May 12, 2003

From the Inside Out
RECOGNIZING PLATINUM OPPORTUNITIES

A very interesting email hit my Inbox yesterday, in the form of two little quizzes prompted by what was called "Charles Schultz' Philosophy." Schultz, of course, was the creator of the incredibly popular and long-lasting "Peanuts" cartoon strip. Let me share the quizzes with you.

Quiz #1:
1. Name the 3 wealthiest people in the U. S.
2. Name the last 2 winners of the Heisman trophy.
3. Name this year's top 3 best-selling authors.
4. Name last year's winner of the Miss America pageant.
5. Name the editor-in-chief of your favorite magazine.
6. Name last year's Academy Award winners for best actor and best actress.

So how did you do? If you're like me, not all that well. Now no disrespect to whomever these people are. Clearly, they've achieved some wonderful distinction for who they are and what they've done and I congratulate them all. But did they have a direct impact on my life? Or how I think? Or what I do? No, not really.

Quiz #2:
1. Name your all-time favorite teacher - and why.
2. Name 3 friends who helped you out when you really needed it
— and the circumstances around it.
3. Name 5 people who have taught you something worthwhile
— and how you've used that knowledge.
4. Name 6 people who made you feel especially appreciated
— and what you did to earn that recognition.
5. Name 6 people you enjoy spending time with
— and what else you could do together.
6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you
— and consider what their advice would be for a problem you're currently facing.

Easier? I suspect so. And why? Because these people made a lasting impression on you. They touched your life — and made you care in a way that was powerfully self-affirming. I think we could all use a bit more THAT! How about you?!

So let's build on this. Turn your attention outward and ask yourself, "Whose lives am I touching? Whose lives could I be touching?" The equation is simple: What others have done for you, you can do for others. And what you do next can be easily determined by understanding the Platinum Rule. The PLATINUM Rule? Yes.

We all know the Golden Rule — do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Well the Platinum Rule, per Dr. Tony Alessandra is, "Do unto others as THEY would have you do unto them." And if you think about the people in your responses to Quiz #2, I suspect that each and every one of them — whether they realized it or not — honored the Platinum Rule with you in some way. And what made it all the better was that even though you didn't ask, they delivered!

Take a moment or two and think about the people you know and interact with. What Platinum Opportunities are there for you? How can you do unto others as they would have you do unto them?

Charles Schultz once said, "It doesn't matter what you believe just so long as you're sincere." And so to it is with Platinum Moments — you have to be sincere, or they don't count. So whatever you choose to do, do it because you want to, not because you feel you have to. And watch what happens!

~ Barry Zweibel, Certified Business & Personal Life Coach
GottaGettaCoach!

Yes You Can!
MEDITATE FOR HAPPINESS

Western science has finally begun to confirm what the wisdom traditions of the Orient have known for millennia: that meditation practice literally and physically improves your brain behavior.

Robert Felix, author of "The Partners Within", has been educating on the healing power of prayer and meditation to overcome destructive emotions for the last decade. Now several scientific studies are converging to confirm this idea. As recently reported in the Wall Street Journal Science column, studies at the University of Wisconsin confirmed that "meditation, Buddhist or otherwise, might change the brain and, in particular, its emotional circuitry."

The focus of these studies was on the brain structure called the amygdala. This is a little almond-shaped center that is located deep in the brain and it has been shown to be involved with the negative emotions such as fear, anger, anxiety and depression. This emotional center needs to be modulated by the prefrontal cortex; when it is not, its negative emotions can snowball into destructive behavior patterns. The psychiatric community commonly treats these poor states of mental health with neuroplastic drugs such as seratonin uptake inhibitors (Prozac and Zoloft etc.) with mixed success.

But now, according to Sharon Begley, placebo-controlled clinical studies are suggesting, "Meditation strengthens connections between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. Inhibitory signals from the prefrontal cortex appear to rein in the amygdala like a good yank on a kite string. The stronger or more numerous those "stop firing!" signals, the stronger the inhibition." Indeed "It appears that the inhibitory signal reaching the amygdala can be modulated voluntarily," says Prof. Richard Davidson, of the University of Wisconsin.

Most importantly, Ms. Begley continues, "The plasticity of connections between the thinking and feeling regions of the brain casts doubt on the belief that each of us has a "set point" for happiness, and that neither a Powerball win nor a life tragedy budges it for long. If inhibitory connections between the frontal lobes and the amygdala can be strengthened in an enduring way, then perhaps you can voluntarily shift that point, increasing our capacities for happiness, fulfillment and for actualizing our own unique human and higher powers."

~WallStreetJournal.com

Click Here to Read Free Article by Robert Felix:
"The Easy Chair Method of Prayer and Meditation"
(Be Sure to mention Inspiration Line)

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Photo: Rajesh Kumar Singh /AP

Artisan Hamid Ali carries freshly dyed "kalawa", a sacred orange-yellow thread used extensively in Hindu rituals, against a backdrop of kalawa drying in the sun in Lalgopalgunj village, near Allahabad, India. Allahabad is located in Northern India at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythological Saraswati rivers. The "Kumbh Mela", which is the world's largest fair, takes place here every 12 years. It was in Allahabad that Mahatma Gandhi proposed his program of nonviolent resistance to liberate India.

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Fascinating Facts
HIGHER QUALITY Z'S WITH JASMINE

People who sleep enveloped by the soothing smells of jasmine may get a more restful snooze than others, new research suggests. Dr. Bryan Raudenbush and his colleagues at the Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, West Virginia, found that people who slept in rooms infused with jasmine appeared to sleep more peacefully and report higher afternoon alertness than when spending the night in a lavender-scented room, or one with no added smell.

"We found they were just laying there, as opposed to tossing and turning," Raudenbush told Reuters Health, speaking of the nights when people slept in a jasmine-infused space. The researcher explained that the purpose of the study was to investigate some of the beliefs behind aromatherapy, a form of medicine in use since 3000 BC that is based on the practice of treating patients with essential oils extracted from plants.

The amount of added aroma was so small, Raudenbush noted, that some sleepers said they couldn't smell anything different. The researchers found that when people slept in a jasmine-infused space, they moved less during the night. Although people slept the same amount each night, jasmine-smellers reported feeling less anxiety when they woke up.

Raudenbush and his colleagues also gave study participants a test of mental function after they woke up, in which they had to match numbers to a symbol using a key that showed which number was linked to which symbol. The team found that after sleeping in a jasmine-infused space, people could complete the test more quickly and accurately. This finding suggests that people who sleep with jasmine scents experience a more productive sleep, enabling them to wake up more refreshed and alert than after sleeping the same amount on other nights, Raudenbush noted. Jasmine smellers also reported feeling more alert during the afternoon hours of the next day.

While most people probably can't pump traces of jasmine into their sleeping quarters throughout the night, Raudenbush said there may be easier ways to obtain the scent's benefits. Many products contain jasmine, he said, and a shower using jasmine-scented soap before bed or the strategic placement of jasmine potpourri around the house could benefit sleep.

~Alison McCook, ReutersHealth.com

What is the history of Mother's Day?

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Laughing It Off
FLYING BY THE SEAT ...

Never let it be said that ground crews and engineers lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual logged maintenance complaints by QANTAS pilots and the corrective action recorded by mechanics.

By the way, Qantas is supposedly the only major airline that has never had an accident.

Problem = the problem the pilots entered in the log.
Solution = the corrective action taken by the mechanics.

Problem: Test flight OK, except autoland very rough.
Solution: Autoland not installed on this aircraft.

Problem: Something loose in cockpit.
Solution: Something tightened in cockpit.

Problem: Dead bugs on windshield.
Solution: Live bugs on backorder.

Problem: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200-fpm descent.
Solution: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

Problem: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
Solution: Evidence removed.

Problem: DME volume unbelievably loud.
Solution: DME volume set to more believable level.

Problem: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
Solution: That's what they're there for!

Problem: IFF inoperative.
Solution: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

Problem: Suspected crack in windscreen.
Solution: Suspect you're right.

Problem: Aircraft handles funny.
Solution: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

Problem: Radar hums.
Solution: Reprogrammed radar with words.

Problem: Mouse in cockpit.
Solution: Cat installed.

~Author Unknown

Untangling the Web

WHAT A SITE!

Radio Lovers...
Listen to hundreds of old time radio shows
online for free — Abbott and Costello, Superman, Groucho Marx, The Avenger, Gunsmoke, Sherlock Homes, and many others.
www.RadioLovers.com

COMPUTER-EASE

How to Play Sound with Email...
Be sure you have sound notification turned on ...Set Outlook to play a sound when new email is delivered: 1. On the Outlook/Outlook Express Tools menu, click Options. 2. Click General or Advanced E-Mail Options. 3. Under "When new items arrive", or "Send/Receive", select the "Play a sound" check box. Follow the same procedure on your Internet Home Page Tools menu ... Click Internet Options, Click Advanced, Scroll down to "Multimedia" and make sure "Play Sounds" is checked.

Look at THAT!
SURFING UPSTREAM

Photo: Juergen Sarwan /Sports & News AP


Picuruta Salazar rides the "Pororoca,"
a wave that flows upstream and reaches a height
of 13 feet on the world's second longest river, the Amazon, in Brazil. The Pororoca happens every year during February and March when the ocean whips back on the heavily drained Amazon and creates a giant swell that flows upstream for hundreds of miles. Salazar, a Brazilian, rode the muddy brown wave for 37 minutes, traveling about 7 miles through the rainforest. ~MSNBC

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"The intent of Inspiration Line is to show What Is Possible … By choosing new perspectives,
we can change ourselves from the inside out and improve our relationships, our community and our planet."
Editor . Chelle Thompson ~~~ Associate Editor . Geri Merrill
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E-mail your motivational, informative or humorous stories for us to share:
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