5 Reasons to Abandon Television

by Ron Haynes @ The Wisdom Journal

Abandoning television is a serious step in today’s society. Television is both a fantastic resource and a faceless attacker of wealth. It has the ability to inspire and the ability to depress. It can make you happy and scare you to death, it can inform and educate, but it can also help you waste your most precious resource: time. That’s just one reason I’ve decided to abandon most television shows.

Before I discuss why I am choosing to abandon television, let me say that not all television shows are bad. I don’t disparage anyone who choses to use their time watching parents change the diapers of their youngest child (of 27), or watching someone completely disrespect another person because of the t-shirts she chooses to wear, or watching a talk show host give marriage advice to a couple when the host has never been married. There are some great shows on various channels that help you better understand the world and help you learn valuable information that will improve your life. But those shows are the exceptions. What passes as entertainment and enlightenment today is an utter joke. So, I’ve made the decision to severely restrict the amount of time I waste in front of “the tube.” TV has abandoned most of what I think is important so here’s 5 reasons I have decided to return the favor and abandon television:

Reason #1. Television has abandoned understanding. Though there is a wealth of information available via the tube, for the most part, the information you gather via television is devoid of deep understanding. What is more important is drama, excitement, and the illusion that it projects. If you want to get a completely skewed view of the world, do nothing but watch television and form your opinions only based on its shallow information. Where else can someone get shot 14 times, fall off a building from 3 stories, get up and drive in a car chase, crash the car, then jump into a helicopter and fly it to some exotic island with an Italian supermodel?

Reason #2. Television has abandoned responsibility. News programs depict the crying children of famines and wars, the bodies that lie exposed to the elements and wild animals, the human devastation of a terrible natural disaster, then cut away to a commercial. “Now this.” Now that we took you to the edge of an emotional cliff, now that we’ve exposed the most horrible of human conditions, now that we’ve talked (briefly) about an intense tragedy, we want to make sure you see our commercials! Then we’ll just go merrily along to the next story after briefly shaking our heads. Now on to sports. Read more

Four Simple Steps to Turn Persistence into a Habit

by Bob Proctor

If you were to choose just one part of your personality to develop that would virtually guarantee your success, I’d like to suggest that you place persistence at the top of your list.

Napoleon Hill, in his classic Think and Grow Rich felt so strongly about this subject, he devoted an entire chapter to it. Hill suggested, “There may be no heroic connotation to the word persistence but the quality is to your character what carbon is to steel.”

Think about it. If you took a quick mental walk down memory lane and reviewed some of your accomplishments in the past – large and small – you would have to agree that persistence played an important role in your success.

Napoleon Hill studied many of the world’s most successful people. He pointed out the only quality he could find in Henry Ford, Thomas Edison or a host of other notable greats, that he could not find in everyone else was persistence. What I found even more intriguing was the fact that Hill made comment of the fact that these individuals were often misunderstood to be ruthless or cold-blooded and that this misconception grew out of their habit of following through in all of their plans with persistence.

It’s both interesting and sadly amusing to me that, as a society, we would be quick to criticize people for realizing they had an unshakable power within them and were capable of overcoming any obstacle outside of them. This power would ultimately move them toward a greater chance of achieving any goal they set for themselves!
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The Quest: Going to the Gym 100 Days in a Row- Day 47

by Travis Wright

On December 7th, 2007, a brand-new 24 Hour Fitness opened up in my neighborhood, and I decided that I would join the gym. Well, I have gone every day in a row, except Christmas Day, which it was closed. However, I didn’t know it was closed, so I “went” to the gym anyway. But nonetheless, I have been 47 days in a row, which to me is a major accomplishment.

As a result of being in the technology industry, I find myself sitting behind a computer much of the time. Factor in some Mountain Dew, and Mr. Travis Wright had gained some serious weight. Well, this is all changing. I figure that going to the gym 100 days in a row will be a nice jump start in becoming a person who ALWAYS works out. Instead of being a sedentary person with little physical activity, I choose to be one who works out and stays fit.

Now, also I have changed my diet habits a bit, which is obviously important if you are trying to drop a few pounds. I am eating smaller portions and trying to eat more frequently. Eating breakfast was always a challenge for me, but I am doing a good job of, at least, drinking a Slim Fast shake of some kind.

Since I have been to the gym for 47 days in a row, thus far, I have lost 16.5 pounds. This is very encouraging.

Also, when I go to the gym, I don’t do the same workout everyday. Every other day, I will do chest and back. The other, every other day, heh, I do biceps and triceps. At least five days a week, I will do 30 minutes of cardio on the ellipitical machine. And almost EVERY time I go to the gym, I go into the steam room for some toxin relief. Boy, you sure sweat your ass off in the steam room, and I love it.

The unique benefits of a steam room have become increasingly popular in modern society. The physiology of perspiration includes how sweating helps rid the body of wastes, regulates body temperature, and invigorates our largest organ, the skin. The metabolic effects of a steam room, the positive influence of negative ions released by steam, and the more subtle spiritual and social benefits of the steam experience all contribute to a heightened sense of well-being. Medical studies show that frequent visits to the steam room helps reduce stress and keep your circulatory system running smooth. I recommend it.

It is really hard for me to imagine myself NOT going to the gym, now. I think after 47 days in a row, that I have already trained my body to yearn for the gym. It is my intention to never become a sedentary couch-computer dweller ever again. I must move. I must work out. And it feels phenomenal. I highly recommend getting yourself on the path of positive change, and getting yourself in peak physical fitness. The rewards are endless. Unfortunately, not all the people who join you in the steam room will look like those in the above picture.

10 Ways to Develop a Prosperity Consciousness

Prosperity consciousness is based on the idea that our thoughts create the reality we see and experience on a daily basis. By using a specific set of tools, we can root out the negative thinking which is causing us to experience lack and transform our lives on all levels and attract a bounty of abundance.

Steps toward a Prosperity Consciousness

1. Set aside at least twenty minutes a day to study and visualize your new life.

2. Buy a loose leaf binder and label it “Dreams Unlimited.” This is where you will workshop the life you are creating for yourself and get clear on what you really want. This will be the place where you write your affirmations, make notes about the process, collect uplifting quotes, make collages of the things you are manifesting, and keep track of the things you accomplish.

3. Develop an affirmation for yourself based on what you are attempting to attract into your life. It should be present tense and contain only positive statements. An example would be “I am rich beyond my wildest dreams.”

4. Write out your affirmation at least ten times a day and put it in your notebook. When you are tempted to dwell on the negative, repeat it silently over and over in your head while you take deep breaths.

5. Ignore the naysayers, dream killers, and negative people who tell you that it can’t be done. If someone else has ever done it before, then you can too.

6. Spend a few quiet minutes every day breathing deeply and visualizing your goal as already completed. Picture exactly how you want it to be, but be willing to accept something better. Don’t limit yourself.

7. Read books on creative visualization, prosperity consciousness, and positive thinking.

8. Live “as if.” If a circumstance in your life is not how you want it, withdraw your attention from it. Whatever you focus on expands. Live as if all of your dreams are a reality now.

9. “Follow your bliss.” Experience the joy life offers at every turn if you know how to look for it. Share your love where ever you can. Wear comfortable clothes in colors that you love. Drink a wonderful cup of tea and watch a sunset. Do only that which brings you joy.

10. Let it go. Trust that the Universe has heard your request and is doing everything It can to bring it about. Forget about it. Don’t worry or fret. Live in the moment and watch how all of your needs are met. When you lose faith, call on your childlike resources and pretend.
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