Learn Something About Time Management From the American Indians

I don't consider myself an expert on the American Indians but I would like to share a thought about their lifestyle. I was listening to an audio book on the American Indians eating habits, when it got me thinking about something the author said. This might not be a topic of interest for most people but I found it fascinating.

While listening to the audio book, the author made a statement about the American Indians I will never forget. He said "American Indians spend about four hours each day working, gathering and preparing food." If you think about it, that's not too bad of a lifestyle.

I would imagine that we have a better selection and larger variety of food to choose from than they had. This of course would be a benefit to living in our society instead of theirs.

American Indians often spent a lot of time outdoors and for some reason, spending time in nature seems to be a good thing. I know a lot of people that would rather be outdoors than indoors, walking, jogging, hiking, camping and even gardening. It almost seems more natural for us to be outdoors than indoors.

Now with the Indians working about four hours each day, this is a little bit different then our standard workday. Most people spend at least 9 to 12 hours each day driving to and from work and actually working. I would imagine our standard workday would actually be easier than that of the American Indian. I can't imagine some of my friends or family members chasing after a Buffalo with a spear.

Does this mean the American Indians had it right, just because they worked four hours each day and spent more time in nature were doing what they truly wanted to. Know I can't truly say that they had it right, but I can say that they seem to do just fine living with nature.

Some of these civilizations lasted for centuries.

Something to think about, on your daily travels to and from work as you desire to be at the beach or hiking in the mountains. The philosophies we often associate with a good life, could actually be better instead of progressively adding unneeded stress and frustration to it.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, You Can Have It All

Achieving Maximum Altitude

Like most people, there are not many things I like about flying. Except for one thing! When I fly, I always choose the window seat and wait for the best part of the flight! I just love when the plane cuts through the clouds and soars above them. I absolutely love flying above the clouds and looking down onto a sea of puffy cotton balls! It is at this point, when the plane reaches its maximum altitude. It is a moment of stability, weightlessness and pristine beauty!

How can we achieve our maximum altitude? How can we obtain those moments in life of flying above the clouds? Life's goals and personal visions are a lot like packing for a trip! The departures may be different, but the destinations remain the same. Here are some flying tips to reach you closer to your life's destinations:

Pre-preparation! It is the little details that get you to your final destination. Booking the flight, hotel, choosing your clothes etc. Making a list and checking it twice! Prepare a list to make your journey to your final destination a pleasant one. What are the little details that you need to check off on your list to bring you closer to landing your goals?

Pack only your essentials! When we have a goal or mission in mind, keep focused on only what you need to carry to achieve them. Packing for life's goals is a lot like reading a book: take what you need and leave the rest! If not, your luggage is too heavy to carry!

Compartmentalize everything! When packing your luggage, there is a place for everything: your shoes, your suits and your toiletries. Separate your life's goals much in the same manner. The immediate tasks, your short term goals and your future long-range goals. Like your luggage, tag and label them and check them often!

Listen to the instructions! On any flight, we are forced (we have no choice!) to listen to the instructions and know what to do in case of an emergency and where the exit doors are. Do we listen to instructions, advice and creative criticism from our mentors or family members? Probably not! But, like that flight attendant, they are there to protect us and make our journey a pleasant one.

Letting your loved ones know where you are! We have a family pact. When I am traveling, I always leave my hotel info and flight #'s with my family. It not only shows respect, bit it is a way of keeping them informed of my journey. When was the last time, you informed your family/friends where you are in your life goal's, your dreams, your destination spot? Share your life's itinerary with the people who are most important in your life.

Encountering turbulence! I wish all flights of life were smooth sailing! In trying to reach our personal goals and missions, we sometimes will encounter air pockets and altitude shifts. Know that they are only temporary. Hold you breathe if you have to. Grab a friend's hand in panic. Know that your 'plane' will stabilize again. As the saying goes: this too shall pass!

Say a prayer! My sister is a white-knuckled, terrified passenger. I always joke with her and say that if something happens to me on a plane, at least I am closer to heaven! (To say the least, she does not appreciate the humour!). All joking aside, there are not many people who know, that when I fly, I carry my rosary in my pocket. I, invariably, always say a couple of prayers along the way. Touching the rosary brings me peace and some calmness. In the air or on land, know that your personal prayers do not fall on deaf ears.

Clap when you land! Many of us have been on flights, when the pilot lands us safely on that runway, that we give a round of applause. When you goals have been met, give yourself a round of applause. You have landed safe and sound!

Give thanks! When leaving a plane, the airline staff and crew are always at the door saying goodbye and wishing you a safe trip. I personally thank each and every one of them. When reaching your goal's destination, give thanks to those that helped you get there. We are not on this journey of life alone. Have an 'altitude of gratitude' for those who have helped you on your 'flight' towards your goals.

Enjoy your trip! Treasure your moments. Know that with every flight in life, you will reach greater heights, soaring with greatness above the clouds.

Nominated for Canada 100 Most Powerful Women, Canada's Diamond Coach Adele Alfano http://www.AdeleAlfano.com is an Award Winning Professional Speaker, Author, Co-Publisher, who has helped thousands of people capitalize on their unique abilities to maximize their potential through her specially designed and created systems. Her proven techniques have helped people mine passion and purpose in their lives and in an evolving workplace. Adele is also the co-author, co-editor and Publisher for the first ever in a series of collaborative books titled Experts Who Speak Books

Lawn Care For Winter Preparation

Preparing the lawn in the fall for the snow and ice to come in the winter is an important part of lawn and yard maintenance. It is important to provide the lawn with a protective environment throughout the year to ensure that it will survive the ice that is to come through the winter season. The winter season full of snow and ice can allow mould to flourish within the lawn, creating a terrible environment for the new and regrowth of green and lush grass in the spring.

There are some lawn caretakers that choose to allow the leaves that fall on to the lawn to remain to provide the nutrients to the lawn that is requires through the winter months. This allows a layer of nutrients that the grass is able to live from during the cold months of winter.

There are many lawn caretakers that choose to remove these leaves from the lawn. Removing the leaves from the lawn will further discourage mould from growing on the lawn.

The lawn needs to be weeded before the winter. Weeds take away the valuable nutrients that the lawn needs throughout the winter months. Well before the first snowfall, the weeds should be removed from the lawn as the use the valuable water and light that can are given to the lawn. The best time to attempt weed removal is after the rain, when the soil is moist. The weeds should be removed entirely, including the root of the plant. This will ensure that the weed is unable to grow back. If you choose to remove the weeds through the use of chemicals, it is important to avoid repercussions that this may have on the lawn by ensuring that the lawn is properly filled with nutrients.

Composting is not only a great way to avoid soil erosion, but it can provide the nutrients to the lawn throughout the winter. It allows the lawn to become prepared for the winter by providing the valuable nutrients that will be required to keep the lawn alive. Many lawn caretakers are unaware that the lawn only hibernates throughout the winter season, it does not die. For this reason, providing nutrients through the winter season is an essential way to maintain the health of your lawn.

Aerating the lawn provides a welcome and healthy environment for grass to grow in the fall and be prepared for the frost, snow and ice that comes with the winter months. These air pockets allow for moisture to become present within the soil and therefore moisturize the lawn throughout the long winter months.

Avoid cutting the lawn when it comes close to frost. Cutting the tips from the lawn can create a harsh environment and leave the grass susceptible to disease and other disorders that may come from the lack of nutrients. When cutting the lawn, it is important to leave at least two thirds of the blade of grass. This will ensure that the grass has enough nutrients within the blades to recover itself. At least two to four weeks before the frost, the cutting of the lawn should be avoided.

Medical Residents Durham

Custom Homes Raleigh

Where's the Beef? - It's in the Recipe For Wendy's Hamburgers - So What's the Secret?

The real question in everyone's mind isn't "where's the beef?"; it's what is the recipe for Wendy's hamburgers? Well, until recently, I could tell you the answer to "where's the beef," and I could tell you that if you make a square burger that you "don't believe in cutting corners," and I could probably tell you every theory on why Wendy's burgers are square. What I couldn't tell you was the recipe for the delicious burgers.

Wendy's burgers have long been a favorite in my family. I ate one for the first time, because my sons wanted to try the square burger. They were saying, "oh boy, this is cool looking;" and I was saying, "boy, does this taste good." Of course, I immediately wanted the ingredients. I had three young boys who were about ready to go threw a growth spirt, so I needed to make affordable meals that they liked at home, more now then ever. I knew I could manage to make a cool looking, square burger, but I wanted it to taste just as good, too.

Need I say, it became a tradition to go to Wendy's, but I never got my hands on that recipe. My sons are now engaged to be married, so I figure grandchildren are next. This little revelation gave me cause to think back to those days when that unique burger from a favorite fast food restaurant could make the day special. That's when I decided it was time to search for the recipe on the internet to see if it could be found. After all, I could still make them for my growing family. Amazingly enough, after all these years, I found the recipe for Wendy's hamburgers, and countless other recipes I never thought I could find, all in one recipe book. One book - hundreds of sought after recipes.

The best part of finding this recipe book is still to come, because as days pass, should some of these famous, wonderful, recipes be lost over time, my family will always have access to them and their flavorful memories.

How would you like to recreate the most famous popular recipes at home? This famous cookbook exposes all of the most famous and most delicious secret recipes on the planet including restaurants such as Wendy's. Don't waste your time like I did!

Click here to check it out

How You Can Use Feng Shui in Your Office

These days work can be extremely stressful. More and more people are working longer hours and that is leaving them feeling incredibly worn out. Trying to balance work with family life as well as fitting in time for you can be a struggle. However, there are ways in which you can make life a little more relaxed and less stressful.

One way is to apply Feng Shui to your working environment. Since it would enable you to relax while you are working, using Feng Shui in your office could be the best thing you ever did.

What is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui goes by the theory that everything in life has an energy source or Ch'i. Controlling the positive energy sources allows us to benefit and live a more positive life. Feng Shui teaches us how to feed that positive energy and using it to improve our lives.

Feng Shui in the office will consist of re-arranging the furniture if needed, as well as adding different objects or colors representing the elements of nature. We will be following what is called the "Ba Gua".

A Ba Gua is a tool used to help determine the best locations in your home or office for certain functions, such as wealth, career, health, fame, love, travel and more. The ba gua is a map of the energetic qualities of your space. It is usually shown as an octagon with eight sections surrounding a central area, the tai chi. For practical use, the corners of the ba gua are extended to form a square, and then divide it into nine equal sections. The ba gua divides any space into nine areas. Each area corresponds to a different aspect of your life. Whether there's good or bad energy in that part of your space will affect the related aspect of your life. You will use this "map" to arrange your office.

Using Ba Gua within the Office

When you are ready to begin, make a rough blueprint of your office space and use the ba gua map to split the area in 9 sections. Then check the map and see which elements you need to incorporate into the office. Aim to keep a good balance between each area so that every aspect of your life benefits from the layout. A good balance is achieved by not having too much of one element and lacking another. Your space has to have a balance of the five elements of Feng Shui: Water, Wood, Metal, Earth, Fire.

One rule of Feng Shui that you should pay attention to in the office, is that the desk should be facing the doorway. This will not only help in a Feng Shui aspect but it will also help you to greet any incoming guests and you'll never be caught by surprise. When a person enters the room, the first thing that they will see is you at your desk. This gives you an air of importance and helps you look more professional.

Also make sure your back is against a wall, not a window. You need something solid supporting you. If you don't have another option, try to put a heavy piece of furniture like a bookcase or console between your chair and the window.

If you are interested in increasing your wealth (who isn't!), then you may want to place a picture of a waterfall on one of the walls related to your Wealth Area. Water is the element responsible for drawing wealth into your life, so items such as a fountain or an aquarium will help too. Plants also brighten up your space and help move the good energy around you. So why not place a plant on your Health and Family Area?

Follow your heart. You'll feel different about every change you make, so just keep what makes you feel more comfortable. Enjoy!

If you want to read more about Feng Shui and find very useful information, please visit me at http://www.lifewithfengshui.com.

Mold in Your Home - What to Do?

Oh, Poor Moldy Me! Or The Canary in the Coal Mine Speaks

No need to hire a mold inspector. Just send me, Amy Gray, into any area you suspect of having mold, and I'll come back with an instant report. As in the form of a splitting headache.

I don't get headaches that often. So if one quick trip into a damp, moldy, basement turns me into a migraine case, imagine what it is doing to your health on a day to day basis.

Let's backtrack just a wee bit. What is mold? Why is it in my house? And how the heck do I get rid of it?

Mold is everywhere. Just like dust mites. Outdoors, molds play an important role in breaking down dead organic material such as leaves. Indoors, mold can cause allergic reactions, asthma, eye irritation and as mentioned above, headaches. Continuous exposure to mold can create serious health problems.

Since mold spores are airborne and can be carried by house dust, the question then becomes: how do I make my house unfriendly to mold?

Answer: Control Indoor Moisture.

If you have mold growing on firewood, furniture, walls, refrigerators, in the heating or ventilation system or anywhere else, it is very important to act fast. The longer mold grows on something, the more damage it can cause to that item. And if it's in your heating or air system, it's flying all over your house on a regular basis.

I remember a client telling me he was setting aside some upholstered furniture to be used later inside his house. I asked to see where the furniture was stored. As we opened the leaky garden shed, the blast of mold breath was overwhelming. Inside, a version of mold Woodstock was taking place on formerly nice couches and chairs. Now they were bedecked with interesting patterns of white, black and orange mold designs.

Places that have water in them on a regular basis - such as bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms and basements - are a good first place to look for signs of mold. Walls that show water stains can be an accurate indicator that there is a leak somewhere and mold is most probably present.

For a very helpful site on mold, visit http://www.epa.gov/mold/index.html.
Our local American Lung Association has a program called the Master Health Environmentalist where you can sign up for a free home inspection to see if your home has airborne irritants, including mold, that may impact your health.

As the weather turns wet, keep your eyes open for mold. Or just call me in. But please have some aspirin handy.

Interested in more ways to clear clutter and gain control of your environment? Get great tips and motivating messages by subscribing to the Empty Your Nest newsletter at http://www.emptyyournest.com You can also download our free EBook: The Getting Started Workbook: Overcoming Fear, Procrastination and Overwhelm When Starting an Organizing Project. Just follow the link on the home page at http://www.emptyyournest.com

A History of the Chinese New Year

The Chinese Year is celebrated on the first day of the first lunar month and lasts for 15 days. The Chinese New Year is the major Chinese holiday and is also celebrated throughout Asia, not only in China. There are two cycles that coincide with the Chinese New Year the twelve-year animal zodiac and the ten-year heavenly stems.

The tale behind the Chinese New year is that villagers tried to protect themselves from a mythical beast called Nian or "Year". Each year on the first day of the New Year the beast would come to eat crops, villagers, livestock and particularly children. Villagers would put out food from Nian and hang red colored lanterns, as Nian was afraid of the color red. Nian eventually was scared off. Now to celebrate the banishment of this creature the New Year is celebrated by hanging red lanterns and using firecrackers.

The period around the Chinese New Year is known as the largest migration time in China as the New Year is a time to visit friends and relatives and many individuals travel to return home and visit with family. The day before the Chinese New Year the home will be cleaned from top to bottom to sweep away the bad luck from the preceding year and welcome in good luck. Other traditions like wearing new clothes and getting a haircut are also included in having a new start.

The first day of the Chinese New Year welcome sin the deities of earth and the heavens. Most individuals do not eat meat during this time. Most food is cooked the day before as the use of knives and fires are thought to bring bad luck. The first day is also when the family will visit the oldest or most senior members of their family. During the second day of the New Year the married daughter will visit her birth parents. Individuals also pray to the god and ancestors and also celebrate dogs.

The third and fourth days of the New Year are not traveling says as it is thought that individuals will argue more easily as well as being respectful to the dead particularly or any family that may have died within the past three years. The fifth day dumplings are traditionally eaten, as this say is the birthday of the Chinese god of wealth.

The seventh day is the commons man birthday and it is on this day that everyone turns one year older. Traditionally a raw fish salad is consumes. On the ninth day individuals will pray to the Jade Emperor of Heaven, as this is his birthday. Offerings of sugarcane are made and tea is drunk to honor a particular chosen individual. On the fifteenth day or last day of the New Year. Is the lantern festival where candles are lit outside homes to guide spirits home.

Henry Fong
Feng Shui Consultant.
Feng Shui Absolutely