Unleash Your Awesome Spirit Power to Create Opportunities and Improve Your Life
I mentioned in my previous newsletters that I had decided to participate in the annual ‘Ride and Stride’ on Saturday, 11 September. This is an annual sponsored charity event organised by The Historic Churches Trust. The idea is that people cycle, walk, go on horseback or by any non-motorised means between participating churches and gain sponsorship for the trust.
I also mentioned that, rather than cycle or walk, I intended to run the whole thing and to visit as many churches as I could during the day. I suspect that nobody else is mad enough to attempt to run it and certainly nobody I have spoken to so far has ever heard of anyone running between the churches. It is seen more of a nice sedate event with a cup of tea and a chat at every opportunity.
So how did I do? Well, I had planned to do 18 churches (if I could), but having done the 18, I decided that as there was still plenty of time left and still some miles in my legs, I would do another three churches. And that was my final total; 22 churches. When all the sponsor money is in, I will have collected about £100.
After the event, I drove back around the route in reverse (actually, my wife drove because my legs were a bit stiff). I could not follow the exact route in the car, but I followed it as closely as possible. The distance covered by the car was a bit over 19 miles. Wow! I didn’t know I could do that. I suppose that next year people will expect me to attempt to beat my own record. We will see.
I have a guest writer again this week. His name is Earle Josiah and he has introduced a more spiritual tone this week with his article about using your awesome spirit power to improve your life. But before that, I have a news item where Carl Pickardt Ph.D. Gives us his views on adolescence and self-esteem. Here is the news item.
Adolescence and self-esteem
Teach adolescents how to maintain healthy self-esteem.
By by Carl Pickhardt Ph.D.
Published by Psychology Today (psychologytoday.com) on September 6, 2010
The concept of self-esteem is a very American one, particularly at home in our culture during the century that has followed its invention by psychologist William James.
Perhaps justified as part of our right to the pursuit of happiness and self-fulfilment, rooted in our emphasis on individualism, and nourished by our belief in self-improvement and material success, self-esteem is a notion that seems here to stay.
In addition, it has a certain common sense appeal and validity, if not a scientifically verifiable one. Given a choice, most people would rather have high self-esteem than low because they link it to personal well being and effectiveness.
From my view in family counselling, self-esteem can have significant impact on relationships. It generally seems that family members are more prone to act badly toward each other when they are feeling bad about themselves. The worse they feel about themselves, the worse they often treat others, the worse they get treated in return, the worse they end up feeling about themselves, the worse they treat others, and round and round the cycle of unhappiness goes. In low-esteem families, relationships can become mutually destructive.
In high esteem families, however, the reverse seems more likely to occur. The better family members feel about themselves, the better they treat each other, the better they get treated in return, the better off everyone tends to become. In high esteem families, relationships can become mutually affirming. Members seem more inclined to bring out the best in each other, not the worst.
So positive self-esteem is not some kind of popular fad or new-age frill. Upon its existence, the happy and healthy functioning of individuals and families partly depend, particularly during children’s teenage years.
I have seen two major self-esteem drops during the normal course of adolescence.
The first drop occurs at the outset in early adolescence (ages 9-13) when the young person’s separation from childhood creates a loss of contentment with being defined and treated any longer as just a child. In this process, many components of self-definition now considered “childish” – beloved interests, activities, and relationships that supported self-esteem – may be sacrificed for the sake of future growth and acting older. A lot of “kid stuff” of significant psychological value can be thrown away. Old toys and hobbies can be abandoned, and even cherished grandparents can be put at a distance.
The second drop in self-esteem occurs during the end of adolescence, trial independence (ages 18-23), when the young person is confronted with the daunting reality of independence and feels overwhelmed and diminished by the future shock mentioned in my previous blog. Feeling not up to this challenge and sometimes acting this way, it is easy to feel disappointed in them selves, to get down on them selves, and even to punish them selves, esteem falling in the process. “Here I am 22 years old, still messing up, and I can’t get my life together!”
Read more: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/surviving-your-childs-adolescence/201009/adolescence-and-self-esteem
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How can we use this to help us grow? Although Carl tells us that self-esteem is an ‘American concept’, we should not forget that everyone, wherever they may be, has this concept of self-value. It is interesting to note that low self-esteem builds further low self-esteem and high self-esteem builds further high self-esteem. This is a very strong sign that you need to keep your focus on exactly what it is that makes you feel happy and feeling good, because as you do so, gradually it will affect your normal mood and the mood of those you associate with.
Please tell your friends about my video on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X2MbhxJO5E
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Unleash Your Awesome Spirit Power to
Create Opportunities and Improve
Your Life
By Earle Josiah
Vibrating spirit energy in the universe is the supreme driving force of human nature. And a fundamental reality of nature is that this dynamic energy manifests through the human mind. So it is possible to use the awesome spirit power within you to accomplish all kinds of results. Create opportunities, acquire things, attract the right circumstances, satisfy your desires and IMPROVE YOUR LIFE.
Your destiny hinges on the proper use of your spirit and development of your mind. Because it is affected by spirit, your mind is capable of controlling and influencing your existence. By practising techniques such as visualization, affirmations and mental suggestion you can use the powers of mind to create and bring about manifestations in the material world. The mind wields natural power over matter because it senses the harmonics between thoughts and things.
During proper visualization the creative powers of the mind spring into action. And regular visualization of ideals will not only boost your creative spirit energy, but can also add to your happiness and improve your life. You should never hesitate to establish in your consciousness a mental desire or personal ideal which you earnestly believe is within the realm of accomplishment.
You must also live your ideal regularly and even experience it vicariously until every fibre of your being is aroused with expectation and consumed with its possibilities. Without delay, try to develop the habit of visualizing your ideals. Begin by practising daily until such a habit becomes a law of your subconscious mind. You will soon discover how such idealism can arouse your enthusiasm and transform your life to one of hope and expectation. Try to be eager and enthusiastic about your aims and purpose in life. Always demonstrate confidence and sincerity of purpose in your ideals and ambitions. By doing so you would attract that sincerity or positive response which makes for success in your endeavours. Unattained ideals become magnetic attractions because of their imaginary existence.
A personal ideal which you wish to bring into realization is an attractive force that draws you to the pleasures of life. Regular practice is necessary if you want to explore all the wonderful possibilities of your creative mental powers. The more often you practice, the better your chance of succeeding. So the next time you need a favour from anyone sit quietly, close your eyes and visualize the person speaking with you and being agreeable to your request. Always remember that the image of the person generated in your mind must be clear and the request must be the only thought occupying your consciousness. After a few minutes, release the thought from your mind and forget about it. This form of visualization must be done properly to obtain results.
Such a process of visualization is also useful if you wish to obtain some object or thing. Positive results are possible because vibrations emanating from a mental image contact and become attuned with the vibratory frequency of the object being visualized. The only requirement is that the mental image must be clear and precise in every detail. It is also possible to acquire things and satisfy your desires through the crystallization of thought. This is the case because thought forms are electrical and vibratory impulses which crystallize into creative images in your consciousness. If you build a mental image of some material object which you need and deserve, the vibratory impulses of the image created would eventually result in the materialization of the object. (Easy-to-follow exercises are explained fully in my latest book, The Power and Freedom of the Human Spirit.)
About the Author
Author-philosopher Earle Josiah has written several books that present a new understanding of an unfamiliar world that extends beyond the barriers of normal life. Visit www.earlejosiah.com and discover how to MASTER THE CONDITIONS OF LIFE.
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If there was one thing that would turn your life around, what would it be? I will do my best to help you in this newsletter or in my blog. The simplest way for you to leave feedback is to go to my blog and leave a comment. You can do that at:
http://raisingyourselfesteem.com/blog/
Near the top of the page you will see the words, “How are we
doing?” Click on “Leave your comment” and tell me about
your biggest life challenge.
As ever, I hope you really found this useful.
To your success,
Bill Webb
