<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" ><channel><title>Good Plum &#187; Health &amp; Sleep</title> <atom:link href="http://goodplum.com/topic/personal-development/health-sleep/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /><link>http://goodplum.com</link> <description>Home Business Tips, Tools and Success</description> <lastBuildDate>Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:42:41 +0000</lastBuildDate> <generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2</generator> <language>en</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency> <atom:link rel='hub' href='http://goodplum.com/?pushpress=hub'/> <cloud domain='goodplum.com' port='80' path='/?rsscloud=notify' registerProcedure='' protocol='http-post' /> <item><title>Tips for Greener Living</title><link>http://goodplum.com/tips-for-greener-living/</link> <comments>http://goodplum.com/tips-for-greener-living/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Sat, 17 May 2008 11:53:17 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Erin McKellar</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Health & Sleep]]></category> <category><![CDATA[going green]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://becomng.com/?p=81</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p></p><p><div id="attachment_207" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 200px;  border: 1px solid #dddddd; background-color: #f3f3f3; padding-top: 4px; margin: 10px; text-align:center; float: left;"> <img class="size-full wp-image-207" title="Green [Post]" src="http://static.goodplum.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/green_200.jpg" alt="Greener Living" width="200" height="200" /><p style=' padding: 0 4px 5px; margin: 0;'  class="wp-caption-text">Greener Living</p></div>Everyone wants to do their part making the environment cleaner and prolonging the lifespan of our earth.  What most people don’t realize is that all they have to do is small little things to make a difference.</p><p>Some people thing that in order to go green, they have to give up too much, or do too much, but this isn’t true.  Here are 20 tips to help you save our planet:</p><p><strong>1.	Have smaller families:</strong><br /> The more people there are, the more pollution we create. Do you really need 15 kids?</p><p><strong>2.	Eat less animals:</strong><br /> Animal waste is a major contributor to the green house effect. Cut down on your meat consumption and you’ll cut down on pollution.<span id="more-149"></span></p><p><strong>3.	Drive alternately fueled vehicles:</strong><br /> Once upon a time this was a harder decision to make because there was so little choice. Now the choice is clear and much easier.</p><p><strong>4.	Turn off appliances when not in use:</strong><br /> Should be a given, but just in case, here’s another reminder.</p><p><strong>5.	Walk instead of driving:</strong><br /> This doesn’t work if your going somewhere like Australia, but if you’re just going to the park or the mall, get some exercise and do the planet a solid at the same time.</p><p><strong>6.	Install ceiling fans, turn down air conditioning</strong><br /> Air conditioners are bad news to the ozone, use only as needed.</p><p><strong>7.	Turn off background TV:</strong><br /> If you are in the kitchen or on the computer, turn the TV off.</p><p><strong>8.	Hang clothes out to dry:</strong><br /> They smell better when they’re hung out to dry anyways.</p><p><strong>9.	Use fluorescent bulbs:</strong><br /> Save on your energy bill and save the planet at the same time; a no-brainer.</p><p><strong>10.	Turn on dishwasher only when full:</strong><br /> Doing half-loads is just wasting energy.</p><p><strong>11.	Buy locally:</strong><br /> Support your local economy.</p><p><strong>12.	Eat vegetarian more often:</strong><br /> You shouldn’t be eating meat all the time anyways. High cholesterol is just the animals’ way of saying: ‘you shouldn’t have eaten me in the first place’.</p><p><strong>13.	Donate electronics you don’t need:</strong><br /> Just because you don’t need it anymore, doesn’t mean it’s useless. Don’t throw it out, give it away.</p><p><strong>14.	Stop idling in your cars:</strong><br /> How hard is it to flick your wrist, and turn the darn thing off?</p><p><strong>15.	Carpooling:</strong><br /> That’s what the carpooling lane is there for.</p><p><strong>16.	Don’t use hazardous insecticide:</strong><br /> If it’s bad for another living, breathing creature, what makes you think it won’t hurt you?</p><p><strong>17.	Get a push mower:</strong><br /> Get exercise and save the planet at the same time. Save cash too!</p><p><strong>18.	Take public transportation:</strong><br /> With the price of car insurance surging ever upward, can you afford not to take public transit?</p><p><strong>19.	Borrow instead of buying:</strong><br /> Stop wasting money on things you can get for free. Less trash = a healthier planet.</p><p><strong>20.	Use the stairs:</strong><br /> It’s better exercise than using an elevator, and stairwells don’t reek like stale perfume.</p><p>It’s the small things that will in the end, make the big difference. Start living green today!</p><strong>Tags: </strong><a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/going-green/" title="going green" rel="tag">going green</a><br /><div style="display:block"><small><em>by Erin McKellar <a href="http://goodplum.com/tips-for-greener-living/#comments">Leave A Comment</a><br />&copy;2010 <a href="http://goodplum.com">Good Plum</a>. All Rights Reserved.</em></small></div>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://goodplum.com/tips-for-greener-living/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> <media:thumbnail url="http://static.goodplum.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/green_200-50x50.jpg" /> <media:content url="http://goodplum.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/green_200.jpg" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">Green [Post]</media:title> <media:description type="html">Greener Living</media:description> <media:thumbnail url="http://goodplum.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/green_200-50x50.jpg" /> </media:content> </item> <item><title>10 Tips for a Better Nights Sleep</title><link>http://goodplum.com/10-tips-for-a-better-nights-sleep/</link> <comments>http://goodplum.com/10-tips-for-a-better-nights-sleep/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Sun, 11 May 2008 12:43:32 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Elliott Roberts</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Health & Sleep]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sleep]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://becomng.com/?p=78</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p></p><p>There are few things more beneficial for your body than sleep. And unfortunately there is nothing than can replace a good night of sleep.</p><p>Insomnia can often lead to a drop in productivity, a sour mood and poor concentration.  But, everyone goes through bouts of insomnia from time to time, usually because of stress related reasons, and from the anxiety over not being able to sleep.</p><p>If you are having problems sleeping, there are probably many reasons for it. The important thing to know is that there are many ways to overcome this issue.</p><p>10 Tips for sleeping well:<span id="more-146"></span></p><p>1.    The bedroom is only for sleeping:<br /> Having a TV in the bedroom seems like a good idea, but it can be very disruptive to a good night sleep, especially if your partner likes to stay up watching bad late night talk shows or sports.</p><p>2.    Hide your clock:<br /> Out of sight, is out of mind, and not knowing what time it is, is much better than knowing you having been tossing and turning for four hours, and only have two hours left before you have to get up for work, and you have that big presentation in the morning, and you don’t think your ready…</p><p>3.    Keep the bedroom clean and peaceful:<br /> A bedroom should be a warm, comfortable and quiet place for rest and relaxation, so just turn out the lights, close the blinds and forget about those creepy, spying neighbors.</p><p>4.    No napping:<br /> Though napping can feel great at the time, ultimately it will put a serious wrench in your nighttime sleeping pattern, and you’ll stay awake all night thinking about how great your sleep was earlier in the day.</p><p>5.    Keep your sleeping patterns regular:<br /> Try and stay within an hour of your waking and sleeping time every day. This will keep your body in a routine, and bodies love routine. Well, except for routine colonoscopy’s…</p><p>6.    Try some bedroom rituals:<br /> Try new bedroom routines like reading a book or writing in a journal before you hit the sack, it’ll let your mind wind down, while your body starts its own wind down.</p><p>7.    Limit caffeine and alcohol:<br /> If you think this one is bad, then the next tip will kill you.</p><p>8.    Avoid smoking:<br /> Nicotine is a serious stimulant, but any smoker can tell you that, that’s the damn appeal in the first place.</p><p>9.    Go to sleep when you are sleepy:<br /> This may seem obvious, but how many times have you found yourself nodding off on the couch watching a horrible movie, resisting the urge to go to bed, and then when you finally do, you’re not tired anymore because you just caught up on two hours of glorious sleep?</p><p>10.    Avoid “over-the-counter” sleep aids:<br /> Sleep aids are very conducive to addiction, and are dangerous is so many different ways.</p><p>There’s no better remedy for insomnia, then a good nights sleep. Ironic isn’t it?  Let&#8217;s hear what you have to say in the comments.</p><strong>Tags: </strong><a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/sleep/" title="sleep" rel="tag">sleep</a><br /><div style="display:block"><small><em>by Elliott Roberts <a href="http://goodplum.com/10-tips-for-a-better-nights-sleep/#comments">Leave A Comment</a><br />&copy;2010 <a href="http://goodplum.com">Good Plum</a>. All Rights Reserved.</em></small></div>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://goodplum.com/10-tips-for-a-better-nights-sleep/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Music as an Emotional Release</title><link>http://goodplum.com/music-as-an-emotional-release/</link> <comments>http://goodplum.com/music-as-an-emotional-release/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2008 13:39:16 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Elliott Roberts</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Health & Sleep]]></category> <category><![CDATA[News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[emotional release]]></category> <category><![CDATA[music]]></category> <category><![CDATA[stress]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://becomng.com/?p=77</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p></p><p><div id="attachment_212" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 200px;  border: 1px solid #dddddd; background-color: #f3f3f3; padding-top: 4px; margin: 10px; text-align:center; float: left;"> <img class="size-full wp-image-212" title="Music [Post]" src="http://static.goodplum.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/music-post.jpg" alt="An Emotional Release" width="200" height="200" /><p style=' padding: 0 4px 5px; margin: 0;'  class="wp-caption-text">An Emotional Release</p></div>How come so many messed up rock stars and musicians become so successful?  The reason: They have learned to channel their emotions and suffering into their music and their art. And if there is something we as humans understand, and can relate to, it’s suffering. Plus, many of today’s artists have an unlimited supply of angst, childhood trauma to draw from and of course addictions.</p><p>Music for so many individuals has become a release for pent up emotions, by helping get issues off their minds.  Learning to channel your emotions into a positive way can become the greatest way to ease your troubled mind.</p><p>Tips for using music as an emotional release:<span id="more-142"></span></p><p><strong>1.	See a concert:</strong><br /> Seeing music live is the ultimate rush. It can take you from a terrible mood, into a more relaxed state of being almost instantly.<br /> <strong>2.	Write a happy tune:</strong><br /> Sometimes the easiest way to get yourself out of a funk, can be to write a song that is light hearted and poppy. The effort of getting yourself into the mindset that it takes to write a track like that can quickly pull you out of you any emotional cesspool.<br /> <strong>3.	Write a sad song:</strong><br /> Having issues with love and rejection? Stop dwelling on your sadness and bottling up inside, write down how your feeling and turn it into a song that everyone can relate to. We’ve all been hurt before, but people like to know that we are not alone in this and that someone else understands what they are going through.<br /> <strong>4.	Release the anger:</strong><br /> A lot of people relate releasing anger with punk and heavy metal. Yes, these genres are mainly built on those principles, but a song doesn’t have to be aggressive to release anger. Think of the song ‘These Boots Are Made For Walking’. Nothing aggressive about that song, but the release in writing those words most have been intense.<br /> <strong>5. Write a love song:</strong><br /> Are you torn with love sickness? Don’t cut off your ear! Write a song about the person who has put you in this emotional state and how they make you feel inside. Pour your emotions out onto the page and feel the lightening of your emotional baggage.</p><p>Music is the ultimate emotional release, and you don’t have to be a great musician experience it.  Next time you are feeling blue, angry or sad, pick up the pen, or a guitar, and just let the words flow out of you. Just watch as your turmoil quickly turns to a feeling of accomplishment at having created something beautiful from your suffering.</p><strong>Tags: </strong><a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/emotional-release/" title="emotional release" rel="tag">emotional release</a>, <a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/music/" title="music" rel="tag">music</a>, <a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/stress/" title="stress" rel="tag">stress</a><br /><div style="display:block"><small><em>by Elliott Roberts <a href="http://goodplum.com/music-as-an-emotional-release/#comments">Leave A Comment</a><br />&copy;2010 <a href="http://goodplum.com">Good Plum</a>. All Rights Reserved.</em></small></div>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://goodplum.com/music-as-an-emotional-release/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> <media:thumbnail url="http://static.goodplum.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/music-post-50x50.jpg" /> <media:content url="http://goodplum.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/music-post.jpg" medium="image"> <media:title type="html">Music [Post]</media:title> <media:description type="html">An Emotional Release</media:description> <media:thumbnail url="http://goodplum.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/music-post-50x50.jpg" /> </media:content> </item> <item><title>5 Minutes Daily for Stress Management</title><link>http://goodplum.com/5-minutes-daily-for-stress-management/</link> <comments>http://goodplum.com/5-minutes-daily-for-stress-management/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2008 11:30:57 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Scott Reynolds</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Health & Sleep]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Time Management]]></category> <category><![CDATA[stress]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://becomng.com/?p=76</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p></p><p>I have a million favorite expressions when it comes to being stressed out, but I wouldn&#8217;t bother naming all of them. When it comes down to it, I think it comes down to how we work &#8211; or even relax for, that matter &#8211; that triggers stress. Ever been stressed even when you&#8217;re well relaxed and bored? I know I have.</p><p>Since errors are unavoidable in life, it is important to find ways to decrease and prevent stressful incidents and decrease negative reactions to stress. Here are some of the things that can be done simply &#8211; since life is basically a routine to follow like brushing your teeth or eating breakfast. You can do a few of them in a longer span of time, but as they say&#8211; every minute counts.<br /> <span id="more-141"></span><br /> <strong> Managing time</strong></p><p>Time management skills can allow you more time with your family and friends and possibly increase your performance and productivity. This will help reduce your stress.</p><p>To improve your time management:</p><p>- Save time by focusing and concentrating, delegating, and scheduling time for yourself.<br /> - Keep a record of how you spend your time, including work, family, and leisure time.<br /> - Prioritize your time by rating tasks by importance and urgency. Redirect your time to those activities that are important and meaningful to you.<br /> - Manage your commitments by not over- or undercommitting. Don&#8217;t commit to what is not important to you.<br /> - Deal with procrastination by using a day planner, breaking large projects into smaller ones, and setting short-term deadlines.<br /> - Examine your beliefs to reduce conflict between what you believe and what your life is like.<br /> Build healthy coping strategies</p><p>It is important that you identify your coping strategies. One way to do this is by recording the stressful event, your reaction, and how you cope in a stress journal. With this information, you can work to change unhealthy coping strategies into healthy ones-those that help you focus on the positive and what you can change or control in your life.</p><p><strong>Lifestyle</strong></p><p>Some behaviors and lifestyle choices affect your stress level. They may not cause stress directly, but they can interfere with the ways your body seeks relief from stress. Try to:</p><p>- Balance personal, work, and family needs and obligations.<br /> - Have a sense of purpose in life.<br /> - Get enough sleep, since your body recovers from the stresses of the day while you are sleeping.<br /> - Eat a balanced diet for a nutritional defense against stress.<br /> - Get moderate exercise throughout the week.<br /> - Limit your consumption of alcohol.<br /> - Don&#8217;t smoke.</p><p><strong>Social support</strong></p><p>Social support is a major factor in how we experience stress. Social support is the positive support you receive from family, friends, and the community. It is the knowledge that you are cared for, loved, esteemed, and valued. More and more research indicates a strong relationship between social support and better mental and physical health.</p><p><strong>Changing thinking</strong></p><p>When an event triggers negative thoughts, you may experience fear, insecurity, anxiety, depression, rage, guilt, and a sense of worthlessness or powerlessness. These emotions trigger the body&#8217;s stress, just as an actual threat does. Dealing with your negative thoughts and how you see things can help reduce stress.</p><p>- Thought-stopping helps you stop a negative thought to help eliminate stress.<br /> - Disproving irrational thoughts helps you to avoid exaggerating the negative thought, anticipating the worst, and interpreting an event incorrectly.<br /> - Problem solving helps you identify all aspects of a stressful event and find ways to deal with it.<br /> - Changing your communication style helps you communicate in a way that makes your views known without making others feel put down, hostile, or intimidated. This reduces the stress that comes from poor communication. Use the assertiveness ladder to improve your communication style.</p><p>Even writers like me can get stressed even though we&#8217;re just using our hands to do the talking, but having to sit for 7 or 8 hours is already stressful enough and have our own way to relieve stress. Whether you&#8217;re the mail guy, the CEO, or probably the average working parent, stress is one unwanted visitor you would love to boot out of your homes, especially your life.</p><strong>Tags: </strong><a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/stress/" title="stress" rel="tag">stress</a>, <a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/time-management/" title="Time Management" rel="tag">Time Management</a><br /><div style="display:block"><small><em>by Scott Reynolds <a href="http://goodplum.com/5-minutes-daily-for-stress-management/#comments">Leave A Comment</a><br />&copy;2010 <a href="http://goodplum.com">Good Plum</a>. All Rights Reserved.</em></small></div>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://goodplum.com/5-minutes-daily-for-stress-management/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Building Self Esteem &#8211; A Starter Guide To Self Improvement</title><link>http://goodplum.com/building-self-esteem-a-starter-guide-to-self-improvement/</link> <comments>http://goodplum.com/building-self-esteem-a-starter-guide-to-self-improvement/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:44:28 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Erin McKellar</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Health & Sleep]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Personal Development]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category> <category><![CDATA[positivity]]></category> <category><![CDATA[self-esteem]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://becomng.com/?p=64</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p></p><p>So how do you stay calm, composed and maintain self esteem in a tough environment? Here are some tips you may to consider as a starter guide to self improvement.</p><p>Imagine yourself as a Dart Board. Everything and everyone else around you may become Dart Pins, at one point or another. These dart pins will destroy your self esteem and pull you down in ways you won’t even remember. Don’t let them destroy you, or get the best of you.  So which dart pins should you avoid?</p><p><strong>Dart Pin #1 : Negative Work Environment</strong><br /> Beware of “dog eat dog” theory where everyone else is fighting just to get ahead. This is where non-appreciative people usually thrive. No one will appreciate your contributions even if you miss lunch and dinner, and stay up late. Most of the time you get to work too much without getting help from people concerned.  Stay out of this, it will ruin your self esteem. Competition is at stake anywhere. Be healthy enough to compete, but in a healthy competition that is. <span id="more-132"></span></p><p><strong>Dart Pin #2: Other People’s Behavior</strong><br /> Bulldozers, brown nosers, gossipmongers, whiners, backstabbers, snipers, people walking wounded, controllers, naggers, complainers, exploders, patronizers, sluffers… all these kinds of people will pose bad vibes for your self esteem, as well as to your self improvement scheme.</p><p><strong>Dart Pin #3: Changing Environment</strong><br /> You can’t be a green bug on a brown field. Changes challenge our paradigms. It tests our flexibility, adaptability and alters the way we think. Changes will make life difficult for awhile, it may cause stress but it will help us find ways to improve our selves. Change will be there forever, we must be susceptible to it.</p><p><strong>Dart Pin #4: Past Experience</strong><br /> It’s okay to cry and say “ouch!” when we experience pain. But don’t let pain transform itself into fear. It might grab you by the tail and swing you around. Treat each failure and mistake as a lesson.</p><p><strong>Dart Pin #5: Negative World View</strong><br /> Look at what you’re looking at. Don’t wrap yourself up with all the negativities of the world. In building self esteem, we must learn how to make the best out of worst situations.</p><p><strong>Dart Pin #6: Determination Theory</strong><br /> The way you are and your behavioral traits is said to be a mixed end product of your inherited traits (genetics), your upbringing (psychic), and your environmental surroundings such as your spouse, the company, the economy or your circle of friends. You have your own identity. If your father is a failure, it doesn’t mean you have to be a failure too. Learn from other people’s experience, so you’ll never have to encounter the same mistakes.</p><p>Sometimes, you may want to wonder if some people are born leaders or positive thinkers. NO. Being positive, and staying positive is a choice. Building self esteem and drawing lines for self improvement is a choice, not a rule or a talent. God wouldn’t come down from heaven and tell you – “George, you may now have the permission to build self esteem and improve your self.”</p><p>In life, its hard to stay tough specially when things and people around you keep pulling you down. When we get to the battle field, we should choose the right luggage to bring and armors to use, and pick those that are bullet proof. Life’s options give us arrays of more options. Along the battle, we will get hit and bruised. And wearing a bullet proof armor ideally means ‘self change’. The kind of change which comes from within. Voluntarily. Armor or Self Change  changes 3 things: our attitude, our behavior and our way of thinking.</p><p>Building self esteem will eventually lead to self improvement if we start to become responsible for who we are, what we have and what we do. Its like a flame that should gradually spread like a brush fire from inside and out. When we develop self esteem, we take control of our mission, values and discipline.  Self esteem brings about self improvement, true assessment, and determination. So how do you start putting up the building blocks of self esteem? Be positive. Be contented and happy. Be appreciative. Never miss an opportunity to compliment. A positive way of living will help you build self esteem, your starter guide to self improvement.</p><strong>Tags: </strong><a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/positivity/" title="positivity" rel="tag">positivity</a>, <a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/self-esteem/" title="self-esteem" rel="tag">self-esteem</a><br /><div style="display:block"><small><em>by Erin McKellar <a href="http://goodplum.com/building-self-esteem-a-starter-guide-to-self-improvement/#comments">Leave A Comment</a><br />&copy;2010 <a href="http://goodplum.com">Good Plum</a>. All Rights Reserved.</em></small></div>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://goodplum.com/building-self-esteem-a-starter-guide-to-self-improvement/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>How To Be Genuinely Happy</title><link>http://goodplum.com/how-to-be-genuinely-happy/</link> <comments>http://goodplum.com/how-to-be-genuinely-happy/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:42:33 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Scott Reynolds</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Health & Sleep]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Personal Development]]></category> <category><![CDATA[happiness]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://becomng.com/?p=63</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p></p><p>Genuine Happiness Comes from Within</p><p>Life isn’t the sweetest candy. Sometimes, when I feel like the world is just too heavy, I look around and find people who continued to live fascinating and wonderful lives. And then thoughts come popping into my mind like bubbles from nowhere – “How did their life become so adorably sweet? How come they still can manage to laugh and play around despite a busy stressful life?”  Then I pause and observed for awhile… I figured out that maybe, they start to work on a place called ‘self’.</p><p>So, how does one become genuinely happy? Step 1 is to love yourself.</p><p>My theology professor once said that “loving means accepting.”  To love oneself means to accept that you are not a perfect being, but behind the imperfections must lie a great ounce of courage to be able to discover ways on how to improve your repertoire to recover from our mistakes.</p><p>Genuine happiness also pertains to contentment. When you are contented with the job you have, the way you look, with your family, your friends, the place you live in, your car, and all the things you now have – truly, you know the answer to the question “how to be genuinely happy.”<br /> <span id="more-131"></span><br /> When we discover a small start somewhere from within, that small start will eventually lead to something else, and to something else. But if you keep questioning life lit it has never done you any good, you will never be able to find genuine happiness.</p><p>I believe that life is about finding out about right and wrong, trying and failing, wining and losing. These are things that happen as often as you inhale and exhale. Failure, in a person’s life has become as abundant and necessary as air. But this should not hinder us from becoming happy.</p><p>How to be genuinely happy in spite all these? I tell you… every time you exert effort to improve the quality of life and your being, whether it is cleaning up your room, helping a friend, taking care of your sick dog, fail on board exams and trying again, life gives you equivalent points for that.</p><p>Imagine life as a big score board like those which are used in the NFLs. Every time you take a step forward, you make scoring points. Wouldn’t it be nice to look at that board at the end of each game and think to yourself “Whew! I got a point today. I’m glad I gave it a shot.”, instead of looking at it all blank and murmur “Geez, I didn’t even hit a score today. I wish I had the guts to try out. We could have won!” and then walk away.</p><p>Genuine happiness isn’t about driving the hottest Formula 1 car, nor getting the employee of the year award, earning the highest 13th month pay, or beating the sales quota. Sometimes, the most sought after prizes in life doesn’t always go to the fastest, the strongest, the bravest or not even the best. So, how do you become genuinely happy?  Every one has his own definition of ‘happiness’. Happiness for a writer may mean launching as much best selling books as possible. Happiness for a basketball rookie may mean getting the rookie of the year award. Happiness for a beggar may mean a lot of money. Happiness for a business man may mean success. So, really now, how do we become genuinely happy? Simple. You don’t have to have the best things in this world. Its about doing and making the best out of every single thing. When you find yourself smiling at your own mistake and telling your self “Oh, I’ll do better next time”, you carry with you a flame of strong will power to persevere that may spread out like a brush fire. You possess a willingness to stand up again and try – that will make you a genuinely happy person.</p><p>When you learn to accept yourself and your own faults. You pass step 1 in the project “how to become genuinely happy”.For as long as you know how to accept others, you will also be accepted. For as long as you love and know how to love, you will receive love ten folds back.</p><p>Again, throw me that same question “how to become genuinely happy?”. I’ll refer you to a friend of mine who strongly quoted- “Most of us know that laughter is the best medicine to life’s aches and pain. But most of us don’t know that the best kind of laughter is laughter over self. Coz then you don’t just become happy… you become free.”</p><strong>Tags: </strong><a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/happiness/" title="happiness" rel="tag">happiness</a><br /><div style="display:block"><small><em>by Scott Reynolds <a href="http://goodplum.com/how-to-be-genuinely-happy/#comments">Leave A Comment</a><br />&copy;2010 <a href="http://goodplum.com">Good Plum</a>. All Rights Reserved.</em></small></div>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://goodplum.com/how-to-be-genuinely-happy/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Harness Your Attraction Power</title><link>http://goodplum.com/harness-your-attraction-power/</link> <comments>http://goodplum.com/harness-your-attraction-power/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:11:39 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Erin McKellar</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Health & Sleep]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category> <category><![CDATA[attraction]]></category> <category><![CDATA[pheromones]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sex]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sexuality]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://becomng.com/?p=62</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p></p><p>Does a Law on Human Attraction Exist?</p><p>“Opposites attract” is a law of attraction, at least where electromagnetism is concerned. But are there laws about attraction between two people? “In a world that is full of strangers” as a line in a famous song of the 1980’s goes, is there a clear set of rules that allows two people to fall for each other?</p><p>Is attraction a matter of chemistry?</p><p>Maybe. According to scientists, the attraction between animals of the opposite sex is all about chemicals called pheromones. The effect of pheromones in behavior of insects is the most studied to date. It has been observed, at least in some experiments, that pheromones are responsible for communication among same species and colony of ants. The horrible odor released by skunks to ward off enemies is said to be a kind of pheromone. Some species of apes rub pheromone-containing urine on the feet of potential mates to attract them. Some scientists believe that animals (usually the females) such as insects and mammals send out these chemical signals to tell the male of their species that their genes are different from theirs. This gene diversity is important in producing offspring with better chances of survival. <span id="more-129"></span>The perfume industry has capitalized on pheromones as a means to increase one’s sexual attractiveness to the opposite sex. Animals such as the whale and the musk deer were hunted down for these chemicals.</p><p>Lately, scientists are looking into the existence of human pheromones and its role in mate selection. There are many conflicting views in the realm of biology, chemistry, genetics, and psychology. Most scientists would assert that these do not exist, or if they do, do not play a role in sexual attraction between a man and a woman. But new researches such as that conducted by Swiss researchers from the University of Bern led by Klaus Wedekind are slowly making these scientists rethink their stand. Their experiment involved women sniffing the cotton shirts of different men during their ovulation period. It was found out that women prefer the smell of men’s shirts that were genetically different, but also shared similarities with the women’s genes. This, like in the case of insects and other mammals, was to ensure better and healthier characteristics for their future children. But researchers also cautioned that preference for a male odor is affected by the women’s ovulation period, the food that men eat, perfumes and other scented body products, and the use of contraceptive pills.</p><p>Does personality figure in sexual attraction?</p><p>Yes, but so does your perception of a potential mate’s personality. According to a research conducted by Klohnen, E.C., &amp; S. Luo in 2003 on interpersonal attraction and personality, a person’s sense of self-security and at least the person’s perception of his/her partner were found to be strong determinants of attraction in hypothetical situations. What does this tell us? We prefer a certain personality type, which attracts you to a person. But aside from the actual personality of the person, which can only be verified through close interaction through time, it is your perception of your potential partner that attracts you to him/her, whether the person of your affection truly has that kind of personality or not. This could probably account for a statement commonly heard from men and women on their failed relationships: “I thought he/she was this kind of person.”</p><p>So how does attraction figure in relationships?</p><p>You have probably heard that attraction is a prelude, or a factor towards a relationship. Most probably, at least in the beginning; but attraction alone cannot make a relationship work. It is that attraction that makes you notice a person from the opposite sex, but once you get to know the person more, attraction is just one consideration. Shared values, dreams, and passions become more significant in long-term relationships.</p><p>So should I stop trying to become attractive?</p><p>More than trying to become physically attractive, work on all aspects of your health: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Physical attraction is still a precursor. Remember, biology predisposes us to choose the partner with the healthiest genes. Where your emotions are concerned, just ask this to yourself: would you want to spend time with a person who feels insecure about him/herself? Probably not! There is wisdom in knowing yourself: who you are, your beliefs, values, and dreams. And do not pretend to be someone you are not. Fooling another person by making him/her think that you share the same values and beliefs is only going to cause you both disappointments. When you are healthy in all aspects, attractiveness becomes a consequence and not an end. As mentioned in the Klohnen and Luo’s research, a person’s sense of self-security matters, perhaps even beyond attraction. But remember: do these things for yourself and not for other people. Only then can you truly harness your attractiveness as a person.</p><strong>Tags: </strong><a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/attraction/" title="attraction" rel="tag">attraction</a>, <a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/pheromones/" title="pheromones" rel="tag">pheromones</a>, <a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/sex/" title="sex" rel="tag">sex</a>, <a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/sexuality/" title="sexuality" rel="tag">sexuality</a><br /><div style="display:block"><small><em>by Erin McKellar <a href="http://goodplum.com/harness-your-attraction-power/#comments">Leave A Comment</a><br />&copy;2010 <a href="http://goodplum.com">Good Plum</a>. All Rights Reserved.</em></small></div>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://goodplum.com/harness-your-attraction-power/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Developing Your Intuition</title><link>http://goodplum.com/developing-your-intuition/</link> <comments>http://goodplum.com/developing-your-intuition/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:45:00 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Scott Reynolds</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Health & Sleep]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Personal Development]]></category> <category><![CDATA[clairvoyance]]></category> <category><![CDATA[hypnosis]]></category> <category><![CDATA[intuition]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://becomng.com/?p=57</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p></p><p>Have you had that experience when all of a sudden you just had this huge hunch that something is about to happen, and to your surprise, that intuition was eventually translated to reality?</p><p>When you feel strongly about something without logical basis to it, that&#8217;s called intuition. It comes in three impressions: clairvoyance or &#8220;the third eye&#8221;, sensing clearly and feeling through listening.</p><p>Clairvoyance is when your eye goes beyond what it can see. This is when you know what is happening somewhere.</p><p>Sensing clearly is basically what we refer to as &#8220;hunch&#8221; or &#8220;gut feel.&#8221; This is the time when you are overwhelmed with a feeling and you can&#8217;t explain it and all you can say is &#8220;I just know.&#8221;</p><p>On the other hand, feeling through listening or clairaudience is being able to &#8220;listen&#8221; between the lines. Intuition also happens at times when a certain sound, whatever it is &#8211; be it a car&#8217;s honk or a bird&#8217;s twitting &#8211; ushers in an intense feeling.</p><p>They say only a number of people are gifted with intuition. Astrologers even insist that people born under the Scorpio or Pisces signs are naturally intuitive it almost borders on E.S.P. But studies have been sprouting left and right that proclaim that anyone can develop intuition.<span id="more-125"></span></p><p>Why the need to develop intuition, you ask? Why not let your emotional and psychological state as it is? First and foremost, intuition promotes good communication. It makes you more sensitive to the people around you; it often keeps you from hurting those you love because you are intuitive enough to understand them. Intuition also makes you far more creative than ever. Intuition means releasing more creative juices for any means of expression. Lastly, intuition has a healing power. This healing power is not in the physical sense, but in delving deep into your soul to eradicate some negative energy buried in it.</p><p>With that being said, are you ready to develop your intuition? Here are some ways to unlock this gift:<br /> <strong><br /> 1. Hypnosis</strong></p><p>Oh yes, get yourself hypnotized. Hypnosis is not limited to watching a pendulum move back and forth. Perform self-hypnosis or you can avail of hypnotic programs that can strengthen your intuition.</p><p><strong>2. Meditation</strong></p><p>Meditating means finding peace in yourself. If your mind and heart are cluttered with too many baggage and hurt,  you wouldn&#8217;t be able to quiet down that part of you that could eventually initiate intuition. There are so many ways to meditate: take a yoga class, or just simply practice some breathing that could bring you straight to Zen.</p><p><strong>3. Think positive!</strong></p><p>A worry-free, fear-free state could do so much to improve your intuitive ability. By staying positive, you attract good energy that would be able to easily recognize imminent feelings and events.</p><p><strong>4.  Just let go.</strong></p><p>What does this mean? If you are on the brink of making a huge decision, let go of all the inhibitions and head to a quiet place where you could find out where the letting go has brought you. Sometimes you just have to listen to the voice within you, and that voice wouldn&#8217;t come out unless you let go.</p><p><strong>5. Never expect.</strong></p><p>After letting go of the inhibitions and all those things that stop you from thinking and feeling clearly, never expect for an answer right away. Never expect that the &#8220;hunch&#8221; would fall on your lap immediately. Give it a little time then you&#8217;d just get surprised that &#8212; wham! &#8212; now you have your answer.</p><p><strong>6. Believe in your first impressions.</strong></p><p>When you see someone for the first time and think that he is a bit too arrogant for your taste, chances are that impression actually holds true. Most of the time, first impressions are brought by intuition.</p><p><strong>7. Stay happy!</strong></p><p>See? All you need to be intuitive is to stay happy! Happiness attracts immense power and such power includes intuition. In tapping your intuition, your motivation must be happiness and contentment. Given that premise, intuition will fall to you easily.</p><p>Intuition is helpful, because sometimes it leads you to something that cannot be achieved otherwise. A lot of lives have been saved by intuition alone. Decisions are easier done if armed by this gift. Develop intuition now and reap benefits you have never imagined.</p><strong>Tags: </strong><a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/clairvoyance/" title="clairvoyance" rel="tag">clairvoyance</a>, <a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/hypnosis/" title="hypnosis" rel="tag">hypnosis</a>, <a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/intuition/" title="intuition" rel="tag">intuition</a><br /><div style="display:block"><small><em>by Scott Reynolds <a href="http://goodplum.com/developing-your-intuition/#comments">Leave A Comment</a><br />&copy;2010 <a href="http://goodplum.com">Good Plum</a>. All Rights Reserved.</em></small></div>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://goodplum.com/developing-your-intuition/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Learn to Accept Your Energy Cycle</title><link>http://goodplum.com/learn-to-accept-your-energy-cycle/</link> <comments>http://goodplum.com/learn-to-accept-your-energy-cycle/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 12 Mar 2008 02:29:26 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Guest Author</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Health & Sleep]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category> <category><![CDATA[energy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sleep]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://becomng.com/2008/03/11/learn-to-accept-your-energy-cycle/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p></p><p>Are you an owl who flies at night, or a lark who sings at dawn?</p><p>Some people are night owls. Some people are morning larks. When you know which type you are, you can use that information to improve your energy cycle and to work more effectively with others.</p><p>If you&#8217;re a night owl, you take about two hours to really wake up, and you tend to run on autopilot until then. Sunlight, exercise, protein and showers will help you to wake up faster, so get them into your morning routine if you can. In the mean time, plan your mornings before you go to bed. Finish tasks the day before they&#8217;re due. Lay your clothes out the night before an important meeting. Have a protein rich breakfast ready for yourself when you wake up, or else you won&#8217;t eat before noon. Night owls start to fly as the day progresses, so you should set aside your evenings and afternoons to do any important work. After all, that&#8217;s when you&#8217;re at your most creative and energetic. But you should also be watchful of the late nights. Owls take a couple of hours to wake up, and they take a couple of hours to <span id="more-105"></span>wind down. More than anything, owls need a bedtime ritual, or they will be flying all night.</p><p>If you&#8217;re a lark, you need no bedtime because your eyes begin to close as soon as the sun goes down. They also pop open instantly at dawn, sometimes as early as four in the morning-a concept that amazes most owls. Mornings are a lark&#8217;s golden and most productive hours. The typical lark will already have worked several hours before the average owl hits his snooze alarm. But larks are tired and ready for a nap at noon, just as the owls are waking up. If you&#8217;re a lark, plan your day accordingly and take a catnap in the afternoon to pull yourself through the slump. If you don&#8217;t have time for a nap, try sitting in the sun for fifteen minutes; you&#8217;ll feel an energy boost. Also avoiding eating carbohydrates for lunch. Carbohydrates make you want to sleep, while protein gives you energy.</p><p>In dealing with people who are your opposite, you should be aware that when you are feeling clear, excited and energetic, they are probably feeling tired, cranky and befuddled. So be patient and try to meet each other in the middle. Basically, we each have our own individual styles. We need to understand and honor our styles, because fighting what we are is a lot like swimming up stream. Too much effort, for too little progress&#8230;</p><p>From A River Worth Riding: Fourteen Rules for Navigating Life, by Lynn Marie Sager copyright 2005</p><p>You can find more about this topic on Navigating Life&#8217;s website. Simply go to <a href="http://www.navigatinglife.org">http://www.navigatinglife.org</a>, and visit the Galley for links to our full articles.</p><p>Lynn Marie Sager has toured over two-dozen countries and worked on three continents. Author of A River Worth Riding: Fourteen Rules for Navigating Life, Lynn currently lives in California; where she fills her time with private coaching, public speaking, and teaching for the LACCD and Pierce College. She runs the Navigating Life website, where she offers free assistance to readers who wish to incorporate the rules of worthwhile living into their lives. To read more about how you can use these rules to improve your life, visit Lynn&#8217;s website at <a href="http://www.navigatinglife.org">http://www.navigatinglife.org</a></p><p>Article Source: <a href="http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lynn_Marie_Sager">http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lynn_Marie_Sager</a></p><strong>Tags: </strong><a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/energy/" title="energy" rel="tag">energy</a>, <a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/productivity/" title="Productivity" rel="tag">Productivity</a>, <a href="http://goodplum.com/tag/sleep/" title="sleep" rel="tag">sleep</a><br /><div style="display:block"><small><em>by Guest Author <a href="http://goodplum.com/learn-to-accept-your-energy-cycle/#comments">Leave A Comment</a><br />&copy;2010 <a href="http://goodplum.com">Good Plum</a>. All Rights Reserved.</em></small></div>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://goodplum.com/learn-to-accept-your-energy-cycle/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss>
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