Jalapeño Popper Dip

 Jalapeño Popper Dip

 Ingredients

 1 4 oz can diced jalapenos, well drained OR 4-6 fresh jalapenos, roasted and diced (include seeds if you      like it really spicy)
 1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
 1 cup sour cream
 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
 3/4 cup + 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
 4 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
 1 tablespoon dried parsley
 Instructions

 In a mixer or by hand, combine cream cheese and sour cream.
 Add cheddar cheese, 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, and diced jalapenos, mix well.
 Spoon into 8x8 baking dish, spreading evenly.
 Blend bread crumbs, melted butter, 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, and dried parsley, using a fork or your fingers, until crumbly.
 Sprinkle the buttery crumb topping evenly over the cream cheese mixture.
 Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until hot and breadcrumbs are golden brown. Do not overcook.
 Serve with bread or crackers...

Grow Roses

This is crazy crazy !! Never waste cut roses

Did you know that you can grow roses from cuttings?

Simply cut healthy stems, place them in large potatoes, and them bury them 3-4 inches deep in a healthy soil mixture of peat moss and top soil. The potatoes keep the stems moist and help develop the root systems. It's a perfectly simple way to multiply your rose garden without spending lots of $$$. It also works with many other types of plants.

Cheeseburger in Paradise

Cheeseburger in Paradise by Jimmy Buffett
Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef
1 large onion (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon of seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
a dash or worcester sauce
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (I used 3/4 cheddar and 1/4 mozzarella)
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of Original Bisquick mix
2 eggs
Directions:

Heat oven to 400°F.
Spray a 9 inch pie plate with non-stick cooking spray
Cook beef and chopped onion in a skillet over medium about 10 minutes or until beef is brown. Drain excess fat.
Stir in salt, garlic powder and worcester sauce and then spread in pie plate
Next, sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of the beef
In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and Bisquick. Make sure you try to get as many lumps out as you can. Pour over meat mixture.
Bake in oven for 25 minutes or until a knife comes out cleanBake in oven for 25 minutescheeseburger pie
Serves 4-5 people

7 Pieces of Offbeat Advice I Wish I Knew Sooner

POST WRITTEN BY: MARC CHERNOFF

7 Pieces of Offbeat Advice I Wish I Knew Sooner

This morning I was writing a blog entry at a local coffee shop here in Austin when a young man approached me.  “You’re Marc, right?” he asked.

I looked up at him.  He had bright blue eyes and a big smile, but nothing that rang a bell.  “I’m sorry.  Have we met?” I inquired politely.

“No,” he replied.  “But I feel like I know you.”  He held up his iPad and on the screen was Marc and Angel Hack Life.  “You look just like your photo,” he said in a cheerful tone.

I smiled, we shook hands, and then accepting my invitation, he sat down at my table.  Due to the modest success of our blog, most young twenty-something’s who randomly approach Angel and me want to know more about our blog, or about our sources of inspiration, but this young man immediately jumped to a different topic.

“So, I’m working on a college speech project entitled ‘Offbeat Advice,’” he said.  “And I thought it would be cool to cover offbeat advice successful people wish they knew sooner in life.”

I smiled again and then we chatted for about a half-hour.  I answered his questions as best as I could, and tried to give decent advice in the short time we spent together.  But on the walk home I realized our conversation really intrigued me and had me thinking, “What other pieces of offbeat advice do I wish I knew sooner?”

So I sat back down when I got home, I powered on my laptop and opened the word processor I use for blogging.  After gazing at the blank white screen for several minutes, I placed my fingers on the keyboard and titled the page, “7 Pieces of Offbeat Advice I Wish I Knew Sooner.”

1.  Wisdom is not about knowing all the answers.

It’s not the answers you get from others, or even the ones you formulate, that will help you in the long run.  It’s the simple questions you ask yourself on a regular basis that will determine the type of person you become.  Wisdom is about asking the right questions.

Regardless of your age or stature, life is always filled with unanswered questions.  It is the courage to ask these questions and adventurously seek the answers that continues to give life meaning.  Have patience with everything that remains unresolved in your heart.  Try to love the unanswered questions themselves.  Do not demand all the answers; they cannot be given to you because you have to live through them.  It is a matter of experiencing everything.  Only when you do will you gradually, perhaps without even noticing it, find yourself arriving at the answers you seek.  (I discuss this process in more detail in the Goals and Success chapter of 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.)

2.  You have to do lots of things you aren’t good at to grow.

If you do what you have always done, you will get the same results you have been getting.  If you want to stunt your growth and feel stuck in the same place forever, keep making excuses.  If, on the other hand, you want to stop feeling trapped, you have to start doing things that make you uncomfortable, things you aren’t very good at.  You have to streeeetch yourself.

There is no excuse for remaining stuck.  There is no excuse for doing the same things over and over again.  Life is too short.  Ask yourself if what you’re doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.

The day is rapidly approaching when the risk to remain perched in your nest is far more detrimental than the risk it takes to fly.  Fly!  Spread your wings.  Start now.  What a disgrace it would be for you to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of your full potential.

3.  Everything you own has an emotional cost of ownership.

No matter what you own there is a maintenance cost.  We can speak in dollars – insurance, taxes and interest.  Or even in time – cleaning, updating and protecting.  But the hardest maintenance cost for most people is simply sentimental value.

We transfer our feelings and memories onto an object and decide we can’t let go because we’ll risk losing the feeling or memory.  Before long, we become surrounded by these visual reminders of our memories and no longer have room to make new ones.  It’s hard to move forward in your life when your past is crowding your present.

The answer, of course, is to get rid of some of this stuff.  But that’s way easier said than done.  We often need to be compelled to do this with a move or a lifestyle change.  Imagine how much richer life would be if you moved the junk out and made room for new opportunities instead of grudgingly making room only when it was forced upon you.  (Read The Joy of Less.)

4.  Flaws are beautiful and likeable.

Nothing is perfect; the world itself is not perfect.  But we’re all here living for our dreams and each other, trying the very best we can.  And that’s what makes us so darn beautiful.  The little things about you that you think are your flaws are often the reasons others fall in love with you.

Accept your flaws.  Admit your mistakes.  Don’t hide and don’t lie.  Deal with the truth, learn the lessons, endure the consequences of reality, and move on.  Your truth won’t penalize you.  The mistakes won’t hurt you.  The denial and cover-up will.  Flawed and vulnerable people are beautiful and likable.  Liars and phonies are not.  Every beautiful human being is made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions and finished with unique edges.

5.  The things you do for fun can pay the bills if you do them right.

Work, if it is interesting, is a stimulant.  It’s worry and a lack of interest in what you’re doing that drains and discourages you.  Every one of us should have our hobbies and side interests – as many as we can handle efficiently and happily.  Our interests should never be allowed to lag or get cold so that all enthusiasm and passion is wasted.  Each day can be a success if you feed your interests as graciously as they feed you.

Happiness is found where interests and capabilities intersect.  If you do what you love and then master it so you can do it much better than anyone else you know, it is entirely possible to make a living from it.  Even better, you will not get tired out from working when your work interests you.  The key is to find the point at which what you love, what you’re good at, and what people will pay for, intersect.

6.  Some of the most unpleasant people just need a little love.

Provide support when it makes sense, even when people are cold and unfriendly.  Some people are rude and complain as a way of crying for help.  They may not be conscious of it though, so their comments come across as attacks rather than requests.

Show a little love and concern.  Do something nice for them.  Just a simple “Are you okay?” or “Is there anything I can do to help you?” can do wonders in certain situations.  Resist the urge to judge or assume.  It’s hard to offer compassion when you assume you have them figured out.  Let them know they are not alone.  People overcome the forces of negative emotions, like anger and hatred, when the counter-forces of love and support are in full effect.  (Read The Mastery of Love.)

7.  Sometimes the best thing you can do is nothing at all.

Sometimes you need to be alone… not to be lonely, but to enjoy some free time just breathing and being YOU.

In order to be one with your relationships and life’s work, you have to turn away from the busyness of the world for a while.  You need to find solitude to refuel.  You must become so alone that you withdraw into your innermost self.  You must do nothing at all, except to be still with the moment.

You need to ponder your successes and failures in seclusion; you need the sunshine and the moonlight to warm you without companions to distract you, without the ongoing banter, face to face with your inner core, with only the sound of your heartbeat for company.

11 Habits You Need to Give-Up to Be Happy

POST WRITTEN BY: ANGEL CHERNOFF

11 Habits You Need to Give-Up to Be Happy

by Lisa H.

Are your habits and routines sucking up your happiness?

Oftentimes we unknowingly hold on to little, obsessive habits that cause us a great deal of stress and unhappiness.  Even when we feel that something is wrong, we fail to seek the changes we need to make and instead cling to what’s not working, simply because it’s what we’re accustomed to.

It’s time to make a change.  It’s time to give up the habits that no longer serve your well-being and embrace the positive changes you need to be happy.

Today is the perfect day to give up…

Final Reminder:  We recently released the Audio Book for 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.  And we also have a limited time bundle of our eBook, audio book and bonus material on sale for a big discount.  Click here to check it out!

1.  Worrying about… everything.

Worry is the biggest happiness slayer ever.  Worry steals all of your attention and gives the illusion that you are working through a problem when you are not.  As Van Wilder said, “Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere.”

People worry for all sorts of reasons: to escape reality, fear of the unknown, resistance to change, lack of confidence, etc.

Stopping worry, like everything else takes practice; the more you do it, the better you will become at discerning when you are no longer controlling your thoughts and they are controlling you.

Tip:  To jolt yourself out of worry, ask yourself what you can do “right now” to make your life more pleasant and then do that!

2.  Constant, deliberate, people-pleasing.

Contrary to what you may think, saying “yes” to every request that is made of you is not nice.  First, it is not nice to you because it can leave you emotionally, mentally and physically drained.  And second, it is not nice to the other person, because it deceives them into thinking that you have the time, energy and otherresources available to make what they want happen, when you do not.

Generally people who carry out the duties of others at the expense of themselves have low self-esteem and high levels of unhappiness.  They need the approval of others to make themselves feel worthy.

Tip:  To combat people-pleasing behavior, learn to say “no.”  Oftentimes when you say “no” to someone else, you are really saying “yes” to YOU.

3.  Procrastinating.

Procrastination is stagnation.  There is no other way to say it.  When you procrastinate, nothing good in your life is happening.

We procrastinate for all sorts of reasons.  When we are afraid of the outcome, we are unsure how to complete the task and when we just don’t feel like taking action.

And the thing is, we spend more time aggravating ourselves with worry about how long or how difficult the task is going to be rather than just doing it.  More often than not, if you just start your task, you will be pleasantly surprised at how easily you are able to accomplish it.

Tip:  When you feel yourself getting ready to procrastinate, silently say “stop” to yourself, refocus and begin again by taking calculated action that will lead to the results you desire.  (Read Getting Things Done.)

4.  Living in the past.

The past is gone for good and yet we spend so much time thinking about what happened yesterday, at the complete expense of today.  Keeping your thoughts stuck in the past is especially detrimental to your contentment.  You are a product of your environment.  Your environment has helped to shape how you think and feel about yourself.  Everyone has been presented with life challenges along their journey – you aren’t alone.  It is whether you are stuck in the patterns of the past or have moved past them.

Tip:  If you are harboring resentment, anger, frustration or other negative feelings from your past, don’t ignore these feelings.  Do something constructive about it so that you can move into the present.

5.  Always looking past the present moment in anticipation of the next.

We spend so much time in this moment, wanting to be in the next one, that we are missing our lives.

For example, while taking a shower, you might be thinking about that cup of coffee you want to make, and while you are drinking your coffee, you might be thinking about your commute to work.  You are never consciously present right where you are and therefore cannot enjoy the moment you are in – the moment we call “life.”

Tip:  Now is the only time you have.  Now is life.  Make sure you are fully experiencing it.

6.  Judging others.

When you judge someone else, you suffer.  It is an outward display of inward inferiority and anger.  No one person is better than another.  The individual who cleans the bathroom at a fast food restaurant is no less of a person than the CEO that uses it.

Tip:  Understand that we are all part of the collective human race.  We are one.  Your joy is my joy and your suffering is my suffering.  (Read Buddha’s Brain.)

7.  Comparing your story to everyone else’s.

It is good to notice what others are doing from time to time.  After all, that is what helps us outline what we want and don’t want in our own lives.  But comparing yourself to everyone else every step of the way takes it too far.  You know when this happens – when you stop living your dreams or start living theirs.

Tip:  You are unique.  No matter how hard you try to be like someone else, you will never be them, and you shouldn’t want to be.

8.  Shame.

Shame is a deep, debilitating emotion, with complex roots.  Its cousins are guilt, humiliation, demoralization, degradation and remorse.  After experiencing a traumatic event, whether recent or in the distant past, shame can haunt victims in a powerful and often unrecognized manner.

Shame impairs the healing and recovery process causing victims of trauma to stay frozen, unable to forgive themselves for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Shame leaves victims with feelings of sadness and pain at the core of their being.  They are unable to feel the fullness of joy in their lives.

If you feel any shame at all, acknowledge it upfront.  Decide to experiment on forgiving yourself and letting go of the shame.  How long can you go without reminding yourself about the shameful thoughts and feelings?  How would life be different or better if you were able to forgive yourself?  Who can you talk to about this?

Tip:  The more you forgive yourself, the more time you have to focus your mind on happier times.

9.  Disorganization and laziness.

We complain that there are not enough hours in a day to accomplish all that we want, yet our laziness often leads us to many wasteful hours of disorganization.  The discipline it takes to sort through a messy desk, counter, closet or mind take time.  Becoming organized is a habit.  Start with something small, like your office desk or even making your bed after you get up.

Tip:  Studies have shown that people who make their beds are statistically more productive, profitable and peaceful in their lives and careers.  Interesting, isn’t it?  But not surprising.

10.  Fear of… everything.

Fear is one of the biggest reasons why we don’t move ahead in our lives.  Fear of failing and fear of succeeding.  Fear of the unknown.  Fear of fear.  As long as we are alive, we are prone to some level of fear.  Ironically, to feel alive we must overcome that fear with action.  As Bill Cosby once said, “Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it.”

Tip:  Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that your happiness and growth is more important than it.  Do something every day that stretches your comfort zone and helps you face what your fear.  (Read Daring Greatly.)

11.  The need to be busy.

Busyness is often confused with productivity.  They are two different things.  Busy is running in place on a treadmill; productivity is actually getting somewhere worthwhile.  These days technology gives us this constant feeling that there is so much to do and not enough time to do it.  We are always connected to something that wants our attention, or something that could be done.  This feeling creates stress.  The more behind you think you are, the more stressed out you are going to feel.

Stress is not good for you.  It makes it difficult to think, connect with others and it is associated with a plethora of physical ailments that lead to unhappiness.

Tip:  Stop trying to be busy.  Put first things first and give up the rest.  Organization, meditation, improved time management and efficiency and a change in perception are all ways to manage stress.  You must learn to let go.  Release the excess.  You were never able to do it all anyway.

Chocolate Lasagna

Chocolate Lasagna

INGREDIENTS

1 package regular Oreo cookies (Not Double Stuff) – about 36 cookies
6 Tablespoon butter, melted
1- 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons cold milk
1- 12 ounce tub Cool Whip, divided
2 – 3.9 ounce packages Chocolate Instant Pudding.
3 1/4 cups cold milk
1 and 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Begin by crushing 36 Oreo cookies into fine crumbs, you are done.
2. Transfer the Oreo crumbs to a large bowl. Stir in 6 tablespoons melted butter and use a fork to incorporate the butter into the cookie crumbs. When the butter is distributed, transfer the mixture to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator while you work on the additional layers.
3. Mix the cream cheese with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add in 2 Tablespoons of milk, and sugar, and mix well. Stir in 1 and 1/4 cups Cool Whip. Spread this mixture over the crust.
4. In a bowl, combine chocolate instant pudding with 3 and 1/4 cups cold milk. Whisk for several minutes until the pudding starts to thicken. Use a spatula to spread the mixture over the previous cream cheese layer. Allow the dessert to rest for about 5 minutes so that the pudding can firm up further.
5. Spread the remaining Cool Whip over the top. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips evenly over the top. Place in the freezer for 1 hour, or the refrigerator for 4 hours before serving.

Infused waters.

Infused Waters.

Here are their benefits to help with detoxification energy and hydration. put as much fruit in water as you like and let the water sit for at least 30 minutes before drinking 

(1) Green tea, mint, lime-fat burning, digestion, headaches, congestion and breath freshener. 
(2) Strawberry,kiwi-cardiovascular health, immune system protection, blood sugar regulation, digestion 
(3) Cucumber, lime, lemon- water weight management, bloating, appetite control, hydration, digestion 
(4) Lemon, lime, orange- digestion vitamin C, immune defense, heartburn, (drink this one at room temperature)

Do not keep longer than 48 hours you can put more water using the same fruit, but discard after 48 hours.

This Miracle Drink

MIRACLE DRINK ...IT KILLS CANCER CELLS TOO.....MUST READ...

This MIRACLE DRINK has been circulating for a long time long
ago.It is worth your while to take note. There is a celebrity Mr. Seto who swears by it. He wants to make it public to draw the
attention of people who have cancers. This is a drink that can protect bad cells forming in your body or it will restrain its growth! Mr. Seto had lung cancer.

He was recommended to take this drink by a famous Herbalist from China. He has taken this drink diligently for 3 months and now his health is restored,and he is ready to take a pleasure trip. Thanks to this drink! It does not hurt for you to try.

It is like a Miracle Drink! It is simple.

You need one beet root, one carrot and one apple that
combine together to make the JUICE! Wash the above, cut with the skin on into pieces and put them into the juicer and
immediately you drink the juice.

You can add some lime or lemon for more refreshing taste.
This Miracle Drink will be effective for the following ailments:

1. Prevent cancer cells to develop.It will restrain cancer cells to grow.
2. Prevent liver, kidney,pancreas disease and it can cure ulcer
as well.
3. Strengthen the lung, prevent heart attack and high blood
pressure.
4. Strengthen the immune system
5. Good for the eyesight, eliminate red and tired eyes or dry eyes
6. Help to eliminate pain from physical training, muscle ache
7. Detoxify, assist bowel movement, eliminate constipation.Therefore it will make skin healthy & LOOK more radiant.It is God sent for acne problem.
8. Improve bad breath due to indigestion, throat infection,
9.pain
10. Assist Hay Fever Sufferer from Hay Fever attack.

There is absolutely no side effect. Highly nutritious and easily
absorbed.Very effective if you need to loose weight.You will notice your immune system will be improved after 2 week routine.

Please make sure to drink immediately from the juicer for
best effect.

9 Power Quotes for Times of Struggle

POST WRITTEN BY: MARC

9 Power Quotes for Times of Struggle

There’s scarcely any happiness, passion or success without struggle.  Life is a constant climb, but the journey is rewarding and the view is great.  It’s just a matter of pushing forward when the going gets tough.

Here are nine power quotes and some additional tips to help inspire you when you need it most.

1.  Growth and Change

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”  ―Anaïs Nin

Discontent is the principal necessity of positive growth, but only if you do something constructive with it.  Without deviation from what you’ve been doing, progress is not possible.  Don’t be someone who goes through greater lengths to avoid change than you do to obtain what you desire.  You must define and embrace the necessary changes that move you forward.

Your life will begin to improve when you define precisely what ‘improve’ means to you.  The agonies and frustrations will start to ease only when you have something real and positive to replace them with.  Be specific.  Happiness is not a goal, it’s the result of a life well lived.  The question is:  How do you want to live going forward?

To effectively move away from an unfavorable situation, you must decide exactly where you wish to go.  Create a formidable intention for yourself, and feed that intention with the passion and energy that’s in your desire for change.  Go beyond your discontent for what is, and instead focus on imagining and creating the best of what’s possible.  Clearly know where you wish to go, and then take the first real step that gets you there.  Read 1,000 Little Things.

2.  Problems and Opportunities

“What is the difference between an obstacle and an opportunity?  Our attitude toward it.  Every opportunity has a difficulty, and every difficulty has an opportunity.”  ―J. Sidlow Baxter

Truth be told, you have to create more opportunities than you are handed in this world, and you have to design them with your own blood, sweat and tears.  The effort, however, is well worth it.

There’s no shortage of problems waiting to be addressed.  When you see problems piled on top of problems, and when there seems to be no end to thework that must be done in order to resolve them, what are you really seeing?  You’re looking at a mountain of opportunity.  You’re looking at a situation in which you can truly make a difference.  You’re looking at an environment where you can reach great heights by raising the stakes and pulling the reality of what’s possible along with you.

When you look at a problem, but see opportunity instead, you become a powerful source that transforms grief into greatness.

3.  Hard Work and Achievement

“It shouldn’t be easy to be amazing.  Then everything would be.  It’s the things you fight for and struggle with before earning that have the greatest worth.  When something’s difficult to come by, you’ll do that much more to make sure it’s even harder – or impossible – to lose.”  ―Sarah Dessen

There is no shortcut to a great achievement.  There is no substitute for doing the work.  Meditate on this every day: “I will do the work.”  As Einstein once said, “Genius is 1% talent and 99% percent hard work.”  You must run to be a runner.  You must write to be a writer.  You must actively work on a business venture to learn how to run a successful business.

By all means, find ways to be more efficient in your work.  But make no mistake that it takes diligent effort to build something worthwhile.  There are certainly some success stories out there about people who excelled rather quickly, but you will usually find they had put in years of related work long before anyone was paying attention to their seemingly rapid success.  In other words, their current state of achievement is simply all those years of work coming together flawlessly in the present.

Put in the required effort.  Plan your work every morning, and then diligently work your plan every day.  Read Do the Work.

4.  Focus

Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want.  No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.”  ―Paulo Coelho

Lack of focus, not lack of ability, is the most common problem that holds people back from their potential.  We all have strengths and difficulties, and we all have the same twenty-four hour days and seven-day weeks to work with.  If you find it difficult to deal with where you are, or how life is treating you, it’s time to change your focus.

Start focusing on what you want going forward.  Set a specific goal, keep your routine centered on it, and you’ll find the strength to move steadily in a positive direction.  When you focus on the right thing, even the difficult steps will seem easier.  The burdens of the moment become much more bearable when you connect with the purpose behind them.

Your time, energy, and resources will get used no matter how well you focus them.  By choosing to focus properly, you get the highest return for the efforts you invest in your life.

5.  Positive Thinking

“Our thoughts about what we are and what we can be precisely determine what we can be.”  ―Anthony Robbins

The reality you live through daily is a process of your thinking.  You are essentially who you design yourself to be – most of what you experience is the direct result of your own creation.  This reality cannot be changed without first changing your thinking.

Yes, there are lots of inherent events in life that occur completely independently of you – birth, death, loss, sickness, aging, and unexpected changes of all kinds – but these life events do not have to cause ongoing confusion and suffering.  They happen, you experience a little stress, you adjust, and you move forward.  The problem occurs when you don’t adjust and move forward, when your mind clings to these events in a negative light and intensifies their significance into perpetuity.  If your mind does this, of course, it completely overlooks the subtle feelings of excitement, adventure, love, and joy that come from the essence of overcoming a new challenge.

Bottom line:  99% of the time the discontent and frustration you feel is entirely your own creation.  If you dwell on the positive thoughts and possibilities at least as much as you dwell on negative thoughts and painful emotions, life’s challenges help you improve your reality.  Read Learned Optimism.

6.  Mistakes

“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”  ―Mahatma Gandhi

No matter what you’re going to make mistakes; it’s an unavoidable truth.  But the good news is, if you follow your heart and intuition, the mistakes you make will be steps in the right direction.  Just because you fail once at something doesn’t mean you’re going to fail at everything.  Keep trying, hold on and believe in yourself.  Keep your head held high, your chin up, and above all, SMILE, because the most beautiful part of it all is that there’s so much left to smile about.

Life is what you make it.  It’s a wild rollercoaster.  Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does.  And then just when you think it can’t get any better, it does.  Every day is a beautiful mystery.  Let go of yesterday’s mistakes and enjoy the mystery as it unfolds today.

7.  Acceptance

“For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain.”  ―Henry W. Longfellow

What you must realize is that you don’t really need more time; you just need to appreciate life in the current time.  It’s a beautiful and bitter way of thinking all at once.  If you don’t have what you want now, you don’t have what you want, but you still have a lot.  Be thankful for what is; and also be thankful for what has not yet come to you, for that means there are still many possibilities available to you.

Find peace in the thought that you can’t ever have it all or know it all.  You are always just a fraction of the whole.  For if you weren’t, there would be nothing more to experience.  Value what you know, and also value the countless things you don’t yet understand.  For in what you do not understand, there is the joy of growth.

Life will always be incomplete and a bit asymmetrical.  Realize this and embrace it.  Be happy and sad at the same time, be hungry and thankful at the same time, be nervous and excited at the same time, and be okay with it.

8.  Confidence and Beliefs

“Sometimes beautiful things come into our lives out of nowhere.  We can’t always understand them, but we have to trust in them.  I know you want to question everything, but sometimes it pays to just have a little faith.”  ―Lauren Kate

Believe in yourself through tough times.  Believe in your capacity to succeed.  Believe that your relationships are worth the effort.  Believe that people make mistakes on their way to greatness.  Believe that people can be foolish and intelligent, selfish and generous, and stressed and happy all at once.  Believe that very few people hurt others on purpose.  Believe that there are many roads to what’s right.  Believe in your intuition, especially when you have to choose between two good paths.  Believe that the answers are out there waiting.  Believe that life will surprise you again and again.  Believe that the journey is the destination.  Believe that it’s all worth your while.  Read 1,000 Little Things.

9.  The Present Moment

“Yesterday is gone.  Tomorrow has not yet come.  We have only today.  Let us begin.”  ―Mother Teresa

Regardless of what’s happened in the past or what might happen in the future, it’s being here now that’s important.  We can gain experience from the past, but we can’t edit it; we can hope for the future, but we don’t know if it will ever come.

This moment – right now – is your life.  Say yes to it.  Don’t ignore it by pretending that you’re living in some other time and place.  You aren’t – doing so is impossible.  The only life you can live is the only life there is – the moment you are in right now.  Ignoring this fact is reckless.  Ignoring it is denying reality, and denying reality is rejecting the entire process of living.

Start paying attention to the present.  Start paying attention to your life.  Right now, say yes to the life you‘re living and notice how it starts to flow WITH you rather than against you.

Your turn…

What’s your favorite power quote that can provide a quick dose of inspiration when you need it most?

The hazards of a well-made bed

Columnists News

The hazards of a well-made bed	Dec. 15, 2012
Written by: Dr. W. Gifford-Jones, QMI Agency
(Shutterstock) What do you sleep on? Of course, the normal reply is the mattress. But few people realize they’re also resting on millions of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinuscan (dust mites). So how can you decrease the risk of these crawly creatures in your bed? And why should you also think twice before quickly making up the bed. Dust mites are related to spiders and will never win a beauty contest. They’re ugly, menacing, microscopic in size, have eight legs and you can put either 1,000 mites or 250,000 of their fecal pellets in half a teaspoon. Hardly exciting bed mates! Dust mites  accumulate in rugs, fabrics, and furniture. But they prefer warm beds, pillows and blankets where they live along with vast amounts of their fecal dropping. Since their diet consists of our dead skin cells they’re eager for us to go to bed. And how many people know that dead skin cells account for 80 percent of house dust? At this point you may be saying, “Luckily, this isn’t a problem for our home.” But dust mites are found is all homes no matter how clean. And, if you think you can escape this nasty creature by moving to Antarctica, don’t bother, as it’s been found in that location. So are dust mites hazardous to our health? For a start, it doesn’t help the psyche to know you’re sleeping along with millions of these creatures every night! But dust mites have been linked to allergy problems, watery itchy eyes, sneezing, nasal stuffiness, eczema and asthma. It’s the fecal pellet containing guanine that triggers allergic reactions. A report by North America’s environmental watchdog agency says asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions in our children and also a serious problem for adults. Authorities say that 80 % of asthmatic children test positive to dust mite. So what can you do to limit the number of these spider-like mites, particularly if a family member suffers from asthma or other allergies? Don’t sleep with your pet. Pet dander is not your friend. Have Fido or Felix the cat sleep in an area far removed from your bedroom. If this causes psychological problems for you, I doubt that it will affect Fido or Felix. Think twice before making up the bed. This can be a tough sell if you’re a neatnik. A friend with a compulsive wife once complained to me, “If I get up at night to go to the bathroom, by the time I get back, my wife has made the bed!” But dust mites cannot live by dust alone. They also need liquid, the water vapour we provide during the night by breathing and perspiring which amounts to one pint per person per night! This is why we always weigh less in the morning. So at least toss covers well off the bed when you get up which helps to dry out the bed before it’s made up. In fact, even making up beds is dangerous, as chambermaids are known to suffer from “bed-maker’s lung”, an allergic condition. I must admit this column is not inclined to promote a good night’s sleep. In fact, since I started to itch while writing it, I decided to do further research. I discovered that it’s possible to purchase zippered protective mattress covers that are soft as silk and no mite can penetrate them. Another company has developed a high tech vacuum with dual action. It sucks up mites, but also uses ultraviolet light to penetrate mattresses, rugs and covered furniture to kill dust mites. Maybe you’re thinking “I’ll have a service company get rid of mites.” But Dr. Peyton Eggleston, professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University, says there’s no scientific evidence this works. The dust mites will return in a few weeks. Remember the saying, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” This may be prudent in some situations. But I prefer the approach, ‘If you can’t beat them, lock them up in a sure-fire protective covering.” This will allow me to sleep better and stop itching. See the website docgiff.com for more. To comment emailinfo@docgiff.com or tweet @GiffordJonesMD

Greek Coffee (Ellinikos Kafes) Recipe

Does Greek coffee hold the key to a longer life?

 March 18, 2013 in Health

 The answer to longevity may be far simpler than we imagine; it may in fact be right under our noses in the form of a morning caffeine kick. The elderly inhabitants of Ikaria, the Greek island, boast the highest rates of longevity in the World, and many scientists turn to them when looking to discover the 'secrets of a longer life'. In a new study in Vascular Medicine researchers investigating cardiovascular health believe that a cup of boiled Greek coffee holds the clue to the elderly islanders' good health. Ads by Google Elevator Consultants - Assurance Vertical Transportation Maintenance Supervision. - www.kja.com/ How To Get Published - Learn How to Publish Your Book. Get a Free Guide on How to Publish. - www.Xlibris.com/HowToGuide Only 0.1% of Europeans live to be over 90, yet on the Greek island of Ikaria, the figure is 1%. This is recognized as one of the highest longevity rates anywhere – and the islanders tend to live out their longer lives in good health. Gerasimos Siasos, a medical doctor and professor at the University of Athens Medical School, Greece set out with his team to find out whether the elderly population's coffee drinking had an effect on their health. In particular, the researchers investigated links between coffee-drinking habits and the subjects' endothelial function. The endothelium is a layer of cells that lines blood vessels, which is affected both by aging and by lifestyle habits (such as smoking). The team homed in on coffee because recent studies suggest that moderate coffee consumption may slightly reduce the risks of coronary heart disease, and that it may also have a positive impact on several aspects of endothelial health. From a sample of 673 Ikarians aged over 65 who lived on the island permanently, the researchers randomly selected 71 men and 71 women to take part in the study. Medical staff used health checks (for high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.) and questionnaires to get more detail on the participants' medical health, lifestyles and coffee drinking, in addition to testing their endothelial function. The researchers investigated all types of coffee taken by participants – but interestingly more than 87% of those in the study consumed boiled, Greek coffee daily. More importantly, subjects consuming mainly boiled Greek coffee had better endothelial function than those who consumed other types of coffee. Even in those with high blood pressure, boiled Greek coffee consumption was associated with improved endothelial function, without worrying impacts on blood pressure. "Boiled Greek type of coffee, which is rich in polyphenols and antioxidants and contains only a moderate amount of caffeine, seems to gather benefits compared to other coffee beverages," Siasos concludes. The new study provides a new connection between nutritional habits and cardiovascular health. Given the extent of coffee drinking across the world, and the fact that even small health effects of at least one type of coffee could have a large impact on public health, this study provides an interesting starting point. However, further studies are needed to document the exact beneficial mechanisms of coffee on cardiovascular health. More information: "Consumption of a boiled Greek type of coffee is associated with improved endothelial function: The Ikaria Study" by Gerasimos Siasos, et al, published 18 March 2013 in Vascular Medicine. Journal reference: Vascular Medicine Provided by SAGE Publications 

Read more at: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-greek-coffee-key-longer-life.html#jCp

Greek Coffee (Ellinikos Kafes) Recipe

By Amy Wisniewski

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Difficulty: Easy | Total Time: 5 mins | Active Time: 5 mins |Greek coffee preparation has as many variations as there are Greeks. Some people swear by boiling the coffee three times and stirring only once. Others boil once and stir, stir, stir. No matter how you take it, this coffee is usually sipped slowly and paired with lively conversation.

Special equipment: You’ll need a briki, a small copper or brass (or sometimes stainless steel) pot that’s narrow at the top and wider toward the bottom so that the grounds fall to the bottom.

Serve the coffee in demitasse cups that are about 2 ounces each.

What to buy: Be sure to use Greek coffee, which is a light-roast coffee and is very finely ground. It can be found at most Greek grocers.

This recipe was featured as part of our Greek Easter Celebration menu.

INGREDIENTS

• Water
• Greek coffee
• Granulated sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Using one of your demitasse cups as a 2-ounce measure, fill the briki with as many cups of cold water as cups of coffee you want to make. Add 1 heaping teaspoon of coffee grounds for each 2-ounce cup of coffee. Add granulated sugar, if desired: 1 teaspoon per demitasse cup for medium-sweet (metrios_) or 2 teaspoons per demitasse cup for sweet (glykys_). For an extra-strong-sweet cup (vari glykos or glykys vrastos), add 3 teaspoons sugar and 2 teaspoons coffee grounds per 2 ounces of water.
2. Heat over medium heat and stir just to incorporate the grounds and sugar. As the coffee heats, foam will rise. Be sure to hold onto the handle of the briki to keep it from falling over. When the foam nearly reaches the top, remove the briki from the heat and let it stand until the grounds have settled a bit, about 1 minute. Pour a little foam into each cup, then fill each cup, moving the briki up and down to help settle the grounds. Serve with a cold glass of water.

Adrenal exhaustion - the 21st Century disease

Adrenal exhaustion - the 21st Century disease

Mar. 16, 2013


Written by: Dr. W. Gifford-Jones, QMI Agency

Are you tired for no reason? Having a hard time getting out of bed? Or feel rundown and stressed all the time?

If so, you may have the first symptoms of adrenal exhaustion and must learn to 'adapt' before it becomes a steady habit that causes more than heartburn.

As Charles Darwin, the British scientist remarked, “It’s not the fittest that survive, nor the most intelligent, but those who can adapt to their environment.” Or, as is often said, “It’s not the work that kills, it’s the worry.”

The thumb-sized adrenal glands are situated on the top of both kidneys and have been called the body’s primary shock absorbers. They produce a number of hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol and DHEA. If you encounter a sabre-toothed tiger, adrenaline shoots up, the heartbeat quickens and you prepare to battle for survival. Today’s hectic pace also keeps our adrenal glands in high gear.

Stress is the most common cause of adrenal fatigue. This can occur when a loved one dies, or because of overwork, physical and mental strain, chronic pain, infection, anger, sleep deprivation, chronic illness, depression and anxiety. As one wise sage said, “Stress is when you wake up screaming and you realize you haven’t been to sleep yet!”

Patients with adrenal fatigue may complain of cold hands and feet, low back pain, sweet cravings, headaches, arthritis and allergies. Cortisol dysfunction can also lead to low blood sugar, infertility, immune problems and heart disease.

Temporary and minor stressful situations result in slightly higher levels of adrenaline and cortisol. But day-after-day stress is also associated with an increase in blood pressure and excessive levels of adrenal hormones. Finally, if there’s no relief from stress, adrenal hormones drop and adrenal exhaustion occurs. Adrenal fatigue is like withdrawing money from a bank account until there’s none left.

As adrenal hormone levels decline, apart from weakness and fatigue, digestive distress is one of the most common symptoms. Some people complain of nausea, constipation and diarrhea. There is also a tendency for weight gain, reduced sex drive and to feel better when stress is temporarily decreased, such as on a holiday.

So how do you fight adrenal fatigue? First, learn to 'adapt' to stress. A good start is to separate the possible from the impossible. You can’t tell an idiotic boss to go to hell until you win the lottery. Or, as Joseph Stalin once said, one has to live with the devil until one reaches the end of the bridge.

Relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation can be helpful. So can massage, as the hands-on approach does more than just give you a good feeling. Athletes get a good rubdown to get rid of the lactic and carbonic acid produced by tense muscles. It also helps to exercise, get rid of caffeine and increase the amount of raw fruits and vegetables in the diet along with whole grains and protein.

Make sure you receive adequate amounts of minerals and vitamins. For instance, stressful situations eat up vitamin C. Studies show that, under stress, animals immediately produce 10 times their normal amount of C. Humans under stress should also increase the amount of C to bolster their immune system. Studies also show that by increasing the intake of vitamin C, atherosclerosis in coronary arteries can be prevented and even reversed preventing a heart attack, this country’s number one killer.

There are also herbal remedies to combat adrenal fatigue. One herb, Siberian ginseng, has been used for years in Siberia and China and known for its adaptogenic and anti-stress properties.

Other herbs such as suma, rhodiola, schizandra berries and ashwagandha help to decrease depression, stimulate the nervous system, improve memory, enhance work performance, support the immune and digestive systems and have a positive effect on thyroid and adrenal function.

My advice is to check with your local health food store provider who can advise you about these herbal preparations which unlike many prescription drugs are safe and well tolerated.

5 Ways to Start the Year You Want Anytime You Want

POST WRITTEN BY: ANGEL

5 Ways to Start the Year You Want

 Anytime You Want

by Mike Vardy of Productivityist.com

As we head deeper into the year, many of us have seen our BIG resolutions that we made fall by the wayside.  Why is that?  Perhaps it’s because our energy levels dipped and we couldn’t maintain the new habits that we had adopted.  Perhaps it’s because we weren’t really committed to giving them full effort in the first place and just felt that we ‘had’ to make some resolutions.  Or perhaps we simply lost our focus.

No matter what the reason is, just because we’re well past January 1st doesn’t mean we can’t have the year we want.  I’ll go as far to say that making resolutions at the start of the year is not the best idea anyway.  We’re just getting to the end of six weeks of holiday madness, our energy levels and emotions are scattered all over the place, and we’re feeling the pressure of a new calendar year that seemingly forces us to make decisions on adopting a new way of life – decisions that we haven’t completely thought out and habits we aren’t quite ready to adopt.

If you’re feeling like you’ve let yourself down because you haven’t kept up withyour resolutions, don’t fret.  I propose that you can start the year you want anytime you want.

Here are 5 things you can do starting now to make that happen.

1.  Take a month to reflect and recharge.

If you find your mid-month or mid-year routines spinning your wheels, take onemonth and simply reflect on what you’ve done in the past few months – what’s working, what isn’t, potential changes that need to be implemented, etc. Recharge your focus so that you can take on the months ahead.

Don’t start this process mid-month while you’re juggling a hundred different things; make sure you prepare yourself to start this exercise at the beginning of the next month and fully commit to it.  So, if you’re reading this in mid-March and you’re looking to take one month to reflect and recharge, plan to start promptly on April 1st.  Doing so will give you enough time to prepare for the month ahead in terms of lowering your workload and setting up proper expectations for both yourself and those who rely on you.

2.  Theme your months.

Another clever way to ensure that you can start the year you want anytime you want is to apply a theme to each month of the year.  For example, if you have a project or goal that you’ve been dying to work on, take a month of the year to make it your primary focus.  This isn’t to say that you have to completely ignore everything that’s unrelated to what you’re trying to achieve during that month.  Instead, by aligning that month with your specific project or goal, and making it the focal point, or theme, you are more likely to put forth the time and effort necessary to make significant progress on it.  (Read The Front Nine.)

3.  Classify days for heavy-lifting and light-lifting.

Use your days accordingly.  There are some days where you’re going to be able to spend a significant amount of time on your goal or project, and there will be days where you simply won’t be able to at all.  I use a system of ‘heavy-lifting’ and ‘light-lifting’ days to help me make measured progress on my goals and projects.  By taking the days that I know I’m going to be able to spend the bulk of my time on my goal or project, I allow myself some emotional support for those days where I can’t – and don’t feel bad about taking those days off in the process.

For example, if you work a day job from Monday through Friday, perhaps Saturday and Sunday could be a heavy-lifting days for that side project you’ve been working on, and the other five days can be light-lifting ones.  Or if like me, you’re a stay-at-home / work-at-home parent, you will have some days where you can work on that big goal, while others you are focusing on fulfilling your duty as a parent.

The key is to evaluate and plan your schedule enough to know which days are for heavy lifting and which days aren’t.  It’s going to be different for everyone, but by classifying both types of days it helps you prioritize and emotionally separate the various kinds of work you “should be doing.”  This prevents you from neglecting what you need to do for the sake of what you want to do, or from trying to do too much at once.

4.  Capture and curate.

Being busy and being productive are two totally different things.  For instance, rocking in a rocking chair can keep you busy, but it’s not going to get you anywhere. It’s all about figuring out how you can deliver the greatest positive impact on your projects and goals in a set amount of time.

Obviously you can’t do everything and still be productive; trying to do so is futile.  This is where capturing and curating come into play.  You should spend at least two weeks capturing and tracking your daily tasks on an hourly basis, or as often as you can through each day.  It’s a challenging habit to adopt, but once you’ve spent some time doing it, you can then begin the selective process of curating those tasks.  This involves reprioritizing, reordering, expanding, and eliminating tasks so that you really spend your time getting the right things done, instead of simply being busy just for the sake of appearing to be productive.

Again, by first tracking and capturing everything you do and then fine-tuning and curating your efforts, you give yourself the luxury of being able to accomplish more of the things that matter to you.  (Read Getting Things Done.)

5.  Manage your time realistically

Even after curating your tasks and time effectively, you’ll still have to give yourself the freedom to let some things go.  Some of what you tracked is not immediately important and will have to go on the back burner, and some of it will have to drop off your radar altogether.

The key to having the year you want anytime you want is to accept the limited amount of time you have to do something really, really great.  The value of quality over quantity is essential when it comes to how you mange your time, which in turn is essential to your long-term happiness and success.  Better to do one amazing thing than ten mediocre things.  Better to do one thing you really want to do, than ten things someone else wants you to do.  (Read 1,000 Little Things.)

One of the most powerful ways you can change your perspective on the time you have is to get a bird’s eye view of the year ahead.  A wall calendar that displays the entire year at a glance can do that for you (I use a large one-page calendar) as you can see what you’ve mapped out in the months to come and celebrate what you’ve achieved in the months gone by.

Get real with your year and you are well on your way to making it great, no matter when you decide to start it.

Mike Vardy is a husband, father, writer, podcaster, speaker, and ‘productivityist’.  In addition to writing for his blog, Productivityist.com, he contributes guest articles to several online and print publications on the topic of productivity, time, and task management, and just recently published his latest book, The Front Nine.