be set enough into the drywall so that it can be finished properly. Most screw guns have an adjustable setting used to get just the right depth for the screws installed in the drywall. But this also was a problem when screwing into a hard piece of wood you can actually snapped the screw head off, strip the screw head or break the screw.

Nails on the other hand can bend while driving them into a hard surface.

Who wins the nails versus screws while installing drywall? I have got to give it to the screws. That doesn't mean the nails just got screwed or the screws just got nailed.

I couldn't resist. I actually preferred the screws over the nails except for when nailing the drywall corner bead on. Some drywall professionals use nails to hang the drywall and go back with a screw gun and some screws to finish the job. The nails sometimes seem handier than the screws when installing the drywall.

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

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and Carlsbad Home Improvement

Greg Vanden Berge Quotes

Affirmations Don't Work, and How I Finally Got That They Do!

If you've been around the EFT world for any length of time at all, you'll know it's generally believed that affirmations don't work. Until now that is, with this powerful new work by the masterful metaphysician Dr Sylvia Hartmann, called "Power Affirmations".

I like Sylvia Hartmann's approach to life and healing in general, so when I received an email about her new book I thought I'd have a read of her sales page anyway, even though I'm fairly convinced that affirmations pretty much don't work. Why they don't work is that we all have subconscious but powerful limiting beliefs, or "yes-buts", that trigger an internal argument or discomfort when we make statements that are clearly not true.

But, I trust Sylvia and I know she would not be wasting her time or mine writing about something that just doesn't work. Still, I did think - "What, Sylvia's writing about affirmations? Why?" - before I actually clicked on to her site. And I liked what I read, enough to decide that $20 wasn't a huge risk if it turned out to be more of the same old affirmation stuff, and I bought the book.

At just 40 pages "Power Affirmations" is a quick read in Sylvia's very conversational easy-read style.

Now, I have read a lot about positive affirmations, because part of me wants it to be true that making clear statements about how I want to experience life, will be enough to make it happen. For at least fifteen years I've studied many books and DVDs about affirmations, attended lectures, listened to the audios, run a subliminal program on my computer, and in more recent years even joined a membership site or two, all in the quest to find the key that would unlock the door that I would step through to finally "get it"!

But I never did get it. Everything I discovered seemed like so much soul-searching was required, and constant focus, and it was all something I would put off actually doing until I had more time. And the EFT explanation for WHY I didn't get it made sense; all my yes-buts were getting in the way. I've diligently worked on finding my yes-buts and clearing them, and I know there's a long way to go still.

I also know I've got to "feel" the result I want, because charging it up with emotion makes the affirmation more powerful. I teach people how to process their emotions, I know how to process my own, I GET the emotion stuff. But I just couldn't get connected to the big house or the flashy car or really any other hook. So I also couldn't visualize any of it - very frustrating!

But Dr Hartmann taught me, in two pages, how to put the emotion and the pictures in to anything! It is so simple, and so clear, why didn't I see it before? And that's what I love about her teaching style - she understands where most people trip over the basics, shows you how to step over and up, and then takes you deeply and easily into how and more importantly WHY to create your own affirmations.

She also taught a simple amazingly-powerful way to completely nix the yes-buts. I tried it and felt the most incredible shift in my energy, that was really unexpected. I'll be using it every day, easily and seamlessly!

She also covers things I've not read elsewhere, like meta affirmations and affirmation cascades, and her own unique Vega Pattern.

If you're looking for a book that gives you lists of affirmations about any particular subject, this is not the book for you. There are no lists. Also, Sylvia Hartmann has long explored the evolution of consciousness using the language of magic. This makes sense to me, but it might not make sense to you.

For just 40-some pages, this is an information-packed ebook. More importantly, it's an action-packed ebook, with teaching and tools that actually work! At the end of Power Affirmations, all I can say about it is: I get it. Finally!

If you want to finally "get" how affirmations can and will work for you, and how you can powerfully transform anything about your life, get your clarity from http://www.affirmationsdontwork.info.

Is Money a Big Part of Organized Religion?

Where do you think most modern day religious organizations would be without money? Is money really a big part of modern day organized religion or is that something in the past. Why do certain scriptures require their believers to donate a portion of their earnings?

Does this money improve the lives of religious believers? I'm asking these questions because most people won't. Most people don't even no where the money they earn is going. If you donate money to a religious organization and they choose to hire someone to install stained glass windows throughout the sanctuary, is this really going to help the congregation. Is this a want or a need?

When does a religious group become too powerful for its own good. Do you think the Catholic religion, which at the time of me writing this article, is the largest organized religion in the world, by itself, is very powerful or driven by finances. This organization has seeked wealth and power for centuries, creating an establishment that has its hands in everything all over the world.

Is it fair to have religious leaders living a life of luxury, while some of their followers suffer and go without food or shelter. Should some of this money go towards the aid of others who choose not to believe in the religious culture of their patrons?

Why do some people give money to their religious organization, even though they can barely survive. Are these people driven to contribute money because someone makes them feel guilty? Some of these people give money and time, even at the expense of their own family. It's just not fair, when I see people who are barely scraping by but give faithfully to an organization that promises them a better life after they die.

Your rewards for living a good life on Earth will be received after you die and are allowed to enter the kingdom of heaven. Does anyone have any proof of this? If you choose to base your life entirely on faith instead of seeking knowledge and wisdom, or even questioning your religious doctrine, you're not doing yourself any favors.

Money plays a big part in organized religion and honestly does a lot of good throughout the world. Christianity has had a large impact on the United States of America but only time will tell if it was a good thing or not.

If you have extra money and desire to give it to a religious organization of your choice, feel free, but if you're giving 10% of the money you've earned and really can't afford to, I wish you would take the time to research what your church actually spends it's money on. If your church is building another church in Mexico but you don't have enough money for food, clothes or other necessities, I would suggest that you let other people donate their extra money instead.

It might not be mentioned anywhere in your religion, but I'm sure your God or the ultimate Almighty power of the universe you believe in, does not want anyone to suffer or go without, because your religious organization chooses to make you feel guilty if you do not contribute a certain amount of money, for whatever reasons they can possibly come up with.

If everyone that believes in this interpretation has the keys to the kingdom of heaven, wouldn't Jesus be suggesting a life kind of like Mother Teresa but without any money. She wouldn't be allowed to ask any wealthy people for money, let alone use it if she acquired it somehow.

Have you ever ask yourself is there any Hope in Religion .

Would it be safe to a sound that by asking for money from a wealthy person would mean I would not be going to happen. Does it say anything in the Bible about using money from a wealthy person for great earthly deeds and you get to go to heaven but he does not. If this is starting to sound a little confusing, welcome to my world. There are very few people that follow organized religion, that even ask these questions, let alone seek the answers and find the truth and keeping an open mind to future information that possibly could change the old answer that they accepted as a truth but now realize, the possibility that the old information could be wrong.

If you were a religious leader and could not answer some of the major questions that you yourself had, would you continue living a life of confusion or seek relentlessly to find the answers until you are satisfied. Knowing that if you were satisfied with the answers to your questions and now your religious beliefs have changed considerably, would you retire or quit working with the religious organization you were involved with.

This is one of the biggest obstacles for most people that seem to get comfortable in their religious environments. If the interpretations of a you Bible verses are incorrect and can be proven, either scientifically or through translation errors, does this mean that there are more verses in the Bible that could be incorrect or misleading.

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

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

Effects Of False Prophets

A Gift of Hope - 52 Ways to Live a Better Life by Shadonna Richards - Book Review

Infinity Publishing (2009)

ISBN 9780741451675

Shadonna Richards, a Canadian registered nurse, freelance writer and former newspaper columnist, has put together a simple but concise book on how to live a better life. As a nurse working with terminally ill cancer patients, who are told they have only six months to live, she was inspired to write empowering words of wisdom. Richards also interviewed many individuals for her newspaper columns, thus compiling inspirational stories to encourage us to look at our own lives, makes changes as necessary, and to live a fulfilled life. Although her resources are Canadian, the concept of her book is global and I'm sure readers will find similar resources in their respective countries and areas.

"A Gift of Hope" is designed to be used as a workbook, with each week having an exercise to be done daily. For example, the first week starts with "Stay Mentally Fit." The text talks about the stresses in our lives and then gives exercises. The first exercise for the first week is to "Identify, then rectify." Richards says "A crucial part of any solution is locating the problem. Do worries keep you up at night? Go directly to the source of your tension." The second exercise for the first week is "Detox Your Mind." Richards says "We always have a choice. We can choose to dwell on being hopeless in situations or dwell on having hope."

The second week covers "Dare to Dream: Believe that Anything is Possible" and captures president-elect Barrack Obama's "Yes We Can" powerful slogan. Using his story and his dreams, Richards iterates that our dreams can become reality if we persist and believe.

Other weeks cover topics like: Understand That Money Isn't Everything, Reach out to those in Need, and Be the Friend You Desire to Have. For the purpose of this review I didn't have the opportunity to test the system for a full 52 weeks; however, being a student and teacher of transformation, I know it works. Shadonna Richards has provided a book, "A Gift of Hope," to take us to a higher level of consciousness, a place where we can manage our personal lives with ease and contentment.

http://www.readerviews.com/

Finding Something You Don't Like About Yourself - Creating Habits

Finding something you don't like about yourself is usually very easy for most people. Most of the time you don't even have to ask your family or friends because you have heard them complain about the same thing for years. How many times have you heard someone mention, I need to lose weight?

Here's a list of things people don't like about themselves. If you're one of those people that has a hard time finding something wrong with yourself, you could always ask one of your friends for some suggestions. I'm sure they would like that.

1. The need to lose weight. This of course is one of the worst problems with Americans. Most people need to lose weight and let's not forget there are some people that need to gain weight.

2. The need to stop gambling. As more Indian reservations are allowed to build gambling casinos and of course as the Internet gambling gets larger, I've noticed some people with gambling problems.

3. The need to stop drinking alcohol. The abuse of alcohol has been going on for many years. These people have an excuse for why they drink and most of the time it doesn't make sense.

4. The need to stop smoking. This could be one of the most difficult things I've ever seen my friends and family deal with.

5. The need to stop excessive behaviors. For example, gossiping, cruelty, bullying, lying, cheating, stealing, partying etc. You get the idea.

6. Don't forget the dreaded shopaholic. Most shopaholic's seem to have large credit card debt and can't seem to stop this vicious circle of buying and owing money to their creditors.

7. Working long hours or the workaholic. Sometimes this is a necessity but I would suggest that you change your lifestyle if possible. Reevaluate your reasons for working so hard.

8. Religious fundamentalists. People that spend too much time at their place of worship and soon find themselves feeling guilty if they're not doing something spiritual.

9. The need to be on time. This would include people that have problems giving themselves enough time to get ready for work or school.

10. The need to stop doing drugs. I thought by now, approaching my 50s, that drugs would no longer be a problem in the United States, but it is. It's one of the most damaging things people can do to their lives.

There are plenty of things that people would like to stop doing or start doing. If you're a smoker and you seem to shop excessively near the casinos, I would advise you to start with something small and work your way up to the big stuff.

What are you going to change today about your life? Make a list of things that you're not happy with about your life and start making the changes today that you need to create the life you deserve and desire.

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

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

Impact Of Christian Mentors

Why Do You Procrastinate - Self Help Ideas

Procrastination has held more people back from success than smarts or just about anything else in the world. But why do we procrastinate? This article is going to reveal a few of the many reasons why people procrastinate and then direct you to a resource that can help you end your procrastination for good.

One of the reasons why we procrastinate is because we think that we need to be in the right "mood" in order to do whatever it is we have to do. Let me tell you something, if it's a task that isn't all that pleasant, you're never going to really be in the mood, like having to wash the dishes. However, once you get started, you forget about the mood and begin to concentrate on just getting the task done. And trust me, the more unpleasant the task is, the quicker you WILL get it done and out of the way.

Another reason we procrastinate is that we don't properly calculate the time required to complete the task. We think it's going to take X number of hours only to find out that it's going to take a lot longer. We then get discouraged and throw our arms up in the air saying, "I'll never get this done." Or, we have the opposite problem where we see that the task won't take long at all and we say to ourselves, "I got plenty of time to do this" and we end up never getting to it. Suddenly, the living room is layers deep in old newspapers because we didn't tie up the few that we had when we had plenty of time to tie them up. (You know I'm right.)

But the biggest reason we procrastinate, especially with things that might bring us some kind of monetary gain, is fear of failure. We can't stand the thought of doing all that work just to end up failing when it's all done. Trust me, that can be a real downer.

Great, so what can we do about all this? Well, overcoming procrastination is not something that happens overnight. A lot of bad habits and attitudes have to be unlearned. In my signature, you'll find a review of a great resource that will help overcome your procrastination. I strongly suggest that you read it.

Don't let your fears stop you from completing the things that you need to get done. Start fighting your procrastination problem TODAY.

Get over your Procrastination: http://stop-procrastinating-today-review.blogspot.com/

Planning Your Bathroom Remodel Budget - Home Improvement Ideas

As a bathroom remodeling contractor, I get calls from people, that have no idea what they want or how much anything is going to cost. Here's some simple tips that can be very helpful when planning a bathroom remodel budget.

Bathroom Remodeling Investment

In 2008, the average mid-range bathroom cost around $16,000 and you could recoup around $12,000 of your original investment upon the sale of your home. According to a popular remodeling magazine, larger bathrooms using expensive fixtures, tile, bathtubs, woodworking, toilets and showers had an average of $52,000. Upon the sale of a home, you could recoup around $36,000 of your original investment.

Finding out How Much Things Cost

My first suggestion, would be to visit your local home improvement center, lumber yard or plumbing supply warehouse. Larger stores like Home Depot and Lowe's, seemed to provide you with value pricing but don't have a large selection. While doing some research on the Internet I noticed that some of their pricing is outrageously, outrageous. Some plumbing supply warehouses can provide value but beware others won't.

Create a List of Bathroom Remodeling Parts

You can get a good idea of your bathroom remodel costs for your budget by making a list of bathroom parts with pricing and then adding them up for a grand total. If you're a total bathroom remodel budget is $15,000 and you have a $6,000 bathtub with $4000 worth of tile, you could have a budget problem.

Figuring out the Labor

You will have to contact a contractor to get an actual cost for the labor. Sometimes you can double the cost of your bathroom remodeling parts to get a rough idea. If you have a list or a couple of lists and a few pictures of some sample bathrooms, this will make the contractor's job easier and often they can give you a labor price within a few days.

Give Yourself a Cushion

I would suggest leaving yourself a small financial cushion for any additional remodeling items. For example, you could see a different toilet, or instead of painting the walls, you now choose to wallpaper, you could incur additional expenses that you haven't planned for. If you know exactly what you want and stick to the original bathroom remodeling plan, you shouldn't need the cushion.

Financial problems often transfer into construction problems, so spend some time figuring out, how much money you want to spend on the bathroom remodel and try not to go overboard on the budget. I hate to see homeowners struggling with home improvement loan payments. Try to create a bathroom remodeling budget that is realistic and will not create a financial burden upon you or your family.

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

If your looking for some more bathroom remodeling or home building ideas.

Crimes Solved With Psychic Power

Hiring a Contractor For Bathroom Remodeling - Remodeling Contractors

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

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

1. Is Your Contractor Fair and Honest?

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

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

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

5. Will the Contractor Show up on Time?

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

7. Does the Contractor's Crew Have Experience?

8. Is Your Contractor and His Crew Courteous?

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

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

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

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

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

Hope In Religion

How to Overcome Fear and Procrastination

If we listen to world news today, they give us every reason to be fearful. If we give in it seems that something dark lurks around every corner of our mind. The challenge with fear, either real or imagined is that it can hold you back from doing well in life.

When one lives with constant fear you may also be prone to procrastination because they are two sides of the same coin. In fear you cannot move forward which makes you hesitate or procrastinate on a lot of issues, especially if one believes nothing he does is good enough. Instant fear is designed to quickly move people out of dangerous situations, but prolonged or constant fear is not the natural state of the body.

Take Susan as an example. She is someone who really wanted to be a nutritionist but because she was always heavy she thought she couldn't do it. Many people told her she should take classes at the community college but she was too afraid to even call them for fear of rejection. Susan had already negatively assumed the outcome of her efforts in her mind.

When you are in the midst of feeling afraid of anything take a step back and really look at the situation. Are you in danger of some kind? Is it moving you out of your comfort zone? Are you afraid of succeeding? Are you afraid that if you make that move your life will change way too much?

If so, close your eyes and ask yourself, "What would I do if I weren't afraid?" As you calmly wait for your answer(s) without judgment you will find that fear is a complex illusion. It is an elaborate scheme by your ego to stop you from moving ahead. The dominant ego keeps you from experiencing your life in a way that will make you happy. Fear is based on events from the past that make us wary of making certain moves, old rhythms or patterns often set long ago by life experiences.

How can you release the fear and help heal procrastination? First of all by acknowledging it and then taking an action step forward. The problem lies in basing your present on the past or the future. One simply should not accept that what happened in the past will be some variation of what happens now. This vicious cycle can keep one trapped in negativity. The more closely related to the now you can be, by breaking your fearful goal into tiny manageable steps or a smaller to do list, the easier it will be to release the fear.

Going back to our example, if Susan had just called the community college it would have been a step towards her goal. She could have talked to a counselor and then perhaps have signed up for one class at a time, opening the door to new possibilities. Susan can always leave herself open to changing her mind as she moves along, helping to get past her fears.

Life can be wondrous when you release fear and side step procrastination. Now is the time to move out of your fear and take the first step. You never know what will happen to make your life become bigger than you ever imagined. I always like to keep in mind the old adage "Fear is just, False Expectations Appearing Real."

Become part of something that is sweeping the world with inspiration. You will find a wealth of spectacular material including free affirmations, beneficial worksheets and other useful tools to download at http://motivatingmessages.ning.com.

Priscilla Parham coaches on awareness and goal setting for your health, your business and your relationships, motivating others to rebuild from the inside-out.

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