Nailing Or Screwing Drywall

Nails versus screws who will become the winner. When drywall first came out the installers used everything from regular steel nails to galvanized roofing nails. After a short amount of time they started to develop major problems from nails popping out of the finished drywall.

Nail popping results when the nail is driven into moist lumber and as the lumber shrinks the house settles and nail can actually pop out to the walls. Hard to imagine the nail could actually pop out of the drywall as the wood was drying out.

How far the nail would actually pop out was determined by how far it was driven in to the framing studs or ceiling joists. Well pretty soon drywall installers started to use ring shank nails to eliminate this problem. This worked great but these nails were hard to drive in and would often break.

As time went on the nails improved and were made out of galvanized metal with cupped shaped heads and came in a few different sizes. The size of the nail used was determined by the thickness of the drywall. These new nails worked great and had good holding power and eliminated a lot of nail popping.

Using nails means driving them in with a hammer. If you miss the nail you damage the drywall. This seemed to be a big problem and was virtually eliminated with the screws.

Well pretty soon people started using screws which had greater holding power and pretty much nail popping. Another advantage to using screws over nails is the simple fact you need less screws than you do nails to attach the drywall to the metal or wood framing.

This means less labor installing and finishing the drywall.

There is one problem with the screws and that is they have to be set perfectly. They can not break the paper surface on the drywall but have to be set enough into the drywall so that it can be finished properly. Most screw guns have an adjustable setting used to get just the right depth for the screws installed in the drywall. But this also was a problem when screwing into a hard piece of wood you can actually snapped the screw head off, strip the screw head or break the screw.

Nails on the other hand can bend while driving them into a hard surface.

Who wins the nails versus screws while installing drywall? I have got to give it to the screws. That doesn't mean the nails just got screwed or the screws just got nailed.

I couldn't resist. I actually preferred the screws over the nails except for when nailing the drywall corner bead on. Some drywall professionals use nails to hang the drywall and go back with a screw gun and some screws to finish the job. The nails sometimes seem handier than the screws when installing the drywall.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and Carlsbad Home Improvement

Another Crappy Rule In The Bible

Backsplash For Bathroom Tile - Easy Remodeling Technique!

Backsplash For Bathroom Tile remodeling is a great option for home-makers to easily redecorate any surface at home. When it comes to contemporary and easy DIY tiles, using this unique tiling technique is an alternative you should consider. Want to learn how it can help you redecorate your home? Read the following article.

Quick introduction

Backsplash For Bathroom Tile redecoration is made of a set of identical beach-stones fixed onto a sq/ft mesh backing. We may find that these panels are made of stones originated from various beaches and rivers from all over the world - mostly from S. East Asia. This tiling technique enables you to easily redecorate anywhere in the inside & the outside: Bathroom flooring and wall coating (including showers), kitchen surfaces such as countertops & backsplashes, patios, pools and even fireplaces.

Important benefits

Let's quickly summarize the main advantages and benefits of this unique technique:

* Can be used for virtually unlimited applications at home, in the office, in restaurants, hotels, etc.
* Can be used for dry surfaces as well as wet surfaces such as shower flooring or as a sink backsplash.
* Their surfaces are flush and in fact, are safer to walk on than most conventional hard flooring as they offer more traction to prevent slipping.

Valuable tips to go!

* Use a tile saw in order to cut stones to fit edges or corners.
* Most recommended grout is sanded grout - it is suitable for both internal and external use.
* Don't rush! - make a plan; make sure you know how to install these panels, even make a small trial first just to see that you can handle it with no problem.

We could easily find many other great benefits provided by this simple redesigning method simply because it provides virtually unlimited remodeling options to any space and surface at any size and location whether for interior or exterior uses.

Quick summary

It is considered as one of the best tiling choices for the average home-maker due to the fact that Backsplash For Bathroom Tile can be quickly installed with minimal required technical skills, and at low cost. If you wish to succeed with your first installation it is recommended to keep the above tips before you begin with installation.

Get creative! - Learn more about how you can easily decorate any surface at home or in the office with Backsplash For Bathroom Tiles.

Visit: http://www.homepebbletiles.com

10 Ways to Deal With Negative Thinking, Panic and Paralyzing Fears

I recently heard from a friend who had been laid off at the newspaper she worked at because of the faltering economy. She didn't have many job leads and her motivation was at an all-time low. She felt that there was nothing more frightening than being a writer in an uncertain job market.

Panic and fear quickly took over; where would she go from go from there?

How would she pay her bills?

How would she cope with uncertainty?

Her mind was plagued with self-doubting, self-defeating thoughts and she began to spiral out of control, right into a dangerous state of anxiety that threatened to paralyze her into stagnant ground forever.

As she began to realize what a toll her predicament was leaving her in, it became clear to her that she needed to take action and do something to get herself out of the hole she was in.

Once she sat down and began to reflect on things, working through the paralyzing fear and the negativity that came along with the devastation of losing her dream job and having to start over from the beginning, everything started to make sense and she was on a roll!

Sometimes it takes a moment of crisis to help us refocus our thoughts and energies into what we want our professional and personal goals to be and what we need to accomplish.

The following points will help you focus and concentrate on the positive rather than dwell on the negative, motivating you to move forward into action rather than leaving you stuck in a rut.

Reading through them should help you gain some perspective into your particular situation:

1. Allow yourself to be upset and grieve if things have gone wrong

Sometimes you suffer from start-up inertia because you're having to make a new start and you're stubbornly holding on to the way things were.

It is perfectly normal to feel panicked, upset, angry, sad, even outraged; you wouldn't be human if you didn't feel that way.

Take some time to get in touch with those feelings.

The night my friend got laid off she drove home, fell into bed and literally could not move for 45 minutes.

Then she called me.

I got her to get up, take a long shower, change into some comfortable clothes, and then she spent some time sat in front of the television watching 'Friends'.

Give your mind and body time to settle into the initial shock of change, whatever it may be. But focus primarily on how you feel and let those feelings out.

2. Take a DEEP BREATH!

Your mind deserves it, your body deserves it, your lungs deserve it.

Taking deep breaths improves circulation, calms anxiety and helps you focus.

Once you're done moping, take a deep breath and start to move.

3. Organize your home, organize your life

Is your house a mess? What about your room or your home office? Can you not see yourself going through the piles of papers on top of your desk? Have you looked at your bills lately and seen what you have?

If you haven't done any of these things, now is the time to do it.

There is nothing more stressful when we are in a state of panic than a living space that has no room for us to live in it.

So tackle the mess; wash those clothes, clean out that pantry, throw out the clutter, get those bills out of the way.

You'll be surprised how much more motivated you will be when you surround yourself with cleanliness and order.

4. Surround yourself with positive people

Now would be a good time to reconnect with friends that you haven't spoken to in a while, or even with the friends that you talked to just yesterday, those friends that always have an encouraging word, who are helpful and positive.

Do yourself a favor and avoid people who are always down in the dumps, or who always have something negative to say.

However:

5. Don't confuse negativity with constructive criticism

Some friends may seem like they're helping but they're just feeding the cynicism. Conversely, friends that may appear to be negative are actually offering ways to help by sharing your experiences and showing you a better way to focus.

Listen to the people that are there for you, take what you can use, and dismiss those things that you don't want to use or that you can't use. Don't allow yourself to be brought down by it.

Take charge of your life again.

6. Have someone objective to talk to

When possible, sometimes having an objective third party to talk to and run ideas by can be tremendously helpful.

In some cases, a therapist can be of vital importance in your growth process towards finding yourself and focusing on your career and life goals. They can provide you with a perspective that is sound, rational and unbiased, while still keeping your best interests in mind.

7. Keep a journal of your progress

Write your ideas and your thoughts down and read over them the day after. You will gain some valuable perspective and insight into your own growth and where you are at.

8. Get out of the house!

Take your laptop or notebook to the local coffee shop or park, somewhere with some interaction and get out into the world! This will give you a chance to get out of the house and possibly meet some people, network and create some opportunities towards accomplishing your goals.

9. Actively look for opportunities to do the things that you love most and turn them into opportunities for you

Do you enjoy attending art shows? Love doing volunteer work? Do you like fishing with friends or going to the library or attending meetings for local organizations?

These are all things that would not only satisfy the craving for you to do something that you enjoy, but it would also present you with opportunities to network, meet people that could help you get ahead, and spend time taking care of yourself and your mental and emotional health.

10. Finally, SMILE and BELIEVE!

Easier said than done, I know. Believe me, nothing about my friend's situation warranted a smile and some faith. But had she not kept herself smiling, it would have been so much harder to be positive and pull out of that state of anxiety.

Believe in yourself and the things that you have accomplished and remember that you are capable of achieving anything you set your mind to do.

So get your coat, get your shoes, get your smile and go out into the world!

Taking heed of these valuable insights will help you create and maintain a positive energy source in your life and keep inertia at bay. You will feel better, be more motivated and definitely more at peace.

All it takes is for you to make that first move. Don't let panic paralyze you into inertia. Anything is possible; it's up to you to make it happen!

Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report that reveals how to crush procrastination and sustain lasting motivation. Apply now because it is available for a limited time only at: stay motivated

When We Choose Misery Over Happiness

I am not one to feel sorry for most people. They seem to have a unique ability to cause themselves the most damage during certain parts of their lives. I have met some pretty self destructive people in my life. Being raised by a mother that lived in misery and love.

My mother had a difficult childhood. It seemed as if every corner she turned there was a obstacle either right in front of here or waiting just around the corner. Her father died when she was 12 year old. He was a farm laborer and didn't make much money. In other words they were poor...... She got sent to live with a few foster families and according to her she was molested by one of the fathers she lived with.

Soon her older sister invited her to live with her. My aunt was married to the owner of a pottery business and had 2 children about 10 years younger than my mother. My aunt soon realized she had a live in baby sitter that allowed her to stay out drinking most of the day.

My Uncle was what you would call a drunk back then, now we call these people alcoholics. Well any way I think you are starting to get a picture of my mothers life up to this point. It is probably safe to assume that this isn't the ideal life for a young woman.

The next event to happen in my moms life was for my uncle to fall in the shower one night after tying one on that night. He died soon after but my aunt seemed to make a another good choice and ended up marring the owner of the bar that they spent most of their time in.
The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. Allan K. Chalmers

By this time my mom was in High School and met my future father. It wasn't exactly a marriage made in heaven. My dad was always an easy going man. He seemed to let most stuff go in one ear and out the other.

As you guessed it they had a few children. Nice one Dad and Mom. According to the books I have read on Angelic beings. People that believe in the after life and angels. They tell me I had a choice and was able to choose my parents....... What was I thinking...... I should have choose someone with some money and a couple of parents that were deeply in love .

How did I end up here in this situation.

I ended up loving my parents like most of us. They seemed to be doing the best that they could possibly do raising me, my bother and my sister. My mom and dad ended up getting a divorce and I went to live with my father.

My Father is remarried to a wonderful woman that seems to bring him a lot of happiness.
I haven't seen my mother for a while now. She lives with a life of excuses and misery. Her childhood was not the greatest but that doesn't give her the right to bring misery into other peoples lives. She has made a conscious choice to live what seems to be a painful life. Maybe her choices in life have made me choose happiness over misery.

I have always wondered what it is that motivates someone to live a life of true unhappiness when it takes the same amount of energy to live a life of joy. Life is meant to be full of joy and happiness so start today by making the right choices to live a fulfilling life of happiness.

If you are reading this and can't make up your mind what kind of life you truly want to live visit me at http://live.spiritualideas.com/ . Change your thinking and change your life.

Greg Vanden Berge will help you create a new approach to life and discover talents you never knew you had. We can help you get the most out of yourself all the time. Start developing your innate strengths and abilities to start enriching your life TODAY !

What Happens To Nonbelieving

Solar Post Cap Lights - An Important Part of Deck Design

When choosing a deck for your house, you'll be looking at all aspects of deck design, including levels, styles, materials, and overall, cost. Once you've chosen your deck design, the materials you want (wood or PVC), it's up to the creative side of you to create the finishing touches that can really 'make' the deck. One of the best ways to do that is with the use of solar post cap lights.

Support posts are necessary to hold up the structure of the deck and the stairs, but they are often very plain looking and don't add much to the design aesthetics of the deck. Adding solar post cap lights can create an interesting accent light that is not to intrusive, but illuminates just enough of the deck to make it usable at night.

Solar post cap lights are very simple in their operation. During the day, sunlight collects on a solar collector panel, which turns it into usable electricity, which is stored in the internal rechargeable battery. A photo sensitive sensor in the top of he unit 'sees' the sunlight, and knows when to turn the light on and off. As long as they get plenty of sunlight during the day, your solar post cap lights will continue to provide hours and hours of gentle nighttime illumination.

With standard lighting options, you would have to hire an electrician to install outdoor power outlets and run electric lines from your house to each light. The electrician may even have to add a new circuit to your fuse box. All that work can get expensive and in the way. Solar post cap lights eliminate the need to run wires everywhere. Since they don't run off of grid electricity, they can save you money on your electric bill as well.

Outdoor solar lights and powerful solar spot lights with ultra bright LEDs at Clean Energies Store.

Find out how to Make a windmill

Don't Miss Happiness

The Happy Musings for the Day: Happiness does not come uninvited. It needs to be the guest of honor!

Yep, if you put happiness first, the rest falls into place. That does not mean "pleasure happiness", but true happiness. We are always doing it the other way round - trying to get everything in place in order to be happy. Why miss all that time in the process? "Happiness Now" is the way to go - the happiness that is not dependent on outside circumstances!

I believe happiness does need to be invited into one's life. There is always plenty of room for it. If not, push some other things out of the way to make room. In fact a welcoming committee of all aspects of your being could band together to create a great welcoming party. Then once it shows up, make it the honored guest, so honored that it will never want to leave.

It is almost a life exercise to maintain this state. It seems like it is a state one step above everyday life which goes up and down. Happiness is above the clouds and winds and rains. It is steady and consistent. And it is reassuring to know that we have control over it. It never turns down an invitation. We just have to remember to open the door. I think of all the friends to have, happiness is the best.

A moment without happiness is a moment lost. Don't waste a moment.

"Life is wonderful"
copyright 2008 Sally Huss

You may receive FREE Sally Huss' Happy Musings weekly by e-mail and previews of Sally's new self-help downloadable books (10 GREAT THOUGHTS ON LOVE and 10 GREAT THOUGHTS ON FRIENDSHIP) by going to http://www.sallyhuss.com/sallyhuss_signup.htm Also you may download her Have-It-All Formula FREE.

Sally Huss has been creating her bright and happy art, combining it with her whimsical and uplifting thoughts, for over 25 years. King Features syndicated these Happy Musings for newspapers 3 years ago.

You are allowed to use this article as long as you include the resource box, which is the first paragraph above.

Anger Management For Teens - Self Help Steps to Control Your Emotions

Anger is unavoidable. Feelings of anger are triggered by factors in our environment and are accompanied by certain physiological reactions. Anger management focuses on the negative expression of these feelings. When one externalizes anger, one can mistreat the world around him.

Teenagers have a unique experience with anger. Adolescence is a major growth stage emotionally, socially and physically. Teenagers go through this stage without the benefit of a fully mature brain. Thus, their understanding and ability to self-regulate their emotions is often difficult. There are, however, several ways in which teenagers can gain better control of anger management. Managing anger involves becoming aware of the physiological "signals", such as blood pressure and heart rate, before the thinking part of the brain is bypassed and the action part of the brain is engaged. Following are some of the concepts I offer teens:

1. It takes 10 steps before you "lose" your temper. Here's an example: If I throw a ball to you, you catch it. However, if you were two-years-old, it might hit you in the face. Through trail and error, you have learned to lift your hands up, cup your hands, keep your eyes on the ball, bring your hands together at the right moment, press hard enough to keep the ball in your hands and suddenly you have caught the ball. This "catching the ball" technique took months or maybe years to master. In the same way, learning techniques to control your anger takes time to learn. Let's take a look at how we can break down the way we react in a situation to see how we might handle our anger differently: You ask your mom if you can go out while thinking to yourself: "She won't let me." You feel sick to your stomach, your heart races. You feel hot and angry and you're ready for a fight. A little too rudely, you ask your mom if you can go out. She responds to your tone of voice and says "no." You explode and scream, "I knew you were going to say that!" You go to your room and slam the door. You kick the bed and throw yourself down and think hateful thoughts. In order to begin to control your anger, you need to deconstruct your behavior and see all these "steps" you've gone through.
2. Prevention is the best medicine. If you understand step 1 and step 2 of your angry reaction, you can prevent steps 3, 4 and 5 from happening. Awareness is the key. Catching yourself before those other steps occur takes practice (like a child learning to catch a ball). You need to find a way to prevent yourself from going too far. In our example, from the moment you thought about asking your mom for permission to go out, you felt and behaved angrily. You need an alternative plan. One alternative during the early stages of anger is to pause and tell yourself, "I've got to break this pattern. Acting this way solves nothing. I don't feel good when I get distressed. I need to calm down and then cope with what I'm feeling." How do you do that? Take a deep breath. This allows you the opportunity to plan a different conversation with your mother. Use an external "reminder" to "stop, look, and listen" to different behavioral options. For instance, wearing a certain bracelet, ring or band can be a reminder for you that you need to stop long enough to consider the outcome of the path you are on.
3. Give yourself a break. Go outside for a bit. Take 10 deep breaths. Go to your room, lie down and listen to music. Write a page in your journal. Any of these techniques will allow you the "space" to talk yourself through the problem at hand. Like that child learning to catch the ball, it takes time to learn to control your behavior. In the event that you reach the point of losing your temper and expressing your anger, you need a plan as well. Some have found the following techniques as helpful at times like these: going for a run, punching a pillow, or throwing a ball. Screaming into your pillow can be more productive than screaming at your mother. These physical releases can produce a calmer state in which you can take a look at what led to the angry response and make a plan for the next time it happens.
4. Finally, write yourself a letter. Tell yourself the situations that trigger your anger. Describe the first steps as you move towards an angry outburst. Then, describe alternative plans for calming yourself and dealing reasonably with your anger. Give specific behavioral options that you've learned and calm you down at that stage. Also include plans for safe releases of your anger if it goes too far. This letter should be available at all times. Your own words can be your best coach when you feel circumstances getting out of control.

Laura Doerflinger, a licensed mental health counselor, is the Executive Director of the Parent Education Group at http://www.familyauthority.com and the author of the audio book, Emotionally Balanced Parenting

Copyright 2008 Parent Education Group - Reprints Accepted - Two links must be active in the bio.

Inerrancy of the Bible - Are There Mistakes in the Bible

What does the word inerrancy main? Inerrancy would refer to text that is accurate and totally free of any errors or without any mistakes. Does this sound like any book that you have ever read or have knowledge of. Maybe there is a one sentence book that could fall into this category.

Most books however and even this article has mistakes. If I made a decision to base my life, my entire life and that of my children and grandchildren, I would want to make sure that it was accurate as possible.

Is the Bible, 100%, 90%, or even 50% accurate. Are these stories that were written by people many years ago and the lessons have been helpful but now need to be rewritten.

Does the Bible actually contain the will of God? Some scholars believe that certain sections of the Bible meet this criteria while others do not. How can these people judge if they are not God and how can we believe in this stuff is not true.

If the Bible was inspired by God but written by men, this could actually mean that God had complete control over writing the Bible or does this mean that the man wrote the Bible with gods inspiration. I'm inspired by God daily and often write about it, but don't seem to have enough followers to make it into the biblical Hall of Fame. I'm writing with inspired beliefs right now.

If there are errors in the Bible, how extensive or how many errors are there actually. There are actual stories that can be documented as historical facts. This doesn't mean the rest of the Bible is factual, nor does it mean it is historically inaccurate.

The Bible has some errors in it and some facts that we can prove but leaves us with the question, is this a book from the Creator of the universe or a book written by men, to make us believe, it was written by God and if so why are we still believe being in it. Why do some people read this book and other religious text daily? What motivates them to read holy Scripture regularly but doesn't seem to allow them enough time to find out if they are reading accurate information.

The biggest problem I have with the inerrancy of the Bible is the fact that most people tend to ignore certain truths and cling to their childhood beliefs about religion. If this is not the way or the truth, I would want to start looking for it, instead of following someone else's dreams or religious doctrine.

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.

Greg is currently working on a video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion. Religious Education And Fear

When Do We Get To Meet God

Roofing Problems and How to Prevent Them

"Out of sight, out of mind" is a popular saying that has been around for ages. Those who apply it to home maintenance, however, are asking for trouble. Just because you can't see the top of your house without using a ladder doesn't mean there isn't something happening that could be causing a major roof problem.

Although your roof is hard to view and even harder to monitor regularly, it is essential to a happy, healthy (and dry) home. Homeowners who don't take precautions against potential issues are quite often unpleasantly surprised by frustrating and expensive roofing problems. Here are 4 common roof dilemmas coupled with cost-effective ways to prevent them from affecting your family and wallet.

1. Lack of General Maintenance: One of the main elements causing roof damage is a lack of regular attention. It is suggested that homeowners have their roof inspected even when there is not a detected problem. Especially when considering purchasing a house or being unable to remember the last time anyone serviced the roof for any reason. Finding deterioration and correcting it in the early stages can prevent eventual larger problems. Elements such as missing or broken shingles, lower spots that attract debris and soft spots can be remedied before simple repairs spiral into disasters.

2. Natural Wear and Tear: Most roof building materials will gradually deteriorate over time due to normal exposure to everyday weather and pollutants. Hail tends to damage roof materials drastically and industrial or salt-laden atmospheres may increase the deterioration process due to harsher chemicals. There is no real way to stop the damaging effects from the environment or unpredictable occurrences such as storms and sunlight, but yearly inspections should help detect some of the issues that might be aggravated and accelerated by these natural factors.

3. Wind Damage: When high winds hit a house the roof tends to be one of the first and most damaged areas. Hurricanes and tornados up the ante even further and have a great intensity that most roofs are not designed to withstand. Damage is caused when wind blows over and around the edges of a roof while the existing air attempts to neutralize the low-pressure with a higher-pressure area. The resulting upward push can cause the roof frame to loosen and shingle adhesion to break away. To prevent this from happening the roofing and insulation should be securely attached to the roof deck and a fastened perimeter detail implemented. Ask your local roofing company about specific wind damage precautions you're probably missing.

4. Design Flaws: Roof problems are not always due to deterioration, weather or lack of maintenance, but rather to the inadequacies of the initial design. Costly roofing flaws may require an entire roof replacement but are thankfully rare. If existing design problems are not identified and addressed during a roof inspection serious problems may result. Faulty design issues may include drainage problems; an inadequate slope; weak construction materials that cause splitting and expansion and contraction difficulties which damage the membrane. Contractors have the ability to identify some of these design issues and offer solutions that may be short of an entire replacement. To prevent design flaws, be sure you are using a qualified contractor when building or have a credible inspector handy when purchasing a new home.

The key to a trouble-free roof is obviously doing your best to repair problems as soon as soon as they arise - but even more importantly taking steps to identify potential weaknesses before they result in disaster. Be sure to consult a qualified roofing company or inspector to put your mind at ease, and never be afraid to ask for a second opinion. Regular maintenance, inspection and weather-resistant additions should keep you and yours happy, warm and dry for many years to come.

Superior Roofing Industries, a leading Boston roofing company, specializes in roofing and a number of other commercial and residential services.

Brain Fitness

STEP ONE:Do you know when to stop?Do you know how much is enough?Especially with brain injury and age related brain fitness decline, overwhelm defeats motivation every time.Do you get overwhelmed?

Okay, here is the solution.Decide exactly how much you are going to do and how you are going to measure it.For example, if you are going to do some gardening or walking, decide on 20 minutes.Then set the kitchen timer for 20 minutes.When the bell rings, stop.

Now, when you know you can stop after 20 minutes, do you feel more encouraged?It's just 20 minutes!Feeling like you can do it creates the MOTIVATION WHEEL.This is step one.

Know when to stop.Decide on how much you are going to do.When the timer rings, stop.

COACHING TIP:If you still don't feel like doing it, cut your effort/time in half and try again.Keep cutting the effort/time in half until you it's so easy that you laugh as you get into action!For example:20 minutes too much?Set timer for 10 minutes. Just get that motivation wheel moving!

STEP TWO:Do you count your effort like coins of gold?Do you easily forget what you did yesterday or last week?When you look at your effort today, you kill motivation by thinking that 20 minutes will do no good.

The solution is to get fun stickers.Put a sticker on your calendar or chart every time you put in your measured amount of effort from step one.
Now count the stickers on your calendar like they were coins of gold!Congratulate yourself because your stack of golden effort is growing.Fall in love with growing your stack of gold.

When you count and congratulate yourself daily for growing that stack of golden effort, you are CREATING MOMENTUM.Momentum means that your wheel is picking up speed.When you create momentum, motivation isn't an issue.

Stack your effort.Count it like coins of gold.Create momentum.

STEP THREE:Do you know exactly how far you have travelled?Everyone knows where they want to go.Motivation is often killed when you look forward at the distance left to travel to your goal.It seems so far...impossible!

However, when you look back to SEE HOW FAR YOU HAVE COME that is a powerful motivator.Dwell on the facts of what you have done.

This is where a BEFORE TEST is so important.Many people ignore creating a before test because they are embarrassed by this information.Stop what you are doing, and take those appropriate measurements right now.Take a photo of your weedy garden or unpainted room, stand on that scale, wrap the tape around your waist, time the minutes it takes to walk to the mall.You need that BEFORE DATA.Put it in the drawer.

Now every month, take the same measurements, pull the BEFORE DATA out of the drawer, and celebrate how far you have come.SEEING PROOF OF SUCCESS KEEPS THAT WHEEL ROLLING for another month.Inch by inch, life's a cinch.

Keep records so you can't forget. Review monthly how your stack of effort is changing your data.Dwell on your proof of success.Remember, every step, no matter how small, counts.

WHEN YOU USE THESE 3 STUNNINGLY SIMPLE STEPS YOUR MOTIVATION WILL GROW INTO YOUR POWERFUL ALLY.Soon you will be leaping buildings in a single stride! Celebrate.

Linda Schaumleffel, Olympian and head injury survivor, guides people worldwide with faltering memory or head injuries, by teaching them how to thrive again, strive for peak productivity, and build a hedge against dementia. Get a jump on your own brain health with "Brain Fitness: The Top 17 Activities That Will Revive Your Brain at Any Age!" special report at http://www.PowerBrainFitness.com

Surviving As A Contractor In California

So you want to make big money making a living as a contractor in the state of California. Well now I bet you have seen contractors on TV or maybe you know someone who is a contractor. You see these men and women playing the part as Mr. or Mrs. Money bags. If you have the slightest thought that becoming a contractor will provide you with a life of riches think again.

Most contractors that I know and have worked with over the years don't think of there jobs as easy. They have to work everyday and a lot into the night doing estimates or meeting with potential clients because they are to busy during the day. The life of most contractors in the beginning will be difficult to say the least. But if successful you will make a great living for yourself and your family.

Now that we got the false illusion of the contractor answering his cell phone all day at some nice golf course having lunch talking about the money that he just made selling his oil stocks. We can start on reality. If being a contractor was that easy everyone would be a contractor. Right..... Well maybe not everyone.

I have been a contractor for over 22 years and in construction for 30 year. I have seen a lot of changes over the years. I remember when a few contractors that I worked for made a lot of money during the late 1970's. These guys had Ferraris and money to burn with one exception they had no idea how to save any of it. These guys went on vacations and bought extravagant toys for them selves. Out of most of the big framing contractors I worked for about 10 percent are still in business or actually saved their money during the good times so that they could make it through the bad times.

These contractors never thought it was going to end. Life on easy street that is. But it did and most went by the way side. I guess that is the nature of business. Especially the current economic business cycles that we seem to go through over the years. If you don't have the money to advertise or carry a payroll. Your business is going to suffer during the bad times. Sure there is credit and bank loans but you still have to pay that money back. IF you can't save your money stash some away for advertising.

Some of the best advice I can give a contractor anywhere especially in the state of California is " Don't Think The Great Times Of Easy Money Will Last Forever". Save some of the money you make just in case you need to get through the bad times. You will thank me for this latter, Some time down the road. Take this advice and put it into action starting right now.

Greg Vanden Berge has over 30 years of experience in residential home building and remodeling. This provides you with the comfort of knowing that you have a professional with the knowledge and skills to complete your construction projects in a timely manner.

Our low overhead along with our new online estimating system will provide you with the most competitive construction pricing in the area. We continue to educate ourselves about the new home improvement books and building systems in the construction industry. If we have any doubt that something might not work we don't use it. We have found some of these products to be the root of some major home building problems.

Click on the Home Remodeling Ideas to get more information and a possible online estimate for your home improvement project.

Does God Make Mistakes

The Benefits of Swim Spas

We all know the benefits of owning a swimming pool. However, sometimes the costs and space considerations are simply too much. What you may not know is that there is an alternative without the price tag or space required.

Swim spas have most of the benefits of a swimming pool but can be installed into a smaller space and are much cheaper. You can think of a swim spa as being similar to hot tubs in that they are small, self contained tubs. They can placed inside the home or outside in the backyard on a deck, patio or flat piece of ground. The idea is that you swim in the tub and the current produced by the swim spa pushes against you in much the same way as a treadmill. The current is produced by six powerful jets.

One of the main advantages of a swim spa is the easy installation process. Unlike a swimming pool, there is no requirement to excavate your backyard. You can put the pieces of the swim spa together with bolts. Generally it is a good idea to have a plumber install the plumbing - even though it is possible to do it yourself. Once the installation is complete, many people either install a small deck around the spa or landscape with paving or plants.

By using a swim spa regularly you will get fit and toned by swimming. The powerful current can also help you relax due to its massaging effects. It is also possible to choose the temperature of the water so that you can have a nice cooling or warming swim.

Maintaining a swim spa is simple and much easier than a swimming pool. You will still need to check the water and add chemicals as required but the filtration system and ozone generator will aid you tremendously in this regard.

The Spa Cover Guide can help you buy a new swim spa for inside or outside your home.

Why is Imagination Important?

Why is imagination important? is a question that deserves thoughtful consideration. Take a minute and consider the world you live in. Well, one thing is for sure - a hundred years ago, the world didn't resemble the world in which we live in today. Consider jet airplanes. Consider the skyscrapers in the great metropolitan cities of the world. Consider computers and the Internet. These developments just didn't appear mysteriously on the horizon one fine day. These amazing technological advancements occurred because people like you and me visualized these wondrous things in the recesses of their minds. Through the powers of their imagination, their visualizations became reality. Why is imagination important? can be answered by simply looking around our great, big wonderful world.

The answer to the question, "Why is imagination important?" is that imagination helps us to put our goals in perspective and it enhances our creativity. We must have the freedom to imagine because only through imagination can we bring our thoughts and dreams to fruition. Without imagination, we shall never come to realize our full potential, and therefore, never experience the happiness on earth we were meant to enjoy. By using our imagination to the fullest, we'll make this world a better place in which to live while improving social and economic conditions for ourselves and others.

The definition of the term "imagination," according to Funk and Wagnalls Encyclopedic College Dictionary, is "the process of forming mental images of the objects of perception or thought in the absence of concrete external stimuli; the picturing process of the mind." John Lennon, in his classic song from the 70's, Imagine, sings about people thinking of the world and imagining how the world would be without violence, hatred, war and persecution. Why is imagination important? has been illustrated over the years by such brilliant thinkers as John Lennon, John Kennedy and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Imagination is one of our greatest tools. When we use the powers of our imagination effectively, we can change our lives.

Why is imagination important? Imagination plays a major role in our everyday life. Daydreaming is not a waste of time - far from it. Daydreaming aids us in the development and fine tuning of our imagination. In order for us to achieve anything worthwhile, we must utilize imagination in order to formulate the concept, and subsequently move the concept into actual form. If we can visualize something, then we can take this vision and create reality from it. Our imaginary thoughts are the building blocks through which the productivity of our lives takes shape. We become what we dream. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that our thoughts remain positive!

If your thoughts are negative, your energy will not be sufficient to overcome these feelings, and they will eventually affect your life in a negative way. Why is imagination important? It's because the better we are able to connect with the positive thoughts of our imagination, the greater the chance that we'll be able to live a happy and productive life and experience the level of success that we dream of. If we use our imagination properly, we will be putting ourselves in a position to succeed, while providing living proof of the answer to the question, "Why is imagination important." The website www.the-warrior-within.org is an outstanding source of information, education and support in matters of this nature, and you are invited to visit the site and take advantage of all it has to offer.

Alberto Posse believes that every person has a potential for greatness, they just need guidance and some help, which is why he founded The Warrior Within, to help others succeed. Visit: http://www.the-warrior-within.org

Bathroom Faucet Leaks

Faucet leaks can waste more water than you think. Have you ever put a cup or bowl underneath a leaky faucet and actually seen how much water is wasted. Leaky faucets should be repaired as soon as possible to prevent the waste of water in your home. Water is a precious resource and should be used wisely.

One slow drip from the faucet can waste over 5 gallons of water per day. If you think that's not a big deal, let me put it in perspective for you. 5 gallons of water per day equals 35 gallons per week, times 52 weeks in a year, that equals over 1800 gallons of water, and that's a lot of water.

The problem with a faucet leak isn't just the amount of water it waste, it will soon start to deteriorate your sinks, bathtubs and showers and could damage other sections of the home, like the wood framing. I've seen a water drip in a steel kitchen sink, in just a few years, wear a hole right through it. Keep in mind water and wind formed the Grand Canyon, water can be extremely erosive.

Faucet leaks can attract house pests, like mice, flies, ants and a wide variety of other insects.

Most faucets can usually be repaired for under $20. Most of the time the problem will be in the valves or handles that turn the water on and on. If you're not familiar with plumbing parts, you could pick up a do-it-yourself home repair manual or go online and look up the manufacturer of your faucet, for more information.

Usually the manufacturer has a diagram of the faucet, broken down into sections and you could get a pretty good idea, what parts you will need to remove, in order to replace the damaged part or parts that are creating the water leak.

Calling a plumber seems to be most homeowners last resort. They only do it if they absolutely have to. If you don't understand how a faucet works and have no desire to learn how, I would suggest you call a plumber or contact someone who can help you with your faucet leak, but get the faucet leak fixed and quit wasting water.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.
If your looking for some more bathroom remodeling or home building ideas.

Questions To Ask Your Pastor

Become a Conscientious Contractor

If you have an older home there's a good chance you have one by six diagonal floor sheeting and some of the knots have fallen out by now. Some of these large knots can create safety hazards for your home. Performing major remodels or whole house renovations on older homes you can run into quite a few problems with these kinds of wood floors.

One of the first things I do is remove the carpeting and padding. This exposes the floor sheeting for further examination. By the time I am done with all the plumbing and electrical repairs underneath the subfloor it seems that some of the 1 x 6 has been damaged. Your first thought of course is just to replace the 1 x 6 that is damaged and be done with it.

This is one way to approach the problem, another is to repair the 1 x 6 that was damaged and install half inch plywood over the existing floor sheeting. Please make sure the floor is level and has no humps or dips in it before you start installing the new plywood over the existing floor sheeting.

I ran into a problem like this on one job where the contractor was in a hurry to finish the flooring and chose to go right over the existing floor that was out of level. The bad part about this is when the homeowner chose to go with expensive wood flooring throughout his home. When you walked in to the front of his house you felt like you were going out to a small wheelchair ramp for about 10 feet and then of course it felt like you were going down for another 6 feet.

In order to repair this properly it would've taken the other contractor about 24 hours to repair the floor. In this case the homeowner would have been glad to pay for the repair after the fact. Sometimes when contractors mention a potential problem down the road and how much it will cost to repair that problem, most homeowners cannot see the value in the contractor's opinion at that time.

I felt sorry for the homeowner because this was not what he wanted and he was upset with the contractor but the job was done. This is my warning to any contractor, handyman or home repair specialists. When installing a new plywood floor over an existing floor to strengthen it up, use some common sense and repair the floor correctly or don't do the job at all.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes in Home Remodeling

Tuscan Architecture

Tuscan architecture combines modern and classic elements that make up pure Old World Europe. The beauty of architecture Tuscan style comes from the typical custom crafted natural stone. This includes limestone, travertine and marble. Terracotta floor and roof tiles are often used to give the antique feel. In Tuscan architecture, wooden beams are often refurbished from Tuscan farmhouses.

Tuscany architecture involves fine Italian building materials that create beautiful marble fireplaces, wrought iron gates and amazing fountains.

Integrating Tuscan elements brings a sense of Old-World charm and mystique to indoor and outdoor aspects of your home.

Exterior architecture typically include:

Tile roof Wrought iron front door entrance Walls covered with vines Crumbling stone walls that outline patios and walkways Beautiful travertine cobblestone driveways Brick or stone set garden paving Tuscan Landscape : Lavender, rosemary and sage can be found surrounding a Tuscan style home. Old lemon pots and antique jars give the feel of a Tuscany garden .

Interior architecture typically include:

Walls: Plaster walls with hand painted wall treatments. Usage of warm colors that represent the rolling hills of Tuscany bring the feel of basking under the Tuscan sun! Mediterranean decor involves subtle earth tones. These are standard in French Country decorating.

Ceilings: Textured richly. Stenciled borders can be found along the ceilings. Paneled or vaulted ceilings are a typical choice in decor as it creates pure Tuscany architectural framework. Wooden or chestnut beams provide a rustic feel to the Old World style home.

Floor: Glass, stone and tile are often used to create amazing mosaic art for flooring, which works well with table tops. Terracotta tiles, marble and ceramic flooring marks true Tuscany home decor . Selection of marbles that blend nicely with your Tuscan color palette.

Tuscany architecture uses pale travertine in home flooring. Marble Chips, stucco and crushed stone are polished nicely creating terrazo floors.

Your home can be so beautiful when choosing architecture Tuscan style!

Patrice D. Walker is an Architect student who specializes in Tuscan Decorating. Visit: http://www.Tuscan-Home-101.com/tuscan_decor.html for more Tuscan interior design tips and information.

Customizing Your Home Exterior With Moldings After an EIFS Or Stucco Renovation

Deciding to renovate your home's exterior with EIFS (Exterior Insulation Finish Systems, or "synthetic stucco") raises a lot of unforeseen questions and possibly expensive extras, which you may or may not be able to defer. Home owners are often hit with expenses they weren't expecting, including replacing sheathing, deciding whether or not to replace windows to properly tie them in, removing and reinstalling soffits, and cleanup. Among the seemingly limitless decisions you're pressed for time to make, is that of choosing the exterior decor that will represent you, your house and your style.

The true benefit of EIFS (besides the "small" one of saving hundreds of dollars on bills and reducing the risk of moisture problems in your walls) is the beauty of what you can do with it. Sometimes referred to as "stucco moldings", these details are made of the same materials as the synthetic stucco itself and add a touch of your personal style and character to the exterior of your home. It has never been easier to customize your home to make it stand apart from all the others that look exactly the same in a subdivision. Although having it planned out in advance in the best case scenario, decorative elements such as pre-coated architectural moldings, columns, keystones, quoins and pilasters are some of the items which may be deferred to save some money.

Deferring the addition of decorative elements also gives you time to really take a what is available to you. It always amazes people how much you begin to notice other EIFS-clad homes after you have yours done -- and what elements you'd like to incorporate into your home. Taking the time to pick and plan what style of quoins (be it squared-vs-rectangular sides, square-vs-beveled corners, joined-vs-spaced-apart) or whether you want your decorative elements lighter or darker than your wall color, and by how much -- is a luxury not afforded to home owners who hastily make these decisions among the hundreds of others during a renovation. Although this means having an applicator come again to install them later on, the same contractor will likely be glad to do it, and you have the ability to defer the additional cost to a later date.

The moral of the story is this. Try to have as much as possible planned out and decided on in advance. Realize that without professional help, you're going to have time and cost overruns which will put you at wit's end, and critical decisions won't get as much attention as they should. In the end though, all is not lost. You now know that one of the most rewarding aspects of renovating (customizing YOUR home) can be put off to give you more time to decide what you truly want.

And if you already have a stucco-clad home, start deciding what you would like!

Jim Schwarznoff has taken courses in classical and modern architecture as a part of his Bachelor of Applied Technology in Construction Science and Management, and supervised countless home stucco renovations. For more information on pre-coated styrofoam decorative products, visit http://www.decoramould.com.
If you have an existing home which you'd like to renovate with EIFS or have moldings added to, visit http://www.TorontoStuccoContractor.com.

Developing Wealth Building Habits

If you want to be successful, you need mentors or in other words find people that have succeeded. These people can include the ultra rich like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett, but don't forget about the people around you that have created good wealth building habits.

Some of the people have great advice and will need to be listened to very intently, while others need to be put on a list and never spoken to again. If you're going to be developing wealth building habits, you're going to need some advice from wealthy people. Let me make myself clear, when I'm talking about developing wealth building habits, I'm not talking about spiritual, knowledge, Biblical or religious wealth. I'm talking about making money, as much money as you desire or feel you need.

Wealth building habits start with you. Ask yourself this question "how bad do I want or desire wealth?" Really, really, really bad or are you the kind of person that would like to be rich, but that's as far as it goes. Developing any of these habits does not include sleeping in until 11 o'clock in the morning and then complaining the rest of the day about your finances.

Bill Gates used to work 16 hours a day. How many days a week did he do that? These are the questions you're going to find the answers to. If you're interested in making $50 million, you need to find someone who can teach you, how to make $50 million.

It won't be necessary to contact Warren Buffett but I would advise you to gather as much information about him as possible. Wealth building habits start with learning about wealthy people. If they get up at four o'clock in the morning and read the newspaper until six o'clock, then exercise for 30 minutes and start working at seven o'clock, you need to start doing this also. Developing good wealth building habits over time are what most successful businessman and women have been doing for years. Study their habits and start changing yours.

If you do something every day, it will usually become a habit within 30 days.

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.

Greg is currently working on a self help video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Wrong With Bible Verse

Article Writing Brainstorming

Do you ever feel like you have so much to say, but not sure how to say it? The great thing about this country is we have the opportunity to say whatever we want to. Sometimes we second-guess ourselves on how we want to say something. Stop thinking about it so much and just get started!

Do It

Writer's block can be a scary thing. You feel like you've already said all you have to say, and you have no ideas left. Well, you do have ideas. You have lots of them. You can write about anything. Even if it doesn't seem as though your intended topic would tie in with your business, you can make it work. People invented things such as dog massages, trust me, your correlation and idea of articles, will probably not be that far fetched!

Include Loved Ones

You love certain people in your life, even if it is just one person. You may have one friend whose opinion you really trust. You could consult with even your colleagues, whether you are the superior or the subordinate, like I said before everyone has something to say. If you feel as though you are neglecting your children or your boyfriend, ask them if they would want to spend a night coming up with really great ideas for your article writing. If you include children or teenagers, have them write things and approach their teachers about earning extra credit.

Ask for Feedback

If you are more reserved or it is easier to receive article writing input from people who are detached, ask your consumers for input. They visit your website, buy your product, and you can promote your business while receiving feedback on what they would like to read in future articles.

Are you really interested in driving massive traffic to your website?

Here's the answer:

Secret Article Weapon - Download your free ebook now.

Would you like to know more about the magical marketing techniques that have helped me to quit my day job? I have just completed my new ebook.

Secrets To Make Money Online - Download your free ebook now.

Mark Abrahams is a full time internet marketer who has helped others to earn a living online.

Goal Setting For Changing Times

Have you noticed that you've experienced much change over the past year, months, weeks, and even days? Your situation may have changed due to the challenges presented by these changing times, and you may ask yourself if you have achieved your goals of the past year. How do we go about starting our goal-setting activity with all of this change happening around us?

The following seven goal-setting steps will help you successfully implement your goal-setting and achieve your dreams in the future in these changing times:

1. Successful Goal Setting Requires Thinking About Your Goals

You are told how to think and what to think about each and every day. From when we get up in the morning until we go to sleep at night, television, radio, personal computer, family, friends, managers, and colleagues tell us how to think, feel, and act.

Invest time fifteen minutes to an hour to think. Turn off all the external distractions, go to a quiet place (home, park, etc.), and think about your goals and how you want to accomplish them. Think about how you will feel when accomplishing them.

Your goal-setting thinking session should also include how you will benefit from these changing times. What special skills do you have or need to acquire to take advantage of these changing times?

2. Successful Goal Setting Requires Writing Your Goals

Nothing happens in goal setting unless you write your goals and put these goals on paper. Put a pen to paper and you are ahead of all ninety-five percent of other people because they do not write down their goals and then wonder why they are unhappy in their business, their career, and their life. Take the time to write down your goals. It doesn't need to be perfect the first time; successful goal setting is an ongoing process that will change as you accomplish your goals.

3. Successful Goal Setting Requires Shorter Time Periods

Break the length for your goals into shortened time periods. This allows you adjust as needed in changing times. For example, break your goals into twenty-year, ten-year, five-year, one-year, six-month, monthly, weekly, and daily increments. This will allow you to gauge whether you are on course to accomplishing your goals, or whether you need to make adjustments to get back on track.

4. Successful Goal Setting Requires Flexible Goals

You need to be flexible when goal setting more than ever in the past. As the world changes, planning for these changes is essential. An opportunity that is there today might not be there tomorrow. What are you going to do with shifting opportunities? When setting goals, successful people have a Plan A, Plan B, and even a Plan C for these changing times. Take time to think about what changes might happen in your business, your career, and your life and develop plans to overcome these obstacles.

5. Successful Goal Setting Requires Passion

Do your goals make you excited? If they do not, you are not setting goals high enough. Set your goals so that you are excited about accomplishing them. When you are excited about your goals, you create positive energy, and the energy creates passion. With this passion, you will find ways to remove any barriers to your success.

6. Successful Goal Setting Requires Embracing Technology

Many times in our workshops, we run across students for whom technology is a barrier to their success. Their jobs or industries have changed so that being proficient in technology is a requirement. Yet, these students resist learning the new technologies required for their success.

Include a section on what technologies you will learn in your goal setting so that you are successful. Overcome your fear and challenge yourself through these goals to learn how to master new technologies.

7. Successful Goal Setting Requires Balance

In these changing times, you are asked to do more with less. Whether in your business, your career, your community, or your family, you have ever increasing requests for your time and talents. Unless you include balance in your goal setting, someone else will create unbalance in your life which leads to stress and possibly illness.

Take back control of your life with successful goal setting. Make sure you set goals in the following areas:

* Family

* Health

* Education

* Technology

* Spiritual

* Career

* Community

* Business (if needed)

I am sure you can think of some others; however, these form the foundation of your goal-setting activities. Master these areas to be successful in achieving more in less time while staying in control.

Don't delay! Take the time to put think about what you want and deserve, then put a pen to paper. Invest in yourself and the seven goal-setting techniques discussed in this article and you will be successful in these changing times.

Ed Sykes is a highly sought after leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team building expert, success coach, professional speaker, and author of Jumpstart Your Greatness. You can e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at (757) 427-7032. Go to his web site,

http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for the free success newsletter, OnPoint.

Ways to Stop Losing Your Car Keys

You obviously don't need to read this article if you rarely lose your car keys. However if you misplace your car keys often and have a pretty good relationship with your locksmith, it's time to change these bad habits into good ones.

One of my friends, recently lost their car keys. I would like you to listen to what I'm about to say and see if it makes sense to you. Most people get two keys when they buy a car. This means, if they lose one key, they now have a spare key. When they lose their first key, this should give them a pretty good clue that the second key is now the only key, if they wish to drive their car.

Does that make sense? If you lose your first key, you don't have a second or spare key anymore. Now is a good time to purchase a spare key or have one made. Don't wait until you lose the second one, unless you are planning to change your bad habit into a good one.

Now let me get back to my friends who recently lost their car's key. The car they were driving was a new Honda and you can't go to the locksmith to get another key made. You have to order one from the Honda dealer and this key cost them over $200. That's a lot of money for one key.

Now my friends lost both of their original keys and now have one key to operate the vehicle and this key cost them over $200. Now if I had to pay this amount of money, I would make sure that I never lost this key ever again. I would do whatever it to to change my old habits and create some new ones.

How hard is it to get in the habit of placing your keys inside of your purse. Placing your keys in your pockets and then only removing them when you are going to place them inside of a drawer, container, cup, bowl or on a shelf in your bedroom. If you place your keys in a drawer, this will keep them out of other people's temptation.

If you choose to lay your keys in a bowl, in the kitchen, there's a good chance someone will take them or another member of your family could lose them. Place your keys in a protected area, do not leave them out in the open ever.

If you want some tips to prevent you from losing your keys, simply talk to someone who rarely if ever loses their keys. Most of these people have simple and easy to follow tips. You can consciously create a habit that can save you money and frustration in the future.

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.

Greg is currently working on a spiritual video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world.

Was Jesus A Good Example

My Love - A Poem About One's First Love

There are three main reasons why someone comes to Christ and receives Him as Lord and Savior of their lives and drives men and women to their knees before Him.

One reason is through a realization of the holiness of God and the unholiness, wretchedness of man and the complete realization that God is everything and you are nothing. Second reason is brought about with a very real and overwhelming fear of God's wrath and the final expression of His wrath being hell. Plus, the reality of what we really deserve from God is to spend the rest of eternity separated from Him in hell. Third reason comes about by falling head over heels in love with the loving Savior, Jesus Christ.

To fully realize how much Jesus Christ loves you and how much you mean to Him. My reason for first accepting Jesus Christ into my heart and life was reason number three. No one introduced me to Him, He just revealed Himself to me in a personnel, intimate way that I will never forget. At the start of my freshmen year in high school, all of my childhood friends moved away and I was left alone. In addition, I did not feel a lot of love at home from my parents and my one younger brother. I entered high school alone, feeling unwanted, unloved and consequently became depressed.

Looking back at my freshmen year, I would say the hardest part of being and feeling alone was not actually being alone or feeling disconnected from people but instead feeling that I wasn't valuable enough, for anyone to want to get to know me.

I always knew about God but I did not know Him; there is a tremendous difference between the two. Growing up, my parents would often take my brother and me to church. And during elementary school I would go to Bible class which was held once a week in a trailer and lasted about an hour. Church and Bible class is where I learned about God and some of the stories in the Bible. However, as far as I can remember, no one really taught me how to know God personally and intimately. Having no one to talk to during my freshmen year, I decided to take on the endeavor of getting knowing God by talking to Him.

My getting to know God started in conversations with Him, actually, I'm the one that did all of the talking so I guess it wasn't much of a two way conversation. Many times these conversations took place in an oak tree. However, whenever I talked to God I would request one desire, which was for God to take my life literally. Looking back, I realize that I wasn't getting to know God and certainly had no real clue to who He was. For God is the God of life and not death. And when one realizes God's love for them and embraces that love then one cannot help but to live life to the fullest. Jesus said, "..I have come that they may have life and life to the full." (John 10:10).

God is a rewarder of those who seek Him, no matter how one starts the seeking process. A couple of months into my freshmen year of high school, God sent me a friend and someone that He can talk through. His name was Ken Caster and he was a junior at my school. I met Ken while I was sitting alone at the lunch table in the cafeteria. As I was eating Ken approached me and sat down. He then did something that no one else had ever done, he asked me my name.

Ken did not immediately start preaching to me about Jesus. Really he didn't talk at me, spilling out theological and evangelical useful information. Instead, he simply started asking questions about me, he started to get to know me. I did not know it the time but it was at that moment I was talking face to face with God; for by just seeking to get to know me, Ken was displaying the character and heart of Jesus. For in every believer God lives and when we walk in obedience in accordance with God's holiness and His love then Jesus, who is also God (John 1:1-3,14), is manifested through the life of the Christian.

After several weeks from the first meeting with Ken I started going to Campus Life, there I met more of Ken's friends who quickly became my friends. Campus Life was a ministry which met once every other week. During the meetings there would be an icebreaker, then an open discussion about contemporary issues and how they relate to the Christian life. At the end of every discussion, a leader or someone would wrap up the discussion and the meeting would close with a social time. Someone working with Campus Crusade for Christ were in charge of these meetings. I am sure that during these meetings, Ken or someone told me about Jesus but I don't remeber anyone telling me the Gospel or salvation.

Towards the end of March of my freshmen year, Ken invited me to see a Christian comedian named, Ken Davis in concert. It sounded fun so I agreed. In April Ken and some of his friends picked me up and took me to the concert. During the show I could not remember the last time, if any, I laughed and not only laughed but laughed so hard, that at times it was hard for me to breath. Towards the end, when the laughing stopped, Ken Davis proceeded to tell us about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This was the first time when I heard about the Man, the God and the Savior that I would fall in love with.

At the end of his message Ken Davis asked everyone to bow their heads and not to think about anything. He asked, while heads bowed, to let the Holy Spirit move and allow God to talk to our hearts.

This night was the first night when God spoke and I listened. While my head was bowed God did speak to me, not with words but with His love and I began to feel and sense Jesus Christ's presence, His loving presence, all around me and inside of me, and for the first time in my life I did not feel alone. Then Ken Davis asked if anyone wanted to accept Jesus into their heart and if so to come up front.

Without thinking, I slowly stood up with my head still bowed and I slowly made my way up to the stage. As I was making my way up I began to lift my head and shame started sliding off me like butter and acceptance started to clothe me.

While I was walking down the aisle and up towards the stage, I did not look to the right or to the left but looked straight ahead then up towards the heavens, it was like I was looking straight into the loving eyes of the Savior.

For it was that night I saw the face of my love but it wasn't my fleshly eyes that beheld Him but my spiritual eyes that beheld Jesus Christ, my love. It was that night I knew I would never again be alone. After much rejoicing with Ken Caster and his friends I went home and headed up stairs to my bedroom.

In my bedroom alone but yet not alone I made a vow I said, "Jesus, I want to live for you no matter what. If it is cool or uncool, if it is the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do, I will live for you. Since then I started conversing with God and now I try to do the majority of the listening. When God speaks to me, many time I hear his words and feel His arms around me and His love warming my heart and spirit on cold, dark nights.

It was on one of those nights that I wrote my first poem called "My Love." Other poems would follow mainly about Jesus, which comes from my new heart that I received the night when I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart and life, at a Christian comedian concert in April of my freshmen year of high school.

My Love

I remember when I first fell in love,
your gentles like a dove,
your voice calling me
to be your love.

I remember when I first held your hand,
as I promised to cherish you
in this foreign land.

When times come when I feel lost and scared,
I hear your voice saying,
"You have nothing to fear,
remember you are mine,
All of this because I care."

For I know, I am the apple of your eye,
before you I was nothing but now I am something,
by the result of your love that will never die.

There was a time, long ago
when you proved your love for me,
and showed me once and for all,
You will never let me go.

For my sins you died upon a tree,
with powerful action,
on the cross,
you displayed your love for me.

When I heard you had died, I started to cry,
but tears of sadness turned to tears of joy,
when you arose and appeared by my side.

Soon you told me you had to leave,
to prepare a place for me,
where we will be together for eternity.

My love, there are still times when I feel discouraged,
when I grow suddenly afraid and loose all courage,
tough still I am quick to rejoice,
for you have promised me,
you will come back for me,
and with your sweet voice,
call me by name to join you in eternity.

Jeff Dalton
317-902-2266
http://www.gracereminders.com
Reminding people of God's grace with one word at a time.

The Abomination of Desolation

The abomination of Desolation.
There is a misconception of the prophecy's of Christ, Daniel, Isaiah, and Ezekiel concerning the time of the abomination of desolation. There have been many desolations and times of desolation in Israel. Many of these caused much hardships and even death to the House of Israel.

The Babylonian Captivity, Jer 25:11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
Jer 44:22 So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day. Ezr 9:7 Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.

The House of Israel has rejected Christ as the Messiah and are still under the law to a point. The Daily sacrifices have been put aside because of the natural law of man, but they justify this by the verse, Obedience is better than Sacrifice. This will end in the days of the anti-Christ, which will allow the renewing of the Red Heifer Sacrifices within the 3rd temple. Which I must say that many scholars do not believe in.
Dan 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
What we are going to look deeper at is the end days.
Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004)(C.I.A. World Fact Book)

The abomination of desolation.
The Daily sacrifices and The abomination of desolation, as spoken of by Daniel, is a subject of much controversy among many bible Scholars. There are those that teach that these two events have already taken place in the Days of Caesar,as many are teaching.

This prophecy has nothing to do with, Rome nor Caesar. Prophecy must be looked at very carefully and be regarded by not single events, but as a string or combination of events. Those things spoken of the abomination of desolation and the third temple are future events backed up by Scripture. Israel is not allowed by natural or should I say mans law, to accomplish animal sacrifices.

This interpretation from T.S.K. Is one that I disagree with, take a look;
the abomination: Heb. to set up the abomination, etc. Probably Mohammedanism, which sprang up in power the same year as the papal, ad 606; and 1,290 years from that time will be ad 1896, and 1,335 years ad 1941.

The abomination of desolation will be a statue of the anti-Christ that will be placed inside the third temple. Many scripture back this up. This attempt to work time and dates to justify interpretation is not the way to interpret scripture, many try to look at past events and match Bible prophecy to it, this is a grave mistake and leads to faulty or false interpretations.
Mar 13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
Isa 28:22 Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.

The best reference to this is in Revelations 19:20; And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. This is the abomination of desolation as the end of the anti-Christ; read and understand, them that worshipped his image.
Mohammedanism(Islam) is not older than Christianity nor the Jewish religion, but it will play and important part in the desolation of Israel as spoken of by Christ.
Therefore, Rameses, nor the Caesars of Rome, have not fulfilled prophecy of the end days.

Many use this part of Mark 13:14, to justify calling Caesar the anti-Christ for He had an image of Himself constructed and forced many to worship his image as God, but there were Kings before and after that have done the same thing. Dan 3:14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not;, The point of the matter with all these false god images is that they never fulfilled the prophecy's of the end days such as these;

Rev 13:13-14; And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Dan 7:25-26; And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

2Th 2:9-10; Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

What Caesar never fulfilled is this verse of prophecy; Dan 9:27; And he(The Anti-Christ.) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Also this verse was not fulfilled by any King yet; Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Key words here; the abomination of desolation (Image)stand in the holy place.
Luke 21:32; Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. This study is just the tip of the Prophecy of the abomination of desolation.
ars.

Temple of Spirit & Truth Ministries A.R.Smith Ministries http://www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/

Ways to Stop Losing Your Car Keys

You obviously don't need to read this article if you rarely lose your car keys. However if you misplace your car keys often and have a pretty good relationship with your locksmith, it's time to change these bad habits into good ones.

One of my friends, recently lost their car keys. I would like you to listen to what I'm about to say and see if it makes sense to you. Most people get two keys when they buy a car. This means, if they lose one key, they now have a spare key. When they lose their first key, this should give them a pretty good clue that the second key is now the only key, if they wish to drive their car.

Does that make sense? If you lose your first key, you don't have a second or spare key anymore. Now is a good time to purchase a spare key or have one made. Don't wait until you lose the second one, unless you are planning to change your bad habit into a good one.

Now let me get back to my friends who recently lost their car's key. The car they were driving was a new Honda and you can't go to the locksmith to get another key made. You have to order one from the Honda dealer and this key cost them over $200. That's a lot of money for one key.

Now my friends lost both of their original keys and now have one key to operate the vehicle and this key cost them over $200. Now if I had to pay this amount of money, I would make sure that I never lost this key ever again. I would do whatever it to to change my old habits and create some new ones.

How hard is it to get in the habit of placing your keys inside of your purse. Placing your keys in your pockets and then only removing them when you are going to place them inside of a drawer, container, cup, bowl or on a shelf in your bedroom. If you place your keys in a drawer, this will keep them out of other people's temptation.

If you choose to lay your keys in a bowl, in the kitchen, there's a good chance someone will take them or another member of your family could lose them. Place your keys in a protected area, do not leave them out in the open ever.

If you want some tips to prevent you from losing your keys, simply talk to someone who rarely if ever loses their keys. Most of these people have simple and easy to follow tips. You can consciously create a habit that can save you money and frustration in the future.

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.

Greg is currently working on a spiritual video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world.

What Happens To Nonbelieving

Motivate Teenagers to Achieve

I think most of parents agree that the cause of their children's underachievement in school is often simply a lack of motivation. What can parents do to motivate their teens? Here are some ideas I want to share with you.

1. Be your teenager's supporter
Teenagers are different with young kids. A teenager wants to be treated like an "adult". I think "respecting your teenager "is the key to build a trust relationship between parents and your teens. Parents should give your teenagers as much support as you can, not control but guide your teens.

2. Expose your teenager to various ideas and areas
Sometimes a teenager lacks motivation because he or she hasn't yet been exposed to what might be a life passion. Look for different programs, give your teen a chance to try them, and keep an open mind, to help your teen to find his or her interests and passion.

3. Help your teenager make connection between schoolwork and his interests
Sometimes children lack motivation because they do not see a connection between the work they are being asked to do and their interests and goals. A teenager who wants to be a doctor should know that math and science is important in those jobs. Parents may give examples how these courses help.

4. Teach your teenager responsibility
Parents should try to make your teenager understand that freedom and power brings along some responsibilities. If your teen wants to make his or her decisions, the teen will have to take the responsibility for them.

5. Guide your teenager to find his or her goals
Individuals who have goals are highly motivated because they know what they want and work hard towards the goals. For most of teenagers, they do not know what they want to be yet, they are exploring and trying to find their values and believes and their future paths. They are usually driven by the sheer joy of participating in something they love now, and do not consider them in a long run. Parents should talk to your teens about things they enjoy right now and guide them to find what they believe about their life and set up their goals as soon as they can.

6. Set high expectations
High standards lead to high performance. If parents set clear goals and expectations for their teens and support them to achieve their goals, the teenagers become successful. This success motivates teens to feel fulfillment and do even better.

7. Use short-term goals and rewards
Sometimes a teenager gets overwhelmed by a large task and gives up before he or she even begins. Help your teen separate the task into a series of smaller tasks. Make each small task a goal and try to setting an age-appropriate reward for that goal may help.

8. Help your teenager learn to manage time
When they start school, some children usually had few problems keeping up with school work because they could learn quickly and easily, so they did not get chance to learn to manage their time in order to get work done. After they become teenagers, they face more challenge tasks, they may feel overwhelmed by the work they need to complete and do not know how to set time aside to complete their tasks. Teaching your teenager how to create and use a time-management schedule will be helpful.

These are 8 Ways to motivate teenagers. As parents, we should be good models as well. Think positively, learn and make progress constantly lifelong. Keep ourselves motivated, then we can motivate our children more effectively.

Cana has a PhD and passion on education. She believes that Kids Are our Future, she is focusing on cross-culture parenting and education. The motivation for her is to learn and explore some parenting and educational issues in order to help children to achieve in the global society.

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Using Yoga to Promote Mental Health & Fitness

When suffering from a physical illness we have obvious symptoms of pain and discomfort and rely upon familiar medical practices or natural remedies to provide relief. But psychological disturbance does not necessarily carry with it such readily discernible symptoms. This can result in the disturbance becoming clinical over time, demanding the need for psychiatric care.

In order that we avoid any anxiety about our own mental health, we need to know what the early symptoms of mental disturbance are-symptoms that have the propensity to develop into mental illness. This will enable us to be aware of any problem should it begin to develop in ourselves.

Not only that, but we need to know how we can empower ourselves to change our psychological states and habits so as to improve our mental well-being, in the event that we do develop a concern about our on psychological well-being. Studies show that the majority of people in these circumstances have little confidence about identifying or embarking upon a self-help program. Few people are aware that a proven system of psychological and intellectual betterment is at hand in the teachings of Raja Yoga.

So then, what are some of the common symptoms of mental illness?

Aside from the well known and generally acknowledged disorders such as serious stress and clinical depression which manifest in varying degrees of intensity, we can readily observe other signs of mental and emotional problems, for example:

-Exaggerated emotional responses
-Sudden mood swings
-Nervousness and fears of all kind
-Irrational speech and behavior
-Anxiety (this can apply to a limitless range of concerns)
-Chronic Allergies
-Morose or negative moods
-Lack of enthusiasm for life
-Inability to demonstrate affection
-Cruel or selfish behavior
-Chronic insomnia
-Nightmares
-Lying, stealing and other unethical behavior
-Violent behavior
-Lack of creative activity
-Reluctance to talk in a one- to-one situation
-Extreme dependence
-Inability to relax
-Unhappiness

However it is important that people don't rush headlong into self-help situations should they be experiencing one or some of these symptoms, for they man well be the result of some malady that requires the care of a health professional. In the event that such is not the case though, then some serious thought can be given to following a program of self-help; and one of the very best self-help programs a person could possibly follow-one that has stood the test of time over hundreds, even thousands of years, is Raja Yoga. People need to open their minds to the possibility that this ancient teaching can help them. They need to take a really hard look at it.

Sally Janssen is a writer and educator who from an early age trained in Raja Yoga--that branch of the ancient science that deals with the mind and its complexities. She subsequently gained an international reputation for her skills and her wisdom in the training of the mind.

In her wonderfully readable book entitled Mental Fitness: The Complete Self-help Guide she presents simple, self-help practices that help to generate and maintain mental fitness just as the natural principles of physical fitness can be personally applied by us all. The book may be found here: http://www.mentalhealthandfitness.com This really is a must-read book for us all. Sally also welcomes you to visit her blog at http://www.mentalhealthandfitness.com/blog

Need Help Remodeling Your Living Room?

If you are thinking of remodeling your living room, then you may be overwhelmed. What types of designs should you pick? What themes should you focus on? What color schemes should you choose? What design period should you emphasize?

The questions are endless. And the options are so plentiful they can make your head swim. But, there are ways to keep the process less challenging and more enjoyable. When you remember that your home is an extension of who you are, then you can relax and just let the ideas flow from your own creativity.

Think about the clothes that you wear. Consider your favorite designers for a moment. All of this will tell you your style. Do you like clean, tailored lines? Or do you prefer styles that flow and are made out of natural fabrics? Could it be that you are eclectic, and maybe even a little bit eccentric in your style choices opting for bright colors and bold patterns?

Either way you look at it, you should take cues from what's in your closet when deciding what direction to go when you are remodeling your living room. Keeping your choices in line with your tastes, as opposed to design trends, should ensure that you have an area that is comfortable and inviting to you.

Another great way to decide what you want from your new living room remodel is to watch some of the design shows on television. They are a great way to see what really inspires you. As you watch these shows, you should definitely take notes, jotting down the concepts and ideas that you find the most interesting. Once you have an idea of the room that you think you would like, you will have made major strides toward creating the room that you want.

Interior and architectural design magazines are great for finding ideas as well. Allowing these two media tools to help you really learn what brings you joy can be both educational and helpful to the overall success of your home remodeling makeover project.

Jacksonville Plumbing Contractor Rapid Dispatch Plumbing offers professional plumbing in Jacksonville for residences and businesses. For more information visit our website at http://www.RapidDispatchPlumbing.com.