Have A Great 4th of July!

Personal July 5th, 2008 Say Something (0)

I hope everyone is enjoying their independence day and eating some good food! Just remember what the significance of July 4th is…

FREEDOM.

A great meaning of this great day…

By Shelby Evens

Independence Day better known in modern times as the 4th of July is a grand and great holiday in the United States of America and is often a favorite of young people who especially enjoy the exciting colorful and noisy traditional fireworks. The fireworks, however, are but a symbol of the meaning behind the 4th of July celebration of independence. The meaning behind the 4th of July Independence Day holiday came about as the result of the valiant efforts and strong commitment of our American forefathers not so very long ago.

Amazing changes and events have happened since July 4, 1776, however, very important changes and dramatic events also occurred prior to July 4, 1776. Brave and restless people had uprooted their lives, left everything behind, and crossed the Atlantic Ocean to come to this land where they sought freedoms and rights not available to them in their homeland. They formed settlements here and organized into various groups of towns and colonies with their own local laws and rules, while still under the authority of the King of England. The country was being born and the ideals of just how and what those freedoms would entail were ironed out through controversy and cooperative efforts of the differing opinions of the day.

The vote for the United States to become independent of Great Britain actually occurred on July 2, 1776 by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Congress formally approved the document, the “Declaration of Independence” on July 4, 1776. This declaration was the final break with Great Britain and expressed the united view of all of the colonies to become independent. This act was a culmination of dramatic events in which the early Americans faced a great deal of unrest that was accompanied by heartfelt and explosive rebellious incidents in their efforts to be free from tyranny. They were not deterred as they sought to identify, solidify, and maintain the profound and precious freedoms and justices they had so yearned for that they were willing to commit their entire lives to the values that they embraced.

This was, however, just a beginning point of establishing freedom in this great land, as at that time in our history, the Revolutionary War to complete the severing of our dependence from Great Britain was yet to take place, plus the horrific practice of slavery still existed, women were not privileged to enjoy most of these independent rights, and, sadly, Native Americans were being displaced and uprooted as they lost their native homelands to the onward movement of the American settlers. Since the momentous Declaration of Independence was signed and approved, our struggles to truly bring equality and equal rights to everyone has triumphed with many victories, while movements and progress continue to this day.

Even though it seems like such a long time ago, if you put it into the perspective that using a moderate lifetime of only 60 years, those 232 years since 1776 are less than 4 lifespans away from our present 2008. As we approach another 4th of July holiday celebration it comes to mind that our American peoples from all heritages and ethnic backgrounds can truly celebrate the enormous progress that has been made over the span of these minute and short 4 lifespans of time. Our values and ideals are far too precious to become lost through the fears and struggles we are experiencing today.

Our American forefathers successfully worked through strife, fears, and the bullies of their time to prevail in establishing this great country. We, as recipients and inheritors of their magnificent efforts, must hold our heads up high as we express our thanks and jubilation on the 4th of July Independence Day holiday celebrations that we live in such a great country, and we should be encouraged to work together, hand in hand, to resolve our problems and differences in order to maintain the integrity and values that the great and famous document, the Declaration of Independence was founded upon.

A significant point of evidence to remind us that all these differences can be overcome is the cooperative and friendly relationship and camaraderie that the United States and Great Britain have been enjoying for many many years. Those differences were very important to early Americans and Great Britain in 1776 that many risked and lost their lives over those matters at that time in history. Today it seems strangely remote and unusual that the United States and Great Britain would be enveloped in such a great controversy, and yet it happened. There is an important lesson here that we, too, can resolve all of our differences, and as we enjoy celebrating the 4th of July Independence Day holiday with the magnificent fireworks, tasty barbecues, traditional hot dogs, fun parades and other symbolic events that mark the freedom and birth of our great country, we share a common goal and belief that all people are created equal and that this country is founded on the belief of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all.

Have a good night!

Impossible is Just a Word

Personal June 5th, 2008 Say Something (1)

Thomas Edison

Everyone, at some point of his or her life, has dreamed of being somebody special, somebody big. Who hasn’t fantasized about being the one who hits the game-winning homer? Who hasn’t dreamed of being the homecoming queen? And how many times have we dreamed of being rich, or successful, or happy with our relationships? (like it will ever happen)

Often, we dream big dreams and have great aspirations. Unfortunately, our dreams remain just that – dreams. And our aspirations easily collect dust in our attic. We will never be in that percentage of people making their living online.

This is a sad turn of events in our life. Instead of experiencing exciting adventures in self actualization, we get caught up in the humdrum of living from day-to-day just barely existing. Especially when I feel a year of my life was wasted on IM hype learning.

But you know what? Life could be so much better, if only we learned to aim higher and take risks. ( I need to take my own advice)

The most common problem to setting goals is the word impossible. Most people get hung up thinking I can’t do this. It’s too hard. It’s too impossible. No one can do this. It just does not seem real or things like that just don’t happen to me and I will be stuck in this rat race forever.

However, if everyone thought that, there would be no inventions, no innovations, and no breakthroughs in human accomplishment.

On the other hand, some people suffer from dreaming totally outrageous dreams and not acting on them. The result? Broken dreams, and tattered aspirations.

If you limit yourself with self-doubt, and self-limiting assumptions, you will never be able to break past what you deem impossible. If you reach too far out into the sky without working towards your goal, you will find yourself clinging on to the impossible dream.

Try this exercise. Take a piece of paper and write down some goals in your life. Under one header, list down things ‘you know you can do’. Under another header, write the things ‘you might be able to do.’ And under one more, list the things that that are ‘impossible for you to do.’

Now look at all the headers strive every day to accomplish the goals that are under things ‘you know you can do’. Check them when you are able to accomplish them. As you slowly are able to check all of your goals under that heading, try accomplishing the goals under the other header-the one that reads ‘you might be able to do.’

As of the items you wrote under things I could do are accomplished, you can move the goals that are under things that are ‘impossible for you to do’ to the list of things ‘you might be able to do.’ As you iterate through this process, you will find out that the goals you thought were impossible become easier to accomplish. And the impossible begin to seem possible after all.

You see, the technique here is not to limit your imagination. It is to aim high (Air Force saying)- had to say it! :P, and start working towards that goal little by little. However, it also is unwise to set a goal that is truly unrealistic. Those who just dream towards a goal without working hard end up disappointed and disillusioned.

On the other hand, if you told someone a hundred years ago that it was possible for man to be on the moon, they would laugh at you. If you had told them that you could send mail from here to the other side of the world in a few seconds, they would say you were out of your mind. But, through sheer desire and perseverance, these impossible dreams are now realities.

Thomas Edison once said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Nothing could be truer. For one to accomplish his or her dreams, there has to be had work and discipline. But take note that that 1% has to be a think-big dream, and not some easily accomplished one. Ask any gym rat and he or she will tell you that there can be no gains unless you are put out of your comfort zone. Remember the saying, “No pain, no gain”? That is as true as it can be. No matter how many times I go to the gym, I always end up sore the next day ( if I change up the reps or do a different muscle group) So dream on. Don’t get caught up with your perceived limitations. Think big and work hard to attain those dreams. As you step up the ladder of progress, you will just about find out that the impossible has just become a little bit more possible. I write down all my tasks it will take to get to a certain goal and all my questions. Just take it day by day, task by task, question by question and next thing you know your goal is attained.

Memorial Day - Remember Who Gave YOU Freedom

Personal May 26th, 2008 Say Something (1)

This has everything to do with affiliate marketing. If it were not for these mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, cousins, bf, gf we would not be able to do these things online or offline. Able to do any of the things in your daily life. Appreciate what they do for you and thank any Military Uniformed person who crosses your damn path.

Come Home Safe April Renee Castro. Come Home Safe ALL of you.

This is real. Sometimes they are not so Lucky. Sniper shot at the troop right in the window. Good thind for those bullet proof windows… He would be dead.

“Relaxing with a Mental PDA” - 5 minutes daily program to Stress Management

Personal May 26th, 2008 Say Something (2)

Some things that I am learning to realize…

We all have this favorite expression when it comes to being stressed out, and I wouldn’t bother naming all of them since it may also vary in different languages. But I don’t cuss… ;P so when it comes down to it, I think that it is how we work or even relax, for that matter that triggers stress. Ever been stressed even when you’re well relaxed and bored? I know I have.

Since Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. is 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 by just remembering it, 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– every minute counts.

Managing time

Now that I am heading into the ppc affiliate marketing realm, I need to manage my damn time a bit better than I do now. I can spend three hours online and accomplish nothing. 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.

To improve your time management:

· Save time by focusing and concentrating, delegating, and scheduling time for yourself.
· Keep a record of how you spend your time, including work, family, and leisure time.
· Prioritize your time by rating tasks by importance and urgency. Redirect your time to those activities that are important and meaningful to you.
· Manage your commitments by not over- or undercommitting. Don’t commit to what is not important to you.
· Deal with procrastination by using a day planner, breaking large projects into smaller ones, and setting short-term deadlines.
· Examine your beliefs to reduce conflict between what you believe and what your life is like.
Build healthy coping strategies

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. (like anyone actually does that, but it can help) 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.

Lifestyle

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:

· Balance personal, work, and family needs and obligations. (by far the hardest thing to do)
· Have a sense of purpose in life.
· Get enough sleep, since your body recovers from the stresses of the day while you are sleeping.(watever ;P)
· Eat a balanced diet for a nutritional defense against stress.(like any junk I can find)
· Get moderate exercise throughout the week.(seriously, go to the gym or at least work out. I do.)
· Limit your consumption of alcohol.(I never drink!)-peep my youtube videos
· Don’t smoke.(PLEASE-it’s disgusting-no offense to my homies who do smoke, I tell you anyway.)

Social support

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. Very true. I know from personal experience that the majority of people I tell about what I am doing have put me down. The support of your CLOSE friends is what counts, seriously.

Changing thinking

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’s stress, just as an actual threat does. Dealing with your negative thoughts and how you see things can help reduce stress.

· Thought-stopping helps you stop a negative thought to help eliminate stress.(can you really do that?)
· Disproving irrational thoughts helps you to avoid exaggerating the negative thought, anticipating the worst, and interpreting an event incorrectly.
· Problem solving helps you identify all aspects of a stressful event and find ways to deal with it.
· Changing your communication style helps you communicate in a way that makes your views known without making others feel put down, hostile, or intimidated ( I am %100 guilty of doing this, I think I am always right and i tend to treat people like a kid when they so something I don’t think is right.) Its all a learning experience. This reduces the stress that comes from poor communication. Use the assertiveness ladder to improve your communication style.

Even a blogger like me can get stressed even though we’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’re the mail guy, the CEO, or probably the average working fool or parent, stress is one unwanted visitor you would love to boot out of your homes, especially your life.