Claim Your Independence and Find Freedom

Every Independence Day we celebrate our freedom as a nation. This year, SUCCESS Magazine encourages you to seek freedom in your own life. Here are five tips for living a life of celebrated independence:

1. Emotional Freedom. Face it: You need to unplug for the weekend. Set your auto-responder indicating you’re away and shun all handheld devices. If you can’t unplug entirely, silence alerts and ringers, or schedule a brief moment to check e-mail. Keep in mind, you can’t really “check out” if you’re still tied to the office.

2. Financial Freedom. True financial freedom only comes when you can live off the interest from your assets. Perhaps Independence Day is the perfect time to start thinking critically about how you’ll achieve this goal. Pressed for time? Seek out SUCCESS’ recommended CDs and DVDs to help you gain the knowledge you need to retire rich and live a life of affluence.

3. Freedom of Time. Nobody likes being a slave to the office, but few people do anything about it. Reassess your life goals and decide if it’s time to be your own boss, or professionally capitalize on something you have a personal passion for.

4. Freedom of Well-Being. Physical activity promotes psychological well-being, reduces stress and even reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke. The 4th of July is synonymous with outdoor activity so get outside and revel in the moment. Make the commitment to your health and go easy on the grilled hotdogs.

5. Freedom of Spirit. Life is complex, and all the quantitative lists in the world won’t make a difference if you’re not ready to make the commitment to yourself. Remember, the most important thing you can work on is yourself. When you take the time you need to enrich your own personal development, success will follow.

Copyright 2008 - Success Magazine. From Seeds of SUCCESS eZINE.

Thought for Today!

Write a Top 10 list of the things that keep you from having the romantic relationship you envision. Next, create a plan (together) to begin resolving or elimination these obstacles.

Copyright © 2008 - Larry James. This idea is adapted from Larry’s books, “How to Really Love the One You’re With: Affirmative Guidelines for a Healthy Love Relationship,” “LoveNotes for Lovers: Words That Make Music for Two Hearts Dancing” and “Red Hot LoveNotes for Lovers.” Author Larry James presents seminars nationally for singles and couples. Subscribe to Larry’s FREE monthly “LoveNotes for Lovers” eZINE. Contact: CelebrateLove.com, P.O. Box 12695, Scottsdale, AZ 85267-2695. - CelebrateLove.com

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Thought for Today!

Easing the stress you feel begins with S-E-L-F!

S is for Serenity! A simple technique called “relaxation response” is one of the best and easiest ways to achieve a greater degree of stress-reducing serenity.

What to do? - Find a quiet, comfortable place to sit. Close your eyes. Choose a calming word or short phrase, such as “letting go: or “all is well.” As you slowly exhale, repeat the word or phrase over and over. Or. . . sing, pray, pet a cat, make yourself laugh.

E is for Exercise! Exercise doesn’t have to be a sweaty workout at the gym. Stress-relieving exercise is any motion - walking your dog, going dancing, getting the tension out of your muscles with a yoga stretch.

What to do? - Exercise for at least 20 minutes five times a week.

L is for Love! A heartfelt connection to family and friends reduces stress.

What to do? - Just as you schedule any appointment, block out time in your calendar to spend time relaxing with family and friends. Even little gestures, such as sending e-mail to a friend asking how he/she is, can reduce stress.

F is for Food! Wholesome food is medicine for stress. Healthy food helps improve your mood, sleep and health.

What to do? - At least once a week, eat fish rich in omega 3 fatty acids (such as salmon, mackerel, sardines and herring, etc.), which nourish brain cells and have been shown to ease stress and reduce hostility and depression.

Avoid foods and beverages that aggravate stress, including coffee and tea with caffeine. . . foods high in sugar. . . and alcohol, which may seem to de-stress you, but when the effects wear off, you tend to feel even more anxious.

Copyright © 2008 - Bottom Line Personal. www.BottomLineSecrets.com.

Thought for Today!

When we honestly ask which persons in out lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving much advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand.

The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief or bereavement, who can tolerate not-knowing, not-curing, not-healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness. . . makes it clear that whatever happens in the external world, being present to each other is what really matters.

Copyright © 2008 - Henri F. M. Nouwen.

Thought for Today!

When you put energy into something to make it better, you receive energy from it. You don’t have to pour a lot of energy into being happy. You simply decide to be happy. Like everything, happiness is a “Choice.” It helps to think about happy things. You need to learn to be happy where you are, so you can be happy when you get to where you are going. - Larry James

From the article, “Networking: A Woman’s Contact Sport!“

The Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two “wolves” inside us all.

One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Thought for Today!

Real Success in life is not determined by measuring up to some pre-set social standard of accomplishment, but is found through the individual effort it takes to go beyond what blocks our way in the moment. Such a deliberate effort in the face of our own doubts and fears always proves these negative states powerless . . . which is the same as discovering within ourselves the power to be free. - Guy Finley

Thought for Today!

“The two choices I see for healthy love relationships is dialogue. . . or the death of the relationship. Love is an interesting game. There are either two winners or none. Collaborate with your partner and thrive. The healthy choice is dialogue.” - Larry James

Thought for Today!

 

All of us could take a lesson from the weather.   It pays no attention to “Criticism.”