The Secret to Happiness and Maslow's Hierarchy.

"The secret to happiness is contentment"
(Dali Lama)

If we are content with what we have, and where we are, then we are happy.
This means not grasping for attainment of material objects or even spiritual understanding, but being content and just allowing life to happen.
How does this help us to achieve the things we "want"?

I'm glad you asked! This brings me to Maslow's theory on the hierarchy of human "needs", the answer to that question is revealed within the following explanation and its accompanying story.

Maslow, was an eminent Psychologist who developed a theory on the psychological need of humans; it is often demonstrated in the form of a pyramid, and referred to in relation to Education, Motivation and Sales training.
A summary of his theory would be: that we humans have "needs" that must be satisfied in an order of priority, before higher ideals can be achieved the lower ideals MUST be met.
The order of these needs doesn't change from individual to individual, they are as follows:

1. PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS, air, water, food, rest, exercise, etc
2. SAFETY NEEDS, shelter, job security, retirement plan, insurance
3. LOVE AND BELONGING, children, friends, partners
4. SELF ESTEEM (1), fame, recognition, reputation, dignity
5. SELF ESTEEM (2) Confidence, achievements, FREEDOM

If we don't meet all the needs in the lower levels we will always be in deficit and be trying to meet them before we can obtain the highest levels of complete self actualization and FREEDOM.

Here's a story I wrote to illustrate Maslow's theory in a practical situation, it's illustrated in a negative context because most of us will understand it better this way. Note: (L5) means level 5 as per above.

The following is based on a true story; some details have been changed to allow for publishing here.

A Person's car breaks down on an old dirt road in the Barclay plains it's a scorching 44 degrees in the shade, but there aren't any trees to provide shelter, he's in the middle of nowhere, outback, Australia.
He was on his way to Darwin to give a lecture on Self Defence. He had been giving these talks for some time now and really enjoyed sharing his knowledge, not for the respect that others gave him, but because he is a master of the subject and it felt good doing it. (L4/5)
At first he wasn't concerned about the situation and he allowed his mind to be free and 'take in', the beauty of the landscape, he started to reminisce about his friends and family, wondering what they're doing at that time, then he turned on the radio and drifted off to sleep.
When he woke up he realized that he was feeling lonely and would love to have someone to talk to. (L3)
After a few hours he started to feel a little uncomfortable and realized that he could be in some danger so he tried to think of a plan for his safety.<

After some time he decided to head off in search for help.
It started getting dark and he became really worried; his senses were tuned into every sound. (L2)
Then he realized that he hadn't eaten since breakfast and that he was hungry and thirsty. (L1)
After two more days his only thoughts were about finding water to stay alive, he wasn't concerned about eating because his body knew it could survive for weeks without food, but only a few days without water.
So then his immediate concern was for the basic need of water.
SUDDENLY!! Someone jumped on him from behind, and started to choke him he couldn't breathe! Then his need for air was stronger than his need for water!
It was only a joke; his best friend had come looking for him when he didn't show up in Darwin on time.
He found the car then tracked his mate to where he found him, looking pretty rugged. Then as all good mates do, he decided to play a practical joke to give him a fright! They are still good friends today.

The end

The simple lesson here is this:

This story shows a person who had met all his needs and was at the highest level. He had truly manifested his dream into reality and how he quickly went into "Needs Deficit" (ND)
Clearly we must walk before we can run, If we can't breath we aren't worried about water, we NEED air, our ND is air; this is a very basic example.
To look at it another way we could say that; trying to be a highly regarded successful whatever (4/5) will not be possible if we are in ND of (1, 2, or 3).
Our ND needs attention first; this doesn't mean that if we don't have a house and family we can't achieve our dream ambitions.
On the contrary it means that we should, let go of our graving, yearning and striving to achieve success at any cost type of attitude, and maintain our lower levels of needs so that we can open the path to the higher levels.
Many of us, myself included have been guilty of forgetting about our needs for friends and family when we are trying to obtain the higher ideals of success.

This area can be a particular problem with the internet, because it uses up so much of our time and attention.
If we maintain our basic needs we will be able share our dreams and talk about them and believe in them and be content and happy about them.
Thus allowing our dreams to manifest into reality.
Doesn't it make sense that with this kind of thinking we will all be able to move on to the higher levels of self actualization?

Maintain your ND and believe in your DREAMS the rest will happen!

Have You Ever Had Your Palm Red? Online Psychic Readings Are As Easy As 1, 2, 3

Okay, I couldn't resist flashing back to childishness and old jokes, and I don't have any red paint on me at the moment. Nowadays, you don't need to leave your own home to have an online psychic reading of your future and like everything else, you will find it online. You can even train to be a psychic online because many psychics are offering to teach you how. They "provide clear information" about the latest psychical research with news from "trustworthy" official psychic organizations with the official bodies and federations, along with teaching about psychic abilities and offer to teach you how to do readings. There are classes, study courses, clairvoyance readings practice, just to name a few options. You can learn to read Tarot cards and different practices such as Mediumistic and Rune readings, along with listening to audio recordings of the New Age gurus. Some online psychics invite you to visit their chat rooms and be social with other psychics and meet new people.

There are true psyches around, and the good ones offer their services for the good of others. Many work for police departments looking for missing people or searching for bad people. True psychics are not out to clean you out and some do make a living out of telling people their futures. There are many though that are just complete thieves and those are the ones you need to look out for. They promote themselves as clairvoyants or psychics and claim they have powers that enable them to read a persons future, make contact with a dead loved one, or tell you who your going to marry. However, they are not psychics, they just have the ability to read people well and tell them what they want to hear, and all the while filling their pockets with peoples' hard earned money. Here are a few tips to help you see a fraud psychic.<




• The most common method is "cold reading," this involves reading body language, and listening to your voice.

• Over confidence is a good warning, if they build themselves up to were they can do no wrong, watch out!

• Questions about your background. This is unnecessary, if a "psychic asks you where were you born, your parents religion, or even educational level, move on.

• Gaining your cooperation in advance. These "psychics" claim they need your full cooperation and if nothing happens, you weren't a "true believer."

Now, you are not able to see these things with online psychic reading, so you should be very careful when paying for online readings. Try not to take online psychic readings too seriously and use them for what they are there for, to have fun and to satisfy your curiosity about online psychics. Do you really want to know what your future holds for you? Wouldn't you rather be surprised about what exciting things the future holds for you and yours?

Manic Depresi Jenis Depresi Terburuk

Manic depresi atau depresi bipolar sebenarnya dianggap sebagai salah satu jenis terburuk dari depresi yang biasanya orang derita. Ditandai dengan perubahan tiba-tiba dan ekstrim dalam suasana hati mereka, Maniac depresi dikatakan disebut seperti itu karena maniak = mania mengacu pada 'up' sambil depresi mengacu pada 'down'. Tapi saat ini disebut mood pergi ke absurditas, dikarenakan kesal bahkan oleh terkecil atau paling sederhana menipis seperti tidak mendapatkan es krim rasa favorit Anda, ini tidak mungkin hanya tanda brattiness, namun ketika mendapatkan kesal kemudian ada makian dan bersumpah pada vendor es krim dan melemparkan tantrum tidak masuk akal, ini mungkin sudah menjadi awal dari Manic depression.

disebut 'manik' atau 'up' dalam depresi Manic digambarkan sebagai menjadi-jadi saat tertentu ketika seseorang menderita depresi Manic mungkin mengalami periode yang terlalu tinggi, yang terdiri dari tinggi energi, ledakan tiba-tiba suasana hati gembira, iritabilitas ekstrim, balap pikiran serta perilaku agresif. Menurut terapi, seseorang menderita depresi Manic mungkin ledakan dimana ini disebut 'periode' manik tiba-tiba mengalami perubahan suasana hati gembira meninggi tidak hanya sehari, di benar-benar dapat berlangsung selama satu minggu, bahkan lebih lama dari itu.

Ketika datang yang disebut periode 'rendah' ​​atau 'turun', seperti namanya benar-benar dapat membawa seseorang yang menderita depresi Manic mungkin mengalami gejala yang sangat mirip dengan mereka yang menderita depresi yang sebenarnya. Orang yang menderita depresi Manic benar-benar dapat mengalami episode depresi yang menunjukkan keadaan pikiran - perasaan tidak berharga dan tidak dicintai mungkin mulai merusak pikiran individu. Berbagai gejala, menunjukkan rasa bersalah, kesedihan ekstrim, serangan kecemasan, perasaan pesimisme ekstrim dan tidak mengalami kesenangan. Menurut pakar terapi, individu yang tertekan. secara konsisten selama lebih dari seminggu resmi dapat didiagnosis sebagai seseorang yang menderita depresi Manic.

Meskipun menjadi salah satu dari jenis, yang paling umum belum parah gangguan depresif, Manic depresi, menurut dokter sebenarnya dapat diobati. Tidak ada alasan untuk terlalu khawatir tentang hal itu, hanya mengikuti prosedur yang tepat bahwa terapis akan menginstruksikan Anda untuk melakukan, mengambil obat yang diresepkan tepat serta dosis yang tepat untuk membantu Anda (atau teman Anda atau mencintai satu) mengatasi Manic depresi sebelum menjadi terlambat. Meskipun hasil positif untuk pasien depresi Manic masih dapat dicapai dari alternatif alam, tepat dan bantuan lebih kekal dari gejala depresi Manic masih dapat menjadi yang terbaik diperoleh melalui melihat perilaku kognitif terapis.

Berlawanan dengan beberapa keyakinan, ketika datang ke perawatan kejiwaan, psikiater, terapis perilaku kognitif sebaiknya masih yang terbaik untuk berkonsultasi untuk depresi manik, serta orang-orang yang akan paling mungkin dapat menyembuhkan depresi Manic.

Mengenal Email Autoresponder

Email otomatis atau disebut autoresponder adalah responden yang paling penting atau alat kedua pemasaran yang harus dimiliki untuk memperoleh uang secara online. Yang pertama menjadi perusahaan hosting saya. Tanpa 2 alat ini bisnis internet marketing saya sudah mati di dalam air. Dalam dunia internet marketing, jutaan situs yang sengit bersaing satu sama lain untuk mendapatkan klien baru. Untuk setiap situs e-commerce bisa sukses, harus menangkap minat dan kepercayaan dari pengunjung. Tidaklah cukup dengan merancang situs Anda secara sempurna atau memiliki animasi konten terbaru. Anda harus fokus usaha Anda tidak hanya dalam menarik pengunjung tetapi juga dalam memimpin mereka untuk melakukan pembelian.

Ada puluhan strategi pemasaran dapat Anda gunakan untuk menarik lebih banyak pembeli dan memompa penjualan Anda. Salah satunya adalah dengan membangun reputasi yang sangat baik dan profesional untuk respon cepat dan efisien. Misalnya lebih banyak pelanggan potensial mengunjungi situs Anda, Anda harus mengharapkan banjir pertanyaan dan permintaan informasi. Ini adalah kesempatan sangat baik bagi Anda untuk menangkap lebih banyak klien dan memimpin mereka untuk membeli di situs Anda. Dengan demikian, penting bahwa Anda melakukan respon yang efisien dan cepat untuk setiap email yang Anda terima. Cara tercepat dan paling efektif untuk melakukan ini adalah dengan memanfaatkan responder email otomatis. Autoresponder layanan menggunakan program komputer yang secara otomatis kembali membalas pesan prewritten bagi siapa saja yang mengirimkan email ke situs Anda. Hal ini banyak digunakan untuk menanggapi pertanyaan konsumen dan komentar pengunjung dan saran. Menindaklanjuti responder otomatis juga digunakan oleh e-zine dalam menanggapi orang-orang yang berlangganan atau berhenti berlangganan majalah online mereka.

Perusahaan, yang mengirim e-newsletter teratur, juga menggunakan utoresponders. Bagaimana bisa efektif layanan autoresponder membantu meningkatkan bisnis Anda? Jawabannya terletak pada kemampuannya untuk mengembalikan respon cepat untuk setiap situs e-mail yang diterima. Dengan menanggapi dengan cepat dan efisien, Anda membuat kesan yang sangat baik pada pelanggan potensial Anda. Autorespondrs email yang baik membantu Anda mendapatkan informasi penting kembali ke pelanggan ini segera. Sebuah autoresponder yang efektif pelayanan membantu Anda berkomunikasi pesan Anda segera, menciptakan rasa profesionalisme dan efisiensi yang klien Anda pasti akan menghargai.

Keuntungan lain yang sangat penting dari responden email otomatis adalah bahwa hal itu menghemat waktu dengan tugas-tugas pemasaran ganda. Tentu saja, Anda tidak punya cukup waktu untuk secara pribadi membuat dan mengirim semua korespondensi. Autoresponder layanan memungkinkan Anda untuk mengirim surat terima kasih, newsletter, informasi produk, brosur, dll perintah kepada ratusan klien hampir segera dan bersamaan.

Layanan autoresponder juga sangat diperlukan dalam setiap kampanye pemasaran email. Memilih autoresponder yang tepat sangat penting. Apa yang membuat responden terbaik otomatis? Pertama, Anda harus memilih sebuah autoresponder yang handal dan dapat memberi Anda 24 / 7 layanan.

Anda tidak perlu kehilangan pelanggan karena autoresponder Anda gagal untuk menjawab pertanyaannya atau permintaan informasi. Kemampuan untuk merespon segera adalah hal pertama yang Anda harus mencari di setiap responder otomatis. Faktor lainnya yang harus Anda pertimbangkan ketika memilih Autoresponder servcies adalah fleksibilitas. Autoresponder yang baik memungkinkan Anda untuk menyesuaikan tanggapan unik yang akan memiliki efek yang maksimal pada pelanggan. Anda harus menghindari menciptakan kesan bahwa pelanggan berkomunikasi dengan mesin bukan manusia sejati. Sebuah email otomatis responden yang sangat baik memungkinkan Anda memberikan informasi yang secara khusus ditargetkan untuk apa pelanggan potensial yang mencari.

Karena setiap email dari pelanggan potensial dasarnya mewakili niat pelanggan untuk mendapatkan informasi lebih lanjut tentang produk Anda, yang akhirnya dapat menyebabkan penjualan langsung, semua email penting. Jadi, Autoresponder atas servcie harus memenuhi semua tugas untuk membantu Anda meningkatkan bisnis Anda. Untuk semua kebutuhan kita otomatis kita lebih suka AWeber. Mereka sangat cukup murah dan telah terbukti dapat diandalkan dan mudah digunakan.

Crop Circles Explained

by Ab Asaff

The Philosophy
Crop Circles, I believe are not related to UFOs or humanoid extraterrestrials as is the current popular notion. These beautiful global 3D geometric works of land art placed on Earth’s energy lines are articulating ancient high esoteric knowledge. The Creators appear most often as white or amber colored basket ball size luminous spheres. They are pure metaphysical consciousness from a higher dimension that is concerned about our spiritual evolution at this critical time in human history.

The circle formations are created utilizing light, sound and microwave energy, steaming the moisture in the plant stocks making them pliable and then pressed into shape in a swirled fashion. This is performed in seconds without destroying the cereal crop and occurs in day time as well as at night. It has been observed at certain times when a Crop Circle is being formed there appears a cylindrical ray of clear light projection onto the field.

The language the circle makers use of course is symbolism. That being a universal picture language that was employed by past highly enlightened cultures from Ancient Egyptians to the Mayans. Embodied in these glyphs, among other things, is esoteric, spiritual, astrological and astronomical information transmitted through profound Sacred Geometry. (Mathematics and Geometry is the language of the Universe as the Universe is geometrically ordered.)

To achieve their purpose, the crop circle creators utilize spiritual language, physics, biology, geometry and math. On an esoteric level, the crop circles with their underlying Sacred Geometry are transmitting thoughts intended to make us see the oneness of creation in multiplicity. As well, stressing the understanding that the micro and macrocosm are the same, a reflection of one another. Hence the ancient philosophical axiom, “as above, so below” as represented by the six pointed star, two interlocking triangles adopted by the Hebrews and is commonly known as the Star of David. Mirroring each other, the individual being and universal being are in reality one. It would follow that all that exists in the macrocosm of the universe must also exist in the microcosm of the individual body. Thus circle images are able to subtly affect the mental and physical body.

Humans major limitations in discovering the essential unity between the microcosm and macrocosm is that we are accustomed to analyze the world into its separate parts, the result being we loose sight of those parts of inter-relationship and their underlying unity. The way to fulfillment is through recognition of our wholeness linking man and the universe. This hence is the broad aim of the crop circle art, achieved through visual allegorical, metaphoric and archetypal symbols across a broad spiritual spectrum.

Crop circles are visualized as receptacles of the highest spiritual essence. Usually it is a complex pure geometric configuration but often composed of basic primal shapes. These shapes are psychological symbols corresponding to inner states of human consciousness. The innate simplicity of composition is identified with spiritual presence. The use of such elementary shapes are not simplistic but represents the highest conception in visual terms, because the projection of the symbol is direct and bold, creating a sense of expansiveness. Like a Mandala represents a particular configuration whose power increases in proportion to the abstraction and precision of the diagram, gradually growing away from its centre in stages, until its expansion is complete. Often, around the centre are concentric circles or figures which take part in this expansion. The concentric architecture defines the volume of the formation and creates a rhythmic, harmonious unity.

Among the predominant elementary forms of which crop circles are constituted are the circle, line, triangle, square, hexagon, octagon and many other geometric shapes and patterns. All these forms are juxtaposed, combined, intersected and repeated in various ways to produce the desired objective, awakening and expanding the human consciousness.
There is an ancient Hindu metaphor of a spider sitting at the centre of its web, issuing and reabsorbing its threads in concentric circles, all held at one point. The spider’s threads symmetrically expand into a visible circumference, but they can all be traced back to the central point of the web.

Like the spider web, the centre of the crop circle is the power-point from which the entire diagram expands, utilizing the spiral radiating source of energy that generates all forms. It is to be understood as the divine essence out of which proceeds the polarized world.
Symbolically, it’s the first drop which spreads, unfolds and expands into the tangible realm of the universe. It represents the cosmic principles which expand to create the infinite universe of matter and spirit. A meeting-ground of subject and object, this is exactly the kind of spiritual oneness that the circle artists are projecting while creating a sacred place, a temporary temple where the union of the human with the Divine can take place.

On a biological level, energy from crop circle formations are modifying plant DNA, altering its magnetic waves. A bio-physical action of the highest order, these waves emanating from the DNA resonate with external electromagnetic fields making them capable of changing and directing earth’s electromagnetic field.

As they are imprinted around the globe, crop circles are coding the earth and creating new micro-organisms. This is aiding our planet to heal. The organisms are spread throughout the planet via hydrogen atoms in water. In time the organisms will, presumably like rust to metal, eat away the poisonous garbage with which we have so ignorantly and grossly polluted our planet.
Along with that activity, the circle creators are employing abstruse methods causing subtle changes to our DNA genetic structure. This enables programming and informing our psyche through hyper-communication via our DNA wormholes. Powerful genetic bio-molecules contain the data for the operation of magnetic wormholes to act as biological communication channels. There is a metaphysical connection between our DNA wormholes and the magnetic wormholes in the Universe. DNA in itself acts as a intelligence network which enables hyper-communication resulting in a profound comprehension of the Universe, its creation and our relationship and position within it. This will eventually make way for a new paradigm shift for the humans that are able to absorb and relate to the changes, allowing for the transcendence to a higher consciousness and oneness with Mother Earth, the Universe and our Divine Essence.

The circle creators are very ambivalent and I believe hold the key to the spirit door that is now opening. They are concerned about mankind and their prime purpose is to wake us up to the dire consequences of our careless, idiotic behavior with Mother Earth and ourselves. Upon realizing this, we will be able to transcend this absurd world we live in.

Whether humanity realizes it or not, we are in the midst of a major change at the end of an Astrological Cycle of time, the Great Platonic Year. (Precession of the Equinoxes) We are slowly moving out of our mundane three-dimensional reality into the higher spiritual realm of the fourth dimension. Those who become aware of this and are able to connect and adapt will be invited to make the shift. I believe that time begins in the numbered years after the end of the Maya Long Count Calendar, 12/21/2012.

Unlike the UFO phenomena, which for stealthy reasons is limited in hard evidence and thus largely elusive, crop circles are numerous, tangible and accessible. Notwithstanding, that the military and governments are perplexed with genuine crop circles, the western academic scientific community is reluctant to seriously investigate the anomaly. They allow the hoaxers, media and corporations to have fun with it and discredit the serious researchers and their evidence. Without rational, impartial or comprehensive investigation they write off all the formations as hoaxes. It is enough that over their long history the circle formations appear in life sustaining crop without damage to the plants.

As they destroy the crop and anger the farmers, the hoaxers have become quite good at faking crop circles and confusing the issue. Intuition tells me that some of those impressive looking formations they fake may have been subliminally planted in there minds by the high spiritual entities. Nonetheless, Divine Truth will not be denied and it will become apparent as it rises to the top of our consciousness. In a dark, cruel and confused world, the message of the crop circle formations may be humanity’s last ray of hope for a positive psychological change.

Note:
Though I have used the reference term crop circles abundantly in this brief as it is the most familiar reference to the phenomena, it is not really appropriate anymore as crop circles have evolved into various intricate patterns, forms and pictograms. As well, they are no longer restricted to just crops. They are being found in snow, ice, desert sand, mountain moss and tree bark. Included in the numerous formations are new geometric theorems, diatonic ratios and many defined images such as insects, birds, dolphins and DNA sequence. As well, celestial images, astronomical alignments and computations, worm holes, pyramids, Mayan, Aztec and Egyptian Hieroglyphs, Alien Faces, Kabbalist Symbols, Eastern Mandalas, Taoist Yin Yang, Celtic Cross, a host of various other spiritual esoteric and ethereal symbols and much, much more.

Happy as You Want to Be

Almost everyone have heard the hit single 'Don't Worry, Be Happy' by Bobby McFerrin. The song has a very catchy way of conveying its message of being happy to everyone. Bobby Mcferiin's simple message surely made a lot of people by telling them not to worry.

Living a happy, resilient and optimistic life is wonderful, and is also good for your health. Being happy actually protects you from the stresses of life. Stress is linked to top causes of death such as heart disease, cancer and stroke.

One of the better things ever said is - 'The only thing in life that will always remain the same is change', and in our life we have the power to make the necessary changes if we want to. Even if we find ourselves in an unbearable situation we can always find solace in the knowledge that it too would change.

Social networks or relationships are essential to happiness. People are different, accept people for who or what they are, avoid clashes, constant arguments, and let go of all kinds of resentments. If arguments seem unavoidable still try and make an effort to understand the situation and you might just get along with well with

Happiness is actually found in everyone, increasing it is a way to make a life more wonderful and also more healthy.

To be happy is relatively easy, just decide to be a happy person. Abraham Lincoln observed that most people for most of the time can choose how happy or stressed, how relaxed or troubled, how bright or dull their outlook to be. The choice is simple really, choose to be happy.

There are several ways by which you can do this.

Being grateful is a great attitude. We have so much to be thankful for. Thank the taxi driver for bringing you home safely, thank the cook for a wonderful dinner and thank the guy who cleans your windows. Also thank the mailman for bringing you your mails, thank the policeman for making your place safe and thank God for being alive.

News is stressful. Get less of it. Some people just can't start their day without their daily dose of news. Try and think about it, 99% of the news we hear or read is bad news. Starting the day with bad news does not seem to be a sensible thing to do.

A religious connection is also recommended. Being part of a religious group with its singing, sacraments, chanting, prayers and meditations foster inner peace.

Manage your time. Time is invaluable and too important to waste. Time management can be viewed as a list of rules that involves scheduling, setting goals, planning, creating lists of things to do and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to develop an efficient personal time management skill. These basic skills can be fine tuned further to include the finer points of each skill that can give you that extra reserve to make the results you desire.

Laugh and laugh heartily everyday. Heard a good joke? Tell your friends or family about it. As they also say -'Laughter is the best medicine'.

Express your feelings, affections, friendship and passion to people around you. They will most likely reciprocate your actions. Try not to keep pent up anger of frustrations, this is bad for your health. Instead find ways of expressing them in a way that will not cause more injury or hurt to anyone.

Working hard brings tremendous personal satisfaction. It gives a feeling of being competent in finishing our tasks. Accomplishments are necessary for all of us, they give us a sense of value. Work on things that you feel worthy of your time.

Learning is a joyful exercise. Try and learn something new everyday. Learning also makes us expand and broaden our horizons. And could also give us more opportunities in the future.

Run, jog, walk and do other things that your body was made for. Feel alive.

Avoid exposure to negative elements like loud noises, toxins and hazardous places.

These are the few simple things you can do everyday to be happy. And to learn even more about all-inclusive happines, please take time to visit http://www.happiness.thegreat.info .

And always remember the quote from Abraham Lincoln, he says that, "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

Happiness Versus Pleasure

  

We are a pleasure seeking society. Most of us spend our energy seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. We hope that by doing this, we will feel happy. Yet deep, abiding happiness and joy elude so many people.

There is a huge difference between happiness and pleasure. Pleasure is a momentary feeling that comes from something external – a good meal, our stock going up, making love, and so on. Pleasure has to do with the positive experiences of our senses, and with good things happening. Pleasurable experiences can give us momentary feelings of happiness, but this happiness does not last long because it is dependent upon external events and experiences. We have to keep on having the good experiences – more food, more drugs or alcohol, more money, more sex, more things – in order to feel pleasure. As a result, many people become addicted to these external experiences, needing more and more to feel a short-lived feeling of happiness.

Thomas sought my counseling services because he "had everything" – his own successful business, a lovely wife and children, a beautiful home, and time to enjoy life. Yet he was not happy. While he had momentary feelings of happiness while watching a ball game or socializing with his friends, he also felt anxious and depressed much of the time. In fact, the anxiety had become so bad that he was having almost constant stomach pain, which his doctor told him was from stress.

As we worked together, it became apparent that Thomas's main desire in life was to have control over people and events. He wanted others to do things his way and to believe the way he believed. He was frequently judgmental with his employees, wife, children and friends, believing that he was right and they were wrong and it was his job to straighten them out with his judgment and criticism. His energy would become hard and tough and he would be like a steamroller in his efforts to get his point across and get others to do things his way. When it worked and others gave in, Thomas felt a momentary pang of pleasure. But the pain in his stomach kept getting worse and worse, which is why he decided to consult with me.

Thomas also wanted control over his own feelings, and would often judge himself as harshly as he judged others in an effort to get himself to perform well and feel okay. He especially judged himself harshly when he felt rejected by others, frequently telling himself that he was an inadequate jerk.

As we worked together, Thomas began to see that happiness is the result of choosing to be a kind, caring, compassionate and gentle person with himself and others – quite the opposite of the judgmental, controlling person he had chosen to be. Thomas learned that happiness is the natural result of being present in each moment with love and kindness toward himself and others, rather than with being attached to the outcome of things and trying to control the outcome regarding events and others' behavior. He discovered that he felt deep joy whenever he let go of control and chose caring instead. The anxiety in his stomach went away whenever his intention was to be a kind and caring person rather than a controlling one.

It is not easy to shift out of the deep devotion to control and become devoted to love and compassion toward oneself and others. Our ego wounded self has been practicing control since we were very little. Yet the moment our intent is to control, our heart closes and we feel alone and anxious inside. Our intent to seek safety and pleasure through controlling others, outcomes, and our own feelings leads to an inner feeling of abandonment and emptiness. We abandon ourselves when we are trying to control our feelings rather than be kind and compassionate with ourselves. Our anxiety and feelings of emptiness lead to more seeking outside ourselves to fill up with pleasurable experiences. The momentary pleasure leads to addictive behavior.

When the intent shifts out of controlling and not being controlled to becoming loving to ourselves and others, the heart opens and joy is the result. Deep and abiding happiness and joy are the natural result of operating out of the spiritual values of caring, compassion and kindness

The Spamming Trap For Online Business Beginners

  

People who begin their online business ventures would naturally be unaware of many of the internet business rules, protocols and etiquettes. Yet, as in any law, the internet law does not forgive for ignorance. One of the most important issues that are governed by many controls over the internet is Spamming.

A beginner in online business can very easily fall unintentionally into the spamming trap while conducting internet marketing activity to promote his/her business.

Spamming has many faces and forms depending on the marketing activity performed. We will list the marketing activity, the possible spamming forms within each marketing activity, possible consequences and how to avoid unintentional spamming in each spamming form.

1- E-mail Campaigns: The most common spamming method is conducted through e-mail campaigns. E-mail spamming is when you send an e-mail promoting your product or service to someone who did not request any information from you. In many cases beginners fall into the trap of buying lists of e-mails from questionable sources and when sending the e-mail campaign they would realize that one of the following occurred:

a. Received direct complaints.

b. The e-mail account gets shut from the ISP or the hosting provider.

c. Contacted by internet police.

How to avoid e-mail spamming:

a. Make sure that the person who you are sending your campaign to has requested information from you or allowed you to send him e-mails.

b. When buying e-mail lists make sure that the list is safe and has allowed e-mails to be sent to them.

c. Ensure to have a statement at the end of your e-mail that would allow the recipient of your e-mail campaign to opt out if they do not wish to receive any communication from you.

2- Link Submission: Spamming in Link submission could be done in different forms but to cut the story short, you should follow the rules of each directory carefully. Among the very famous rules that are common across many link submission directories:

a. Do not submit your website link in more than one category.

b. Do not submit different pages of your website; submit only your top level link.<

c. Do not submit your link more than once. Search the directory to check if your link already exists.

Failing to follow the rules of each directory would delete your link immediately at this particular directory.

3- Article Submission: Just like link directories, article directories have their own rules as well. Not complying with these rules will make those directories decline your articles. Among the most famous rules are the following:

a. Submit your own work and not somebody else's.

b. Submit a topic that is acceptable by the directory.

c. Do not make your title all in Capital letters. Use Title Caps form.

d. Do not Bold your key words within your article.

4- Posting in Forum: Again you have to read the rules of each forum you intend to be part of before you make any posts. Among the most famous rules are the following:

a. Do not advertise your business in your posts.

b. Do not include affiliate links in your posts.

c. Follow the exact rules of the forum for your sig. file.

Failing to comply will make the forum moderators cancel your account permanently.

5- Blogging: Filling your Blog by copying other people's articles could eliminate your account permanently with your Blog host.

6- Search Engine Related Spamming Activity:

a. Filling your site content with your keywords will be considered spamming by search engines.

b. Submitting your website to link farms will be considered spamming by search engines.

c. Adding huge amounts of content to your website while your site niche does not usually require such additions will be considered spamming by search engines.

d. Submitting your website to FFA's could be considered as spamming by search engines.

e. Including Keywords in your Keyword tag on your website while they are not related to your website could be considered as spamming by search engines.

I hope this will help all online business beginners to avoid the spamming trap and have a smooth and successful internet marketing activity

Happiness is the Path to the Productive Workplace

According to the American Dream Project, the average American works between 43 and 51 hours per week. Does that make us more productive? No. In fact, the United States is ranked 8th in productivity behind countries like Norway, Italy, and France. Yet people in those countries work fewer hours. So what will make us more productive?

First, it is important to understand that the average person is only productive 5 hours a day, yet our average workday is 8 hours with fewer people taking breaks and vacations than ever before. Second, it is also important to differentiate between the higher living standard of Americans and happiness. Our higher living standard is due mostly to our long work hours and higher spending patterns, yet that standard does not make Americans more productive, nor does it make people happy. In fact, it only serves to make us more exhausted. The American Dream Project goes on to explain that this exhaustion decreases our productivity while pushing us into activities that are not necessarily correlated to happiness, but just escapism.

So how can employers maximize productivity while decreasing stress? Focus on your employees. According to the Great Place to Work Institute, the companies with the happiest employees are also the most productive. However, contrary to popular belief, money does not buy happiness in the workplace. In fact, there is very little correlation between making over $50,000 per year and happiness in general. For most people, happiness is about low stress, trust, and a feeling that they matter.

If happiness comes from trust and a feeling that they matter, then what are some things an organization can do to foster those feelings? Primarily, a company needs to have a management team that builds that sense of trust and caring. One way to bring about the caring environment is to provide services that enhance the employees' lives, like a concierge service.

Concierge services provided as an employee benefit gives employees a tangible view that their employer cares about their personal needs as well as their productivity. This promotes loyalty and productivity. It is a useful and inexpensive way to provide for employees needs, and it will help in lowering employee's stress levels. In fact, one company funded a study that showed 62 percent of employees would like help in getting things done and believed that the help would lower the stress in their lives. Also, 50 percent of those surveyed would pay to have more time with their families.

Those statistics reinforce the American Dream Project's assertion that happiness is not necessarily tied to money, but to lifestyle. If you feel like your company could use a little boost in productivity and employee loyalty, then maybe it is time to really look at what your employees need. Check out concierge services to add just a little light into your employees' lives and see how your work environment changes to a positive, productive workplace.

Happiness Is About Connection And Gratitude

  

People complain. They're complaining all the time about everything. As a child, I was innocent enough to believe what people were saying. I really thought there were plenty of valid reasons to complain: the weather (most often), lack of money (runner-up), the neighbors, husband or wife, the children (me, in this case), civilization (or the lack of it), bad health, etc. I assumed the world just turned out to be like this and there was nothing much we could do. It was called "fate" or something.

The thing to do was to pray. Not to ask for a better life. No! I learned to pray to ask God to forgive me for my sins. I was a nice little girl, doing very well at school, polite with the neighbors, helpful at home, so it was rather difficult to keep finding sins for our weekly confession. But because human beings are profoundly sinful by birth, they told me, I had to go confess anyway. The nuns at school came up with a solution to help us out: they "prepared" our sins for us. Every Wednesday, on confession day, they gave us a pink paper with our "confessions of the day." I remember feeling sorry for the poor priest, hidden in his little black cabin, spending the entire day listening to the confessions of 600 little girls, endlessly repeating the same sins over and over…

Growing up, I figured something was missing. Pretending to be sinful by repeating sins someone else had cooked up for me, that could not be what life is about. I refused to further confess sins that I had not committed. I refused to believe that I was the cause of my misery, and that I had to pray every day without things getting better!

When I was 26, I went to Africa. There I met my husband (he's from Belgium) and together we had a wonderful time, with plenty of sunshine and plenty of money; circumstances people usually don't complain about, right? According to my childhood logic, people only complain for a reason: lousy weather (too cold, too much rain), lack of money, etc. But what I discovered over there seriously opened my eyes! My "white" friends just went on complaining: about the weather (too hot), about the service (5 servants and still they were complaining) or about how things were too expensive – while they were earning 5 times as much as before!

I discovered there and then that the complaining was not based on any objective reasons. I also noticed that the black people, who were living in their villages with close to nothing, were not complaining. I got interested in this phenomenon: they had nothing except a big smile on their face, while we had everything and were still complaining! How could this be?

It became crystal clear to me that the complaints had nothing to do with the outer circumstances. It was an attitude, a habit. Next, I wanted to find out where this habit came from. So I examined the way of life of the local people and compared it with our way of life. When I finally came up with the explanation, it changed my life forever!

There are two important differences between them and us. The first difference is that they have a social network to help everyone in the village. They stick together. They don't push out people who don't fit the norm. In our society, everybody who is a bit different is sent to an "institution." An institution is a place to collect those individuals who cannot follow the fast pace of society and thus fall out of the boat. Most institutions have great walls to prevent us from "seeing" that these people really exist. They look more like a prison than a shelter.

Who are these people that don't fit in our society, put away behind walls so we don't have to confront them? They are the disabled, the diseased, the dangerous ones, the mentally retarded or disturbed, those who are too slow (they go to special schools), too difficult to handle (they go to educational institutions) and those who are too tired and too old (we put them in expensive homes).

There in Africa, everybody stays in his own village and is accepted and taken care of (except the really dangerous ones, they go to prison). Everybody has a natural social network and access to help. You are not isolated from society merely because you cannot walk or because you are mentally slow. They stick together. I figured out that inner loneliness and isolation is one of the main reasons why we are complaining so much.

The second difference is that all of these people are connected to something "greater" than themselves. They have a strong faith in a god who takes care of them. They spend a lot of time performing rituals to please their god(s) and get good health and harvest in return.

I gave these two differences a lot of thought and concluded that creating social networks of people and a solid relationship with something bigger than ourselves, are vitally important fundaments of human happiness.

It's all about "connection." Connection to each other. Connection to the Universe. In the meantime I found out that good things can happen only when we stay connected to each other and to the Universe. I started studying the Laws of the Universe and spent a lot of energy helping people establish a connection to each other and to the Universe. In fact, this became the very purpose of my life.

Many people think they are alone, without help, and have to do everything by themselves. This is not the case. You are guided, you are loved by Something Greater than your little personality. Try to feel this connection. Take time everyday to connect to the Source. Do like the African people I was lucky to meet so many years ago: create a real connection between yourself, the Universe and people around you, without being overly dependent on others. You will never feel alone again and you will be able to spread a lot more love around.

Living this kind of "connected life" will make you forget about your former complaints. What's there to complain about? Your complaints will be replaced by gratitude! Say "thank you" to the Universe for all the things you already have, and for all the wonders that may still cross your path. Express your sincere gratitude for all the love you have received and will keep receiving throughout your life. Be grateful for the clean water coming out of the tap by a simple gesture of your hand, while many people spend six hours every day to get a little bit of water, and others die of thirst. Be grateful for the light you switch on with a simple flick. Large parts of the world have to do without electric power! Say "thank you" for the variety of food that is available to you every day – a lot of people have to get by on one scarce meal a day, or are simply starving.

There is so much to be grateful for. I felt so ashamed there in Africa, at 26 years old, hearing my white friends, bathing in luxury but still complaining, while my black friends, who had close to nothing, were laughing, friendly, grateful and most of the time quite happy with the little things in life.

It's all in the mind. Gratitude and happiness are an attitude, a state of being. It has nothing to do with circumstances. The  attitude is gratitude

Steps to Reducing SPAM in Your Inbox

  

Spam first made its mark in the world in 1978 when Gary Thuerk, Marketing Director of Digital Equipment Technology sent an email solicitation to 400 employees at Arpnet. The email created a few sales, but it also created fierce backlash. Today, more than 180 billion spam messages are sent out each day to over 1 billion Internet users. This staggering statistic makes it clear why spam is such a major problem for Internet users. Many companies are working hard to solve the spam problem, but the first step to stopping spam starts with the consumer.

By following the steps below, Internet users can reduce the number of spam email messages they receive in their inbox.

Before an Invasion of Spam

Software:

Choose email providers that offer built-in spam protection services. Look for service providers that promote a high success rate of blocking spam email.

Spam Filters:

Spam is a cat and mouse game. Spammers are constantly looking for ways to bypass filters. Regularly check your spam filter software if you're using non-web based email to make sure it is up to date. If you're using web-based email,m make sure your webmail provider is working hard to protect you from spam.

Improve Security:

A firewall may be one of the most important applications on a computer. It acts as a barrier between hackers and the computer, and prevents access to unauthorized information.

Limit Email Dispersal:

When performing online transactions, thoroughly scan the page for any checked and unchecked boxes. Some companies will word these boxes in a way to increase the likelihood of a consumer opting-in to their email campaigns.

Shop From Known Vendors:

Shopping from known vendors can greatly reduce the threat of spam email. Many companies are guilty of selling email addresses to third parties, which are then used for spam. The company's privacy policy is supposed to list their intended uses of your personal information, such as whether they will sell your email address to third parties. Consumers can check the Better Business Bureau's and the FTC's (Federal Trade Commission) websites for lists of reputable companies and for lists of violators.

Once Spam Becomes a Problem

Internet users should avoid opening spam. It should be immediately deleted. Pay close attention to the senders email address as most spammers use deceptive subject lines intended to promote opening. If opened, avoid attachments, which may contain viruses, and do not purchase goods or donate to charities solicited in the message. Many spam email messages will have unsubscribe links at the bottom of the message, as dictated by the CAN-SPAM Act.

If consumers find themselves with an inbox full of spam, they can also report the spam emails to their Internet Service Provider.

There are numerous companies and organizations designed to regulate the Internet and protect users. But, it is important that Internet users are informed of the threats of spam. By following the stated suggestions and by not falling victim to the ploys of spammers, users can help put spammers out of business, and keep their inbox free of junk email.

Spammers And Spam Hunters

  

Sometimes I don't know which people are the worst. Those that spam or those that say they are going after spammers.

I deleted 145 spam posts on one of my blogs today. Fortunately I have moderate comments turned on so they never actually get posted. That makes the spammers bad, but that's the worst inconvenience spammers have caused me.

However those that supposedly are our Spam saviors. Those that say they are fighting spam have caused me more problems than the spammers themselves.

Sorbs.net lists your domain name as a spam domain name if you happen to be hosted on or near the same IP address as the spammers. Therefore you are guilty by association.

To get your domain name removed off of sorbs.net's list, you have to give them money. Sounds a lot like extortion since they manually add you to the list then ask you for money to be removed.

Then of course they tell you that they give the money to charity. I checked out the charity they say they give the money to. It goes to a legal defense fund they could use to defend themselves if you sued them. Some charity.

Twice now blogger.com has caused me spamconvenience. They have locked me out of one of my own blogs and one I manage for a client because their spambot said it might be spam. It also says that if you are a human reading this message then of course I am not likely a spambot and they will correct the situation.

They did this even though on that blog they require me to type into the little box whatever crazy letters they have in the little graphic to make each post on that same blog.<

Half the time the little picture isn't even there. So you cannot type the little letters into the box because the little letters don't exist. So how can they use that method to make sure I am not spamming, then flag it as a spam blog?

However since I get paid to blog daily on the client's blog, my loss of income, that I am sure Google will not reimburse me for, is just that lost income due to the spam fighters.

They did this today to the client's blog. They are reviewing it they say. Like to see that blog? Go to http://hotelsandapartments.blogspot.com It's not spam.

The first time it happened was one day after I created the blog. It had exactly one post in it. Wow, what a spammer I am. They blocked me from logging in but sent me a very nice email, which I had not opted in for, saying they would be glad to review that blog too. They even provided a nice link to where I could fill out a form to request a review.

When I followed their nice link in the unsolicited email, (not spam), they sent me, it asked me to log in using the username and password that THEY HAD ALREADY BLOCKED ME FROM USING!

So that blog had to be rebuilt elsewhere. Again, I have had way more trouble from spam fighters than I ever have had from spammers. Well, that's all for my rant. Now I have to see if I can get the little picture below to load so I can see what stupid letters I have to type into the box so you can see this post.

Logo Design Buyer's Guide

  

Across a period of time a logo is the image which symbolizes a corporation, its products and services in a complete explanatory manner. Its purpose is to create an unforgettable, familiar feeling on the mind of a potential client or customer. It's undoubtedly a logo which can be termed as the heart of a company's corporate identity. So in a nutshell a logo is a trademark of a company or organization. It's the identity that encapsulates what your company stand for and what it wants to achieve in its lifetime. Companies do spend thousands, if not millions of dollars just to have the right logo.

So what are the ingredients of a first-class logo?

Most people would reply "I just recognized it when I saw it!"

Well this isn't so far from the truth. A good logo catches the eye; it makes the observer curious and engaged, doesn't matter if only for a short moment. And that is the moment in which an image and the subsistence of your company gets embedded into the minds of your customer rather than filtered out with a million other daily options. Your company's logo will be your visual tool to stimulate attention and leave a greater impact to your target audience that words may fall short of. Over time, logos prove to be the simplest and most direct way of promoting one's business presence. Make your logo give you your brand name recognition. It is your visual appeal to any document or web page because of its unique graphic image. People tend to remember a catchy logo at a much higher rate than nearly any other advertising element. When designing your logo, there are several things to keep in mind to achieve you goals: be unique, be true to the company, consider the psychology of your target market, and, above all, keep it simple.

Your business logo will most likely be used for many purposes: business cards and letterhead, outdoor designs, the Internet and promotional items such as T-shirts and mugs. The logo has to look good when resized to fit on a small 2"x 3.5" business card. If the design is complex a lot of detail will be lost when the logo is shrunk to fit on the card and people might not be able to make out the design. Elaborate designs can also be difficult and expensive to put on T-shirts and mugs.

Complex or over-the-top designs can mean high printing costs. A decision to have a highly complex custom design logo for your firm can come back to haunt you. This doesn't mean that your custom design logo has to be simple (and boring) for it to work. An elegant logo design can enhance your firm's professional image. The trick is to find the right balance between design and functionality, where you have a great design that you can use for all purposes.

Design of a company or product logo should not be tagged on to an advertising campaign at the end of the planning process. It deserves to be examined and integrated into the body of the campaign; it should not be the tail of the dog. A good logo is developed at the front end, the part that bites. Planners need to communicate to the graphic designer certain key information about what the company or product goals are. They need to pass on to the artist a demographic picture of their target consumer - age, income, where they live. All of these factors are brought into play in the strategic planning process.

Too much information can be just as complicated to handle as too little. Seeing too many sources might encourage the prospective logo purchaser to select a supplier at random and hope for the best. Given the prolonged expected life cycle for a company logo and the significant part a logo plays in image recognition, playing selection games can be devastating. But what can a newcomer do to get the best bang for his logo?

These days the savvy of risk in online business is becoming quite substantial, anyone with a computer and internet access can put up a logo design business.

You could've pay a boy working as a freelance and charging $40 to draw your logo. Who knows? Maybe he's good, but there is more to logo design than nice pictures. Logo designers need to recognize the association that should exist between the logo and the image the company wants to send to its customers. Logo designers have to have some business understanding and business know-how in order to design logos that increase sales

Don't fall for cheap prices, they say "Quality never comes cheap" and yes it is so very true, at one hand you tend to choose a cheap logo design plan but on the other hand you sacrifice some of the things which in turn those logo designers will get benefited with. Some of those like things are:

1. A limited number of Formats

Mostly the cheap plan logo designers won't provide the final design in multiple formats such as a bitmap image and a vector image. Knowingly these both formats are very necessary, you use bitmap for your website and interrelated purposes whereas vector for printing up of the visiting cards and corporate stationery.

2. No Money-Back Guarantee

Usually cheap logo designing plans are not backed up by any money back guarantee, might be the reason can be, they don't really possess any satisfied customers.

3. Limited Alterations

Some logo designers present very affordable logos where you get no or very few alterations. In additional words, they'll give you one logo. If you don't like it, that's your problem. Typically they then charge extra for alterations. This in itself isn't really dishonest - as long as they are upfront about it. It does become deceptive when it's buried in fine print.

Creating a logo is always a process - though different designers have their own methods. Many designers will begin by sketching thumbnails or playing with shapes on the computer screen, until something "clicks" and they follow that path to see where it leads. One way to start is to select a shape which represents the concept of the company, and begin playing with it. The idea is to come up with something interesting or clever, whether a viewpoint which is different, or an unusual combination of shapes. Perhaps it will be something which will require some guesswork on the part of the viewer, but then be crystal clear when they look at it another way.

The accurate logo, with the accurate distinctiveness, will enhance your visibility, reliability and impression; which mean more business for you. Few are the things that are needed for a robust logo making activity and an outstanding product, before choosing this service of logo designing make sure that the designer firm follows this trail, following this will ensure maximum credibility, firms like Business Logo Design follow this trail and has been achieving recorded success ration over a period of years, these factors are:

Consistency

Consistency in use of logo, tagline, materials. Repetition of similar elements, used in the same or similar ways. This helps people to remember who the company is and what do they do?

Memorability

Must contain an element of memorability so that the logo stays at the forefront of potential clients' minds. That way, they'll think of the company next time they have a need.

Meaningfulness

Meaningfulness so that the logo can spread the message about the distinguishing characteristics of one's business.

Uniqueness

The uniqueness factor helps one stand out from the crowd. For example, if everyone in one industry uses a particular symbol (i.e., airlines often uses airplane tail), try to use something else that way, the logo doesn't just look like everyone else's.

Professionalism

Professionalism in the eminence of the graphics, the printing and the paper on which the materials will be printed.

Timelessness

Timelessness in the logo will ensure that one don't have to redesign the logo in just a few years and that the investment and equity in the design will be lasting.

Remember, logo design is an essential element to your general marketing strategy. Put in the necessary time, effort, and creativity, and you will end up with an effective, memorable logo that will go miles towards developing the positive brand appreciation and recognition you desire. A logo is essentially at the heart of corporate identity. It is the face of an organization. The right logo design can be one of your strongest marketing tools. It delivers the message to the public that a company is unique, credible and professional. Make it stylish. Make it elegant. Make an impact.

Spam: Where it Came From, and How to Escape It.

Who Cooked This!? (How did it all start?)

The modern meaning of the word "spam" has nothing to do with spiced ham. In the early 1990's, a skit by British comedy group Monty Python led to the word's common usage. "The SPAM Skit" follows a couple struggling to order dinner from a menu consisting entirely of Hormel's canned ham.

Repetition is key to the skit's hilarity.

The actors cram the word "SPAM" into the 2.5 minute skit more than 104 times! This flood prompted Usenet readers to call unwanted newsgroup postings "spam." The name stuck.

Spammers soon focused on e-mail, and the terminology moved with them. Today, the word has come out of technical obscurity. Now, "spam" is the common term for "Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail", or "UCE."

Why Does Bad Spam Happen to Good People?

Chances are, you've been spammed before. Somehow, your e-mail address has found it's way into the hands of a spammer, and your inbox is suffering the consequences. How does this happen? There are several possibilities.

Backstabbing Businesses.

Businesses often keep lists of their customers' e-mail addresses. This is a completely legitimate practice and, usually, nothing bad comes of it. Sometimes though, the temptation to make a quick buck is too great, and these lists are sold or rented to outside advertisers. The result? A lot of unsolicited e-mail, and a serious breach of trust.

Random Address Generation.

Computer programs called random address generators simply "guess" e-mail addresses. Over 100 million hotmail addresses exist - howhard could it be to guess some of them? Unfortunately for many unsuspecting netizens - not too hard. Many spammers also guess at

"standard" addresses, like "support@yourdomain.com",

"info@yourdomain.com", and "billing@yourdomain.com."

Web Spiders.

Today's most insidious list-gathering tools are web spiders. All of the major search engines spider the web, saving information about each page. Spammers use tools that also spider the web, but save any e-mail address they come across. Your personal web page lists your e-mail address? Prepare for an onslaught!

Chat Room Harvesting.

ISP's offer vastly popular chat rooms where users are known only by their screen names. Of course, spammers know that your screen name is the first part of your e-mail address. Why waste time guessing e-mail addresses when a few hours of lurking in a chat room can net a list of actively-used addresses?

The Poor Man's Bad Marketing Idea.

It didn't work for the phone companies, and it won't work for e-mail marketers. But, some spammers still keep their own friends-and-family-style e-mail lists. Compiled from the addresses of other known spammers, and people or businesses that the owner has come across in the past, these lists are still illegitimate. Why? Only you can give someone permission to send you e-mail. A friend-of-a-friend's permission won't cut it.

Stop The Flood to Your Inbox

Already drowning in spam? Try using your e-mail client's filters - many provide a way to block specific e-mail addresses. Each time you're spammed, block the sender's address. Spammers skip from address to address, and you may be on many lists, but this method will at least slow the flow.

Also, use more than one e-mail address, and keep one "clean." Many netizens find that this technique turns the spam flood into a trickle. Use one address for only spam-safe activities like e-mailing your friends, or signing on with trustworthy businesses. Never use your clean address on the web! Get a free address to use on the web and in chat rooms.

If nothing else helps, consider changing screen names, or opening an entirely new e-mail account. When you do, you'll start with a clean, spam-free slate. This time, protect your e-mail address!

Stay Off Spammed Lists in the Future.

Want to surf the web without getting sucked into the spam-flood? Prevention is your best policy. Don't use an easy-to-guess e-mail address. Keep your address clean by not using it for spam-centric activities. Don't post it on any web pages, and don't use it in chat rooms or newsgroups.

Before giving your clean e-mail address to a business, check the company out. Are sections of its user agreement dedicated to anti-spam rules? Does a privacy policy explain exactly what will be done with your address? The most considerate companies also post an anti-spam policy written in plain English, so you can be absolutely sure of what you're getting into.

Think You're Not a Spammer? Be Sure.

Many a first-time marketer has inadvertently spammed his audience. The first several hundred complaints and some nasty phone messages usually stop him in his tracks. But by then, the spammer may be faced with cleanup bills from his ISP, and a bad reputation that it's not easy to overcome.

The best way to avoid this situation is to have a clear understanding of what spam is: If anyone who receives your mass e-mails did not specifically ask to hear from you, then you are spamming them.

Stick with your gut. Don't buy a million addresses for $10, no matter how much the seller swears by them! If something sounds fishy, just say no. You'll save yourself a lot in the end.

The Final Blow.

The online world is turning the tide on spam. In the end, people will stop sending spam because it stops working. Do your part: never buy from a spammer. When your business seeks out technology companies with which to work, only choose those with a staunch anti-spam stance.

Spam has a long history in both the food and e-mail sectors. This year, Hormel Foods opened a real-world museum dedicated to SPAM. While the museum does feature the Monty Python SPAM Skit, there's no word yet on an unsolicited commercial e-mail exhibit. But, if all upstanding netizens work together, Hormel's ham in a can will far outlive the Internet plague that is UCE.

Simple Steps to Defeating SPAM

      

GMail SPAM filter is fighting a losing battle. I am doing some ANTI-SPAM testing. For the past 4 months I have been very public with my Gmail email address, signing up for newsletters, using it on forms, and sharing it publicly on forums, blogs, and discussion boards. I expected to get SPAMMED to death, that's exactly what's beginning to happen. Everyday, I receive about 20 junk emails. I know that is small, but for someone who is use to never seeing SPAM in their inbox, it's a quite bit.

I did this sort of testing, once before with Yahoo! Mail, and I took the time to get rid of all my SPAM (from coming into the inbox). I'll share my secret.

1. First, you should have 3 email addresses; (@.hotmail, @.yahoo, @.gmail). These 3 email addresses should represent your public (personal) email address, your business email address, and your spam catcher). Remember the less you publicly use your email address, the less SPAM you'll have.

2. If you wish to use your public or business email address, each site you travel to, (which you plan or must share your email address) you should check the site Privacy Policy. You don't have to study the policy, but finger through it and see what their policy is about sharing your information. If the policy doesn't have this clause or the site doesn't have a Privacy Policy (visibly linked) then be skeptical and assume this site plans to share your information. Many sites claim to be legit and have a privacy policy in place, but through the backdoor they sell your information, so never put all trust into the privacy policy, just make good judgment. The best thing about managing your SPAM is that you can speculate how someone got your email address, because your amount of SPAM is down to a minimum and you are securely managing your email address. Any place you need to enter your email address and you feel skeptical about using your public or business email address then you should enter your spam catcher email.

3. Your public (personal) email address should be used for public trusted sources, such as: on forums, discussion boards which you frequent. You should use this address only on sites which you trust and visit on a day-to-day or occasional basis. Your public email address should be used for sign-up forms (only sites you want information from). Your public email address should also be used to subscribe to newsletters which you initiate. Your public (personal) email address should be your most commonly used email address for basic day-to-day communication. This is the email address you should share with family, friends, and co-workers.

4. Your business email address should be used for business contacts. In fact, your business email should NOT be a free email address, it should be an email address with your company, your website, or your business name (example: @.yourcompanyname.com). If you don't have a company, business, or website then use a free email address and make this your email address for professional purposes, such as putting this email on your resume, etc. This should be for extremely trusted sources. You should only share your business email address with individuals you connect with one-on-one on a professional or business level. Example: You shouldn't share this email address with the customer service staff of a company, but you should share this email address with the CEO of the company. This is your exclusive email address. In some instances you may share your business email address with the customer service staff, but the source should be trusted and you should make good judgment. Example: If the company plans to send you sensitive information via email, like money market account information. Your business email can be used for signing up at sites which you will use your credit card and is a highly respectable and honest site, world renown. This email should only be used with those whom you trust with your information and trust will not share or send you advertisements. You should only use this email address to get company related information or information which directly affects you or your business on a consumer or business level. You should NEVER publish your business email address on any website, forum, discussion board, or any other publicly available media. <

5. Your spam catcher email address is the email address you should use at any time you feel skeptical, when you don't trust a site, or when a site doesn't provide you information that you wish to receive. Many sites have products, programs, or services which you want, but to register or to move forward you must enter an email address (and most of the time the email address must be valid and confirmed), therefore you should have a spam catcher email address, for non-trusted sources. Using your spam catcher email address you could easily register at any site while using a valid email address, which you can log into and confirm the authenticity of the email addresses.

6. Use the 'Report Spam' feature of your email client. Most online and now even software (local install) email clients have a 'Report Spam' feature which blocks the delivery of future mail from the sender. It is important to make good use of this feature, because it will help keep your inbox free of unwanted mail. The only email addresses you are worried about receiving spam from is your personal email address and business email address, the spam catcher email address should not be an account you log into daily, you should only log into your spam catcher email address to confirm an email. At this point you shouldn't receive any spam into your business email address account, if you followed the steps above, but if you do then make sure you use the 'Report Spam' feature so you can block future delivery. Use the 'Report Spam' feature immediately when you receive spam so there is no delay and to be sure you don't miss a spam message. In your personal email address account you will probably receive spam messages or unwanted mail, if you do then make sure you use the 'Report Spam' feature each time you receive a piece of unwanted mail, within a few months and good email address management (following the steps above) you should never or rarely see any spam coming into your inbox.

If you receive any mail into your inbox, then make sure you use the "Report Spam" feature within the email client. This should soon eliminate any mail you do not wish to have. Following the steps above is imperative to getting a good clean inbox. Managing your email address is ultimately your responsibility and you should know who you share your information with. Most people use only one email address for all their communication, this technique is not the best option. You should use at least 3 email addresses adhering to the steps above. You can simply log into one account, your personal email address or your business email address and just have the email from the other forwarded to the account you log into most. You can also send email from the account under either your personal or business email address. Setting up forwarders and multiple sender accounts is not a hard task in the 3 major online email clients. For some additional steps may need to be taken, like with Yahoo! you must have a paid account to forward your email, but from Gmail you can automatically forward your email where you like for FREE. So, if you forward your Gmail email to your Yahoo! account and setup multiple accounts within your Yahoo! Account then you are in good shape. Use the Hotmail account as your spam catcher. This is just a thought, but you can set it up any way you like, its your preference. Currently, I have a paid Yahoo! account and I use my Yahoo! account as my business email address. I use my Gmail account as my personal email, and I use my Hotmail account as my spam catcher. My Yahoo! mail is forwarded directly to my Gmail account, and I have a sender account setup in my Gmail account, which will send mail as my Yahoo! email address. I use Gmail Notify and know instantly whenever I receive new mail from either my public (personal) or business email address. I rarely log into my Hotmail account, only to confirm an email or just to login so my account doesn't close. This proactive approach has kept my inbox clean for years and now I'm sure it will help you with your fight against SPAM!

Save Time, Money and Hassle - Stop Spam

 
 

Spam can be an absolute nightmare, and one that seems to spiral out of control in some of my email accounts. If i've been away for a few days and haven't had a chance to check my emails, I dread having to open up my email client when I get back online in anticipation of hundreds or thousands of spam emails.

Although I simply delete these emails, for some, they seem legitimate messages that can often cause the recipient to become the subject of a fraudulent activity. An example of this that many people may have experienced are the emails that claim that you have won the lottery in some country that you probably haven't even visited, or emails that ask for you to help claim a substantial amount of money for someone who claims to be entitled to millions of dollars from a lost relative. These types of emails are laughable but for a lesser experienced internet user, they pose a great threat.

This was when I decided to use a spam blocker to prevent the hassle and time wasted deleting spam emails.

Spam has been around since the medium of email became popular. Even though there have been several laws passed that are trying to limit the amount of spamming activity, it still exists. A good way to stop the annoyance and the time wasted deleting spam emails is by using a spam blocker. They can also save you a lot of money in the scenario where you are unfortunate enough to receive a virus from a spam email. This has happened to me before, and I can honestly say I will now do everything possible to stop it from happening again because of the hassle and time it took to get my pc back to the way it was. In fact this took several weeks and numerous times formatting my hardware, which despite my best efforts resulted in quite a few programs and software being lost

But why do people fall victim to spam emails? The truth is that the spammer is becoming cleverer in the way that they set up the scams. It was not so long ago that I received an email which was apparently from Paypal. The email was pretty well written and even the links seemed to point to the Paypal site. I felt it was not genuine though as it asked me to click a link to visit the "Paypal" site, whereas I had read some time ago never to click a link in an email to visit the site, but to type the address directly into your internet browser so that you can rest assured that the site is genuine. It is a distinct possibility that many internet users will have fallen for these types of emails.

Do not become a victim of the consequence of spam emails. A spam blocker is a simple solution that will prevent the emails from ever reaching your inbox. They can save you time, money, hassle, and any potential problems that spam emails possess.

Online Writing - Is This The Perfect Title?

  

With online writing, an article title has to accomplish many things. It has to make it easier for the reader to find the article. It has to tell the reader what the article is about. It has to entice the reader to read the article. It has to be acceptable for submission to article directories. How do you accomplish all this in one title?

Sometimes you can't. Still, you try to include as many elements of a good title as you can. The "best" or "perfect" title will be a different combination of factors for each unique article. Let's look at what makes the title of this article work.

Online Writing Is About Keywords

They won't read your article if they can't find it. How do they find it? Most often now, readers use search engines. If you don't have the keywords they are searching for in the title, it is less likely it will show up in their search results. In this case, there is good traffic for the keyword "online writing." That is why it is in the title and will be repeated in this article a few times as well.

Don't Fool The Reader

You can get cute with article titles, but if you don't also let the reader know what the article is about in the title or description, you'll have problems. A searcher may just pass on your article because he doesn't know what it is about. He may click-through to read the article, then get annoyed when he finds that he was mislead. He won't be likely to click over to your website then, will he? This article, by the way, is clearly about online writing.

Titles That Grab Attention

Questions involve the reader, and make it more likely they will go beyond the title to the article. They want the answer, of course. That's why I use a question for this article. The fact that you are reading this article hopefully shows that this was a good strategy. There is more than one way to grab someone's attention though. Other good titles include words like "How To," "Top Ten," and "Easy Ways To," as well as "You," "Your," "Free," "New," and "Best."

Formatting Issues

Titles for online article-writing need to be acceptable to the owners of the directories, websites, and newsletters where you hope your article will be published. Good keyword optimization helps - you're not the only one hoping to get traffic from that article. They also need to be a reasonable length, so they don't look awkward on a page, or take too much room in a newsletter. Three to seven words is ideal although more words are okay if they are shorter, and perhaps fewer is better if they are longer.

Finally, you should always deliver on the promise of the title. You want the reader to not only read the article, but to feel like they got what they were looking for, and so can trust you. After all, the whole point of online writing is to get that reader to read right through the article to the resource box, where they can click-through to your website.

30 seconds to get money from Wordlink

Hello world ...
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Then the confirmation email. After login

1.Click Browse Ads and click one of the paid links at the top of the page. Then click the button that appears.

2 A new window will open. Wait for the countdown timer, then click Remove Frame at the top of the page.

3 Return to Browse Ads and click Refresh page. Your balance will increase. Repeat process for all adverts.

http://wordlinx.com/?r=354187

Psychic Attack: Spiritual Purification and Cord Cutting

Energy stealers are everywhere! They are your family members, your friends and they are your co-workers and YOU may even be one yourself. A more common name is a Psychic Vampire and we all know what vampires do! In this case the vampire is sucking our vital energy, depleting us and causing us to become unhealthy emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually. Spiritual purification and cord cutting are some tools that can keep the vampires away!

What does the term 'Psychic Vampire' mean anyway? A psychic vampire is a person that steals other people's energies because they are living their life in victim consciousness and believe that everything happens 'to' them. Living in this manner is very dis-empowering. Therefore in order for them to feel better about themselves they need to attach themselves to another person's energy field. In order for this 'vampire' to attach themselves to your energy body, they form cords attaching the two of you together. When they need a boost, they unconsciously steal your energy instead of using their own! These cords are also like highways and run both ways! That means that you will also receive their energy whether it is positive or negative. If they have a headache, you may also develop a headache. It they are depressed, you may become depressed. If they are angry, you may become angry and so on. As you can see this can be very detrimental to your health. At an unconscious level, you have allowed the vampire or vampires to attach themselves to your energy body through these cords. These cords are not visible to the naked eye but they can be seen with the psychic third eye. These cords prevent you from really being the real you! It is imperative that these cords be severed and sometimes a spiritual purification is required for your well-being and also for the growth of the other person.

How do we recognize a Psychic Vampire? Some traits of the dis-empowered energy stealer are:

- feels lonely or abandoned
- feels they have been rejected
- needs constant reassurance
- never feels satisfied
- doesn't like to be alone
- seeks nurturing or feels they need to be taken care of
- low energy and fatigued
- they have a poor me attitude
- is a drama king or queen
- constant talker that never allows you to speak
- needs you to be their therapist or rescuer fixing their problems
- the blamer making you feel guilty about things
- vindictive by putting you down
- a person that is unhappy a lot
- tries controlling you or your life
- manipulates you to get things their way

How do I know if I am being psychically attacked?

- dizziness
- loss of energy
- muscle tension
- mental confusion
- headaches
- chronic fatigue
- sleep disturbances
- irritability
- depressed mood
- physical illness
- small diminishing aura
- leaks, holes and/or tears in your aura
- and a whole lot more!

I know, you are now thinking that is almost everyone alive! Unfortunately, too many people are simply not aware of their energetic bodies and how they operate. Once people start taking responsibility for creating their own lives and taking back their personal power this will not be an epidemic. (Granted other conditions also can be the cause of these symptoms besides being psychically attacked.) Those that psychically attack others either do this consciously or subconsciously. Either way it is detrimental to your health, in all areas of your energetic being, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.


How do I protect myself from this? First you need to become aware of which individuals deplete your energy and limit your contact with them. But simply not being in their physical presence does not stop them from draining you! Know that not all people attacking you are people that you know either! Secondly, you need to release all the negative emotions that you carry within yourself. If you hold anger, hurt, jealousy etc. inside your being, it is like you are shackled to a ball and chain, holding you hostage with your own creation! Releasing of all negative emotions brings freedom as fear is the robber of peace. Why must I do this? Because any disharmony in our four energetic bodies will cause us to be vulnerable, so that darkness and confusion can enter. Being aware of this is empowering. I stress this, do not go into fear now that you are aware of this. Simply take the steps to protect yourself. Darkness consists of anything that is of a lower/heavier vibration such as anger, fear, depression, jealousy, hatred etc. When angry thoughts are directed at you, they can penetrate your weak and vulnerable areas like arrows. What happens is they take away your clarity and fill you with confusion and drain your energy. Following are some tools to empower yourself from Psychic Vampires.

Here is a simple cord cutting exercise. Cord cutting should be done on a daily basis and much more often when we are going through a stressful period in our life. These cords should be cut from our loved ones as well. No cord attached to anyone or thing is good!

- Take some deep cleansing breaths. In through the nose and out through the mouth. Call upon Arch Angel Michael and ask him for his assistance in cutting all cords that are attached to your being. Visualize Michael swirling his sword around your entire being severing all the cords. Know that no cord can remain intact and they are returning to where they came from. When you feel Michael has completed this process, thank him for his assistance. It is done. Easy as that!

Here are some physical steps for purification.

- Burn all relevant photographs or objects holding memories of the person, place or situation.
- Write down all feelings of frustration, anger, hurt, fear, etc., and burn the paper, flush it down the toilet or bury it. Please don't give it to the person! Repeat this step as often as necessary.
- Clear all the clutter from every room of your home. Rule of thumb. If you haven't used in 6 months it's not likely you will! Get rid of it.
- Clean and if necessary redecorate your home. Bringing nature indoors is wonderful energy!
- Check there are no books in your bookshelves or pictures on your walls that have negative energy. Surround yourself with high vibrational objects, spiritual books, spiritual pictures, plants, fresh flowers etc.
- Sprinkle holy water in all rooms starting at the center spiraling outwards.
- Smudge with sage, cedar and sweetgrass and invoke the help of God, the Ascended Masters, the Great White Brother and Sisterhood, the Archangels and Angels, your Higherself and I AM Presence.
- Play sacred music and sing, chant OM or say The Lord's Prayer.
- Cleanse and purify your crystals and dedicate them to the Light.
- Light candles and use high vibrational pure essential oils.

You now have the tools and knowledge to take back your personal power. I invite you to empower yourself today!