Contents

The Real Secret of Attraction

How To Make Your Work Area Green

Why people ignore their inner needs at mid-life and what YOU can do differently

20 Ideas I Wish I Was Told When I Was 20

The Real Secret of Attraction
by Steve Gillman

What is the secret of attraction? You probably know this has become one of the hottest new ideas in self-improvement and spirituality. But it isn't a new idea. It is just the newest way to recycle an old idea. Old or new, the important questions are does it work as claimed, and why?

A "Law" Of Attraction?

Here is the basic idea: You attract more of what you think about. Keep thoughts about getting rich in your mind constantly, and money will come your way. Continually imagine the perfect woman, and soon she will appear at your side. It is often presented like this. Of course, years ago, in previous incarnations, it was more common to teach this idea as part of general goal-setting techniques, where it was assumed that you would also be taking relevant actions to achieve your goals. In this latest version, the action part is glossed over, almost as if it isn't necessary.

Naturally, we like the idea of easy ways to get what we want, and of simple "laws" that can help us. Our knowledge of the laws of nature and mathematics allowed men to fly to the moon. Wouldn't it be great if we could discover infallible "laws" of self-improvement and success? Simple formulas that get us anything we want - I like that. But "laws" like these tend to be mere probabilities unfortunately.

How inspiring is "the probability of attraction?" Not very. "Think these thoughts and you'll improve your odds of getting what you want" just doesn't sell the books as well as "Think these thoughts and your success is guaranteed by the ultimate laws of reality." But enough of poking fun at the sellers of mystical certainties - let's look at how this really works.

Is The Reticular Cortex The Secret Of Attraction?

The reticular cortex is a small organ in your brain, a kind of "gatekeeper" that directs incoming stimulus to your conscious or unconscious mind. With your thoughts and what you focus on, you more or less instruct it as to what to bring to your attention. For example, if you start studying flowers, you will likely start to see flowers all over that you never previously noticed. You essentially instructed your reticular cortex to let in anything about flowers and related information.

Keep your thoughts focused on money, and this part of your brain will make you more aware of things related to money, even possibly opportunities to make some money. Imagine meeting the woman of your dreams repeatedly, and you'll probably become aware of more opportunities for this to happen. This is one way in which the brain works, and we can use such "attraction techniques" to help us get what we want.

But the important, if uninspiring word here, is "probably". If you start to believe that such "secrets" always work, you will likely give up on the idea when you fail, or blame yourself (you just didn't have enough faith, right?). Neither of these is a very productive approach to getting what you want. It is better to accept that sometimes things work and sometimes they don't, and that if you keep trying in ways that increase the probabilities of success, you'll almost certainly achieve your goals more often.

Focus on your goals then, because it does increase the probabilities of success, by putting the reticular cortex to work. However, you should also learn what you need to learn, and do what you need to do to get what you want. Getting your mind AND your actions working towards that goal is the real secret of attraction.

How to Make Your Work Area Green
by Trish Smith

• Enjoying an eco-lifestyle means living greener in all areas of your life. You may be taking environmentally friendly steps at home, but are you also doing it at work?
  
  People spend almost 90% of their lives indoors, and for those people who work inside that equates to about 40 or more hours at your desk, office or cubicle.
  
  Whether you're a student interning at a major corporation, a marketing associate making phone calls all day or an office assistant handling paperwork, you're going to spend a majority of your time in one place all day.
  
  So don't you want your work space to be eco-friendly and energy efficient? It can be if you make some simple changes:
  
  1. Computer Conservation
  
  For many people with desk jobs the computer is absolutely necessary to get things done. It is estimated that people waste over $1 billion in electricity every year just in computer use!
  
  To help conserve energy for your computer you can:
  
  • Invest in an energy-saving computer, monitor and printer
  • Switch to energy-saving settings
  • Turn off your computer whenever you're not using it
  • Set it to sleep mode when you are away for short periods of time
  
  2. Paper-Less is More
  
  Do you really have to print out every email and handout? You can reduce paper waste by going paperless wherever possible.
  
  You can try to:
  • Keep copies of important emails, files, manuals and more on your computer
  • Don't get any extra catalogues or magazines mailed to your office
  • Get your check directly deposited instead of a waiting for a hard copy
  • Send company updates through email instead of on paper
  • Review any documents online instead of printing them out
  
  3. Prioritize Your Paper Use
  
  If you do use paper on a daily basis then you can make eco-friendly paper choices.
  
  Here are some things you can do:
  • Buy recycled and chlorine-free paper
  • Try paper made from organic products like bamboo, cotton or hemp
  • Print on both sides of the paper
  • Shred old paper to use as packing material
  • Save and reuse old boxes
  • Use old sheets of paper for scrap paper or note-taking
  
  4. Recycle
  
  There are many things in your office that you can recycle. If you don't have a recycling station at work, start one on your own! You can get a few bins and post recycling guidelines above them.
  
  Some of them may include recycling:
  • Paper products like copy paper, envelopes, magazines, etc.
  • Cardboard boxes from shipped supplies
  • Soda cans and plastic bottles
  • Aluminum foil
  • Plastic bags
  • Ink cartridges
  
  5. The Power of the Printer
  
  The printer is one of the most used office items. Every day it cranks out tons of important faxes, emails and other documents.
  
  Here are some ways you make your printer use greener:
  • Try not to print in color
  • Use a printer that does double-sided copying
  • Print in draft mode
  • Use old paper with extra space to print small documents
  • Recycle ink and toner cartridges
  
  6. Air You Can Bear
  
  It's already bad enough that you have to worry about air pollution every time you walk outside, but it's also a big priority when you work inside.
  
  Here are some ways that you can maintain a healthy air flow in your office:
  • Use non-toxic cleaning products
  • Open your windows to increase air flow
  • Don't smoke in or near the office
  • Never bring any type of aerosol can to work
  • Use an air purifier to get rid of contaminants
  
  7. Travel with Care
  
  The first part of your work day starts with you getting to work, and for many people that means driving. Cars emit tons of carbon dioxide gases into the air, contributing to global warming.
  
  Here are some things you can do for a green ride:
  • Join a ride share group
  • Take the train, bus or subway
  • Ride a bike or walk if you live close enough
  • Invest in a green car like a hybrid
  • Reduce your travel by working from home whenever possible
  
  8. Plant a Plant on Your Desk
  
  Get a plant and place it on or near your desk. Or, even better, buy plants for all of your neighbors. They will not only see this as a friendly gesture, but they'll also have cleaner air to breathe!
  
  Plants absorb indoor air pollution and increase the flow of oxygen, so get a green accessory to compliment your desk!
  
  9. Food For Thought
  
  Everyone looks forward to their lunch break. If you manage to save money by not going out to eat every day then you probably pack your lunch.
  
  You can follow these green lunch tips to have healthier eating habits:
  • Pack your lunch in a reusable lunch bag or box
  • If you bring your lunch in a paper or plastic bag, reuse or recycle them
  • Use plastic containers and silverware that can be washed and used again
  • Switch to organic food and drinks
  • Drink from the fountain or a water filtration system instead of bringing water bottles
  • Recycle your soda cans, bottles and aluminum foil
  • Use a washable napkin instead of paper towels
  • Walk to a lunch eatery if you forgot to pack it
  
  10. Spread the Word
  
  The best way to stay involved in the green scene at work is to get others involved. Share your practices and wisdom with your boss and coworkers.
  
  You can do this by:
  • Encouraging the office to join or start a recycling program
  • Purchasing company carbon credits
  • Buying eco-friendly office products
  • Setting up a carpool calendar
  • Getting everyone to pack their lunch and eat together
  
  Your work environment has a great impact on your personal and professional happiness and your emotional stability. If you enjoy how greening your life makes you feel, then there's no better place to keep the tradition alive than at work!

Why people ignore their inner needs at mid-life and what YOU can do differently
by Craig Nathanson

We humans are terrible at preparing for the crisis.

It seems to me that many people tend to ignore their needs in mid-life. We tend to be very good at reacting to a crisis, but terrible at planning for one. I think this is the root of the problem. For example, many people stay in mundane, unfulfilling jobs because, in many ways, this is easier than confronting the unhappiness of a work life that is empty. Only when a crisis hits — and it usually will after 40 (a divorce, a layoff, an illness, children going off to college, money problems, and/or emotional problems) — do people finally start to spring into action.
Why does it take so long?

While many people over 40 no longer feel contented with their work, they may still be challenged just enough so that they are not driven to make a change. As a result, their moods and their responses to their work tend to go up and down depending on the day. They may be very negative at one point or another, but then the next day is a little better, and they postpone making a change yet again.

It also can be easy to escape the need to change — people become so busy each and every day that busy-ness itself becomes the escape and the excuse.

Beware of the simple tasks.

Some will suggest that mundane jobs are good. Mundane and boring work gives you time think about other things, and perhaps even allowing time to work on other things. People feel trapped by the promise of reward, and the threat of punishment at work. This too becomes a trap hard to escape from.  There is a lever in the cage of work.

Early experiments by B. F. Skinner involved placing animals in a cage without an escape route. Then later, he placed a lever inside the cage, and eventually the animals figured the way out.

Humans are very similar, except that the lever is there all the time. It’s just that it takes a crisis for us to be able to see it. It is much too easy to become trapped by what is comfortable and routine until we suddenly find the secret to escaping.

Our self worth gets damaged when we are JUST working.

Since we tend to carry our self-worth around with us, if we experience any failure in life, and especially in our work, we hesitate before trying anything new because failing again will, of course, hurt even more.  People over 40 who have built their lives to this point are very risk averse. Any new venture or idea must be checked with others to make sure they will approve. If not, then surely we must not take a chance.

And discussing with co-workers that you are no longer finding joy in your work doesn’t help — this subject causes more discomfort than discussing sex. They don’t know how to respond. There doesn’t seem to be an immediate solution. After all, work is work, isn’t it?
The problem: WE live our lives

YOU are the person who has to live with yourself. YOU have to look at yourself in the mirror each day, go to work, be active, and be comfortable with your decisions. Regardless of what others think or see in you, it is your own perspective of you that matters most.
Your work determines who you are

I see so many clients who initially come with their arms crossed. I see right away that it is not THEIR arms that are crossed, but perhaps their parents’ arms, or their spouses’ arms. All of us carry a huge set of beliefs passed down to us from others.  To prove the point, take a piece of paper right now. Write down the following:

“I believe the following about myself:”
Under this line, make your list.

Now examine your list. How many of these beliefs have come from you, and how many came from those around you? Now go through your list and change those beliefs that are no longer useful.  For example; perhaps you realize that you had parents who taught you never to take a risk, try anything silly, or impractical. Reflect how this has kept you from changing your work — is it fear of failure?  Change those beliefs on your list that are no longer useful. It is as simple as this and as difficult as this. I believe change can occur in seconds. It’s all a matter of acquiring a new perspective about your life and your work.

It’s time to recreate.

If you are a mid-life adult who no longer finds meaning and joy in your work, you must make a change now. The changes you make now will impact the rest of your life. If you don’t, you will simply work until you retire, spend a few years wondering what you COULD have done, and then, well; you know the rest of the story…

Traditional approaches to career development do not work.

Traditional career coaching focuses on assessments to figure out exactly what you should do.  The problem with this approach is that, while these systematic methods may recommend that you should be an engineer, for example, only you can determine whether you would actually find joy and passion in this work.  Most traditional job searches are done backwards. A job gets posted and people look for jobs that match some of their requirements. The problem with this approach is that these jobs were not designed with YOU in mind. They were not designed around what — exactly — would be just perfect for YOU.

Don’t ignore your inner needs after 40.

What becomes most important after age 40 is: Do you find your work meaningful?
Is the purpose of your work clear to you?
Is it clear why YOU are doing this work?
Does your work bring you joy and happiness?
Only you can answer these questions.

It starts with an honest assessment of what you want out of your life and your work


Self-discovery and work renewal will result in more passion and joy in your life and in the lives of all those around you. You will wonder why you didn’t start earlier. Maybe you didn’t take the plunge before now because you did not experience the crisis until right now — that is, the crisis of your mid-life — and what you plan to do now to make the second half of your life even better. This can start with your work. You have the wisdom and maturity now to make this change.

The only permission you need now is permission from yourself — I’ll be cheering you on as you do!

20 Ideas I Wish I Was Told When I Was 20
by Dennis Harting

Success seems to be an elusive treasure for many. There are some many ways to attain it yet most of us get caught up trying to figure it all out ourselves. This leads to a great deal of lost time to gain the “experience” needed to be successful. Looking back, I wish someone had put together a list of hard facts that were true in life. Since it was not done for me, I would like to share my list of success “truths”.

1.Success is easier with a team:

Success is not created in a vacuum. It takes the efforts of many people to make one achieve anything great. The most successful people have partners, coaches, teammates, and co-workers who all have a hand in the final outcome. Also, the level of success that is possible increase substantially when we enlist the abilities and efforts of others. As Marc Victor Hanson likes to say “one plus one is an eleven folding of talent”. Create a team with the best people that you can.

2.Opportunities are everywhere:

Everywhere there is a problem, there is an opportunity. The world is full of challenges that are waiting to be solved. As we proceed forward, now obstacles are created daily. Huge fortunes are being made by people taking the initiative to solve these problems. Society needs someone to build a better “mousetrap” and that person is you. Look for the opportunities in your life that are offered to you.

3.You get more in life by saying “yes” than by saying “no”:

This is one of Richard Branson's sayings. Fear is a powerful influence in life. It causes us to make decisions that are not always in our best interest. Often we turn down opportunities which will raise our lives to a new level. Saying “yes” to life allows us to engage in the wonders of it. There is more that is gained by going forward then by standing still. Certainly we will lose at times. But overcoming the fear of loss is what will set us free. Begin to say “yes” to the opportunities that are presented in your life.

4.Like attracts like:

Physics talks about energy on the same frequency being attracted to similar energy. This is true for our outlook. Positive attitudes garner positive results. Negative attitudes create gets the same outcome. To get more positive results in life, spend more time with a positive attitude. This will attract the desired results into your life.

5.The path to success is already laid out:

Reinventing the wheel is a waste of time. Unlike we were taught in school, copying is a good thing. People have already paved the road to success. Simply learn the actions and procedures they took while following suit. Every industry has a model that sets the process for achievement. Life becomes much simpler when that is uncovered.

6.Have fun:

It is easy to get caught up in all that we have to do. Responsibilities mount the more success we achieve. It is important to have fun at every stage of life. Too often people delay their joy until they arrive at a specific destination. Taking the time for ourselves is crucial as holistic selves. Lighten up and take things a little less seriously.

7.Work smarter, not harder:

Digging ditches is hard work yet it is not a well compensated trade. The world pays more for mental power than it does physical. Try to determine ways to systematize the things you need to do to free yourself up. The nobility is in working smarter, not harder.

8.Things do not equal happiness:

The richest are not always the happiest. The accumulation of things is wonderful. However, it is imperative that we keep in mind what is important. The happiness that “things” give us is temporary. Happiness is a state that comes from within us; it rarely comes from the outside.

9.Who cares about the Joneses:

How much time do we spend trying to “keep up with the Joneses”? Our egos are often tied to the opinion of others. Be your own person. Ignore what others think about you. It is best to pursue endeavors which fulfill us. Too many attend to those things that other people want them to. Live your life according to how you see fit.

10.There is always something to be grateful for:

No matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something to be grateful for. Gratitude is a wonderful tool for getting us out of the doldrums. Looking at the positive aspect of situations will always help bring the undesirable effects to an end quicker. Remember, there is always someone else who is worse off than you.

11.Everyone has their time in the “barrel”:

To listen to people talk, you would think that they were the only ones with problems. The truth is that everyone has circumstances which they go through that are not pleasant. Illness, financial difficulty, and death affect most people at different stages of their lives. Resist the temptation to think that you are special in this regard. When negative circumstances arise, move forward knowing others are succeeding in dealing with similar issues.

12.Plan your life and live your plan:

I love the analogy to taking a trip across country without a road map. This is something that most would never consider doing. Yet almost all will approach their life without a forethought to where they would like to go. In fact, people spend more time planning their vacations than they do to plan their lives. Studies have shown that individuals who set down goals with a written plan for their achievement attain a far greater degree of success than those who fail to do so.

13.Failure is our best teacher:

Failure is a tough thing to go through. However, it can be our most beneficial experience. Successful people all seem to have had their share of failures. It is the lessons from these situation which makes them so valuable. Take the time to analyze why things turned out how they did and resolve not to make the same mistake. This is where life prepares us for the next challenge.

14.Most people are willing to help:

We feel we need to do it all on our own. This stems from the belief that most people don't care. The truth is that most people are willing to help wherever they can. People, at their basic core, are nice. They want to contribute. It makes us feel good to help one another. Rid yourself of the desire to do it all on your own and ask others for help. You will be surprised at the warm response you get.

15.The starting point is irrelevant:

There are hundreds of stories of people who started from the worst circumstances only to achieve greatness. Individuals who blame their surroundings for their lack of success are using this as a crutch. There are opportunities in all areas of life for those who are willing to go after them. It is where you are going that is important, not where you start from.

16.Everything starts as a thought:

There is nothing that mankind has made in this world that did not start as an idea in someone's head. Everyday, we each have ideas which are mostly dismissed. Capturing one of those ideas can change how the world operates. Also, having the right mindset will do more to ensure our success than any other attribute. Pay attention to what takes place within your own head.

17.We all have more talents than we can uncover:

Everyone on this planet is created with an incredible amount of ability. Yet we often believe that we “can't do anything right”. This is negative conditioning allowed to ruin our lives. There is an unbelievable skill within you at this present moment. Beginning to say “yes” to opportunities in life will uncover what those talents are. Often we do not realize what we are capable of until we are forced into a tough situation.

18.Everything is perspective:

Even though you will swear it to be the truth, it is really only your perspective. Our viewpoint is usually what determines how we process things. Is the glass half full or half empty? Both answers are correct, depending on your perspective. Remember this whenever you are determined to make yourself right and someone else wrong.

19.Tap into your true self:

Some call it passion, others life purpose. Whatever the term, there is something in life that only you can perform. Spend some time seeking out what it is. All greatness comes from this place. Do not worry about the financial compensation. People who tap into their true essence while releasing their talents on the world are well paid. Find out what it is and follow it.

20.You can make a huge difference:

There is no limit to the impact that you can have. Many of the greatest figures in history were from the humblest of beginnings. They were average people who took extraordinary action when called upon. You can do the same thing. The ideas that you have right now can impact thousands, if not, millions of lives. Begin to accept this as your reality.