If you are looking for ways for you or your children to provide cheap presents for the extended family, or just like to give gifts that have a personal element to them, then here is a suggestion or two for you.
If you are looking to make a present for the gardener in the family or someone who has recently moved into their own home, someone in a flat or unit, or a person who can't manage a full sized yard, or a family member who loves to cook with fresh ingredients, etc. Then why not consider giving them something from your own garden? Here I am talking about plants that you have divided off from your own garden plants.
There are many plants growing in the average garden that can be divided, or that have naturally self layered themselves. Where you could go along and take a rooted section, pot them up and with a bit of dressing up of the planting container, you could produce a really nice gift for someone you care about.
These plants include many herbs as well as perennials or shrubs and even some trees which manage to send out self-layering branches or suckers from the root system. Some perennials or bulbs will increase their size or number of bulbs over time. Chance seedlings coming up in the wrong place for you, can easily also be used. All of these provide you with an opportunity to cheaply create a wonderful present for someone else.
First things first you will need to obtain a number of pots either plastic ones left over from additions to the garden population, or from someone you know, or you can go out and purchase a pot plastic/ceramic/terracotta etc., to suit your needs. If the person you are giving the plant to is not a real gardener, then you might consider getting a pot with a waterwell in the base to increase the plants' chances of surviving.
Next, you need to begin looking for your plant material, so take a careful look around your garden at the soil level. Check out which plants are showing multiple stalks growing out of the ground. Or those sprawling plants where a branch has leaned over on to the ground and taken root along the branch, maybe one where a branch has become buried under the mulch.
Or one where there is a sucker growing from the soil a short distance from the parent plant. Another possibility is seedlings growing in the garden a distance from the parent plant material. Maybe there is a clump of plants or a big patch of bulbs where you can do some dividing.
Many of these plants benefit from being divided up or being allowed some more growing room in the particular area where you have taken away some material.
Different parts of Australia will have a differing range of plant species, which lend themselves to this form of self-propagation. If you can't find any plants that are doing this in your own garden, why not look at a friends or neighbours garden. Or you could maybe join forces and give a joint present using plants from another family member's garden. Or another possibility is to buy a plant in a pot that has several plants already established in it.
Divide that up before you use half in your own garden, and still have half to repot and give away. Even if you are not confident about your gardening skills you can still pick up cheap plants at the local market, school/church fair, garage sale etc. Repot them into a bigger or nicer pot for a fairly cheap present.
Another possibility is to multiplant a few different plants into a long or large round tub. This will create an instant garden on the move. Some themes you might consider here is herbs, indoor foliage, bulbs, annuals, alpine/rock, cacti/succulent or even patio gardens mixing annuals and perennials.
It is best to moisten the ground around the plant that you are going to work on well before you do the dividing, as this allows you to remove the maximum amount of root mass during the dividing process.
The first step is to divide the clump or cut away the joining branch to make the separate plant available. Then using a spade, fork or gardening trowel, dig as far out from the potential plant as practicable, because this will give you the biggest root mass possible.
Go down as far you believe you need to, (this will depend on such circumstances as size of new plant, species of original plant material, type of soil, other plant or landscaping material around the area, etc.). As gently as you can dig out the new plant. Shake off any excess soil and refill the resulting hole in the ground if necessary.
Prune back the foliage of the new plant to roughly equal size of the root mass, trying to protect some of the new foliage growth. Repot as soon as practicable, so that the roots do not dry out and die.
Another thing to consider is what sort of pot you are gong to plant into; if it is only a plastic pot then you do not need to prepare it beforehand. However if you are looking at painting it, then do this before you get digging.
When painting up pots, you will need to do some preparation work for the paint to stick properly. Plastic pots should have their surface roughened up with a bit of sandpaper. While some terracotta pots should have a primer applied to the outer surface before you paint them. Try not to get primer or paint onto the inside of the planter, because while most wont, there are still some paints which contain chemicals that may affect or contaminate the soil and plant over time.
Other possibilities for decorating up pots include simply gluing on bits and pieces including stones, tiles, buttons, sticks, shells, ornaments, ribbon, stickers and decals, etc. Other ways of decorating up a pot for the initial presentation is to wrap up just the pot (not the actual plant), using either wrapping paper, cellophane, material, a cheap teatowel or even hessian. Hold these wrappers in place with string, ribbon, bandana, scarf, etc.
Other possibilities for adding value to the potplant is to provide some growing information and name tags for the plant/s included. Other little quirks you might add include a personalised name tag, (Hi, my name is David the Diffenbachia . . . ), or a little watering indicator, miniature hand tools, small amounts of fertiliser, pot ornaments, watering can etc.
So as you can see, creating a very personal gift for just about anyone can easily be within the grasp of anyone. Why not go out into your garden and start thinking about what presents you can be preparing for this weekend.
About the Author:
The Bare Bones Gardener is a qualified Horticulturist and a qualified Disability Services Worker. He hates spending money on stuff which doesn’t live up to the promises given. So he looks for cheaper, easier, simpler or free ways of doing the same thing and then he passes these ideas on to others.
Garden Blog - http://barebonesgardening.blogspot.com/
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Unique Garden Tools to Improve Your Garden
Improved garden hand tools for the outdoor garden that make outdoor chores easier for the gardening enthusiast are always being invented. One of the newest gardening tools that is presently experiencing increasing popularity is a hanging tomato planter. Using a hanging tomato planter allows you to grow your own juicy tomatoes much easier, because the plant grows upside down. It is really easy to use the upside-down growing container because it comes with detailed instructions. Hanging tomato planters that grow plants upright can also be found at your local home improvement store.
One advantage of a hanging tomato planter is that it enables gardeners to save their back and knees from having to bend and kneel down over an upright tomato bush. The advantage of a hanging tomato planter goes past ergonomics though; this is a gardening tool that also permits people to grow tomatoes in limited spaces. You will not need a large garden when you put this device to work. The ease of growing delicious tomatoes in a hanging container reaches from homes with a large yard to apartments with no yard. A hanging tomato planter can be placed on a small patio in a sunny spot and grow tomatoes as tasty as those growing in a thriving garden.
Another new gardening tool that is getting rave reviews is the garden sensor. Many people who really love their plants have taken to using a garden sensor to . A garden sensor has two prongs that stick into the ground where you are planning on placing a plant or tree. While the plant sensor is kept in place for 24 hours, it acts to track conditions like the amount of sunlight, temperature, and humidity in the soil. Once the 24 hour period is over, the EasyBloom plant sensor is then plugged into a computer where you are directed to the manufacturer’s website, which contains tips and information on what your plants need. The information the plant sensor has gathered will be displayed. What you can be taught from this is how to determine the right plants for that exact soil. Also, a plant sensor can be used to diagnose issues with plants that are already planted in your yard. Making use of the plant sensor in this situation may alert you to deficiencies the plant is experiencing and guide you to correcting the problem.
What the garden sensor does not do is warn gardeners of whether or not a certain plant is recommended based on geographic planting zones. It also is not able to determine the pH levels in soil, nor can it save data once the data has been collected by the website. As technology advances, it is expected that the garden sensor device will transform over time, allowing users to gain more information and save that which has been gathered.
Excellent lawn and garden tools should help to make gardening an easier task. That’s precisely what these two unique gardening tools do. Experiment with a hanging tomato planter or garden sensor in your yard this year and you will experience easier growing, without a doubt!
About the Author:
Frank Stewart provides resources for patio decoration and outdoor grills to his readers by providing them with the advice on patio and garden maintenance.
http://www.patio-garden-center.com/SeedsPlants-3742381-Plant_Containers_Accessories.html
One advantage of a hanging tomato planter is that it enables gardeners to save their back and knees from having to bend and kneel down over an upright tomato bush. The advantage of a hanging tomato planter goes past ergonomics though; this is a gardening tool that also permits people to grow tomatoes in limited spaces. You will not need a large garden when you put this device to work. The ease of growing delicious tomatoes in a hanging container reaches from homes with a large yard to apartments with no yard. A hanging tomato planter can be placed on a small patio in a sunny spot and grow tomatoes as tasty as those growing in a thriving garden.
Another new gardening tool that is getting rave reviews is the garden sensor. Many people who really love their plants have taken to using a garden sensor to . A garden sensor has two prongs that stick into the ground where you are planning on placing a plant or tree. While the plant sensor is kept in place for 24 hours, it acts to track conditions like the amount of sunlight, temperature, and humidity in the soil. Once the 24 hour period is over, the EasyBloom plant sensor is then plugged into a computer where you are directed to the manufacturer’s website, which contains tips and information on what your plants need. The information the plant sensor has gathered will be displayed. What you can be taught from this is how to determine the right plants for that exact soil. Also, a plant sensor can be used to diagnose issues with plants that are already planted in your yard. Making use of the plant sensor in this situation may alert you to deficiencies the plant is experiencing and guide you to correcting the problem.
What the garden sensor does not do is warn gardeners of whether or not a certain plant is recommended based on geographic planting zones. It also is not able to determine the pH levels in soil, nor can it save data once the data has been collected by the website. As technology advances, it is expected that the garden sensor device will transform over time, allowing users to gain more information and save that which has been gathered.
Excellent lawn and garden tools should help to make gardening an easier task. That’s precisely what these two unique gardening tools do. Experiment with a hanging tomato planter or garden sensor in your yard this year and you will experience easier growing, without a doubt!
About the Author:
Frank Stewart provides resources for patio decoration and outdoor grills to his readers by providing them with the advice on patio and garden maintenance.
http://www.patio-garden-center.com/SeedsPlants-3742381-Plant_Containers_Accessories.html
Friday, July 10, 2009
Does the Topsy Turvy Upside Down Tomato Planter Really Work?
The Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter is the newest rage in home vegetable gardening. It promises to grow plentiful tomatoes in an upside down planter. It makes it very easy to pick the tomatoes, offers less bug problems, and almost no chance of the plant collapsing under the heavy strain of producing tomatoes but does it really live up to the promises that it makes?
The pros and cons of the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter:
Pros-- You will no longer have to worry about your plants stalk breaking because of your tomatoes being to heavy.
Cons-- The branches might still get all tangled up even though the tomato plant is hanging upside down.
Pros- - You end up with more free space in your garden because yoiur tomato plants are hanging up off of the ground.
Cons -- Because it hangs upside down you will need to have a place to put it that has very good support. With all the dirt and water up on top, the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter can get very heavy.
Watering your tomato plant is another thing. Because the dirt isn't buried in the ground it will dry out fairly quickly and you will have to water it around two times a day.
Pros-- You are very easily able to walk around the plant to pick your tomatoes so that means that you wont have to bend down or crawl around on your knees to enjoy your crop.
Cons-- The dirt can get very hot when the sun is hitting the planter so you need to use aluminum foil around the planter so that it will bounce the sunlight off and keep your dirt cool.
Pros-- It is easy to water the tomato plants. Just make sure to run water through it until it is clear every week or so to reduce the risk of the roots growing mold.
About the Author:
Do you want to use the Topsy Turvy Upside Down Tomato Planters for your tomato garden? If so, click http://www.best-online-deals.net to get the best deals on a Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter. Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter
The pros and cons of the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter:
Pros-- You will no longer have to worry about your plants stalk breaking because of your tomatoes being to heavy.
Cons-- The branches might still get all tangled up even though the tomato plant is hanging upside down.
Pros- - You end up with more free space in your garden because yoiur tomato plants are hanging up off of the ground.
Cons -- Because it hangs upside down you will need to have a place to put it that has very good support. With all the dirt and water up on top, the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter can get very heavy.
Watering your tomato plant is another thing. Because the dirt isn't buried in the ground it will dry out fairly quickly and you will have to water it around two times a day.
Pros-- You are very easily able to walk around the plant to pick your tomatoes so that means that you wont have to bend down or crawl around on your knees to enjoy your crop.
Cons-- The dirt can get very hot when the sun is hitting the planter so you need to use aluminum foil around the planter so that it will bounce the sunlight off and keep your dirt cool.
Pros-- It is easy to water the tomato plants. Just make sure to run water through it until it is clear every week or so to reduce the risk of the roots growing mold.
About the Author:
Do you want to use the Topsy Turvy Upside Down Tomato Planters for your tomato garden? If so, click http://www.best-online-deals.net to get the best deals on a Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter. Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter: Read This Before You Hang Your Planters!
Make sure you read this if you are using the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter this year. Failure to hang your tomato planter correctly will result in you not having an easy time growing your tomato's.
Because the tomato planter will weigh around seventy pounds when it's watered and you have a thriving plant hanging it properly is important and a bit tricky. You have to make sure that you have the proper support to hold your hanger up.
Properly supporting your Topsy Turvy is even more important if you have kids or pets as they both like to investigate. There are two ways to make sure your hanging planter will stay hanging.
If you are only planning on using one planter then your best bet is to just go to your local hardware store and buy a more durable hook to hang your planter on. Make sure it can hold up to eighty pounds to give yourself a little leeway. This is a very inexpensive fix and will help your planter stay in the air where it is supposed to be.
If you are using more them one planter there is a different way to go about hanging your Topsy Turvy.
If you plan on buying multiple Topsy Turvy Tomato Planters then you should build yourself a wooden frame to hang them up on. This will take you about two hours to build and if you are anything like me you will already have the wood laying around your house.
Depending on how many planters you have just make a nice and simple square or rectangular frame to stick in your yard. It does not have to be exact, it just has to be sturdy. Keep in mind that when your tomato plants take off they will cover most of the wood because they grow upwards and it is going to look stunning.
Go ahead and get creative with the decoration of the frame if you'd rather it not just be wood. Put some paint on it, be creative. You can either make it stand out as a focus of your yard or blend it in with it's surroundings.
Go ahead and spend a little time making the frame something your proud of. The planters last a long time so that few extra minutes will provide you with years of pleasure.
About the Author:
Would you like to learn more information on how to get the most from your Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter? To receive free tips and tricks on how to get the most from your tomato planter click Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter. Get the best deal on the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter. http://www.squidoo.com/topsy-turvy-upside-down-tomato-planter
Because the tomato planter will weigh around seventy pounds when it's watered and you have a thriving plant hanging it properly is important and a bit tricky. You have to make sure that you have the proper support to hold your hanger up.
Properly supporting your Topsy Turvy is even more important if you have kids or pets as they both like to investigate. There are two ways to make sure your hanging planter will stay hanging.
If you are only planning on using one planter then your best bet is to just go to your local hardware store and buy a more durable hook to hang your planter on. Make sure it can hold up to eighty pounds to give yourself a little leeway. This is a very inexpensive fix and will help your planter stay in the air where it is supposed to be.
If you are using more them one planter there is a different way to go about hanging your Topsy Turvy.
If you plan on buying multiple Topsy Turvy Tomato Planters then you should build yourself a wooden frame to hang them up on. This will take you about two hours to build and if you are anything like me you will already have the wood laying around your house.
Depending on how many planters you have just make a nice and simple square or rectangular frame to stick in your yard. It does not have to be exact, it just has to be sturdy. Keep in mind that when your tomato plants take off they will cover most of the wood because they grow upwards and it is going to look stunning.
Go ahead and get creative with the decoration of the frame if you'd rather it not just be wood. Put some paint on it, be creative. You can either make it stand out as a focus of your yard or blend it in with it's surroundings.
Go ahead and spend a little time making the frame something your proud of. The planters last a long time so that few extra minutes will provide you with years of pleasure.
About the Author:
Would you like to learn more information on how to get the most from your Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter? To receive free tips and tricks on how to get the most from your tomato planter click Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter. Get the best deal on the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter. http://www.squidoo.com/topsy-turvy-upside-down-tomato-planter
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Once-a-day Prescriptions for Joy
1. Act whimsically at least once a day.
Do something that is outrageous or totally out of character, out of the box, not the “usual” you. Invite spontaneity. Do something meaningless, without any purpose or value—just because you feel like it, just because it’s fun! Surprise yourself!
Don’t dress outside in. Dress inside out. Let your spirit define “who you are” rather than the outside world. Don’t rely on external image—clothing, hairstyle, status symbols—to tell people who you are. Wear your inner self proudly and let it attract what is most harmonious to you.
Expand your playground, your arena for self-expression. Practice harmless and minor outrages. Seek a larger freedom in your life. In the unexpected comes the joy of feeling truly alive.
2. Throw away one item a day.
Or give it away to Goodwill or someone who will actually use it. For every unused item you discard, you create the space for a truly useful item to come into your world.
Clear the decks! A major cause of loss of energy is lots of “stuff” that accumulates around us. Schedule time to keep the piles—physical and mental—from building up. If you don’t, the backlog will sap your energy and overwhelm you. You may think that doing Feng-Shui takes too much time, but creating open space in your world actually frees up more time and energy to attract the people and opportunities that will really satisfy your heart and soul.
3. Every day forgive one act of yours or someone you know.
By living a life of conscious self-acceptance and learning to forgive ourselves, we become able to forgive others. The gift of forgiveness is for ourselves, not the person who caused us pain. By forgiving, we are taking back the control that we have given over to those who we feel have hurt us.
By learning to forgive others, we give ourselves the gift of freedom from the past. Forgiveness loosens the debilitating constraints of anger, resentment, cynicism and despair—and frees our heart to swell with joy. When you feel someone has harmed you, try to understand the situation by putting yourself in his or her shoes. Stop holding others and yourself hostage. Accept our human tendency to make mistakes and move forward.
4. Meet one new person a day.
Every human being has a unique story to tell—and a special gift for you. Every personal life story you hear expands your own personal horizon of possibilities. Even a one-minute encounter with a stranger enlarges your universe.
5. Discover one new shape in Nature every day.
As you encounter shapes and forms that are new to your awareness each day, you increase the possibilities for re-shaping your world. As you expand your experience of the infinite spectrum of ways life expresses itself on the planet, you add to the range of choices and options available to you.
6. Every day ask one fresh question of life you’ve never asked before.
The quality and scope of one’s life is determined by the quality and scope of one’s questions. Questions open doors, invite change, welcome new opportunities. Question the past—liberate your future!
7. Each day eat one new food you’ve never eaten before.
Or mix foods and ingredients that you’ve never combined before. Or eat a type of cuisine you’ve never enjoyed before. As you open to fresh culinary experiences, you also open to fresh social and spiritual adventures.
8. Change one old entrenched attitude each day.
Take ownership of your attitude. You control your attitude. It’s not something that you are genetically or environmentally stuck with. You can choose your attitude.
Avoid all-or-nothing thinking. When we fall into the trap of the all-or-nothing mindset, we experience any obstacle as equaling total failure of the entire project—or of one’s entire life. Try not to overreact or blow events out of proportion. Focus on what is working in a situation, not on what’s not working at the moment. Don’t let the little things drive you crazy, weigh you down or immobilize you. Lighten up, smile more, frown less.
Remember that each step in life is just one small step—and is not necessarily a vital or crucial step. If you don’t succeed at that step, try another approach in another direction from another angle. Keep the big picture in mind. Breathe.
9. Find a fresh aspect of your life to laugh about every day.
How do angels fly? They take themselves lightly.
Certainly there are times when life presents major challenges and one needs to act clearly and directly, but behaving responsibly and efficiently does not by any means preclude humor and light-heartedness. In fact, a flexible, fluid, upbeat approach and attitude is crucial to releasing magic and miracles into the healing equation.
Inspiration and breakthrough are often born from the spirit of playfulness and exuberance. A spontaneous wink, a funny smile, a comic gesture can unlock deep fears and stress in a stern person or tense situation. Through conscious silliness the soul can emerge.
Doctors, nurses and attendants now use "clowning" in hospitals to jolt and move the healing process with patients. Scientific studies prove that when people are laughing and having fun, they experience less physical and psychological pain—and recover faster. Laugh more, mend quicker and live longer!
10. Be silent and still once a day.
Make regular time for yourself in which you can be totally alone. Just sit quietly with no expectations. Do nothing!
This may feel very uncomfortable and strange in the beginning. Do it anyway.
Give yourself time and space for the inner voice to make itself heard. Your inner voice will speak either during that quiet time, or else during the events of the rest of your day. Or a synchronistic event will occur. Or someone will tell you the message you need to hear. Or you will get a sudden flash of insight in the shower or watching a movie.
11. Tolerate one less undesirable aspect of your life each day.
Take action to change the situations in which you are settling for less than your desired dream. You can only compromise yourself—and your dream—so much before you lose sight of the vision altogether. The things you are putting up with keep you from being yourself and evolving as a human being.
Speak up. Once you know what you need, let others know. Be honest with others about your needs and boundaries. If you remain silent, you’ll disappoint yourself and others more than the truth ever could do.
12. Take on one fresh risk or challenge every day.
Fear less, dare more. Take at least one action each day that scares you. Face one truth you haven’t been able or willing to acknowledge before. Don’t let fear paralyze you. Set yourself free.
Take your aliveness up a notch. Ask for more and reach for more. Upgrade your dream. Revitalize your life. New experiences make our lives richer.
13. Tell one new person your dream everyday.
Network. Elicit feedback from a trusted friend, mentor or family member. Listen to a neighbor, co-worker or store clerk. Value your relationships. Call someone who is uplifting, or uplift someone else.
It’s your joy—to use or lose.
Article Source: http://marketing.article24h.com/category/self-improvement.html
Author: Keith Varnum
Drawing from the wisdom of native and ancient spiritual traditions, Keith Varnum shares his 30 years of practical success as an author, personal coach, acupuncturist, filmmaker, radio host, restaurateur, vision quest guide and international seminar leader with “The Dream Workshops”. Keith helps people get the love, money, and health they want with his F-r-e-e Prosperity Ezine, F-r-e-e Abundance Tape and F-r-e-e Coaching at www.TheDream.com
Do something that is outrageous or totally out of character, out of the box, not the “usual” you. Invite spontaneity. Do something meaningless, without any purpose or value—just because you feel like it, just because it’s fun! Surprise yourself!
Don’t dress outside in. Dress inside out. Let your spirit define “who you are” rather than the outside world. Don’t rely on external image—clothing, hairstyle, status symbols—to tell people who you are. Wear your inner self proudly and let it attract what is most harmonious to you.
Expand your playground, your arena for self-expression. Practice harmless and minor outrages. Seek a larger freedom in your life. In the unexpected comes the joy of feeling truly alive.
2. Throw away one item a day.
Or give it away to Goodwill or someone who will actually use it. For every unused item you discard, you create the space for a truly useful item to come into your world.
Clear the decks! A major cause of loss of energy is lots of “stuff” that accumulates around us. Schedule time to keep the piles—physical and mental—from building up. If you don’t, the backlog will sap your energy and overwhelm you. You may think that doing Feng-Shui takes too much time, but creating open space in your world actually frees up more time and energy to attract the people and opportunities that will really satisfy your heart and soul.
3. Every day forgive one act of yours or someone you know.
By living a life of conscious self-acceptance and learning to forgive ourselves, we become able to forgive others. The gift of forgiveness is for ourselves, not the person who caused us pain. By forgiving, we are taking back the control that we have given over to those who we feel have hurt us.
By learning to forgive others, we give ourselves the gift of freedom from the past. Forgiveness loosens the debilitating constraints of anger, resentment, cynicism and despair—and frees our heart to swell with joy. When you feel someone has harmed you, try to understand the situation by putting yourself in his or her shoes. Stop holding others and yourself hostage. Accept our human tendency to make mistakes and move forward.
4. Meet one new person a day.
Every human being has a unique story to tell—and a special gift for you. Every personal life story you hear expands your own personal horizon of possibilities. Even a one-minute encounter with a stranger enlarges your universe.
5. Discover one new shape in Nature every day.
As you encounter shapes and forms that are new to your awareness each day, you increase the possibilities for re-shaping your world. As you expand your experience of the infinite spectrum of ways life expresses itself on the planet, you add to the range of choices and options available to you.
6. Every day ask one fresh question of life you’ve never asked before.
The quality and scope of one’s life is determined by the quality and scope of one’s questions. Questions open doors, invite change, welcome new opportunities. Question the past—liberate your future!
7. Each day eat one new food you’ve never eaten before.
Or mix foods and ingredients that you’ve never combined before. Or eat a type of cuisine you’ve never enjoyed before. As you open to fresh culinary experiences, you also open to fresh social and spiritual adventures.
8. Change one old entrenched attitude each day.
Take ownership of your attitude. You control your attitude. It’s not something that you are genetically or environmentally stuck with. You can choose your attitude.
Avoid all-or-nothing thinking. When we fall into the trap of the all-or-nothing mindset, we experience any obstacle as equaling total failure of the entire project—or of one’s entire life. Try not to overreact or blow events out of proportion. Focus on what is working in a situation, not on what’s not working at the moment. Don’t let the little things drive you crazy, weigh you down or immobilize you. Lighten up, smile more, frown less.
Remember that each step in life is just one small step—and is not necessarily a vital or crucial step. If you don’t succeed at that step, try another approach in another direction from another angle. Keep the big picture in mind. Breathe.
9. Find a fresh aspect of your life to laugh about every day.
How do angels fly? They take themselves lightly.
Certainly there are times when life presents major challenges and one needs to act clearly and directly, but behaving responsibly and efficiently does not by any means preclude humor and light-heartedness. In fact, a flexible, fluid, upbeat approach and attitude is crucial to releasing magic and miracles into the healing equation.
Inspiration and breakthrough are often born from the spirit of playfulness and exuberance. A spontaneous wink, a funny smile, a comic gesture can unlock deep fears and stress in a stern person or tense situation. Through conscious silliness the soul can emerge.
Doctors, nurses and attendants now use "clowning" in hospitals to jolt and move the healing process with patients. Scientific studies prove that when people are laughing and having fun, they experience less physical and psychological pain—and recover faster. Laugh more, mend quicker and live longer!
10. Be silent and still once a day.
Make regular time for yourself in which you can be totally alone. Just sit quietly with no expectations. Do nothing!
This may feel very uncomfortable and strange in the beginning. Do it anyway.
Give yourself time and space for the inner voice to make itself heard. Your inner voice will speak either during that quiet time, or else during the events of the rest of your day. Or a synchronistic event will occur. Or someone will tell you the message you need to hear. Or you will get a sudden flash of insight in the shower or watching a movie.
11. Tolerate one less undesirable aspect of your life each day.
Take action to change the situations in which you are settling for less than your desired dream. You can only compromise yourself—and your dream—so much before you lose sight of the vision altogether. The things you are putting up with keep you from being yourself and evolving as a human being.
Speak up. Once you know what you need, let others know. Be honest with others about your needs and boundaries. If you remain silent, you’ll disappoint yourself and others more than the truth ever could do.
12. Take on one fresh risk or challenge every day.
Fear less, dare more. Take at least one action each day that scares you. Face one truth you haven’t been able or willing to acknowledge before. Don’t let fear paralyze you. Set yourself free.
Take your aliveness up a notch. Ask for more and reach for more. Upgrade your dream. Revitalize your life. New experiences make our lives richer.
13. Tell one new person your dream everyday.
Network. Elicit feedback from a trusted friend, mentor or family member. Listen to a neighbor, co-worker or store clerk. Value your relationships. Call someone who is uplifting, or uplift someone else.
It’s your joy—to use or lose.
Article Source: http://marketing.article24h.com/category/self-improvement.html
Author: Keith Varnum
Drawing from the wisdom of native and ancient spiritual traditions, Keith Varnum shares his 30 years of practical success as an author, personal coach, acupuncturist, filmmaker, radio host, restaurateur, vision quest guide and international seminar leader with “The Dream Workshops”. Keith helps people get the love, money, and health they want with his F-r-e-e Prosperity Ezine, F-r-e-e Abundance Tape and F-r-e-e Coaching at www.TheDream.com
Thursday, July 2, 2009
How Is Your Fat Helping You?
Here in America, we've gone obsessively crazy over the rage of weight loss product sellers who have convinced us that fat is not our friend. Well, it's my friend. I'm earning my way into enlightenment with it and I hope you will think of leaving the Church of Weight Loss and join me.
In the Church of Weight Loss, one is absolutely not sanctified without six-pack abs, non-jiggling thighs, high and tight buns of steel, a mandated percentage of body fat, the right lift to one's eyelids and one's boobs, and the wearing of only specified sizes. It makes me absolutely sick to think about it.
If I am fat or worse yet (as in Mortal Sin) I am obese, and I try to adhere to the Church of Weight loss, I become my own harshest critic about my fat. It becomes a way for me to continue to think poorly of myself, to denigrate my godliness.
What is the good in being fat?
* It keeps me warm.
* It permits me to enjoy loving "the roundness" vs. seeing flat, which I don't admire.
* It give me big boobs.
* It lets me feel okay about talking brashly about truth
* It makes me feel powerful - like there's a lot backing up my words
* It's a very comfortable base for my lover
Me, I'm from the Church of Be As You Are and Learn From It. How in heaven's name will you learn the lessons you are here to learn if you surgically alter your Report Card? I have a very strong sense that you don't understand about your body being your Report Card, so let me explain it.
This one Life each of us is experiencing is crafted specifically so that we can unfold an understanding of both ourselves and the world we live in. Einstein was no fool when he named it Relativity. This is a relative experience. It is relative to what you think, because what you think, is precisely what you get. The experience is relative to the thought that precedes it.
The way you think about your body is what creates the appearance of your body. I was told as a baby that I was fat. I believed it. I was a kid. What else could I do? I believed it was true, and began to think it. The propaganda input from diet companies, the medical community, and the media reinforced this idea that I was really, really fat. I thought it even more. I got more fat. Now, I share my own experiences with you because, dear readers, you are doing the same thing.
You are thinking, accepting, and believing that you've got your grandma's wide butt; you'll most likely inherit her diabetes too. You believe the commercials that tell you statistics that you are then supposed to live your life by....with the help of their product, of course. You are thinking your fat firmly into place.
And then the Church of Weight Loss comes along and utterly annihilates the only Report Card that can tell you what mental mistakes you are making so that you can correct them once and for all, permanently, inside yourself without the help of their products. If you buy into the way they think, you've signed your name on the roster of the Church of Weight Loss for the rest of your life.
Just relax and let your body be as it is. It will teach you so much about precisely how you have been thinking. It's only in correcting your thinking that you will get any permanent cure. You might consider joining the Church of Be As You Are and Learn From It. It's been the ultimate blessing in achieving self-love and self-acceptance for my own sweet life.
About the Author:
Pat Matson's passion is spiritual awareness and understanding, acquired in the School of Fat Knocks. Being obese was the catalyst that kept her searching. She shares her novel concepts with other women of size, or women who imagine they are. Her book, workbooks, and teleclasses each more keenly insightful than the next live at The World of Within.
http://www.theworldofwithin.com
In the Church of Weight Loss, one is absolutely not sanctified without six-pack abs, non-jiggling thighs, high and tight buns of steel, a mandated percentage of body fat, the right lift to one's eyelids and one's boobs, and the wearing of only specified sizes. It makes me absolutely sick to think about it.
If I am fat or worse yet (as in Mortal Sin) I am obese, and I try to adhere to the Church of Weight loss, I become my own harshest critic about my fat. It becomes a way for me to continue to think poorly of myself, to denigrate my godliness.
What is the good in being fat?
* It keeps me warm.
* It permits me to enjoy loving "the roundness" vs. seeing flat, which I don't admire.
* It give me big boobs.
* It lets me feel okay about talking brashly about truth
* It makes me feel powerful - like there's a lot backing up my words
* It's a very comfortable base for my lover
Me, I'm from the Church of Be As You Are and Learn From It. How in heaven's name will you learn the lessons you are here to learn if you surgically alter your Report Card? I have a very strong sense that you don't understand about your body being your Report Card, so let me explain it.
This one Life each of us is experiencing is crafted specifically so that we can unfold an understanding of both ourselves and the world we live in. Einstein was no fool when he named it Relativity. This is a relative experience. It is relative to what you think, because what you think, is precisely what you get. The experience is relative to the thought that precedes it.
The way you think about your body is what creates the appearance of your body. I was told as a baby that I was fat. I believed it. I was a kid. What else could I do? I believed it was true, and began to think it. The propaganda input from diet companies, the medical community, and the media reinforced this idea that I was really, really fat. I thought it even more. I got more fat. Now, I share my own experiences with you because, dear readers, you are doing the same thing.
You are thinking, accepting, and believing that you've got your grandma's wide butt; you'll most likely inherit her diabetes too. You believe the commercials that tell you statistics that you are then supposed to live your life by....with the help of their product, of course. You are thinking your fat firmly into place.
And then the Church of Weight Loss comes along and utterly annihilates the only Report Card that can tell you what mental mistakes you are making so that you can correct them once and for all, permanently, inside yourself without the help of their products. If you buy into the way they think, you've signed your name on the roster of the Church of Weight Loss for the rest of your life.
Just relax and let your body be as it is. It will teach you so much about precisely how you have been thinking. It's only in correcting your thinking that you will get any permanent cure. You might consider joining the Church of Be As You Are and Learn From It. It's been the ultimate blessing in achieving self-love and self-acceptance for my own sweet life.
About the Author:
Pat Matson's passion is spiritual awareness and understanding, acquired in the School of Fat Knocks. Being obese was the catalyst that kept her searching. She shares her novel concepts with other women of size, or women who imagine they are. Her book, workbooks, and teleclasses each more keenly insightful than the next live at The World of Within.
http://www.theworldofwithin.com
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Helpful Bowling Hints To Improve Your Game
To begin bowling you must first pace off the number of steps from the foul line that you deem sufficient and take your stance. Rock back and forth a few times to make sure you're comfortable. You should be holding the ball at a point where its weight is least noticeable. Now you are ready for the delivery and pushaway.
For all practical purposes, there are three main ways of making your delivery or approach to the foul line. Actually, we consider delivery and approach as the same thing.
The three main categories are bowlers who use three steps, those who use four and those who use five. There are also bowlers who take one or two steps, some who might even take six or seven. However, in most cases steps over five usually are a shuffle or very short steps.
In the taking of three steps, bowlers usually make them long ones with an unusually long slide.
On the other hand, the five-step bowlers take very short steps. They're more of a picture bowler in their approach with almost complete accent on smoothness. Not that your five-step bowlers aren't capable of high scores; some of our top performers take either five or four and one half steps. But even the five-step professionals are the first to admit that for all practical purposes, the four-step delivery carries the most advantages, especially to a beginner.
Linking each of the deliveries with the pushaway, it should be pointed out that your pushaway - the point of no return - comes with the very first step.
Some five-or-more steppers who shuffle on their first step, however, don't start their pushaway until their second step and do nothing on the shuffle except "take off." What is said of the pushaway, consequently, would embrace their second step.
Considering the others, however, the ball is pushed in slow motion away from your body on the first step, down and slightly to the right. This should definitely not be a jerky movement. If you make it jerkily, you will find that the weight of the ball will throw you off balance as your arm reaches its full length at the start of your pendulum backswing.
You can easily understand that if there is coordination in your pushaway o the ball goes into the pendulum swing smoothly, you'll hardly feel its weight and won't be tossed off balance.
While you've been taking that first step, your left hand (everything works just the opposite for southpaws) has been helping to guide the ball. When in your stance, the weight of the ball was absorbed by the left hand, taking all weight off your right hand and fingers. But now that you're on the way to the foul line, the weight is shifted from the left hand to the right. Once your pushaway has been completed your left hand leaves the ball entirely. In other words, there is a gradual shift from one hand to the other.
Actually, the left hand becomes mere hindrance to backswing once the back-swing has started. But the left hand and arm serve to provide proper balance as you continue your delivery. There is no set pattern as to where you hold your left arm.
Remember, your pushaway and first steps are "the best of friends" and they happen at the same time. The pushaway should not go out any further than your first step either.
Master this aspect of your game and you will be well on your way to good bowling technique.
Article Source: http://marketing.article24h.com/category/hobby.html
Author: Jimmy Cox
They Laughed When I Said I Wanted To Bowl, But When I Bowled 7 Strikes In a Row...Click here for FREE online Ebookhttp://www.bowlingtips.org
For all practical purposes, there are three main ways of making your delivery or approach to the foul line. Actually, we consider delivery and approach as the same thing.
The three main categories are bowlers who use three steps, those who use four and those who use five. There are also bowlers who take one or two steps, some who might even take six or seven. However, in most cases steps over five usually are a shuffle or very short steps.
In the taking of three steps, bowlers usually make them long ones with an unusually long slide.
On the other hand, the five-step bowlers take very short steps. They're more of a picture bowler in their approach with almost complete accent on smoothness. Not that your five-step bowlers aren't capable of high scores; some of our top performers take either five or four and one half steps. But even the five-step professionals are the first to admit that for all practical purposes, the four-step delivery carries the most advantages, especially to a beginner.
Linking each of the deliveries with the pushaway, it should be pointed out that your pushaway - the point of no return - comes with the very first step.
Some five-or-more steppers who shuffle on their first step, however, don't start their pushaway until their second step and do nothing on the shuffle except "take off." What is said of the pushaway, consequently, would embrace their second step.
Considering the others, however, the ball is pushed in slow motion away from your body on the first step, down and slightly to the right. This should definitely not be a jerky movement. If you make it jerkily, you will find that the weight of the ball will throw you off balance as your arm reaches its full length at the start of your pendulum backswing.
You can easily understand that if there is coordination in your pushaway o the ball goes into the pendulum swing smoothly, you'll hardly feel its weight and won't be tossed off balance.
While you've been taking that first step, your left hand (everything works just the opposite for southpaws) has been helping to guide the ball. When in your stance, the weight of the ball was absorbed by the left hand, taking all weight off your right hand and fingers. But now that you're on the way to the foul line, the weight is shifted from the left hand to the right. Once your pushaway has been completed your left hand leaves the ball entirely. In other words, there is a gradual shift from one hand to the other.
Actually, the left hand becomes mere hindrance to backswing once the back-swing has started. But the left hand and arm serve to provide proper balance as you continue your delivery. There is no set pattern as to where you hold your left arm.
Remember, your pushaway and first steps are "the best of friends" and they happen at the same time. The pushaway should not go out any further than your first step either.
Master this aspect of your game and you will be well on your way to good bowling technique.
Article Source: http://marketing.article24h.com/category/hobby.html
Author: Jimmy Cox
They Laughed When I Said I Wanted To Bowl, But When I Bowled 7 Strikes In a Row...Click here for FREE online Ebookhttp://www.bowlingtips.org
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