You must absolutely have a vision, or a dream, for your life.
Your dream is what will cause you to jump out of bed in the
morning instead of waking up with anxiety or dread for the day
ahead.
Personally, when I first wake up, I immediately begin to focus on my dream. If I don’t, I find it very easy to become discouraged and start complaining about things. This is definately no way to start your day!
You will never be at your best if you don’t have a dream because
you were born to dream. Proverbs 29:18 says that “Without a
vision the people perish.”
So many people without a dream will get out of bed tomorrow and
do the same thing they did yesterday. Doing the same work, seeing the same people, and complaining about the same things. And then the next day, the cycle repeats itself. Day after day, week after week, year after year, and all of a sudden life is over.
I believe that inside of each person there is a God-given dream
and that dream is meant to come true! God is a dreamer and He has created us in His image and with the ability to dream. God is also a creator and He has given us the ability to create (not on the same level of course, because He alone is God).
In order to live an abundant and prosperous life we are to use
our ability to dream as a focal point, as we take action by
implimenting the ideas God has given us.
I believe God gives everyone ideas, but why are some people not
pursuing thier dreams? My theory is they may have had thier hopes and dreams crushed too many times so that now they are fearful of dreaming any more. They have just adopted this attitude that this is as good as it’s ever gonna get, so let’s just accept it.
Are you like that? Maybe you are afraid to get your hopes up in
case “it doesn’t work out.” If it doesn’t work out you will still be disappointed. You might as well get your hopes up and believe! Jesus said, “All things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23). But, “all things being possible” is a conditional statement because it is dependant on your belief or disbelief.
So how do you start dreaming again? Since a dream is nothing more than a thought, or a series of thoughts, you begin there; by controlling your thoughts (you must control your thoughts or they will control you). Stop thinking negatively and begin to believe for great things. Search deep down for what it is that gets you excited. Find it, believe in it, and confess it.
It is vital that once you establish what it is that you want,
that you back it up with words. Jesus said in Mark 11:23, “He who believes that those things which he says shall come to pass,
shall have whatsoever he says.”
There is a God-given dream inside you. Bring it out and live your dream!
Daniel N. Brown is the publisher of the “Living your Abundant and Prosperous Life” Newsletter. A FREE weekly publication that
teaches how to live the abundant and prosperous life. Receive
a FREE 7 page report entitled, “How to Receive from God”
when you sign up. http://www.secretplaceonline.com
What you believe in the inside, to a large extent determines how your life turns out. If you believe you cant, chances are, you are right.
Our beliefs create a world or sort of bubble within which we operate. It creates the limits or boundary of our potentials. If you believe something is unattainable, you simply block it out of your subconscious. You don’t even think about attempting it, and if you don’t attempt it, your chance of achieving it is nil.
What you believe will eventually come to pass, or catch up with you. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy. That is why our greatest enemy lies within. You set the limits of your potential. No external force can box you in, if you are rearing to go. Your greatest enemy is you.
How did we come about what we believe about ourselves?
A lot of this happens during our growing up years. We believe what authority figures (parents, older relatives, teachers etc) in our life said about us. Most of us grew up in an atmosphere of criticism. As it is much easier to criticize than praise, we got a much larger dose of criticism than praise. These criticisms, though often backed by good intentions (to provoke us to improve or excel) leave us scarred for life. We grow up with a feeling of inadequacy and low self-esteem.
Parents often attempt to juxtapose their dreams on the children, especially unfulfilled dreams. Oftentimes, the strength of one child is used to judge the weakness of the other, forgetting the fact that we are all unique. Sometimes we get compared with the whiz kid in the block. This puts further pressure upon our already fragile self-esteem. It gets much worse if teachers in school deliver the coup de grace: the veritable last straw. You are told how your life will turn out, the highest you can aspire to, what you can and can’t do. We get written off. Coming from such an authority figure, we tend to swallow it hook, line and sinker.
With our own minds, we impose limits on ourselves. We may have a dream, but within us, we conclude that we don’t have what it takes to make it happen. So we bury our dreams and carry on with the all too familiar reality.
After all said and damage done, what you believe about yourself is what matters most. That, to a very large extent will determine whether you will dream big, and go for it, or remain stuck in the rut of status quo, hoping for better days.
What you believe about yourself will determine the effort you put into any project, and how far you will go. Our brains act on impulses or instructions we send it. If you send your brain the signal that something is impossible, it will cease from trying to figure out how it can be done. It will simply power down and remain on stand-by. It will remain on standby, until a new signal is received, indicating that it is possible. If you decide to go for it, you brain roars back into life, processing millions of calculations, simulations etc per second, trying to figure out how it can be done, against all odds. Sometime soon, the answer may come to you in the most unlikely of places, and you scream “eureka!”
What is your dream? Do you believe you have what it takes to fulfill it? Do you believe it is possible? Do you believe you can do it?
The fulfillment of your biggest dreams depends on you. You can do it. When you move, providence moves. Even when no one believes in you, believe in yourself. Believe in you.
Usiere Uko is the webmaster of the Financial Freedom Inspiration website and editor of the monthly Financial Freedom Inspiration Newsletter, a free ezine to inspire you to exit the rat race and fulfill your God given dreams. To subscribe or visit the site, please visit http://www.financial-freedom-inspiration.com. He is also webmaster of http://www.newdawninspiration.com
Have you always wanted to do invent something, create something, improve the lives of other people, write a book, meet the partner of your dreams, and make more money. Here is some inspiration for you then.
These are some of my favorite quotations I’ve found over the years. There are thousands of quotations and you can find them in your local search engines like Yahoo or Google by typing and the word quotation or quotes. They remind me of great people’s accomplishments throughout history. Keep in mind these people were no smarter than you are. It is the effort and determination to succeed that made these people successful.
I hope you enjoy these quotes as much as I do.
“Learn to smile at every situation. See it as an opportunity to prove your strength and ability” - Joe Brown
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” - Albert Einstein
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work” - Thomas Edison
“Start by doing what’s necessary, then what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible” - Francis of Assisi
“Fate knows where you are going, but it is up to you to drive there” -
Michelle Keesling
“Ideas without action are worthless” - Harvey Mackay
“As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do” - Andrew Carnegie
“Success seems to be connected to action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit” - Conrad Hilton
“Your life will be no better than the plans you make and the action you take. You are the architect and builder of your own life, fortune, destiny” -
Alfred A. Montapert
“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish” - JOHN QUINCY ADAMS
“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe” - ANATOLE FRANCE
“The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going” - RALPH WALDO EMERSON
“Dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you’re willing to pay the price” - VINCE LOMBARDI
“It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows” - EPICTETUS
“Some men see things as they are and say, “Why?” I dream of things that never were and say, “Why not?” - GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
“When you meet someone better than yourself, turn your thoughts to becoming his equal. When you meet someone not as good as you are, look within and examine your own self” - CONFUCIUS
“Genius is only the power of making continuous efforts. The line between failure and success is so fine that we scarcely know when we pass it; so fine that we are often on the line and do not know it”-Elbert Hubbard
“Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are” - Dale Carnegie
“Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune”. - Jim Rohn
“Do not wait; the time will never be ”just right.” Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along”
- Napoleon Hill
“It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving” - Mother Teresa
“It is common sense to take a method and try it; if it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something” - Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Never mistake motion for action” - Ernest Hemingway
“A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better” - Jim Rohn
Being the best you can be and achieving all your dreams is a life-long pursuit. No one ever completes what they want to in a lifetime. The most successful, persistent, and motivated people are those who continuously set goals for themselves. Always taken pride in their accomplishments and looking at their failures as life lessons. Never looking back at what was but always looking ahead and what is going to be.
Greg Vanden Berge has been involved in personal success for over 35 years. He has educated himself through everything you can think of almost 
He has written a top selling book http://startlivingyourdreamstoday.com and is currently working on creative ways to educate people on how to become suceesful in business. http://100moneymakers.com
We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Maybe some of our fears are brought on by your own experiences, by what someone has told you, by what you’ve read in the papers. Some fears are valid, like walking alone in a bad part of town at two o’clock in the morning. But once you learn to avoid that situation, you won’t need to live in fear of it.
Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy our ambitions. Fear can destroy fortunes. Fear can destroy relationships. Fear, if left unchecked, can destroy our lives. Fear is one of the many enemies lurking inside us.
Let me tell you about five of the other enemies we face from within. The first enemy that you’ve got to destroy before it destroys you is indifference. What a tragic disease this is. “Ho-hum, let it slide. I’ll just drift along.” Here’s one problem with drifting: you can’t drift your way to the top of the mountain.
The second enemy we face is indecision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity and enterprise. It will steal your chances for a better future. Take a sword to this enemy.
The third enemy inside is doubt. Sure, there’s room for healthy skepticism. You can’t believe everything. But you also can’t let doubt take over. Many people doubt the past, doubt the future, doubt each other, doubt the government, doubt the possibilities and doubt the opportunities. Worse of all, they doubt themselves. I’m telling you, doubt will destroy your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart. Doubt is an enemy. Go after it. Get rid of it.
The fourth enemy within is worry. We’ve all got to worry some. Just don’t let it conquer you. Instead, let it alarm you. Worry can be useful. If you step off the curb in New York City and a taxi is coming, you’ve got to worry. But you can’t let worry loose like a mad dog that drives you into a small corner. Here’s what you’ve got to do with your worries: drive them into a small corner. Whatever is out to get you, you’ve got to get it. Whatever is pushing on you, you’ve got to push back.
The fifth interior enemy is over-caution. It is the timid approach to life. Timidity is not a virtue; it’s an illness. If you let it go, it’ll conquer you. Timid people don’t get promoted. They don’t advance and grow and become powerful in the marketplace. You’ve got to avoid over-caution.
Do battle with the enemy. Do battle with your fears. Build your courage to fight what’s holding you back, what’s keeping you from your goals and dreams. Be courageous in your life and in your pursuit of the things you want and the person you want to become.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn’s Weekly E-zine.
Copyright 2005 Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved
worldwide. To subscribe to Jim Rohn’s Weekly E-zine, go to
http://Jim-Rohn.InspiresYOU.com
The first thing that an aspiring leader must realize is that they must be inspiring! That is, they must be capable of, and willing to inspire people on to greater things than if the leader were not in their lives.
So, is this too grandiose an ideal for the average local business owner? Absolutely not. The people who work at your business, school or organization need to be inspired by you on a regular basis.
It is what keeps them from giving up.
Remind them of the big picture
They aren’t just serving food, they are helping families spend time together, so make it enjoyable.
They aren’t just changing oil, they are helping make sure a woman and her children don’t break down on the side of the road at night.
They aren’t just teaching reading, they are helping open a mind to the mysteries of the world.
They aren’t just selling gifts, they are helping people show their appreciation to others in a tangible way.
This week: INSPIRE!
About The Author:
Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of
Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn
their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and
achieve their dreams.
To see Chris “live” at the upcoming Jim Rohn Weekend Event as he speaks on
the subject of Secrets of Influence go to http://Chris-Widener.InspiresYOU.com/ or call 800-929-0434.
The outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his inner state. ~James Allen, As A Man Thinketh
The world you live in arises from the world within.
As you think and feel, you create your outer circumstances, relationships, and choices. Your thoughts determine the home you live in, the automobile you drive, the avenues you walk on, the buildings you work in, the people in your life, and your health and bank account.
Your mental view of life is expressed as tangible substance and experience.
This is the truth about reality.
Yet for centuries humankind has believed the opposite.
People believe that they can be happy when things go well for them. Yet it is their mood that determines how well or ill things will go for them.
People believe that all sorts of trouble come to them. Yet it is their agitated thoughts that have attracted trouble to them.
People believe that they have to react to the world and survive in it. Yet it is their reactions to the world and their insecurity that created the conditions that they struggle in.
Some people live like kings and others like paupers.
A king will associate with other kings and play on golf courses and vacation in exclusive resorts. He will create wealth building enterprises and invent massive economic machines. And when he has something to say, television cameras and periodicals will broadcast his opinions. As far as a king can tell, it is an abundant world. His experience of it is constantly expanding and he has visions of what else is possible.
The pauper will associate with other paupers. He will visit pawn shops with his television on his shoulders to pay the rent for his dilapidated housing. He’ll create elaborate schemes to stretch his dollar because he makes precious little from his workalthough his labor produces wealth for his master. He will live his life in obscurity. If he has something to say, he shares it with his faithful dog. As far as he can tell, it is a world of lack, limitation, negativity, and scarcity. His experience of it is constantly bitter. He shirks contact with the world of hope and possibility.
The king and the pauper may pass each other in the streets but do not even exchange glances for each is enveloped in his own view of the world.
What creates these worlds and the millions of variations? It is thought and feeling alone. These thoughts create behaviors and effects, knowledge and skills, and associations and choices.
Sometimes the pauper may change his thoughts, ascend to greater knowledge and enterprise and move into the world of a king. And sometimes a king may change his thoughts, descend in mood, become careless of his stewardship, and lose his empire and tumble into the world of a pauper.
To say that the world creates us is like saying that the cart is pulling the horse.
We choose the world we live in out of all possible worlds.
Resource Box
Saleem Rana got his masters in psychotherapy from California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, Ca., 15 years ago and now resides in Denver, Colorado. His articles on the internet have inspired over ten thousand people from around the world. Discover how to create a remarkable life
Copyright 2005 Saleem Rana. Please feel free to pass this
article on to your friends, or use it in your ezine or
newsletter. It’s a shareware article.
Have you already mastered the art of taking photos without ‘red-eye’ syndrome? Are there some pictures that you know you should have turned out a lot better than they did? It happens to all of us - even the expert photographers.
Here are five tips to help you move from beginner to master of digital photography, whether you’re using your cell phone or a point-and-shoot camera to snap shots.
Compose Carefully
One of the most basic digital photography tips is to pay attention to what’s in the frame of the viewfinder. Fill the frame. Nothing but blue sky, for instance, behind a single subject throws off the proportions of the photo and decreases interest. You can also turn the camera sideways to see if a vertical photo might have more impact than a horizontal shot of the same subject.
You can also try positioning your subject off to the side, rather than in the center of the photograph.
Take Great Close up Photos
Your digital camera has a “macro mode” - think of it as a super magnifying glass. An extreme close up of something like flower petals can bring out textures that you never knew existed, and will add excitement to your photos. Play with this feature, you will find dozens of ways to use it to enhance your pictures.
Buy a Tripod
Digital cameras are prone to blurry photographs if your hands shake even a little bit. Several companies manufacture light, portable, inexpensive versions. Digital photography tips like this can save you hours of frustration and preserve otherwise perfect shots.
Get Active
Take your shot from the top of a teeter-totter, off the side of the boat, or standing on your head. Thinking outside the box can really pay off in unexpected ways. You will truly get once in a lifetime shots by adding a bit of creativity to your thinking.
Take a Class
Are you still hungry for digital photography tips? There’s nothing like practice to improve your photography - except practice plus experience gained by learning from a pro. You can find photography classes online, at your local recreation centers, and community colleges.
Becoming an expert at digital photography takes time; you won’t become a professional photographer in your first week. Just keep trying new methods each time you use your camera, and before long, your friends and family will be admiring your newfound skills.
Gerri Stone publishes photography tips for beginners, and information for all types of photographers at Discover Photography.
If you’re like most people, you probably prefer to do as many things on your own as possible so that you don’t have to spend money paying for the services of someone else. This line of thinking works well for people who are capable of mowing their own lawn or for those who are good at fixing cars. But when it comes to the subject of digital photo printing, you’re probably not very likely to get a whole lot of quality pictures when editing and printing them by yourself. That is why it is best to seek digital lab photo printing professional help.
Stubborn people who refuse to dish out money for better quality pictures need only to think of this bit of information. While home printers are capable of turning digital photos into picture form, the cost of ink and paper will most likely exceed the costs of getting a professional to do them. So give yourself a break and let one of the many companies that specialize in digital photo printing do the work for you. These companies have digital photo lab professionals that can color correct balance and lighting on individual pictures as well as choose the best paper for your photos to be printed on that they will last for years to come. Finding them is easy too because many national chain stores have photo labs that handle digital printing needs and there are lots of websites offering these services as well.
Unlike paying a plumber to fix your toilet or hiring an interior decorator, digital photo printing professionals won’t leave you broke with their services. Most services, offer competitive rates usually in the range of 19 per print to 29 per print. On top of that, other incentives such as membership or bulk order discounts give customers even more of a chance to save money when using a digital lab printing professional. So next time you think of printing out those digital photos of your last vacation, think again because you’ll most likely be more satisfied if you seek out a professional service.
To view our list of recommended sources for digital photo printing online,
visit Recommended Sources For
Digital Photo Printing Online.
Your patience and money, that is.
The expected performance of digital camera batteries is often overlooked when shopping for a camera. Digital cameras are high drain devices so it’s important to know how many shots a fully charged battery will deliver. Having to frequently stop and change or recharge the batteries will definitely put a damper on a photo outing.
Digital Camera Battery Types
Digital cameras typically employ either a rechargeable battery pack or standard AAA’s. Most newer battery packs use lithium ion (Li-ion) battery technology. Specs vary but the better ones can be recharged in a couple of hours or less and will last through several hundred shots.
Many inexpensive digital cameras are powered by AAA batteries. This is extremely convenient since virtually every store sells these batteries. But even so called “super alkaline” batteries won’t last long, and replacing them quickly becomes an expensive proposition.
Time and Money Saving Battery Tips
If the camera uses AAA batteries, a wise investment is rechargeable batteries. Newer Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries are best. They are less prone to the so-called “memory effect” of older Nickel Cadmium (NiCad) batteries. And they last longer per charge than throwaway alkaline batteries. Just make sure to get quality rechargeable batteries rated 1600 mAh or higher. They cost a little more but are well worth it in the long run. Also buy a good charger and at least one extra set of batteries.
With a battery pack, unlike AAA’s, you’re pretty much stuck with the battery designed for the camera. There may be higher powered upgrade options, but it’s critical to check the specs for expected life per charge as well as professional reviewer comments. Even with the best camera and battery pack, at least one fully charged back-up is recommended.
Regardless of the battery type, a little research before you buy will save time and money plus a lot of frustration, making your digital camera experience more enjoyable.
Digital cameras information from A to Z: camera types & features, how they work, accessories, photo printers, comparisons and more - plus digital photo processing tips and info at A-Z Digital Cameras.com, Your Complete A-Z Resource for Digital Cameras, Accessories and Information.
This article may be re-printed in its entirety, with no changes and this resource box included.
© 2005 A-Z Digital Cameras All rights reserved
As a photographer, some tasks would seem to be a pleasure to perform, but one such task was fraught with danger. One day I got a call from a good client who needed me to photograph a woman for a large pastel portrait. This artist possessed a great talent for capturing naturalness in a body pose, but admittedly felt less than secure drawing faces and expressions.
This thirty by forty-eight inch pastel portrait was to hang over her boyfriend’s bed to remind him of her love for him. His only request was that she appear in the nude!
On the day of the shoot, the artist and I waited in the living room/ studio for the subject to arrive. In walks the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Tall and willowy, her feminine curves were impossible to hide beneath her severe office clothes. A natural blonde with light brown eyes, her skin glowed with a California tan. After the introductions, I readied the camera and lights while the subject started to take off her clothes. Almost as an after thought, she brought out a photograph of an oil painting of a reclining nude painted by a classic artist in the sixteen hundreds. She pointed out that the skin of the model in the oil portrait shone with lustrous highlights and glowed as if rubbed in oil. This was the very effect that her boyfriend requested she duplicate.
I took the artist aside and discussed the problem. No filter I knew of could reproduce such an effect on her skin. The artist decided that I would have to cover the subject’s skin with baby oil to create the desired glow. Meanwhile, the subject had stretched out on the chaise lounge we had set up with patterned tapestry velour throws forming the background. The artist went to get the oil as I tried a few poses with the subject. When she returned, she handed me the baby oil with a smirk on her face, ready to burst out laughing if I even so much as raised an eyebrow. Somebody had to do it, so I started rubbing the oil on the nude’s body, not missing an inch of skin in the process. The artist hovered in the shadows, trying to look like the cool chaperone, but not meeting my eyes when I looked at her. The subject stoically remained silent as I bent to my task. Up one side and down the other, then flip her over and do the other side.
Finally, the oiling was done and, after thoroughly washing my hands, I proceeded to photograph the subject. Four weeks later, the finished pastel occupied a center spot on the artist’s wall, a hidden spotlight enhancing the glowing colors of the beautiful woman in the picture. Since no one was allowed to see the picture except for the subject and her boyfriend, I convinced the artist into allowing me to photograph the finished work for her portfolio. A few days later, the subject picked up the portrait, never to be seen again - except in my (unrequited) dreams.
No two days were alike in the portrait profession.
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