May 26, 2003

From the Inside Out
LOVE AND APPROVE
OF YOURSELF

Learning to love and approve of yourself is a key which will unlock your treasure chest of abundance, prosperity, and love.

I always highly recommend that people love, love, love, love themselves, give themselves a hug, a pat on the back! You're the best you there is in the whole world, there ain't nobody else in the Universe quite like you! If you are really brave try the following exercise:

Grab yourself a mirror, look yourself square in the eye, and proclaim to yourself, right out loud and with great confidence, gusto, and enthusiasm: "You are beautiful! You are the very best you on the planet! You're a walking miracle!!! I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I JUST LOVE YOU TO BITS!" Now, hold your own hand, (right hand in left) and say, "Thank you, I love you too!" Now you may want to lay down and rest for awhile, because you have just gone a long, long way in a very short time, and it can wear a person out.

It is quite all right to love your self; there is nothing perverse, narcissistic, or selfish about it (and it won't make you go blind or grow hair on the palms of your hands). In fact, it is an absolute prerequisite to living a life that is full, content and happy. After all, how could you expect any one else to love you, if you don't love, or even like your self? Furthermore, if you don't like or love yourself, you may unconsciously assume that someone else that does want to love you is nuts, and not even want to associate with a person like that.

It may help to think of it like this: If you love some one else it only stands to reason that you would want the best of everything for them. You would want them to have an abundance of love. You would want them to have an abundance of trusted and loyal friends. You would want them to have a wardrobe of beautiful clothing. You would want them to be employed in work that is fulfilling, satisfying, and richly rewarding in every way including financially. You would want them to have a beautiful car, one that they really enjoy driving. You would want them to be healthy in every way. You would want them to be emotionally well balanced. You would want them to treat themselves with care. You would want them to have plenty of healthy wholesome foods to eat. You would want them to be strong and vibrant. You would want them to get plenty of sleep, rest, and recreation. You would want them to.............. BE HAPPY, LOVED, AND LOVING!

Furthermore, you would do everything in your power to see to it that they had all that they desire. You would go to the ends of the Earth for them. You would write them love letters and mushy poems. You would invest quality time with them: long walks, picnics, movies, drives in the country, in short you would share with them whatever it is that they like to do best. Love YOURSELF FIRST, do all of these things for yourself. Treat yourself in the same ways described above, and then you will have all of this to share with your family, friends and loved ones. You can't give out something you don't have. Love yourself and you will have an abundance of love to give away to others. Always, always, always try to give more than you receive, especially where love is concerned What you give out always comes back multiplied.

The idea of self-love is very scary to many people because of belief systems installed by advertising, and by usually well meaning family, friends, teachers, etc. We all have been told that we're not good enough, don't measure up, too tall, too short, etc., etc. After a while we unconsciously begin to believe these concepts about ourselves. I call them transparent beliefs; they are solidly in place, but we can't see them nor are we consciously aware of them. However, they affect our lives in a big way because we filter our response to life's events through them. Negative transparent belief systems can be stubborn to change, because they are deeply rooted. A good way to begin to erode away negative transparent belief systems is with positive affirmations; statements about yourself that are positive, personal and persistence. Here are some good examples from Louise Hay's book, "You Can Heal Your Life":

I love my self; therefore I take loving care of my body.
I love my self; therefore I work at a job that I truly enjoy doing.
I love my self; therefore I provide my self with a comfortable home
that fills my needs and is a pleasure to be in.
I love myself; therefore I live totally in the now, experiencing each moment
as good and knowing that my future is bright and joyous and secure.

Start working with these and then create new affirmations that will build self-esteem and self-love, moving you towards the life you dream of and deserve.

~Rick Nichols
Heart Inspired Presentations

Yes You Can!
REFINANCE WISELY

If you can refinance today with a "no-cost" loan at a lower interest rate — meaning you pay no points or closing costs, and the interest rate is actually lower than your current rate — run, don't walk, to your lender's office. But this golden scenario rarely applies.

As a next step, ask yourself these three questions, and see why they're so important.

1. How long do you plan to stay in your house? The most important question you can ask when considering refinancing is: Will you be in your home long enough to reap the benefits despite its costs? If you plan to be in your home three years or less, you probably have little or nothing to gain by refinancing except a passel of paperwork. However, if you know you'll be in your current house five years or more, refinancing could make for substantial savings.

2. What will a refinance cost you in points, transaction fees, and other closing costs? Ask your lender for an amortization chart showing the real expense of pre-paying interest points and for a modified Annual Percentage Rate (APR) spreadsheet combining these costs over the years you estimate keeping your home. If you're considering a no-points loan, weigh carefully the additional interest and other fees that may be hidden in higher mortgage rates.

3. How long have you held your current mortgage? If you're on the "back end" of a fixed-rate loan — meaning you've already taken advantage of most of your tax-deductible interest — taking out a new loan could be beneficial, since you can deduct the interest and prorated points year by year.

Potential disadvantages of refinancing:

1. Unlike a first mortgage, tax deductions for points are amortized over the life of the loan, not all together in the year you pay them. (If you sell your house or refinance again in the future, the remainder of the interest you prepaid in points will be deductible in that year.)

2. If your existing loan agreement includes a prepayment penalty clause, it could negate the benefits of refinancing, since by refinancing you're paying off your current loan to open a new one.

3. The term of your loan could begin anew from your refinance date. Talk to your lender about negotiating your loan term.

Finally, even if refinancing isn't a good choice today, your lender may be willing to make changes to your current loan to adapt to your needs.

~Sally Anderson, House&HomeMSN.com
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Photo: Terere.com

In some senses Paraguay seems to have stood still while the rest of the world marched on. The missions in Paraguay are ruins in different states of preservation, located to the south of the country by the Parana River. From an architectural point of view, the Santisima Trinidad del Parana and the Jesus de Tavarangue missions are the most beautiful and important. Trinidad has buildings of baroque features. The stones of the church facade, of the tower and of the door of the sacristy were carved by the Guarani Indians. It also has stone sculptures, wood carvings, musical instruments and paintings made by the Indians. This imposing reduccion took 61 years to build from 1706 to 1767.

"Heart Inspired Presentations "

Patricia Crane, Ph.D. and Rick Nichols present a website dedicated to empowerment, self-esteem, creativity, stress management, workplace wellness, and communication skills. www.HeartInspired.com

Fascinating Facts
DOGS ARE SMARTER THAN WE THINK

Dogs are probably much cleverer than most people think, according to a new study. Scientists are convinced that dogs can count and researchers at the University of California, Davis, say they try to convey different messages through the pitch and pace of their barks. "Animal behaviorists used to think their bark was simply a way of getting attention. Now a new study suggests that individual dogs have specific barks with a range of meanings."

Dogs usually use high-pitched single barks when they are separated from their owners and a lower, harsher superbark when strangers approach or the doorbell rings, according to Sophia Yin, an animal behaviorist at the university. Playful woofs are high-pitched and unevenly spaced.

Dogs also know when they are being short-changed on treats because they have a basic mathematical ability which enables them to tell when one pile of objects is bigger than another. "But to count, an animal has to recognize that each object in a set corresponds to a single number and that the last number in a sequence represents the total number of objects."

Robert Young of Brazil's Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, tested the theory on 11 mongrels using dog treats. The canines were shown treats and then a screen was lowered and the goodies were left as they were or some were added or taken away. If a treat was added or taken away the dogs looked at the treats much longer than they did when the goodies were not disturbed, presumably because they had done their sums and the numbers did not meet their expectations.

"Dogs are descended from wolves, which not only have a large neocortex —- the brain's center of reasoning —- but live in large social groups". Young believes the mathematical ability could have been used to work out how many allies and enemies they had in a pack.

~Reuters, London, England

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Laughing It Off
RECOVERY FOR WEB ADDICTS

Step One:
I will have a cup of coffee in the morning and read
my newspaper like I used to, before the Web.

Step Two:
I will eat breakfast with a knife and fork
and not with one hand typing.

Step Three:
I will get dressed before noon.

Step Four:
I will make an attempt to clean the house, wash clothes,
and plan dinner before even thinking of the Web.

Step Five:
I will sit down and write a letter to those unfortunate
few friends and family that are Web-deprived.

Step Six:
I will actually call someone on the phone
who I cannot contact via the Web.

Step Seven:
I will read a book... if I still remember how.

Step Eight:
I will listen to those around me and stop telling them to
turn the TV down so I can hear the music on the Web.

Step Nine:
I will not be tempted during TV commercials
to check for email messages.

Step Ten:
I will try to get out of the house at least
once a week, if it is necessary or not.

Step Eleven:
I will remember that my bank is not forgiving if I forget to
balance my checkbook because I was too busy on the Web.

Step Twelve:
Last, but not least, I will remember that I must go to bed sometime ... and the Web will always be there tomorrow!

~Top Greetings.com

Untangling the Web

WHAT A SITE!

The Pat on the Back YOU Deserve...
Here's a very clever website that is shared with
us by our friend Sherry in Miami, Florida. Just click the link below and then type in your first name.
AppreciateWhoYouAre

COMPUTER-EASE

Easily navigating a web page ...
To move to the end of a document, press END key. To move to the beginning of a document, press HOME. You can close the current window by pressing CTRL+W.

Look at THAT!
SISTER PIGLET

Photo: Sukree Sukplang /Reuters

'Sai Mai', a 26-month-old female tiger ...
plays with baby pigs at a zoo in Chonburi province, 50 miles east of Bangkok. The Royal Bengali tigress was born in captivity and breast-fed by a female pig for four months after her birth. Tiger cubs thrive on pig's milk and grow faster than normal. Although this is not an ideal situation, it has been successful in breeding tigers. In Thailand, where the rain forests have been drastically reduced in the past three decades, the WWF estimates there are only about 500 wild tigers still left.
~Reuters

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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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