Think & Create

By Daphne Rose Kingma

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” –Wolfgang von Goethe

Persistence is the spiritual grace that allows you to continue to act with optimism even when you feel trapped in the pit of hell. It is the steadfast, continual, simple — and at times excruciatingly difficult — practice of trudging forward until the difficult present you’re scared will go on forever is replaced by a future that has a new color scheme.

Persistence isn’t fluffy or humorous (although it can benefit from frequent infusions of humor) or stupidly optimistic. Persistence is intention embodied, repeatedly, in action. It’s seeing something through, even when it seems like you’re not getting anywhere, because inside you know a solution is coming toward you that is different from the present, and that when it arrives it will hold a cornucopia of new possibilities.

Somewhere in the distance, your future is holding out its arms to meet you, ready to bring you whatever you’ve had the courage to ask for. It is already holding in trust whatever you have the courage to keep steadfastly moving toward. It wants to join hands with you to create the next chapter of your life, but it won’t — it can’t — if you stay riveted to the same spot, whining and complaining, passive, fearful, and resentful. That’s because the future always comes toward us in exactly the spirit in which we approach it — hands and heart open, or souls withered in defeat.

When you decide to persist, it’s not because you’re an idiot, not because you don’t know from the inside or from looking around just how dire your current circumstances are. It’s because in the face of perhaps thousands of reasons to be discouraged, you choose to be bold, to carry on, to keep on duking it out, no matter how grizzly, tedious, intractable, or seemingly hopeless the present situation may seem. The power of persistence is required especially when we’re dealing with intense, emotionally devastating circumstances or bunches of hugely difficult things that have stacked up all at once. When you’re facing a diagnosis of Graves’ disease, a taxi accident, and the imminent death of your sister, and your boyfriend has just moved to Japan, you will definitely need to call on persistence.

Sometimes the persistence that can transform a whole life lasts just a few minutes — as in the case of the soldier who slings his buddy’s bleeding body up over his shoulder and lugs him across the desert until he can deliver him to the medivac copter. Sometimes it is a life’s work, an Erin Brockovich-like crusade of endlessly knocking on doors, talking to strangers, gathering evidence, and poring through mountains of papers until, finally, you uncover the facts that can change everything.

Persistence is guts. Stick-to-itiveness. Determination. The willingness to repeat and repeat and repeat until you’ve achieved the desired effect. Persistence says: Don’t give up!
In this sense, persistence is visionary. Expectant. A sacred journey resplendent with hope. When you persist you know, on a visceral level, that you are enacting your part in the invisible contract between you and the cosmos. Instead of feeling powerless, you feel alive. Instead of feeling hopeless, you have a sense that you’re on the path to somewhere. Instead of feeling like a victim, you feel like a person of action; in your deep self you know that this choice for action will one day be rewarded with a response.

Persistence is the journey of effectiveness that allows you to hope. It is the energy that wants to get things done, to assist you in moving from crisis to solution. Persistence can take you from debt to solvency, from heartbreak to true love, from sickness to health, from foreclosure to having a home. Emotionally, it can take you from fear to joy; spiritually, it can deliver you from despair to peace. So persist, be steadfast in your undertaking, for only the path consistently traveled can deliver you to the outcome you long for.

Whatever your battle, it’s never easy. The monsters never just slink back into the woods with their tails between their legs. They will fight you for every breath. There is a battle in this universe for every inch of light, and only those who persist will rise to behold the astonishing light of the sunrise.

kennethg success, Tips perseverence, persistance, success

© Copyright 2009 Melinda Copp

Copyrighting your book is an important step in the process of becoming an author because it helps protect against people taking or using your work without permission. But how do you get a copyright? And when should you file for one? If you’re unsure about how to protect your work, consider the following suggestions.

First, a quick disclaimer: I am not a copyright attorney, and this article should not be taken as legal advice. Please use this only as a guide for where to find more information about how to protect your work. And, keep in mind that this is for authors in the United States. Copyright laws in other countries may be different.

Okay, so here are the most common questions about copyrighting a book.

How do I copyright my book?
The process is actually pretty easy. After your book is published, all you have to do is go to the U.S. Copyright Office web site at www.copyright.gov, download and complete the paperwork, and send it in with your payment and two bound copies of your book. If you like, you can file for your copyright before your book is published, but then after publication, you’ll need to re-file it as a published work.

Do I need to copyright my book before I show it to an agent/editor/writing coach/colleague/teacher?
No. As soon as you write your book, it’s actually copyrighted. You automatically own all the copyrights to everything you write, and if someone tries to take it and claim it as theirs, you can pursue legal action against them and win. Filing an official copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office just gives you added protection in case something should happen.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked a potential client to send me their manuscript and they’ve said, “I haven’t copyrighted it yet-so how do I know you’re not going to steal it?” This is a common concern, but in all the years I’ve worked in the book world, I’ve never heard of anyone having their manuscript stolen by an editor or agent. Ever. Why? Because, like I said, your work is legally copyrighted as soon as you write it.

What about the title-can I copyright that?
Sorry. You can’t copyright a title, which means that anyone can use the exact same title you’ve used for your book. However, you may be able to trademark it. For more information on that, visit www.uspto.gov for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

How can I copyright my book idea?
You can’t. Copyrights don’t protect ideas, concepts, systems, or methods. If you write a description of your idea, or draw a picture of it, then you can copyright that.

Can I put the copyright symbol on my work, even if I haven’t filed the official paperwork?
Yes, and you should. Use the symbol of the lowercase “C” inside the circle, or just (c), followed by the date the work was created
to show that your work is protected. Protecting your book with a copyright is essential. When you do it is up to you, but you’ll definitely want to file a copyright for your book after publication. It will help protect your work against plagiarism and use without permission. And if you have  additional questions, the U.S. Copyright Office web site or talk to a copyright attorney.

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When in a relationship, remember these advices:

“Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.”
– Oprah Winfrey

“Good friendships are fragile things and require as much care as any other fragile and precious thing.”
– Randolph S. Bourne

“The purpose of life is to develop loving relationships, and to become a totally loving person.”
– Brian Tracy

“Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory unannounced, stray dogs that amble in, sniff around a bit and simply never leave. Our lives are measured by these.”
– Susan B. Anthony

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Stress is usually the result of doing more things than you are able to cope with. Here are a few tips that might help you deal with stress when it comes.

• Set your priorities and put the rest aside. “Write out or plan work and learn to say NO to things,” says Shiamala.
• Talk about it with a friend or family member. Sharing your problems with others can be therapeutic and you may end up with some useful advise as well.
• Take a day off work. If your job is stressful, leave it aside for a day or two to do activities that are relaxing.
• Take up alternative therapy such as acupuncture, aromatherapy, tai chi, reflexology, meditation and soft music therapy, which is good forms of diversion and distraction for the brain, says Shiamala. “Even a warm bath or massage will help in relaxing the body.”
• Learn to delegate. If you have a high paying job that is stressful, pass some of the work to your subordinates otherwise you might end up being overstretched and overstressed.
• Manage your time. Bad time management can cause unnecessary stress, so planning your schedule well and sticking to it will help you stay relaxed.
• Do something you enjoy everyday. Make time for fun and leisurely activities, whether its watching television for a few hours or playing your favourite sports.
• Eating well and getting enough sleep is very important. Maintaining a good diet and sleeping well will help give your body a good start to the day, enabling you to cope with things better. If you are having an important meeting in the afternoon, avoid food that is spicy or heavy in carbohydrates so you dont feel drowsy.
• Avoid caffeine. Caffeine increases stress levels and aggravates symptoms of chronic stress.
• Get professional help. Talk to your doctor, counsellor at the workplace or psychologist if you need help to relieve stress.

kennethg Life, self improvement, Tips

To keep a pot from boiling over and making a mess, just stick a toothpick, laid flat, between the lid and pot. The little space will allow enough steam to escape to prevet the pot from boiling over. This also works with a casserole dish that’s cooking in the oven.

To keep sausages from rolling around in the frying pan, insert a toothpick between two sausages. This makes turning them easier and they will cook more evenly and you only need to turn them over once.

Lastly, to eliminate stinky fish smell, put a dollop of peanut butter in the pan with the frying fish. The peanut butter absorbs the odor instead of your furnishings.

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Here’s some tips to clean your toilet bowls and dogs.

What’s the easiest way to make your toilet bowl gleam?

Drop a denture tablet in the bowl, wait for 20 minutes and then flush!

Want a good flea and tick repellant for your dog?

Fill a spray bottle with equal parts of white vinegar and water. Apply it evenly on his coat and rub it in well.

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Success is in the blood. There are men whom fate can never keep down they march forward in a jaunty manner, and take by divine right the best of everything that the earth affords. But their success is not attained by means of the Samuel Smiles-Connecticut policy. They do not lie in wait, nor scheme, nor fawn, nor seek to adapt their sails to catch the breeze of popular favor. Still, they are ever alert and alive to any good that may come their way, and when it comes they simply appropriate it, and tarrying not, move steadily on.

Good health! Whenever you go out of doors, draw the chin in, carry the crown of the head high, and fill the lungs to the utmost; drink in the sunshine; greet your friends with a smile, and put soul into every hand-clasp.

Do not fear being misunderstood; and never waste a moment thinking about your enemies. Try to fix firmly in your own mind what you would like to do, and then without violence of direction you will move straight to the goal.

Fear is the rock on which we split, and hate the shoal on which many a barque is stranded. When we become fearful, the judgment is as unreliable as the compass of a ship whose hold is full of iron ore; when we hate, we have unshipped the rudder; and if ever we stop to meditate on what the gossips say, we have allowed a hawser to foul the screw.

Keep your mind on the great and splendid thing you would like to do; and then, as the days go gliding by, you will find yourself unconsciously seizing the opportunities that are required for the fulfillment of your desire, just as the coral insect takes from the running tide the elements that it needs. Picture in your mind the able, earnest, useful person you desire to be, and the thought that you hold is hourly transforming you into that particular individual you so admire.

Thought is supreme, and to think is often better than to do.

Preserve a right mental attitude the attitude of courage, frankness and good cheer.

Darwin and Spencer have told us that this is the method of Creation. Each animal has evolved the parts it needed and desired. The horse is fleet because he wishes to be; the bird flies because it desires to; the duck has a web foot because it wants to swim. All things come through desire and every sincere prayer is answered. We become like that on which our hearts are fixed.

Many people know this, but they do not know it thoroughly enough so that it shapes their lives. We want friends, so we scheme and chase ‘cross lots after strong people, and lie in wait for good folks or alleged good folks hoping to be able to attach ourselves to them. The only way to secure friends is to be one. And before you are fit for friendship you must be able to do without it. That is to say, you must have sufficient self-reliance to take care of yourself, and then out of the surplus of your energy you can do for others.

The individual who craves friendship, and yet desires a self-centered spirit more, will never lack for friends.

If you would have friends, cultivate solitude instead of society. Drink in the ozone; bathe in the sunshine; and out in the silent night, under the stars, say to yourself again and yet again, “I am a part of all my eyes behold!” And the feeling then will come to you that you are no mere interloper between earth and heaven; but you are a necessary part of the whole. No harm can come to you that does not come to all, and if you shall go down it can only be amid a wreck of worlds.

Like old Job, that which we fear will surely come upon us. By a wrong mental attitude we have set in motion a train of events that ends in disaster. People who die in middle life from disease, almost without exception, are those who have been preparing for death. The acute tragic condition is simply the result of a chronic state of mind a culmination of a series of events.

Character is the result of two things, mental attitude, and the way we spend our time. It is what we think and what we do that make us what we are.

By laying hold on the forces of the universe, you are strong with them. And when you realize this, all else is easy, for in your arteries will course red corpuscles, and in your heart the determined resolution is born to do and to be. Carry your chin in and the crown of your head high. We are gods in the chrysalis.

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Be all you can be, but it’s not always in the Army. I often see myself as somewhat contented with my life the way things are, but of course it’s hard to think of anything else when where are real issues to be discussed.

Still I aspire for something deeper and more meaningful.

So we’re all pelted with problems. Honestly it shouldn’t even bother or even hinder us to becoming all we ought to be. Aspirations as kids should continue to live within us, even though it would be short-lived or as long as we could hold on to the dream. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks… or can they?

1. What do I really want?
The question of the ages. So many things you want to do with your life and so little time to even go about during the day.

Find something that you are good at can help realize that small step towards improvement. Diligence is the key to know that it is worth it.

2. Should I really change?
Today’s generation has taken another level of redefining ‘self’, or at least that’s what the kids are saying. Having an army of teenage nieces and nephews has taught me that there are far worse things that they could have had than acne or maybe even promiscuity. So how does that fit into your lifestyle?

If history has taught us one thing, it’s the life that we have gone through. Try to see if partying Seventies style wouldn’t appeal to the younger generation, but dancing is part of partying. Watch them applaud after showing them how to really dance than break their bones in break-dancing.

3. What’s the bright side in all of this?
With so much is happening around us there seem to be no room for even considering that light at the end of the tunnel. We can still see it as something positive without undergoing so much scrutiny. And if it’s a train at the end of the tunnel, take it for a ride and see what makes the world go round!

4. Am I comfortable with what I’m doing?
There’s always the easy way and the right way when it comes to deciding what goes with which shoes, or purse, shirt and whatnot. It doesn’t take a genius to see yourself as someone unique, or else we’ll all be equally the same in everything we do. Variety brings in very interesting and exciting questions to be experimented.

5. Have I done enough for myself?
Have you, or is there something more you want to do? Discontentment in every aspect can be dangerous in large doses, but in small amounts you’ll be able to see and do stuff you could never imagine doing.

6. Am I happy at where I am today?
It’s an unfair question so let it be an answer! You love being a good and loving mom or dad to your kids, then take it up a notch! Your kids will love you forever. The same goes with everyday life!

7. Am I appealing to the opposite sex?
So maybe I don’t have an answer to that, but that doesn’t mean I can’t try it, though. Whether you shape-up, change the way you wear your clothes or hair, or even your attitude towards people, you should always remember it will always be for your own benefit.

8. How much could I have?
I suppose in this case there is no such things on having things too much or too little, but it’s more on how badly you really need it. I’d like to have lots of money, no denying that, but the question is that how much are you willing to work for it?

9. What motivates me?
What motivates you? It’s an answer you have to find out for yourself. There are so many things that can make everyone happy, but to choose one of the may be the hardest part. It’s not like you can’t have one serving of your favorite food in a buffet and that’s it. Just try it piece by piece.

10. What Really Makes You Tick?
So? What really makes you tick? You can be just about anything you always wanted to be, but to realize that attaining something that may seem very difficult is already giving up before you even start that journey. Always remember, that self-improvement is not just about the physical or philosophical change you have to undergo, but it’s something that you really want.

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Have a clogged pipe in the kitchen or in the bathroom?

Pouring hot water might help loosen the dirt but you will need 3 or 4 kettles of boiling hot water before you can clear some of the dirt.

Why not use some vinegar? Yes, vinegar.

Mix some vinegar with water and pour it into the clogged pipe. And wait. Pour some more after 10 minutes. Then test your pipe. It’ll be clogged free.

The same vinegar-water mixture can be used to clean the dirt on your keyboard, shine your household silverware and remove tough stains on your hand.

Thank God for vinegar.

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