Hope to start the day

By Zig Ziglar

Have you ever asked yourself any of these questions?

How do I get myself motivated?

How do I keep myself motivated?

How do I get out of discouragement and despair?

How and where do I find hope?

It seems that no matter where I travel in the world, these are common questions. Everyone has faced difficult circumstances in their life. Everyone wants to know how to get up when they get knocked down.

Today I was reading The One Year Daily Insights written by Dad. I discovered a quote of his I did not remember and it gave me incredible hope.

Here it is:

“The God Who made you can make you over.” Zig Ziglar

Now, that is an overflowing bucket full of hope!

Think about the quote for a moment – to believe anything else is telling the Creator that He is not big enough to handle your problems.

If you are not happy with who you are and where you are right now in your life, that is OK. You are not done yet! You can do something right now to improve your life.

And if you are looking for hope, well, you are not on the journey of life alone. The Creator of hope wants to share.

You are Born To Win, so go ahead and Live To Win!

Tom Ziglar

P.S. Quote of the Day: “The God Who made you can make you over.” Zig Ziglar

13:25:00 - By Vincent 0

Will You Change Your Lifestyle For A Cause

 By Harleena Singh 

If the world demands you to change your lifestyle – will you do it?

Okay, let me put it in another way.

Is it asking for too much if you are requested to make lifestyle changes in your life for a cause?

I know what you’d think. Your decision might depend on a few things.

If the need is genuine, if the situation is so alarming, and whether it will really make a difference.

Let me tell you that the answer to all of the above is “YES”.

Your lifestyle is directly related to global warming.

I’m sorry if this is a shocker for you, but it’s a truth that we all need to accept.

The need for a change of lifestyle is genuine because the global conditions are really alarming.

Certainly, your lifestyle change can make a whole lot of difference in saving the face of the earth – in saving the planet.

If you’re wondering why did I bring up this issue and why am I so serious, read further.

What is The Real Problem

Probably, everybody has heard of climate change and global warming.

Yes you’ve, but you’re still confused what has that got to do with changing the way you live! Hang on,  let me explain.

Abnormal change in weather conditions are caused due to certain human practices and the way of life, which result in global warming.

Global warming is the heating up of the Earth’s environment due to the increasing greenhouse gas levels.

Most of it is due to the emission of carbon dioxide out of burning of fossil fuel, and discharge of CFC gases when we use things like air conditioners.

Now, air conditioners, electronic devices, appliances, gizmos, vehicles, are all a part of our lifestyle – isn’t it?

If you all change your lifestyle and reduce the use of all these things, you might be able to change the global scenario.

Don’t take me wrong!

All these things and technology are not bad and even using them is essential. But, you can make a choice for a different way of living so that your life is not centered on, or around them.

If you still doubt the necessity of lifestyle change, then read these mind blowing facts!

Recent Change of Lifestyle and its Negative Impact

Did you know that the heat spike you experienced this year was the maximum our Earth experienced in the last 11,000 years!

Now that’s really serious, isn’t it?

Research shows that the globe was cooling for several thousands of years until the 20th century, when the trend reversed.

The duration from 1900 to 1910 was in fact one of the coolest in the past 11,000 years. But after that, it all changed.

The heating increased since 1910, and within a century, the globe was the warmest ever from 2000 to 2010!

Such rapid and dramatic change in the global temperature was never observed in the past. This proves that global warming is not natural; it is abnormal.

And, all of this is directly related to the lifestyle we adopted since the 20th century.

I’m sure this gives you clear signal to change your lifestyle that at present most probably depends on excessive use of energy and power derived from conventional sources.

Imagine that it took the world from ice age to up to 7000 years ago to warm up by 1.25 degrees. Contrastingly, we made it happen in just two decades – from 1920s to 1940s!

Hey, what are you up to?

It’s high time you acknowledge this fact that every single person contributes to global warming and the climate change on Earth.

The problem is grave and the consequences could be very bad unless you take steps to reduce global warming.

You cannot ignore to change your lifestyle for the better anymore. I’m not talking about exercising and having healthy food choices in life, which are essential.

However, it’s more about making a choice to lessen using things that utilize fossil fuels directly or indirectly, and not becoming dependent on them. Click here to know about fossil fuel.

To save the world from destruction, you need to change your lifestyle, as much as you can.

What Can You Do To Change Your Lifestyle

How can you control global warming? How is your lifestyle responsible for it? What lifestyle changes do you need to make?

Of course, you can’t make any big or drastic changes, which aren’t expected either.

But you can surely help a little to discharge less carbon dioxide and other harmful gases that cause the green house effect.

You see, every electrical, electronic equipment, or device you use, and every petrol, diesel, or gas powered vehicle you drive – contributes to global warming.

Of course, you cannot literally stop using all these – it’s not possible in this modern age.

However, what you can do is to reduce their usage, or not unnecessarily spend energy in these activities.

How to do that? You got plenty of matter online if you’re concerned.

Remember, that most of the energy and power you use comes from the fossil fuels, which are limited.

Overuse might make them extinct, and you might just plunge back into the dark ages!

You should not only think of yourself, but as responsible citizens and parents, you need to think ahead about your children and their children, and so on.

You want a safer and comfortable world for them – don’t you?

What you and I need is more energy production using the non-conventional energy resources like solar energy, wind energy, water energy, and others.

More so, it is the governments that should be doing all the needful, and they’ll prioritize this exercise only if we pressurize them.

Earth Hour – A Signal to Change Lifestyle for A Cause

Earth Hour is merely symbolic. It is an initiative to encourage people to take up the responsibility of the damage that is done to the Earth’s environment.

Earth Hour is celebrated since 2007 in the month of March.

It is not only about and limited to switching off lights and not using the power for one hour, it is more about changing your lifestyle, and taking it beyond just one hour.

I would say that Earth Hour should be practiced as much as possible and not just limited to an hour on a particular day. However, let’s try to use this day to begin creating awareness – isn’t it?

There are some who don’t believe that such events would’ve any significant effect to change the lifestyle that is a norm and has been followed for more than a century.

Few regard the concept of Earth Hour as “anti-technology” and take it as an insult to human progress and scientific development.

I don’t think Earth Hour suggests not using technology, or demeans it in anyway.

Instead, it conveys to not be entirely dependent on conventional sources of energy and to develop a lifestyle to minimize its use.

And, I believe if one person can make a difference, then there’s no doubt that we all together can surely bring about the change that is required, if we just make up our minds, right?

Check out this video and see what people are doing all over the world.

Earth Hour 2014 Official Video ~ YouTube Video

If you all close lights for one hour,
it can save enough energy to light up the homes of many around the globe for months.

What To Do and Not to Do During Earth Hour

In the one hour of blackout, you must be wondering what in the world will you do!

You’re so dependent on light and power that you can’t even think of living without it – isn’t it?

“How can I survive without electricity for one full hour? That’s insane!” some would say. See, how much dependent we’ve become on electricity. 

I know such thoughts creep in as change is difficult. And, it is not easy to break our habits, or move out of our comfort zones.

C’mon, take it as a challenge or an adventure. Be a sport and come up with an innovative idea to be a part of this global revolution.

Okay, so maybe you plan to have a candle light dinner to celebrate that one hour of darkness. Well, that’s kind of being innovative but still you’d be emitting green house gas!

How can using candles cause more harm? It is because candles are made from paraffin, which are in fact derived from crude oil or a fossil fuel.

So, the more candles you use, the more you contribute to carbon dioxide emissions! You should better use some eco-friendly candles, if you want to use them at all.

Alternatively, try using some cooking oil in a small dish, make a cotton wick by rolling some cotton into a thick string, and soak it in the oil. Light up one end of the cotton.

Even going for a ride in your vehicle will not be a good idea as you burn more fuel and cause traffic jams that add to the trouble.

Let’s stick to our base, home or elsewhere, and try not to use electricity in any way in that one hour.

You may not use your: TV, computer, Internet, any electrical or electronic device, including lights, fans, air conditioner, heaters, and so on. All of them or some of them, if possible.

Even if you use things like mobile and battery inventors, you’ll spend more energy charging them later. So, try to avoid them.

That is so difficult, isn’t it? It is almost like living in the medieval dark ages! I agree. 

But look on the brighter side. This one hour give you the time to:

1. Be with Yourself – Meditate, or sit quietly at some place. Observe life.

2. Relax – You don’t do anything, but relax. You can even pray, if you feel you never had the time to do that earlier.

3. Talk – You can talk to your spouse, your parents, and spend time with your children. I’m sure technology has made your life so busy and hectic that you hardly find time for these essential activities.

4. Engage – Reach out to your neighbors, and socialize with them. Have a gathering in a common area out in the open and just chill out!

5. Skywatch – When did you last look up the sky?

Just sit or lie down from where you can access the view to the sky, and simply gaze up. You might spot Jupiter, Mercury, and Saturn if you know where to look!

6. Walk – Do you go for your morning or evening walks? It yes, then change your timings to match the Earth Hour timing for a day. If you don’t walk, this might be a good reason to start.

7. CFL – Use this spare time to change all conventional bulbs in your house to CFL bulbs. They use less power.

Hey! It’s amazing that by changing your lifestyle and banishing electrical power for one hour you get to do so many things you never found time for before!

You make up so much of family time, time for your spouse, and for yourself.

Earth Hour not only saves you money but buys you happiness for free! Don’t you agree?

Don’t you think you should’ve such events often giving you the opportunity to relax and rewind. 

Let me know more ideas in the comments regarding what all you can do during the Earth Hour and at other times when you want to save the carbon energy resources of our Earth.

Earth Hour Action

If possible switch off the power/lights of your house or wherever you’re, or switch off as much or as many things you can on Saturday, March 23, 2013 March 29, 2014 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. your local time.

Don’t miss it – it is your commitment and duty as the citizen of the world.

There’s a movement called “I will if you will.” Let’s use its power.

I will do it, will you?

Let’s spread it across and reach millions worldwide. Tweet about it. Share with your Face Book fans and friends in other social networks.

“It’s not just an hour of darkness. It’s about a brighter future.” ~ Earth Hour

Are you ready?

Over to You –

Do you believe in global warming and climate change? Do you think Earth Hour is helpful in anyway? Would you participate in this global movement? How do you plan to change your lifestyle for Earth’s better future? Share your views below and help spread the awareness.

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13:30:00 - By Vincent 0

Social Media, FOMO and the Perfect Storm for the Quarter-Life Crisis

By Rebecca Strong

“Your twenties are the best time in your life. You have nothing to worry about yet.” — my delusional uncle, December 2010.

For some, it hits right after they’re handed a college diploma. Set free in the “real world,” they feel lost — overwhelmed by their options and flailing around trying to figure out what to do with their degrees (all while dealing with a pile of debt). For others, the panic sweeps in a slow burn and sets in later. They watch as one by one, their friends get engaged or achieve professional success, leaving them feeling unsure of the decisions they’ve made, the path they’ve taken and ultimately, perhaps a bit inadequate.

While the term may have only been coined in recent years, it’s become increasingly clear that the quarter-life crisis is a very real thing. The phenomenon, which can occur anytime between one’s early 20s and early 30s, is characterized by disappointments, insecurities, loneliness and depression. And a study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Development found that 39 percent of men and 49 percent of women reported feeling such a crisis in their twenties. Furthermore, according to a survey conducted by Gumtree.com, 86 percent of young people admitted feeling under pressure to succeed in their relationships, finances and jobs before hitting 30, 32 percent felt under pressure to marry and have children by the age of 30, and 21 percent wanted a complete career change.

At a British Psychological Society meeting, researchers broke down the quarter-life crisis into five key phases based on their studies of various individuals who’d experienced one:

• Phase 1: A feeling of being locked in by your life choices — whether a job, relationship, or both — as though you have been living your life on autopilot.
• Phase 2: A rising sense of “I’ve got to get out” and that change is possible.
• Phase 3: Quitting whatever is making you feel trapped and embarking on a “time out” period where you try out new experiences to figure out who you want to be.
• Phase 4: A period of rebuilding your life.
• Phase 5: Developing and cementing new commitments that better reflect your interests and aspirations.

Of course the trigger — and trajectory — for these crises is slightly different for every individual. But on the whole, it’s a remarkably similar experience, and in some ways, seems to have become a sort of rite of passage. In fact, I’m hard pressed to think of a single friend who I haven’t witnessed experience some form of this phenomenon already. Some of us are still treading through it, just trying to stay above water. Some have made it through unscathed to the other side.

Lately I’ve been thinking about how different the life of a 20-something is now than it was 30 or 40 years ago, for our parents. Sure, some of that has to do with the economy/job market, changing social pressures, shifting gender roles, etc. But a lot of it has to do with technology. More specifically, it has to do with social media.

Log onto Facebook in your 20s and you’re bound to see someone flashing their engagement ring. Check LinkedIn and you can’t escape noticing your old colleague just got promoted. Scroll through Instagram and you might come across your college roomie vacationing with his or her S.O. at some chic resort in St. Bart’s. Social media fuels our hunger for fantasy, and we can lose ourselves in it. But we’re only seeing a carefully crafted slice of someone’s life — which they’ve probably slapped a filter on — and it can make us feel like we’re falling short when the fact is, we’re not seeing the whole picture.

In short, many of us are suffering from permanent fear of missing out. “FOMO,” which was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2013, refers to the feeling of “anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere.” And certainly, for someone on the brink of — or in the throes of — a quarter life crisis, being constantly confronted with others’ successes on social media will only fuel this.

So even though our parents may have been plagued by the fear that somewhere, someone is having a better time, thanks to social networks, we millennials have at our fingertips what we consider proof that someone has a better job, a better car, a better relationship, is making more money, etc. No surprise here: A 2014 study in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions found a correlation between higher social media usage and depression/anxiety. Furthermore, research by Psychology Today reveals that key themes in relation to the negative consequences of FOMO include self-identity problems, loneliness, negative self-image, feelings of personal inadequacy, disconnection and jealousy. Sound familiar? They’re almost identical to the symptoms of the quarter-life crisis.

Is giving up on social media the answer? Not for everyone. Staying connected to people going through the same crises can be crucial for remembering that you’re not alone in this, and better yet, that will you will get through it. The key seems to be a shift in mindset — realizing that this phase of life is not one-size-fits-all, that the so-called life milestones ingrained in our brains by societal norms are certainly not anything to measure our happiness against.

At the core of the quarter-life crisis is the burning feeling that you need to already have achieved certain things by a certain age. Newsflash: you define your own success and happiness. And more importantly, the success and happiness of others that you think you’re witnessing on social channels isn’t necessarily a reflection of their reality. You don’t know the incessant arguments those newlyweds are already having — and they certainly wouldn’t tweet about them. You don’t know that your former fraternity brother who just posted on Facebook about his high-paying job is secretly miserable because he’s working 14-hour days. You don’t know what dreams the young, smiling mom with her Instagrams of the seemingly perfect family gave up on to have kids a little sooner than she was ready for. In other words, those people you think have it “all figured out”? They don’t know what the hell they’re doing either. It’s just that people choose only to highlight the most glamorous snippets of their lives on these sites.

So instead of wasting time comparing yourself to others, spend it figuring out what’s meaningful to you. What makes you tick. What kind of change you want to see in the world. And remember this: synonyms for the word “crisis” include a turning point, a crossroads. It may not feel like it, but this painful phase is the beginning of something great: taking your life back.

SOURCE

11:00:00 - By Vincent 0