Self Improvement has become mainstream. In the last few
years, since I have been writing articles and submitting
them to article sites, I've noticed that the category of
"Self Improvement" has been showing up lately when it was
never there before. To me, this is very good news.
But what does it really mean to "Self Improve?" What are we
really improving when we self improve? And what "self" are
we improving?
We each have two "selves" – our wounded self and our core
Self. Our core Self is our true self, our natural soul self
– our essence. Our core Self is our passion, our joy, our
gifts and talents, our ability to love, our creativity. We
come into this life as our core Self, and when this Self is
loved and valued by our parents, we continue to naturally
grow our God-given gifts and talents and manifest the
fullness of our beings. This Self wants to improve by
learning the skills necessary to fully express itself.
But when this Self is not seen and valued in the way we
needed, we create an alternative self, a self we hope will
have control over getting the love we need and avoiding the
pain we can't handle – a self to help us feel safe. This is
our false self, our wounded self, our ego self. This self is
filled with the false beliefs that we absorbed as we were
growing up – beliefs that end up limiting our true, core
Self. This self does not needs improving – it needs healing.
The term "self improvement" can sometimes be a bit
misleading, because we do not want to improve our wounded
self. We do not want to improve on the ways we lie,
manipulate, and avoid in our attempts to have control over
getting love and avoiding pain. We don't want to improve on
our many addictions to substance and processes. We don't
want to improve on our anger, our compliance, our withdrawal
and our resistance.
We want to heal it.
Healing and improving are not the same thing.
We can certainly self-improve when it comes to skills. We
can improve in sports, in art, music, writing, cooking. We
can improve our health and wellbeing by improving our diet
and exercise program. We can improve in the knowledge we
need to be more successful regarding work and money. We
might be able to improve our relationships by learning new
communication skills. But what if acquiring new knowledge
and skills does not improve our health, or our ability to
earn money, or our relationships? And what if learning new
skills does not bring us more joy and inner peace? It may
mean that we need to heal the underlying fears and false
beliefs that cause us to be anxious, depressed, stressed,
guilt-ridden, shamed, withdrawn, angry, blaming, or sad.
Sometimes Self Improvement just means practicing a skill,
and others times it means that we need to participate in a
deep healing process. For example, many people try to
improve their health by losing weight and exercising. But if
their food addictions are covering over unhealed pain, they
might not be able to just change their diet. They might need
to open to a healing process in order to eventually improve.
If you are really trying to self improve but find yourself
stuck and unable to progress, or find that you have no joy
or inner peace, you might want to open to the possibility
that unhealed pain and beliefs are blocking your progress
and causing your pain. It is easy to improve yourself when
there is nothing blocking the way. But if you have old false
beliefs about your adequacy and worth, these beliefs may be
blocking your ability to take loving action in your own
behalf. All your efforts to self improve will not bring you
the satisfaction you are seeking if you have beliefs that
are keeping you limited in fully expressing your true, core
Self. If you are stuck, then you need to seek out a healing
process, such as the Inner Bonding process we teach, that
will move you out of the fears and beliefs that limit you.
Healing these fears and limiting beliefs will open the door
to improving your life in all ways!
About The Author:
Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is the best-selling author and
co-author of eight books, including "Do I Have To Give Up Me
To Be Loved By You?" and "Healing Your Aloneness." She is
the co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding healing
process. Learn Inner Bonding now! Visit her web site for a
FREE Inner Bonding course: http://www.innerbonding.com or
email her at mailto:
Phone
Sessions Available.
The main objective when playing the game of soccer is to score a goal in the opposing teams’ net and bypassing the goalie. This skill requires a great deal of practice, and a certain portion of muscle training and memory that needs to be acquired over time. With the proper soccer training gear, this goal can be accomplished, while improving other aspects of a player’s soccer skills as well.
New technology in the field of sports training is constantly improving and expanding, but growing as a player ultimately comes down to the fundamentals and repetition. One soccer training device eliminates much of the time spent on retrieving out-of-play balls, allowing practice to become easier as a solo activity, rather than having a constant need to either chase balls yourself, or have a partner do it for you. This simple training device allows more time to be spent on practicing the basics of kicking, and goal placement.
Strength and endurance is another key aspect for all players to possess in order to be optimal soccer players, since a great majority of the 45 minute halves is spent running up and down the soccer field. The ability to outrun an opponent is crucial, and another soccer training device can aide players in doing just that. A rubber band-like cord that ties around the athletes waste, and is secured into the ground, offers resistance training and explosiveness when it comes to racing an opponent on the soccer field.
For some of the skills necessary to become an improved soccer player, training gear may not even be necessary. Going back to the skills learned as a child when first taught how to play the game of soccer, may be some of the best training equipment one can have. Practicing juggling and controlling the ball, quick feet to ball movements, and even just dribbling the ball while running can be some of the best training gear an athlete can have. The saying goes “Practice makes perfect”, but essentially, it’s more along the lines that “Practice make permanent”. Repetition and control over the soccer ball without even having to think about it is what will make anyone a better soccer player.
Halitosis is the medical term for bad breath. Many people suffer from it either temporarily or as a chronic problem. Common causes are odiferous foods, smoking, poor oral hygiene, sinus conditions and medical issues. There are many cures for this ailment that are simple to use. If problems persist, though, it is advisable to seek the authority of a dentist or medical professional to rule out any serious dental or medical issues.
Certain foods such as garlic and onions produce bad breath. This is not a serious condition and will resolve itself in little time. Also, smoking can produce bad breath. Smoking can contribute to more serious dental and gum issues but the odor associated with smoking is unavoidable. It is, of course, recommended that smokers quit but short of that, there is little prevention for smoker’s breath. For a temporary fix, brush your teeth, chew gum or use a mint.
People with sinus conditions produce mucus that can be foul smelling. As a treatment for the sinus condition, a patient may be prescribed antihistamines which can cause dry mouth. If the mouth does not produce enough saliva to remain moist, this will cause bad breath. This is also why people have morning breath after sleeping for several hours allowing the mouth to dry out. Brushing and drinking plenty of water will help alleviate this.
There are several natural remedies found to help counteract the effects of bad breath. Chewing cardamom seeds, sunflower seeds, mint leaves and parsley are known to deodorize. Gargling with a mixture of lemon juice and water also helps. Brushing with baking soda and adding it to water for gargling is a popular choice in home remedies. Drinking teas with spices such as cardamom, anise, cinnamon and fennel are all reported to help sweeten breath.
The best way to treat bad breath is to ensure proper dental care. Brushing and flossing regularly will help deter bacteria from forming on teeth and tongue. As food particles can get trapped between teeth, flossing is essential to ensure plaque does not accumulate. Regular trips to the dentist for professional cleaning are also advised. When brushing, ensure a good toothbrush is used and do not neglect the tongue. Bacteria can get trapped on the tongue as well so thoroughly brush it.
If bad breath is a persistent condition, seek consultation with a dentist. It may be a sign of a more serious dental issue or gum disease. If a dentist rules out dental problems as a cause, a referral to a medical doctor may be in order. Certain conditions such as liver and kidney diseases can contribute to bad breath.
What does it take to become a good leader? What are the traits that set leaders apart from those who just follow the pack? Are leaders born or made? These questions may plague a high school kid who is about to run for school presidency, or an employee who has just been promoted to a supervisory position. Even those who are about to become first time parents have secretly asked themselves questions about the new leadership role that they are going to have to play in their child’s life.
If you examine closely, you will discover that leaders tend to share some common characteristics, whether they lead in their sports team, at the work place, or at school. They tend to have something that sets them apart from the others. This is called leadership quality. But before you become a leader, you must first develop your leadership skills.
Earn the respect of your peers by leading through example.
Follow what you preach. What better way to lead others than by setting an example. The best way for a leader to earn the respect of their peers is by showing that they work hard and put in a lot of effort into what they do. Most of all, they show their dedication to getting the job done.
Be an inspiration to others.
It is important for leaders to be able to effectively work with others. Leaders must possess excellent communication skills. This involves not only being able to express their vision and communicate what needs to be done; but also, leaders must know how to listen. They have to be able to appease the concerns of those they are leading. They also have to earn their trust, and be considerate to their needs. The ability to lead and work well with others is especially crucial when applied to a working environment. Leaders have to know how to motivate their employees, and get them to do what needs to be done.
Read books on how to become an effective leader.
Those who want to become efficient leaders have to invest their time in reading motivational books. There are hundreds and hundreds of instructional, motivational, how to books and videos dedicated to the topic of leadership. This is a great place to pick up tips on effective leadership. Also, those motivational stories might come in handy for those one on one pep talk that sometimes leaders need to conduct.
Emulate the leaders you look up to.
Try to think of two or three leaders you admire, and assess the reason why you look up to these leaders. Try to learn as much as you can about their lives. Find out what traits and quality they possess that made them such effective and influential leaders. See if you have learned anything about the great deeds of these people that you can incorporate into your own leadership style.
Attitude is everything.
Leaders do not give up. They go on, even though the odds are stacked against them. They do not get easily fazed when confronted by setbacks and crises. They do this by being optimistic, maintaining a positive attitude, and showing their strength through perseverance. By doing so, they become inspirational figures to others.
Becoming a leader is not always a choice; sometimes, it is born out of necessity. Practically anyone has the potential to become a leader given the opportunity, proper training, and the right set of circumstances. Leadership skills can be developed; it is just a matter of having some discipline and dedication.
About the Author: Leaders are often made not born. If you want to efficiently lead any team to success then you have to know these 12 winning qualities of a highly competent leader: http://www.top-leadership-secrets.com
Thursday, 21 August 2008
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