Life Can Change When You Least Expect It A True Story

Life Can Change When You Least Expect It, A True Story
By Andy Thompson

It all started early one Sunday morning in September 1997 after a two-minute encounter that would end up changing my life. It was with a man in a red pick up truck with a P.O.W. license plate. We were the only two vehicles on the road that morning.

I had no idea what I was doing with my life it felt out of control. I had just moved to Port Charlotte, Florida from Grand Rapids, Michigan just a few months before. I just picked up and moved with no money, no job - just opened a map book, pointedand moved.

I was 25 years old, super depressed and needed to get away from allthose who had defined me my whole life. I don't know what compelled me that morning, up to that point I was pretty much pissed off all the time. I felt misunderstood, judged and unworthy. I was sad.

I had no idea who I was or why I was here, but I remember feeling very lucky and grateful to be in a country where I could go off and find myself. I could take as long as I needed to figure things out and I had the freedom to try as many different things as I needed to until I found my purpose.

I'm sure I looked crazy as I pulled up next to the red pickup and motioned the man to roll down his window. He looked at me very suspiciously. I don't blame him; I was just some punk kid with aggressive facial hair and dark sunglasses.

I think most people would have hesitated, but after one more motion he finally rolled down the window. I asked him, Are you the P.O.W. on your license plate? Yes I am, he replied. I took off my glasses and said Thank you for my freedom. The light turned green and I pulled away.

He caught up to me at the next light and with tears in his eyes, he thanked me! He said Not one time since I have been back from the war has anyone said that to me, I will never forget you!

I never got the man's name and I have never seen him again, but the look on his face changed my life. The feeling we shared that day was not of this world, I felt it in my soul. From this experience my life's work was set in motion. To create a way for others to experience the feelings I felt during that chance encounter.

That day I uncovered one of the secrets to life. it's not the love you receive but rather the love you share that makes you truly happy.

Andy Thompson All Rights Reserved

Andy Thompson is a writer who enjoys the growth part of the Self Growth Process. He recommends the breakthrough 21-day self empowerment program Habit Busting and publishes a quality information packed monthly newsletter. Read more at http://www.BadHabitBreaking101.com/pow/ and sign up for our free 7-day goal setting e-course.

You may reprint this article in your newsletter as long as appears exactly as printed above including the link.

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An Unfinished Life

An Unfinished Life
By Sharon Marquart

You catch a thought, an inspiration pops into your mind. A light bulb goes off. You begin to toss it around in your head, giving it consideration. Your mind begins to wrap around the possibilities as you sit with it for a few days in contemplation. Your emotions begin to engage in this now fabulous idea. It flows from your mind down into your heart and takes on a life of its own. Each pulsating heartbeat creates a new impulse of energy, a spark that ignites a passion inside you. Your heart envisions the idea as a real possibility for your life. You become aligned with the idea: heart, mind and emotions. Your inner voice exclaims, Wow, I can do that! proclaims, I believe this is possible! and confirms What an absolutely fabulous idea!

Your silent words, your thoughts, your emotions, your passion become a prayer. But they dont go unnoticed. Theres another force listening. The Universe hears you! It begins to get all the players in place. There is a shift in the energy of the Universe. Heaven and earth are moved for you. People are directed toward you, as if you are a magnetic field. The red carpet is rolled out. The door of opportunity is put in your line of sight. The runway is lined with everything you need: information, people, places, resources. Everything you need is ready, in place and waiting for you! The Universe prepares to welcome a new magnificence into the world!

You stand on the red carpet, captivated by all that surrounds you. Chills of exhilaration run through your body as the hair on your arms stand on end with the energy of excitement. You KNOW in your heart this is it! This is the dream youve waited for, and you are ready! The Universe celebrates your arrival. Fireworks explode above you. You begin to walk down the red carpet toward the door of a new self. You are amazed at the people who suddenly appear out of nowhere to serve as your guides. Crowds form along the runway and people you dont recognize smile and pat you on the back as you walk past them. They cheer and congratulate you. You are in total awe of the words of inspiration whispered in your ear. All the puzzle pieces have fallen easily into place and you watch in utter amazement! Finally! You arrive at the door.

You know that on the other side of that door is the manifestation of your dream. It is the dynamic idea come to fruition. It is the passion of your heart; the ideal job of a lifetime; the partner of your dreams, and it is abundance beyond measure. It is a calling you have heard in your most silent moments. A calling that has taken years to be heard outside of your own mind. It is your magnificent Self! With your hand on the doorknob, you slowly begin to turn the handle, feeling it move as your heart skips a beat. The pulsing in your head has become louder. There is no more waiting. No hesitation. You are ready! YES! The time is now! Now! Now! . Then, you freeze. Everything stops. The roaring crowds who cheered you are now replaced with an all too familiar deafening silence within your mind.

The clouds of doubt surround you. I dont know arrives. It covers the vision of your heart with a veil of self doubt and confusion. Your deepest fears of unworthiness flood you. You feel as if youre drowning. What if Im making this all up? What if I open this door and nothings there? You hear the word NO screamed on the loud speaker, NO, dont touch! NO, thats not for you! NO, dont bother me! NO, youre not good enough! NO, you cant have that! NO, not this time, NO, not now! You thought all this was for you? Youve got to be kidding! Why would you be worthy of such enlightenment? The fear of abandonment and disapproval dims the energy that once burned so bright within you. You melt into a puddle of self doubt. Your knees lock, your legs begin to shake. You are frozen with fear. A hush falls over the crowd, followed by silence. You stand with your hand on the door of your Magnificent Selfparalyzed. Unfinished.

Sharon Marquart is a gifted Certified Personal Coach, inspirational speaker and author. For more than 13 years she has share with audiences large and small. She is the author of Working For God, Living With Soulful Purpose, and Creating A Wedding Ministry. Her coaching practice is Living at YES!(You Embracing Spirit) where she passionately supports clients in identifying mistaken beliefs and self-limiting thoughts. She coaches them in getting unstuck, setting intentions and living possibilities! Sharon teaches via tele-classes and facilitates tele-groups and e-courses. Her coaching clients are nationwide. Sharon is committed to bringing Metaphysical and Spiritual Truths into everyday language and applying them to everyday life experiences.

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Your Life is Worth Living

Your Life is Worth Living
By Stephanie Martinez

You know, there are two good things in life, freedom of thought and freedom of action. by W. Somerset Maugham. This is an amazing and powerful quote that everyone should stop and really think about. Theres nothing better than having your own freedom in your life. This can be accomplished by taking action and learning to manifest your life to its fullest potential. One shouldnt have to put their needs, goals, and dreams aside simply because you dont think theyre important or worth the chance of coming true. This concept that your dreams are never going to come true and its best to stick with reality, whatever that reality might be, is the easiest way out of taking responsibility of your life. Its so easy to just give up rather than have a strong soul that can guide you to your dreams. This path is a harder path to travel through, but the only path that can lead you to true freedom that you deserve.

Its difficult to try to be strong in a society that advertises so much negativity. For example, this negativity can even be found within your own family or close friends. People, in general, that just say you cant do something, its out of your reach, quit living in the clouds and come back to reality, all these comments get ingrained strongly in your mind and ultimately you fall for it and believe these comments. People have to be strong in blocking out negativity in order to be strong, have self-value, spiritual-awareness, and self-worth. This isnt an easy task to do, because in this society we have been brought up to listen to other peoples opinions and not question them. For example, we believe what we were taught by our parents and family members and just take it as it is rather than question their teaching methods. You have to learn and make a wise decision and differentiate in what to block out and what to not. If someone says you cant do that, simply because they have no faith in you well this is where your inner strength is able to shine and prove them wrong.

The concept of manifestation can teach you everything you need to know about living your dream and not wishing to be able to live your dreams. Manifestation can change your life to a more positive life thats worth living. Youll be able to have all the qualities that youve always had but never practiced. Being a positive person that thinks positively and avoids negative energies is a person that has learned to manifest their life and practices manifestation daily. You too can be part of this positive circle of energy. Live the life you want to live, after all you deserve the very best. As mentioned in the quote above, freedom is the most important thing in everyones life. If you would like to seek this and much more, then manifestation is the answer to your dreams which could be your reality.

If you are interested in manifestation and more wonderful techniques, please visit us at =>http://www.mymanifestpower.comand Don't forget about your FREE ebook.

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10 Ways to Take Back Your Time

10 Ways to Take Back Your Time
By Linda Dessau

I've divided my tips into two sections - 5 ways to manage your time and 5 ways to take back your time. Both offer daily or regular practices to try out in your life right now.

The first section focuses more on easing the time pressures in your life, to deal with all of the things you've gotten yourself into ;)

The second section focuses on making overall changes to your life. When you take back your time you also take back your CHOICE. When we're feeling time pressured and stressed out it's easy to forget that we have any say in the matter. And we do!

5 WAYS TO MANAGE YOUR TIME

1. Choose specific times to look at email during the day - seeing emails as they come in can really distract you from what you're trying to accomplish and you'll end up losing time as you go back and forth between activities.

2. The 15-minute strategy. This not only helps motivate you by breaking down large jobs into smaller pieces, it also makes good use of your time. The strategy is to spend 15-minutes on a task and then move on the next. You can come back to the first one as many times as you need to until it's done.

3. Find a system that works for you for making and meeting deadlines and appointments - a calendar or day-timer. I use a Palm Pilot and have been really happy with it.

4. Plan and cook meals ahead of time. A huge time-saver and also makes it much easier to eat healthier. It could be as simple as cooking an extra portion of dinner and having it for lunch the next day, or you could plan out seven days at a time (which is what I do).

5. Keep up with things - whether it's tidying up your papers, doing the dishes or working on a report, doing things a bit at a time (see tip #2) instead of letting them pile up to the point of taking you all day, is much more manageable.

5 WAYS TO TAKE BACK YOUR TIME

1. Set and keep your boundaries - if you work for someone else, be clear about over-time and taking work home with you. If you work for yourself, establish the times of day that are no-work zones; good places to start are breaks for meals and deciding when you will start and stop work for the day.

2. Make one day a week imeless rise and shine when you feel like it, eat when you're hungry and let your inner child (or your actual child!) plan your day's activities. Warning: This may conflict with the tip below ;)

3. Cut your t.v. time - try limiting it to one hour per day. Or try cutting it out completely for one week.

4. Buddy up and find someone to take back time with. Whether it's your spouse, best friend, family member or work colleague, if you're both committed you won't let each other bow out.

5. Take your holidays! Whether you're self-employed or work for someone else it's important to take time off to rejuvenate. You will be more productive for it in the long run.

Where do you need to take back time in your life? Where do you need to manage your time better?

(c) Copyright 2005, Genuine Coaching Services.

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, is the author of The Everyday Self-Care Workbook. To receive one of her free monthly newsletters, subscribe at http://www.genuinecoaching.com/newsletter.html

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Your Life Matters! Four Vital Reasons to Tell Your Life Story

Your Life Matters! Four Vital Reasons to Tell Your Life Story
By Kim Pearson

Are your children or grandchildren pestering you to write those stories down!? Perhaps you feel that you dont have time to remember your life youre still too busy living it! It is a daunting endeavor to write down 30, 50, 80 years of living. It is often an overwhelming task just to remember it.

Many of us think we will write our memoirs someday. Maybe if we do something fabulous, outrageous, something which alters the course of history. Maybe if we become famous. Or maybe just when we have the time, whenever that will be. But few of us ever get around to it. And the truth is that if you dont preserve your stories what you did, what you thought, what you felt, what you witnessed then your stories will die when you do. No one else can tell them like you can. No one else has your eyes, your heart or your mind.

Well so what? you may ask. Im just an average person. I didnt do anything important. Weve been taught that modesty is good manners. You shouldnt toot your own horn. Who are we to think were important enough to warrant a memoir? No one wants to be an egotist. Or some of us feel that were just cogs in a vast machine, with little personal power or meaning. We think only those with wealth, power or influence, can make a difference in the world.

If these are your beliefs, you are wrong. Preserving your stories is not about ego. The meaning of your life does not depend upon fame or wealth or even great deeds. We make wills to ensure our possessions are passed on to those who cherish them or can use them. But possessions are just things. Stories are alive. One of the greatest gifts you can give your descendants is the story of who you are. What were your hopes, your dreams, your fears, your griefs? What did you learn? What did you teach? Who did you love?

At this time in history, when we as a world are grappling with global difficulties unprecedented in scope, such as terrorism, plague, ecological disasters and more, it is more important than ever that we share our stories with each other. It is vital that we know our individual stories matter. If we all knew that what we do, say, think or feel no matter how trivial -- has meaning and consequences, how would we behave differently? Would we be less inclined to apathy, despair and fear? Would we be more impelled to action, and to using our power to make this world a better place?

Stories show us how we connect with each other, they allow us to teach and learn, they inspire us, and they heal our divisions and our wounds.

Stories of connection show how we fit into the great tapestry of life on earth. Today many of us feel isolated and alone. Families tend to be scattered around the globe, and many of our institutions are breaking apart. We have lost touch with our past and are afraid of the future. But when we share our experiences, we are reminded that we are still connected with each other. Each of us has a place and a part and a lineage.

Teaching stories allow us to pass along our accumulated wisdom. With technology advancing at a rate never seen before, and becoming more and more specialized, we can start to feel that we dont understand how the world works anymore. But when we tell our stories, we are reminded that we are the keepers of wisdom not machines or chemicals. That lessons on how to dream, how to love, how to laugh, can only be taught by example, and we are the only ones who can teach each other.

In this time of terrorism and disaster, with news media around the world blaring stories of violence and greed, heroic stories give us hope. They remind us that people can not only cope with disaster, but turn it into triumph. That ordinary people, folks just like us, have depths of courage, compassion and creativity. When we hear their stories, we are inspired to believe in the possibility of our own heroism.

Today fear, with its consequence of anger, permeates our society. Stories of hatred, revenge, and pathological madness abound. We have come to expect lies and secrets from our leaders. Our society is urgently in need of healing. In order to do so we need to forgive each other, and ourselves. Sharing our stories comforts us and reminds us that we can be whole. We walk along a path whose way stations are understanding, compassion, and finally forgiveness. We can be healed of our anger and our fear.

Connection, wisdom, inspiration and healing: these are the reasons we tell our stories. Telling our stories is important because we are.

Kim Pearson is an author and ghostwriter who has ghostwritten more than 30 non-fiction books and memoirs, plus authoring 7 books of fiction, poetry and non-fiction. For more information click here.

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Self Improvement Books: Valuable Guides Or Dusty Doorstops?

Self Improvement Books: Valuable Guides Or Dusty Doorstops?
By James Allen

Quite often, when someone decides to make positive changes in their lifestyle and personality, the first thing they'll do is head for the nearest bookstore and start looking through the self improvement book section. Although their desire to become a better person is honorable, there are some things they should know before selecting a self improvement book to help them on their course. If you are one of these people, please read on.

First, not every one of these books is filled with advice that will be helpful for you. Sure, the cover may be flashy, the title intriquing and the write-up on the back may hold promises of the many secrets to be revealed within. Please don't fall prey to this type of gift-wrap marketing though. Take the time to actually crack open the book and read through the contents and a few random paragraphs or pages within.

Secondly, ask yourself if the course of self improvement being offered in the book is information that you already know. As you skim the book, you may find yourself agreeing with what the author is saying. That's a good sign that you already know this information. In this case, what you need to do is take action with the information you already have, not procrastinate by purchasing another book on the topic.

On the other hand, if you find yourself having lightbulbs go off in your head as you browse through the book and saying to yourself, Hey, I never thought of things that way!, you might be onto a good find. Self improvement books that make you think on your own and motivate you to take action on your new ideas are often a worthwhile investment.

Finally, if you do discover the perfect book, don't buy it right away. Being frugal is one of the first steps to self-improvement, so you might want to consider leaving the bookstore and checking your local library to see if the title is available for free. Another option is to comparison shop at online bookstores to get the best price available.

Keeping these book buying tips in mind will not only save you time and money, they may also help you further along your path to personal perfection.

James B. Allen is the cosmic publisher behind PowerLivingPress.com. Before you spend your hard-earned cash on any more self improvement books, come explore his site. It's overflowing with free articles, tips and resources to help you enjoy life to the fullest - starting right now!

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Inspiration: Content Motivates

Inspiration: Content Motivates
By Jan Verhoeff

You wont believe what my son said yesterday! It was so funny. I was sitting at the computer typing away on my latest project and he walked up behind me and looped his arms around my neck (just like he does almost every morning) and said, Mom, what cha writing?

I calmly responded, Content for my site. And leaned back for his warm hug. I love it when he does that.

So, who did you write about this time? His voice sounded almost excited, as if he really wanted to know.

I typed in another paragraph with him reading over my shoulder including his name in the conversational dialogue. Mom, youre writing about me again. I got another hug and he was off to work on his next book. Kenton has been writing an average of one childrens book every three or four months, including illustrations since he first figured out he could be a published author and make money from his writing, almost a year ago.

How often are we inspired by seeing our name in print? Its awesome! What more could a writer want than to be quoted?

Not very long ago, I saw an article that said, According to Jan Verhoeff and a bit later in the article, referred to Jan (me) as HE. It didnt matter. Im sure the author of the article hadnt done any research on me as a writer, just on what Id written about. The quote was right out of one of my more prominent Internet documents, and well stated, fitting extremely well with the topic of the article where I was quoted. For those of you who have seen my picture, Im definitely not a HE, and for those of you who havent, but do read many of my gender specific posts, you already know Im a woman.

I ran around for two weeks telling everyone within shouting distance that Id been quoted! I think I even posted it on a favorite writer site, to hear all the congratulations and encouragement. It made me feel special to be written about.

If you want to impact your reader make them feel like you are writing your article specifically for them, about them, and to them. Put personality in the article. Get personal. Motivate your reader by bringing them into the action.

Content motivates. Inspire your reader to follow the directions included in your signature by actively inviting them to participate in the content. If not by name; at least by implication, invite your reader into the action.

Let them get to know you, and get to know them. Get personal. Get involved.

Impact your market as never before. Be seen. Be alive. Be creative in your endeavors to brand your business and consume your market. Let eBiz Blitz empower your dreams by infusing your business publications with Dynamic Content. Visit Dynamic Content Creator, Jan Verhoeff, at http://www.freewebs.com/ebizblitz

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