Two Horses!!!!!!!!!!!

Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it.

From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse.

But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing....

Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.

This alone is amazing. If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field.

Attached to the horse's halter is a small bell. It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow.

As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is, trusting that he will not be led astray.

When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, it stops occasionally and looks back, making sure that the blind friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges.

He watches over us and even brings others into our lives, to help us when we are in need.

Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way....

Good friends are like that...You may not always see them, but you know they are always there.

Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours, and remember...

Be kinder than necessary
Everyone you meet is fighting
Some kind of battle.


Live simply,
Love generously,
Care deeply,
Speak kindly.

And leave the rest to God!

For we walk by faith and not by sight.

INSPIRING STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!

PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican fishing village.

A tourist complimented the local fishermen on the quality of their fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long." they answered in unison.

"Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?"

The fishermen explained that their small catches were sufficient to meet their needs and those of their families.

"But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"We sleep late, fish a little, play with our children, and take siestas with our wives. In the evenings, we go into the village to see our friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. We have a full life."

The tourist interrupted,

"I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you!
You should start by fishing longer every day.
You can then sell the extra fish you catch.
With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that?"

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant.

You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City , Los Angeles, or even New York City !

From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?"

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years." replied the tourist.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting," answered the tourist, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the fishermen.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

"With all due respect sir, but that's exactly what we are doing now. So what's the point wasting twenty-five years?" asked the Mexicans.

And the moral of this story is:

Know where you're going in life.... you may already be there

Tips for Happiness in Daily Life

Daily life can be made happier. It is a matter of choice. It is our attitude that makes us feel happy or unhappy. It is true, we meet all kinds of situations during the day, and some of them may not be conductive to happiness. We can choose to keep thinking about the unhappy events, and we can choose to refuse to think about them, and instead, relish the happy moments. All of us constantly go through various situations and circumstances, but we do not have to let them influence our reactions and feelings.

If we let outer events influence our moods, we become their slaves. We lose our freedom. We let our happiness be determined by outer forces. On the other hand, we can free ourselves from outer influences. We can choose to be happy, and we can do a lot to add happiness to our lives.

What is happiness?

It is a feeling of inner peace and satisfaction. It is usually experienced when there are no worries, fears or obsessing thoughts, and this usually happens, when we do something we love to do or when we get, win, gain or achieve something that we value. It seems to be the outcome of positive events, but it actually comes from the inside, triggered by outer events.

For most people, happiness seems fleeting and temporary, because they allow external circumstances to affect it. One of the best ways to keep it, is by gaining inner peace through daily meditation. As the mind becomes more peaceful, it becomes easier to choose the happiness habit.

Here are a few tips for increasing happiness in daily life:

1) Endeavor to change the way you look at things. Always look at the bright side. The mind may drag you to think about negativity and difficulties. Don't let it. Look at the good and positive side of every situation. 

2) Think of solutions, not problems.

3) Listen to relaxing, uplifting music.

4) Watch funny comedies that make you laugh.

5) Each day, devote some time to reading a few pages of an inspiring book or article.

6) Watch your thoughts. Whenever you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts, start thinking of pleasant things.

7) Always look at what you have done and not at what you haven't.

Sometimes you may begin the day with the desire to accomplish several objectives. At the end of the day you might feel frustrated and unhappy, because you haven't been able to do all of those things.

Look at what you have done, not at what you have not been able to do. You may have accomplished a lot during the day, and yet you let yourself become frustrated, because of some small things that you did not accomplish. You have spent all day successfully carrying out many plans, and instead of feeling happy and satisfied, you look at what was not accomplished and feel unhappy. It is unfair toward yourself.

8) Each day do something good for yourself. It can be something small, such buying a book, eating something you love, watching your favorite program on TV, going to a movie, or just having a stroll on the beach.

9) Each day do at least one act to make others happy. This can be a kind word, helping your colleagues, stopping your car at the crossroad to let people cross, giving your seat in a bus to someone else, or giving a small present to someone you love. The possibilities are infinite. When you make someone happy, you become happy, and then people try to make you happy.

10) Always expect happiness.

11) Do not envy people who are happy. On the contrary, be happy for their happiness.

12) Associate with happy people, and try to learn from them to be happy. Remember, happiness is contagious.

13) Do your best to stay detached, when things do not proceed as intended and desired. Detachment will help you stay calm and control your moods and reactions. Detachment is not indifference. It is the acceptance of the good and the bad and staying balanced. Detachment has much to do with inner peace, and inner peace is conductive to happiness.

14) Smile more often.

Life is too short and we live only once!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 BE HAPPY

Positive Thinking Your Key to Success

Positive thinking brings inner peace, success, improved relationships, better health, happiness and satisfaction. It also helps the daily affairs of life move more smoothly, and makes life look bright and promising.

Positive thinking is contagious: People around you pick your mental moods and are affected accordingly. Think about happiness, good health and success, and you will cause people to like you and desire to help you, because they enjoy the vibrations that a positive mind emits.

In order to make positive thinking yield results, you need to develop a positive attitude toward life, expect a successful outcome of whatever you do, but also take any necessary actions to ensure your success.

Effective positive thinking that brings results is much more than just repeating a few positive words, or telling yourself that everything is going to be all right. It has to be your predominant mental attitude. It is not enough to think positively for a few moments, and then letting fears and lack of belief enter your mind. Some effort and inner work are necessary.

Are you willing to make a real inner change?
Are you willing to change the way you think?
Are you willing to develop a mental power that can positively affect you, your environment and the people around you?

Here are a few actions and tips to help you develop the power of positive thinking:

·         Always use only positive words while thinking and while talking. Use words such as, 'I can', 'I am able', 'it is possible', 'it can be done', etc.

·         Allow into your awareness only feelings of happiness, strength and success.

·         Try to disregard and ignore negative thoughts. Refuse to think such thoughts, and substitute them with constructive happy thoughts.

·         In your conversation use words that evoke feelings and mental images of strength, happiness and success.

·         Before starting with any plan or action, visualize clearly in your mind its successful outcome. If you visualize with concentration and faith, you will be amazed at the results.

·         Read at least one page of inspiring book every day.

·         Watch movies that make you feel happy.

·         Minimize the time you listen to the news and read the papers.

·         Associate yourself with people who think positively.

·         Always sit and walk with your back straight. This will strengthen your confidence and inner strength.

·         Walk, swim or engage in some other physical activity. This helps to develop a more positive attitude.

Think positive and expect only favorable results and situations, even if your current circumstances are not as you wish them to be. In time, your mental attitude will affect your life and circumstances and change them accordingly.

Follow the tips and suggestions in this article, and prove to yourself the reality the power of positive thinking.

HEALING BROKEN HEART............

How long will it be before you can get through your daily routine without feeling the wave of pain sweep over you, without sensing that knot in the pit of your stomach, and without dwelling on what went wrong? If these are some of the questions you are asking yourself, you are not alone. 

A broken heart can cause such an intense reaction that you may feel your life has been completely stripped of meaning. Jobs, hobbies, and friends may no longer hold any joy. In fact, some of us even experience physical pain with a tight chest, nervous stomach, or terrible insomnia. “Time heals all wounds” is something we have all heard over the years, but do you really have to wait for time to heal these wounds? Absolutely not. 

There are steps you can take to alleviate the pain you feel. These steps were developed by people who have endured the pain of a difficult break-up and sought a better way to heal.

Whether you are 22 or 62, the first step is to determine from which type of broken heart you suffer. That’s right – there are actually 4 different types of broken hearts. Several factors determine the type of broken heart you may be enduring including your relationship history, the type of relationship and the reasons for the break-up, among others. Once you know where your heart stands, you will receive customized healing advice.

When Your Heart & Mind Disagree About The Break-Up

You are sitting with your cell phone staring at a text message you wrote to your ex hours ago. You debate whether to send it or not. You stare at your phone while your mind tells you to have more respect for yourself. You logically understand that sending the message is not going to make the situation any better – nor will it heal your pain. Then your heart enters the scene and overpowers your mind. Your heart says, “Go ahead, send it, you will feel better…temporarily at least.”

Every decision you make is determined by a combination of your logic and emotion. If these different elements that make you who you are happen to conflict, you will understandably feel conflicted and make decisions that reflect this turmoil.
The concept of alignment will help you understand why you may have been in a relationship that was not good enough for you. It will also help you understand how to use your logic to help heal your broken heart. Let’s look at some more examples of what happens when your heart and mind disagree with one another.

Scenario 1 – During the Relationship
Your mind says, “I deserve more – this relationship is not right.”
Your heart says, “Stay, it will work out.”
If you were in a relationship where it was obvious that you were not receiving the love, respect, and engagement that you deserve, then your mind was probably nudging you during the relationship and asking you, “Why are we still here?” You remained in that relationship for longer than you should have because your heart believed that your mate and relationship could change.

Your heart believed that it was better to be in a relationship that was mediocre than to be alone. Your heart was saying to you, “Hey, give it a chance, it’s not that bad.” Your mind and heart were not aligned and this probably led to fighting, to an internal struggle, and eventually the break up. Often when we want more from a relationship than we are getting, we continually try to get ‘more’ by attempting to change the person we are with or by forcing other changes in the relationship. This is generally a destructive path.


Scenario 2 – During the Relationship
Your heart says, “This relationship is everything I need.”
Your mind says, “There are red flags here that I shouldn’t ignore.”

When one partner in a relationship is not happy, they usually provide indications either verbally, in the form of passive-aggressive behavior, or via non-verbal actions of their discontent. If you are the other partner that is madly in love, you do actually receive the red flags as signals in your mind. Unfortunately, your heart overpowers your logic in this case. Your heart speaks so loudly about how in love you are and how perfect everything is, that you drown out the messages your mind has received.

Eventually, after the break up, it is easier to see the red flags were present in your relationship. You also may realize that some of the reason you were deeply attached to your ex was because you loved the idea of being in love. If you relate to this scenario, remember, you deserve a love with equal give and take. Reciprocity is essential to the success of a relationship and you should never have to convince someone to love you as much as you love them.

Scenario 3 – After the Break Up
Your mind says, “I am going to be okay. In fact, before long, I’m going to feel like myself.”
Your heart says, “The pain is excruciating, I don’t think I will ever feel at peace again.”

After your break up, if you sit quietly and listen to your inner voice, you will hear hope inside. This hope is telling you that you will feel better, that you will live life once again with passion, and that you will experience love once again. The information you are being sent from your mind  is based on your history and the fact that you have overcome obstacles in the past. Your mind remembers the times where you have faced adversity and have come out on the other side stronger and brighter. Your heart is speaking out of fear; listen to your mind – it has a strong basis for giving you hope.

Listen to words from friends, family, and counselors even if they do not feel like they are helping to heal your broken heart. Every single word helps. Listen to every word someone with experience has to tell you. Up until now, we haven’t discussed the subconscious mind. Positive messages to your subconscious mind can overpower negative ones from your heart. Everything you are reading and listening to about healing is entering your subconscious and will help you heal faster.

Above I have discussed the logical mind being overpowered by a somewhat illogical heart. Please note, the situation can certainly occur in reverse. Your heart may experience genuine love yet have seeds of doubt planted by an insecure mind.

SCIENTOLOGY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by speculative fiction author L. Ron Hubbard (1911–1986), starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics. Hubbard characterized Scientology as a religion, and in 1953 incorporated the Church of Scientology in Camden, New Jersey.

 Scientology teaches that people are immortal beings who have forgotten their true nature. Its method of spiritual rehabilitation is a type of counseling known as auditing, in which practitioners aim to consciously re-experience painful or traumatic events in their past in order to free themselves of their limiting effects. Study materials and auditing courses are made available to members in return for specified donations. 

Scientology is legally recognized as a tax-exempt religion in the United States and some other countries, and the Church of Scientology emphasizes this as proof that it is a bona fide religion. In other countries, notably France, Germany and the United Kingdom, Scientology does not have comparable religious status.
A large number of organizations overseeing the application of Scientology have been established, the most notable of these being the Church of Scientology.  

Scientology sponsors a variety of social service programs. These include the Narconon anti-drug program, the Criminon prison rehabilitation program, the Study Tech education methodology, a volunteer organization, a business management method, and a set of moral guidelines. 

The Church of Scientology is one of the most controversial new religious movements to have arisen in the 20th century. It has often been described as a cult that financially defrauds and abuses its members, charging exorbitant fees for its spiritual services. The Church of Scientology has consistently used litigation against such critics, and its aggressiveness in pursuing its foes has been condemned as harassment. 

Further controversy has focused on Scientology's belief that souls ("thetans") reincarnate and have lived on other planets before living on Earth. Former members say that some of Hubbard's writings on this remote extraterrestrial past, included in confidential Upper Levels, are not revealed to practitioners until they have paid thousands of dollars to the Church of Scientology Another controversial belief held by Scientologists is that the practice of psychiatry is destructive and abusive and must be abolished.

Skills for Successful Counselling..............

PEOPLE FORGET WHAT YOU SAY AND DO BUT NOT HOW YOU MAKE THEM FEEL, SO EVERY GOOD COUNSELOR MUST ACQUIRE THESE SKILLS IF THEY ARE GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

Whether you're studying to be a counselor or just thinking about the idea, certain skills are needed if counseling is going to be effective. The most important focus of counseling is helping the client to manage their problems and achieve their goals. Learning these skills and practicing them often will ensure a comfortable and successful counseling experience for both the client and the counselor.

Unconditional Positive Regard

According to Carl Rogers, unconditional positive regard for the client means supporting and accepting the person, no matter what he or she says or does. It means keeping the client's best interest at heart, even when the client may be difficult to deal with or may be taking part in actions you don't support. The first rule of counseling is do not harm and having unconditional positive regard will ensure that harm doesn't happen.

Respect

It said, respect is the foundational value of counseling. Without it, the counseling process is likely to fail. Respect is not just an attitude we have towards someone; it is also a way of talking and acting. Respect is shown to someone when we honor a person through word or deed just for who they are, and it involves honoring their rights too.

Empathic Understanding

Showing empathy to clients as they tell their stories is vital because it lets clients know that the counselor is actively listening and engaged in what they are saying and encourages clients to continue speaking. Egan says that empathic understanding involves temporary living the other person's life by setting aside our own concerns and seeing things from the client's point of view while still remaining objective. When we are empathetic with a client, we are able to feel their pain in our hearts, and this gives us better knowledge of how to counsel them and meet their needs.

Equality

With clients walking though the door from many different backgrounds and ethnicities, it's necessary to treat each and every client equally regardless of where they come from. Equality means giving each client what he or she needs, so counselors may have to put a little more effort into sessions with multicultural patients in order to achieve the same quality of understanding. It said that along with equality also comes accepting and appreciating diversity. Clients will not feel comfortable in a session if they are being treated unfairly.

 

Genuineness

When counselors are genuine with clients that means they are being real with their clients and informing them accurately about the helping process. It believed that genuineness is one of the important factors required to help people grow. Counselors need to be real and honest with clients in order for clients to see how they need to change and start making the steps to do so. Counselors need to be willing to be open with their clients and not afraid to challenge them when appropriate.

Active Listening

Active listening does not just involve hearing the words someone speaks. But it also involves hearing the message a person is speaking and reading the emotions and nonverbal messages that are imbedded within. Counselors can become better listeners by putting in a conscious effort to understand the entire message that is found in and behind the words.

Collaboration

The helping process is a joint effort. The counselor does not do all of the work, and neither does the client. It said that collaboration means the counselor and client work together to accomplish the client's goals. Both counselor and client have responsibilities to carry out in order for the counseling to be effective.

Patience

Not all clients are going to be easy to handle. Some will be reluctant and resistant and not want to take part in the helping process. Some may feel uncomfortable and need more time to build a trusting relationship with the counselor before any valuable work can be done. Some clients progress through the counseling process quicker than others, so counselors must be patient and flexible with clients because no one is the same.

Guiding Not Telling

A counselor should never tell a client what to do. If this occurs, a helper is not counseling. Counselors are to guide the client and help them see possibilities and options. No matter how much you would like for a client to change, the choice is always the client’s. Autonomy is the freedom of the client to choose his or her path, and as professionals, counselors must respect the client’s choices, whether a counselor agrees with them or not.

Relatability

This involves being able to get along and cooperate well with other people. Counseling often fails when clients are not able to relate or get along with the counselor. Counselors must be able to be relatable if a trusting relationship is going to be formed.

Compassion/Sympathy

Showing compassion or sympathy to someone expresses care and concern.  Having compassion means we are sensitive to the needs and feelings of others. This is fundamental in the counseling process because people come into the office broken and hurt wanting someone to care. Counselors can begin creating a trusting relationship with the client if they are sympathetic to what the client is feeling. Expressing compassion can also put the client at ease and increase their comfort level.

These are the skills to succeed in counseling. Learn them well and you will go far in this career.

Why Do We Fall In Love?

You were walking down the street, nothing was unusual and then suddenly she came out from a nearby shop and it happened that you fell in love with her at the first sight! Huhh!! What happened?!! 

The answer is simple, its all related to how your mind works. If you are single or currently not in a relationship your mind will always be on a hunt for your long awaited partner. Even if you think that you don't care about relationships now,like most people say, if someone matched your criteria then you will fall in love with him.

But why she? Why not someone else?

Each one of us has got some kind of a check list stored into his mind which includes the criteria that a person must meet in order for you to love him. If a person didn't match some of the items in this list then he becomes disqualified to be a potential partner and you will think of him as a friend. The items in your check list are of course unique and specific to you depending on your background, values, past experiences and beliefs.

The following is an example of the first three lines of a check list of a guy called Sam. Sam is a guy and his list starts with the following three conditions:

• Item one: She must have the same educational background as mine.
• Item two: Her hair must be yellow (Sam always failed to establish successful relationships with blonds in his past and so his subconscious mind included this item in his list in order to help him compensate for his past failures)
• Item Three:She must be assertive. Sam wasn't an assertive person and since we get attracted to those who have what we need therefore Sam's mind included this item in his criteria.

If Sam is currently not in a relationship and then he met an amazing girl who has black hair then most likely he won't fall in love with her (without understanding that the real reason he didn't love her is that she didn't match his subconscious criteria).

People are usually unaware of their subconscious criteria and that's why they usually describe love as a mysterious thing that follows no rules but the truth is that when they become aware of their subconscious criteria they will be able to know why they fall in love with certain people and not others.

Once you become aware of your own list you will know how to stop loving someone and how to make someone fall in love with you.

CIAO