Presentaions- I'm scared to death to speak in public. I want to change this!!!

This is a article I found on presentations: I hope to overcome my fears.

Personal Branding Comes to the Rescue when Speaking Publicly


June 05, 2007

By Dan Schawbel and Lou Longo



Forty percent of all people are more afraid of public speaking than of dying. It is a national fear among students and professionals alike.



What can you do to alleviate this common stress factor? Start by investing time in building your brand and strengthening your confidence level. Everyone has a personal brand; they just need to discover, create and maintain it over time.



Personal branding defined: An individual's total perceived value, relative to competitors, as viewed by their audience.



The concept is broken into four elements: personality, appearance, competencies and differentiation. When these elements are integrated they become your core message. Your core message is unique to only you and is valued by members of your audience.



Personality: Your behavior, interpersonal communication skills and attitudes toward your audience.





Appearance: Your body language, clothing attire and overall posture.



Competencies: The technical skills that fulfill job requirements.



Differentiation: The factor that separates one individual from anther and leaves a lasting memory in the minds of the audience.



The personality element is most prominent when you are speaking publicly to either a small group or large audience. When speaking in front of an audience, your credibility is at stake and you will be judged based on members from your audience. The only way to truly linger in the minds of your audience is through personality and in this way you need to use the differentiation element to stand out from the hundreds of other voices they hear each day. This is a great opportunity to use your core message, with emphasis on personality and captivating your audience through creativity, real life examples or quotes. There are many great and talented public speakers out there, all having exceptional personal brands.



Have you ever listened to a speaker at an event or meeting that just blew you away? Did you walk out of there wondering where he or she got their training or how they were able to deliver such a great message? Then tell us, what was the message? You probably can’t remember? Four percent and 100 percent. A former colleague who always made us feel this way once gave me these numbers. He said, "People generally retain or remember four percent of the content of any presentation, speech or talk, but they always remember 100 percent of how they felt about it."



How can you have a similar affect on your audience regardless if it is five or 500 people? Prepare, relax, be yourself and then just do it. Some of the greatest football coaches will tell you that most games are won before the ball is even snapped and it is mainly a result of solid practice (preparation) and scouting (knowledge). If public speaking is either a new experience or not a currently a comfort zone, treat it like running or skiing. You do not want to start with a marathon or a black diamond, you want to ease your way in and soon you will be ready for anything.



Tips to remember.



1. Tell your audience a story that they can relate to and follow and do not be afraid to use yourself as an example when you can. Stories are not just for children—we all love a good book or movie especially when it grabs us early as we never want it to end. But it always does and then you are left with the memory of how you felt about it.



2. If you are not speaking about an experience or topic that you know flawlessly, be sure you have done your homework.



3. Be careful when quoting statistics unless you are absolutely sure about them or have the source as there could always be that one person that will try to challenge them during your talk.



4. Tell your story, your way, how you feel about it.



5. If you are not a data person then do not go up there with pie charts and graphs. It is not who you are and you cannot be something you are not either.



6. If you do not like reading from a script you can use cards. Cards are great for many people as it lets them keep their topics in good order and drive home key points.



You must decide what works best for you and then go out and do it. Think back to the very first time you ever drove a car when you were 15 or 16 years old. You were probably nervous, stiff and over-cautious and if you were like us, blew out a clutch while learning. Now, driving is natural and easy for you. Public speaking can be the same way. Whether it is a black diamond, exercising or driving a car, prepare, know the path, enjoy it and be yourself.



Dan Schawbel, personal branding spokesman, has motivated, advised and mentored both students and young professionals. He has preached, blogged and written articles for The New York Times and The Association of Career Development. Visit http://personalbrandingblog.com.

Lou Longo, public speaking expert, teaches people and groups about life. His professional and personal experiences provide people with examples, lessons and recommendations on how to "Inspire First" so that the results you are looking for will naturally follow. And for when they don't, he'll show people how that can be valuable for you too. Visit http://enlivenfirst.com.

I'm proud to be American

I'm proud to be American not just on the holidays but everyday when I wake up and I KNOW I'm free :) Thanks to all the BRAVE men and woman who fight everyday for my freedom!!!! May GOD continue to bless each and everyone of you. It's sad to see so many take what you do for granted. KNOW THAT YOU ARE LOVED AND APPRECIATED BY SO MANY ♥ GOD BLESS AMERICA ♥

Photoshop pictures,,,no one is what they seem!!! We live in a society that makes us think we are NEVER good enough .

Cool new gadgets I want

iNnovation: 2 Freakishly Futuristic iPhone Add-Ons

When the iPhone came out, did anyone really expect it to spawn all kinds of bizarre add-on devices that could make this seemingly innocuous smartphone powerful enough to do pretty much whatever we want it to? Well, we have a feeling some people did, because iPhone gadgets with associated apps have been bouncing out left and right. One of the most interesting (and useful) ones we’ve seen lately is this $50 dongle that turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a universal remote. It’s made by L5 Technology, who debuted the device at CES 2010. According to them, it’ll actually control any compatible device within about 30 feet via a free app from the app store. Just select the devices you want to control, drag and drop buttons where you want them, and you’re good to go.

Another handy invention to debut at CES was the Mophie credit card reader device. It’ll let you take payments with nothing more than your iPhone, a third-party app, and this little device which attaches directly to your phone. Imagine how much easier this would be for merchants than carrying around a computer to take credit cards at trade shows and other remote locations.

Neck-Mounted Camera Lets You Blog Every Second of Life

You thought those personal blogs detailing every moment of some random person’s every day were annoying? Get ready for an even more personal level of sharing: the Vicon Revue is a wearable digital camera that takes pictures all day with no effort on the user’s part. The first version released is a research model used as a “memory aid” for people with Alzheimer’s or other memory issues…but the consumer version will likely be used for photographic picblogging of the fascinating minutiae of strangers’ lives.

The camera is equipped with a whole suite of sensors that tell it when to start snapping furiously. When the wearer’s environmental conditions – like the lighting level or ambient temperature – change, it snaps one pic per second. Otherwise, it takes a new picture every 30 seconds.If you’re the type of person who is inclined to record every second of every day, the Vicon Revue offers a simple way to do that without putting a lot of work into it. And since the camera is worn around the neck instead of held up to the face, it’s possible that the people you interact with will feel more at-ease than they would with a conventional camera pointed at them.

Cool Underwater Camera Casts Off to Catch Sea Life Pics

Here’s an invention for everyone who loves watching marine life at the beach but doesn’t want to actually get into the water. The Beriscope looks like a child’s toy, but it’s actually a little more sophisticated than that. The spherical end of the gizmo – which is actually a camera – is attached to a long tether that allows the ball to descend into the water. The user then places the device up to their eyes to watch the underwater show.

Throwing the camera into the water is a bit like casting a fishing line: you rear back and then let it go with all your might. When you’re ready to bring the camera back up, just twist on the opposite hand grip and the cord retracts like magic. Everything is coated in protective rubber, minimizing the chance that the device will be broken on the way down or the way back up.

It’s easy to imagine a gadget like this being used to scout out potential diving spots or just to get a taste of what it’s like under the water for those who aren’t able to scuba dive. It would be nearly impossible to direct the ball camera to a specific place, so this camera seems best left to those who are able to go with the flow and watch whatever underwater visions might happen to float by. But if the designer, Jaewon Choi, were able to add a light to the design, we can see it becoming a hot rental item at beaches all around the world.

Reasons to Smile

Walking down the busy city streets today in the pure sunlight I noticed that very few people were smiling, happy or showing any emotion at all!

Here I was beaming like a light....The funny thing is I actually felt guilty for being happy!

That's Insane!

How could this be? How could I have only noticed it now? Have you ever noticed this?

SO. The result of this I wrote all of the reason any human being on the planet should never frown again!

1 ) You are alive

2 ) You have breathe, some people need to be hooked up to a monitor in order to breathe

3 ) How can you be upset if you have no idea who you are? We are all a mystery.

4 ) You have food to eat, and a computer to read more beautiful things about yourself on.

5 ) You ARE

6 ) You are what you think, that is just beautiful!

7 ) You don't suffer from insanity

8 ) What have you ever accomplished angry? Happiness is creation.

9 ) You are more productive when you smile

10 ) When you encounter someone, do you want them to be angry or sad?

11 ) What would you do if everyone behaved like you ? How would the world be ?

12 ) Did you eat today?

13 ) Do you have to fight for your life today?

14 ) Are you in good enough health to notice?

15 ) Did you do your exercise today ?

16 ) How much progress have you made since you were a child?

17 ) What do you want to do with today ?

18 ) Do you love someone?

19 ) Have you ever felt love?

20 ) How many reasons do YOU need to smile? The answer is none.

The Beatles said it well,

"All you need is love"

Some of my favorite pictures from my childhood

My mom is the most amazing woman in the world!!! I will never forget how much you sacrifice to keep us all together!!! This picture is my favorite even-though it was taken after you and Dad got a divorce. You are a strong and brave woman!!!



I've always had a love for horses!!!



ANGELA YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MY BIG SIS!!!! I LOVE YOU



I will always be my mom's little girl!!! I LOVE YOU MOM



I miss my grandparents so much!!!! You will always be close to my heart!!!

LOVE YOUR LIFE

SMILE AND BE YOURSELF!!!!



READ A BOOK!!!! It's ok,,,I have a great sense of humor. LAUGH OUT LOUD!!!





Do something you LOVE!!! I enjoy riding motorcycles!!!



Act SILLY!!! WHO CARES WHAT PEOPLE THINK!!!




Dance and HAVE FUN!!!!

Melanie and Peanut

In the beginning






I LOVE MY BABY BOY PEANUT!!!!

“The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make heaven of Hell, and a hell of Heaven.” – John Milton





Relax -- What's That?
I have trouble relaxing. I don't think I'm alone in my inability to completely relax. How many of us leave our offices every night and leave our jobs behind until the next morning? Not many, I'm sure. So many of us, thanks to technology, find ourselves bringing work with us, even when we are on vacation. I encourage you to take time away from work when you can, but even if that isn't possible, you should find a little time to relax each day. Your mind, body and soul will feel much better.

Do you need a Brand Amabassador???

http://www.masternewmedia.org/the-brand-ambassador-marketing-model-guide/

How to Be Kind

1. Be happy (not phony happy). Before you can be kind to others you have to be kind to yourself. Calling yourself fat or ugly makes you feel bad and you may try to criticize other people for justification.

2. Avoid gossiping/spreading rumors about other people. If someone is being mean to another person, like calling them stupid or fat, try not to join in. You could even stand up for them. If your friends are aggressively teasing or gossiping about someone, give a non-confrontational defense---such as "She's always been nice to me" (provided she has always been nice to you; lying is wrong, so don't lie)---or steer them away from that conversation topic to at least delay them until you leave.

3.Be a good listener. When talking to someone, try to listen and sincerely pay attention until they are almost done.

4.Compliment people lavishly. For example, to comment on something they're wearing, you can say "Oh, I love your shirt!" or "Your shoes are awesome!". Try not to get jealous; if they know you're jealous it can cause an awkward moment; it's very awkward when you want something they're wearing. If someone compliments you, thank them and continue what you were doing or compliment them in return, out of obligation (remember this person is trying to be nice and friendly towards you, perhaps wanting to be your friend).

5. Be yourself, don't concern yourself with whether or not you look "dumb" while you are doing something; most of the time people aren't really paying attention anyway.

6. Start each day with a plan. Think of what you would like to see and do, then think of someone who is lonely, perhaps lives alone and has no family (the more depressed the better!). Ask this person to join you in your plan for the day. Share your time with them (e.g. ask them to lunch); this could be the highlight of their week or life. Take joy in making others happy!

7. Offer to pet-sit when you know a friend is going on vacation. If you know a neighbor is sick, ask them if they need groceries when you go grocery shopping.

8. Stop and talk to someone who is lonely, share a cup of coffee and pay twice the bill.

9. Whatever you say, whenever you say it, do so in a calm, polite voice that is respectful to the other party. Don't unneccessarily raise your voice, as it makes you seem like a rude person.

10. Help, even if you aren't asked. You should look around to see if anyone needs help and help them without prompt. It can be a simple thing, to help someone with something that he seems to have difficulties in or something you think he needs or will need. Whenever you can, try to help someone else. It could be at their work, with their homework or about their relationships and more. If someone asks you something, be open-minded and don't immediately dismiss them, try to be as helpful as you can. Even if you don't do what they asked, you can at least suggest another to possibly aid them.

11. Make it a hobby to volunteer somewhere every once in a while or do something really nice for other people.

12. Don't feel the need to gloat about your good-deeds; be humble. Doing something nice solely for the good graces of those around you isn't really kindness. Aiding someone unaware of your help can feel just as good.

13. Adopt pets; it is an excellent exercise of loving kindness. You can even adopt temporarily by offering to foster an animal and help socialize it so that it can be adopted by another family or person.

14. If someone is upset, comfort them by consoling them and giving them a hug. Ask them if they would like to talk about it. If they have had a fallen out with a friend that is your friend, hear both sides of the story before picking sides and do not annoy them if they want to talk in private.

Quotations about Happiness

The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself. ~Benjamin Franklin


Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it. ~Jacques Prévert


If you want to be happy, be. ~Leo Tolstoy


Happiness is never stopping to think if you are. ~Palmer Sondreal


Most people would rather be certain they're miserable, than risk being happy. ~Robert Anthony


The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up. ~Mark Twain


If only we'd stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time. ~Edith Wharton


Happiness is excitement that has found a settling down place. But there is always a little corner that keeps flapping around. ~E.L. Konigsburg


Nobody really cares if you're miserable, so you might as well be happy. ~Cynthia Nelms


Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness. ~Robertson Davies


Those who can laugh without cause have either found the true meaning of happiness or have gone stark raving mad. ~Norm Papernick


Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it. ~Fyodor Dostoevsky


What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner. ~Colette


The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet. ~James Openheim


Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open. ~John Barrymore


"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called. ~A.A. Milne


People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost. ~H. Jackson Browne


It's pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness. Poverty and wealth have both failed. ~Frank McKinney "Kin" Hubbard


Happiness and sadness run parallel to each other. When one takes a rest, the other one tends to take up the slack. ~Hazelmarie Elliott (“Mattie”)


Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want. ~Margaret Young


Indeed, man wishes to be happy even when he so lives as to make happiness impossible. ~St. Augustine


Can anything be so elegant as to have few wants, and to serve them one's self? ~Ralph Waldo Emerson


There are two things to aim at in life: first, to get what you want; and after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second. ~Logan Pearsall Smith, Afterthoughts, 1931


This is my "depressed stance." When you're depressed, it makes a lot of difference how you stand. The worst thing you can do is straighten up and hold your head high because then you'll start to feel better. If you're going to get any joy out of being depressed, you've got to stand like this. ~Charlie Brown


Pleasure is spread through the earth
In stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find.
~William Wordsworth, 1806


Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne


Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. ~Abraham Lincoln


Happiness is a form of courage. ~Holbrook Jackson


We must laugh before we are happy, for fear of dying without having laughed at all. ~Jean de La Bruyere


Tranquil pleasures last the longest; we are not fitted to bear the burden of great joys. ~Christian Nestell Bovee


We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. ~Frederick Keonig


Happiness pulses with every beat of my heart. ~Terri Guillemets


Every now and then,
when the world sits just right,
a gentle breath of heaven
fills my soul with delight...
~Hazelmarie ‘Mattie’ Elliott, A Breath of Heaven


It's never too late to have a happy childhood. ~Berke Breathed


Happiness is the soundtrack of my life. ~Grey Livingston


Happiness? That's nothing more than health and a poor memory. ~Albert Schweitzer


Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. ~Eleanor Roosevelt


Happiness is a direction, not a place. ~Sydney J. Harris


Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important. ~Janet Lane


A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour. ~Author Unknown


If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. ~Dalai Lama


Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower. ~Author Unknown


There is no cosmetic for beauty like happiness. ~Lady Blessington


The best vitamin to be a happy person is B1. ~Author Unknown


A great obstacle to happiness is to expect too much happiness. ~Bernard de Fontenelle


Is it not clear, however, that bliss and envy are the numerator and denominator of the fraction called happiness? ~Yevgeny Zamyatin


A happy thought is like a seed that sows positivity for all to reap. ~Miriam Muhammad


Happiness is not an ideal of reason, but of imagination. ~Immanuel Kant


Man must search for what is right, and let happiness come on its own. ~Johann Pestalozzi


He is rich or poor according to what he is, not according to what he has. ~Henry Ward Beecher


If you search the world for happiness, you may find it in the end, for the world is round and will lead you back to your door. ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com


Just as a cautious businessman avoids investing all his capital in one concern, so wisdom would probably admonish us also not to anticipate all our happiness from one quarter alone. ~Sigmund Freud


There are some days when I think I'm going to die from an overdose of satisfaction. ~Salvador Dali



The secret of happiness is to find a congenial monotony. ~V.S. Pritchett


We are no longer happy so soon as we wish to be happier. ~Walter Savage Landor


The only way to avoid being miserable is not to have enough leisure to wonder whether you are happy or not. ~George Bernard Shaw


Real elation is when you feel you could touch a star without standing on tiptoe. ~Doug Larson


The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness. ~Eric Hoffer, The Passionate State of Mind, 1954


If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have a paradise in a few years. ~Bertrand Russell


The world is full of people looking for spectacular happiness while they snub contentment. ~Doug Larson


Cheerfulness is what greases the axles of the world. Don't go through life creaking. ~H.W. Byles


What I'm looking for is a blessing that's not in disguise. ~Kitty O'Neill Collins


My crown is called content, a crown that seldom kings enjoy. ~William Shakespeare


Ask yourself whether you are happy and you cease to be so. ~John Stuart Mill, Autobiography, 1873


We are seldom happy with what we now have, but would go to pieces if we lost any part of it. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960


The happiness which is lacking makes one think even the happiness one has unbearable. ~Joseph Roux


As people spin faster and faster in the pursuit of merely personal happiness, they become exhausted in the futile effort of chasing themselves. ~Andrew Delbanco


Happiness is the feeling you're feeling when you want to keep feeling it. ~Author Unknown


Joy is a flower that blooms when you do. ~Author Unknown


So long as we can lose any happiness, we possess some. ~Booth Tarkington


Jumping for joy is good exercise. ~Author Unknown


Seeking happiness, I passed many travelers headed in the opposite direction, seeking happiness. ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com


She thinks that happiness is a mat that sits on her doorway. ~Rob Thomas, "3 A.M."


Happiness is a by-product of an effort to make someone else happy. ~Gretta Brooker Palmer


Happiness is a way station between too little and too much. ~Channing Pollock, Mr. Moneypenny


The happy have whole days,
and those they choose.
The unhappy have but hours,
and those they lose.
~Colley Cibber


When I do not walk in the clouds I walk as though I were lost. ~Antonio Porchia, Voces, 1943, translated from Spanish by W.S. Merwin


The art of living does not consist in preserving and clinging to a particular mode of happiness, but in allowing happiness to change its form without being disappointed by the change; happiness, like a child, must be allowed to grow up. ~Charles L. Morgan


Happiness is a matter of one's most ordinary and everyday mode of consciousness being busy and lively and unconcerned with self. ~Iris Murdoch


Happiness is... usually attributed by adults to children, and by children to adults. ~Thomas Szasz


When neither their property nor their honor is touched, the majority of men live content. ~Niccolo Machiavelli


You cannot always have happiness, but you can always give happiness. ~Author Unknown


The happiness of most people is not ruined by great catastrophes or fatal errors, but by the repetition of slowly destructive little things. ~Ernest Dimnet


One joy scatters a hundred griefs. ~Chinese Proverb


We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it than to consume wealth without producing it. ~George Bernard Shaw, Candida, 1898


One should be either sad or joyful. Contentment is a warm sty for eaters and sleepers. ~Eugene O'Neill


A man's as miserable as he thinks he is. ~Seneca


One filled with joy preaches without preaching. ~Mother Teresa


Misery is almost always the result of thinking. ~Joseph Joubert


My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate. ~Thornton Wilder


Be happy. It's one way of being wise. ~Colette


Precisely the least, the softest, lightest, a lizard's rustling, a breath, a flash, a moment - a little makes the way of the best happiness. ~Frederich Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zarathustra


The greatest happiness you can have is knowing that you do not necessarily require happiness. ~William Saroyan


People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy. ~Anton Chekhov


Happiness grows at our own firesides, and is not to be picked in strangers' gardens. ~Douglas Jerrold


Unhappiness is not knowing what we want and killing ourselves to get it. ~Don Herold


If you are not happy here and now, you never will be. ~Taisen Deshimaru


It is strange what a contempt men have for the joys that are offered them freely. ~Georges Duhamel


If the day and night be such that you greet them with joy, and life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet-scented herbs, is more elastic, more immortal - that is your success. All nature is your congratulation, and you have cause momentarily to bless yourself. ~Henry David Thoreau, Walden


The fact is always obvious much too late, but the most singular difference between happiness and joy is that happiness is a solid and joy a liquid. ~J.D. Salinger


There is no expert on what happiness is but many on what it might have been. ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com


Eden is that old-fashioned house we dwell in every day
Without suspecting our abode until we drive away.
~Emily Dickinson


Happiness is a function of accepting what is. ~Werner Erhard


Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and precious it is. ~Maxim Gorky


Unquestionably, it is possible to do without happiness; it is done involuntarily by nineteen-twentieths of mankind. ~John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism, 1863


Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. ~Joseph Addison


Pleasure is very seldom found where it is sought. Our brightest blazes are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks. ~Samuel Johnson


There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do. ~Freya Stark, The Journey's Echo


Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com


In order to have great happiness you have to have great pain and unhappiness - otherwise how would you know when you're happy? ~Leslie Caron


On the whole, the happiest people seem to be those who have no particular cause for being happy except that they are so. ~William R. Inge


To be happy, we must not be too concerned with others. ~Albert Camus, The Fall, 1956


Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. ~Mahatma Gandhi


When you're really happy, the birds chirp and the sun shines even on cold dark winter nights - and flowers will bloom on a barren land. ~Grey Livingston


Happiness is like the penny candy of our youth: we got a lot more for our money back when we had no money. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960


Happiness is the interval between periods of unhappiness. ~Don Marquis


If someone loves a flower of which just one example exists among all the millions and millions of stars, that's enough to make him happy when he looks at the stars. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince, 1943, translated from French by Richard Howard


Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy. ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com


When a man has lost all happiness, he's not alive. Call him a breathing corpse. ~Sophocles


Many things can make you miserable for weeks; few can bring you a whole day of happiness. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960


Real happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit. ~Hosea Ballou


To be obliged to beg our daily happiness from others bespeaks a more lamentable poverty than that of him who begs his daily bread. ~Charles Caleb Colton


Some pursue happiness, others create it. ~Author Unknown


The essence of philosophy is that a man should so live that his happiness shall depend as little as possible on external things. ~Epictetus


Gather the crumbs of happiness and they will make you a loaf of contentment. ~Author Unknown


Give a man health and a course to steer, and he'll never stop to trouble about whether he's happy or not. ~George Bernard Shaw


Happiness is the natural flower of duty. ~Phillips Brooks


But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads? ~Albert Camus


Happiness is not being pained in body or troubled in mind. ~Thomas Jefferson


We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements in life, when all we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about. ~Charles Kingsley


You need to learn to be happy by nature, because you'll seldom have the chance to be happy by circumstance. ~Lavetta Sue Wegman


It is a comely fashion to be glad; Joy is the grace we say to God. ~Jean Ingelow


If you observe a really happy man you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, growing double dahlias in his garden, or looking for dinosaur eggs in the Gobi desert. He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled under the radiator. He will not be striving for it as a goal in itself. He will have become aware that he is happy in the course of living life twenty-four crowded hours of the day. ~W. Beran Wolfe


You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life. ~Albert Camus


Happiness is the resultant of the relative strengths of positive and negative feelings rather than an absolute amount of one or the other. ~Norman Bradburn


If you ever find happiness by hunting for it, you will find it, as the old woman did her lost spectacles, safe on her own nose all the time. ~Josh Billings


Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn't stop to enjoy it. ~William Feather


Happiness is your dentist telling you it won't hurt and then having him catch his hand in the drill. ~Johnny Carson


I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy. ~J.D. Salinger


Before we set our hearts too much on anything, let us examine how happy are those who already possess it. ~François Duc de La Rochefoucauld


Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. ~Marcel Proust


For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness. ~Author Unknown


To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness. ~Bertrand Russell, The Conquest of Happiness


Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response. ~Mildred Barthel


[U]sefulness is happiness, and... all other things are but incidental. ~Lydia Maria Child, The American Frugal Housewife, 1829


Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length. ~Robert Frost


The best way for a person to have happy thoughts is to count his blessings and not his cash. ~Author Unknown


Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling. ~Margaret Lee Runbeck


Many people are extremely happy, but are absolutely worthless to society. ~Charles Gow


All of us have had the experience of a sudden joy that came when nothing in the world had forewarned us of its coming - a joy so thrilling that if it was born of misery we remembered even the misery with tenderness. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand and Stars, 1939, translated from French by Lewis Galantière


Most of us believe in trying to make other people happy only if they can be happy in ways which we approve. ~Robert S. Lynd


I have diligently numbered the days of pure and genuine happiness which have fallen to my lot: they amount to fourteen. ~Abd-El-Raham


The pursuit of happiness is a most ridiculous phrase: if you pursue happiness you'll never find it. ~C.P. Snow


Happiness: an agreeable sensation arising from contemplating the misery of another. ~Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

30 Wonderful Articles and Sites for Self Motivation

In desperate need for some motivation?

There is never a shortage of information on the web, with the topic of motivation as no exception.

Below are 30 articles and sites for motivation, so you will never be at a loss for ways to motivate yourself when you are feeling discouraged.

General Motivation

*Steve Pavlina – Motivation for Smart People (Sans Chest Pounding) – a great article on how to stay confident and motivated after coming up with a great idea

*Emory.edu – But They Did Not Give Up – this article offers inspiring little blurbs about famous and historical figures who faced setbacks but still achieved success through persistence

*Zen Habits – The Only Two Secrets to Motivating Yourself You’ll Ever Need – two great essential principles to live by to keep yourself motivated

*Think Simple Now – How to Achieve Anything – this article offers very interesting insight into examining why we don’t do something, and then changing these barriers within us

*Pick The Brain – How To Motivate Yourself – Self Motivation – interesting post on why we lose motivation and how to get it back through confidence and focus

*Steve Pavlina – Do It Now – fascinating article by Steve Pavlina who discusses how he accomplished outstanding scholastic achievements through motivation and focus

*Steve Pavlina – Overcoming Negative Emotions and Boosting Motivation – Steve discusses his use of motivational audio tapes to keep himself motivated

*Lifewithoutlimbs.org – this is Nick Vujicic’s website. He was born without limbs but constantly strives to get the most out of life

*Make It Great – this is a blog by Phil Gerbyshak, dedicated to leading a positive and optimistic life and improving relationships

*A List Apart – Staying Motivated – A List Apart is for web designers, but this post is applicable to everyone

*Lifehacker – Hack Attack: Sustaining motivation – a great lifehack on staying motivated

*Life Optimizer – Self Motivation: How to Motivate Yourself – another post offering some great tips on how to motivate yourself and let go of your past

*Get Rich Slowly – The Power of Yes: A Simple Way to Get More Out of Life – an interesting post about breaking out of your comfort zone

*Persistence Unlimited – The Top 50 Blogs That Will Unleash Your Motivation – a great resource for a ton of different sites related to motivation

*The Motivation Tool Chest – this site has a lot of different articles and tools for how to motivate yourself

Psychology of Motivation

*Stanford Magazine – The Effort Effect – a fascinating article about a study on motivation done at Stanford

*Valdosta.edu – Motivation to Learn: An Overview – some psychological principles behind motivation

*Wikipedia – Motivation – it can’t hurt to understand the basics of motivation itself, can it?

Motivational Tips and Tricks

*Zen Habits – Top 20 Motivation Hacks – An Overview – some great motivational hacks brought to you by Leo Babauta, author of Zen Habits

*Zen Habits – The Ultimate Guide to Motivation – How to Achieve Any Goal – Another Zen Habits post. Leo just really knows motivation!

*Lifehacker – Jerry Seinfeld’s Productivity Secret – an interesting technique comedian Jerry Seinfeld uses

*Pick The Brain – 21 Proven Motivation Tactics – here are some useful tactics for improving your motivation

*SFWA.org – 50 Strategies For Making Yourself Work – some interesting techniques for keeping yourself working and staying self-motivated

*Lifehack.org – Thirteen Tricks to Motivate Yourself – some more great tips to motivate yourself, brought to you by Lifehack.org

*Zen Habits – Get Off Your Butt: 16 Ways to Get Motivated When You’re in a Slump – Leo offers some insightful ways to get yourself out of a slump

*Lifehack.org – 8 Tips to Create a Day to Recharge Your Motivation – some useful tips you can use to make time for yourself to recharge

*Lifehack.org – 8 Steps To Continuous Self-Motivation – these are some wonderful techniques for sustaining long-term motivation

*WE The Change – Top 31 Motivation Hacks – even more interesting and relevant tips to motivate yourself

*The Positivity Blog – 5 Things to Remain Positive About When All Hope is Gone – there is a lot of discouragement out there.

Here is how to cope

*Betterlife-seeker – Five Amazing Ways To Motivate Yourself – Better-life Seeker offers five interesting ways to ensure you are motivated

How to brand yourself

Welcome to the new age of network marketing. If you are like me, you're trying to find a way to bring in an income. The traditional ways of marketing and doing business are a thing of the past. Now we have an amazing opportunity to start recruiting more people for your business along with the amazing ability to connect with thousands through social networking.

Let's face it Corporate America doesn't provide stability for its employees. The stability you get in your career comes from you. Always remember you are the only one who truly appreciates your talents, skills and hard work.

With the economy being in a state of emergency and so many people unemployed, people are struggling to survive and pay their bills. Our nations economic system is in great peril and many of our citizens just do not have the funds to meet the bare requirements to live in a productive society. The internet can fill the gap, step in, and take a role in your finances. Many people like you and me are turning to the internet to find hope.

A man by the name of Mike Dillard came up with a concept called branding yourself, this remarkable concept is producing millionaires all over the world! When you brand yourself, you become the product!

Websites like Youtube, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, blogging, etc... are utilized for this sole purpose. If you're trying to sell a service, or in a home based business, social networking sites are big on branding.

*NO CAREER IS INTERESTING IF IT'S NOT ENGAGING AND CHALLENGING, AND YOUR MOST IMPORTANT JOB IS TO FIND THAT--OVER AND OVER.

*DO NOT SETTLE FOR OUTDATED WORKPLACE MODELS THAT ACCEPT COMPLACENCY AND DOWNPLAY SELF KNOWLEGE. SURE, THE JOB MARKET IS TOUGH NOWADAYS- BUT THAT'S NO REASON TO SETTLE FOR LESS.

*LOYALTY IS CARING ABOUT THE PEOPLE YOU'RE WITH, RIGHT???


I want to take this opportunity and let everyone know I'm in several different MLM businesses. I'm always looking for new people to help build OUR DREAM TEAM. Stay tuned for more details.

I am a real person looking for simple solutions for everyday issues. I'm currently searching for experts to add to my networks. I'm searching for help in the following ares: nutrition, health and wellness, anti aging procedures, skin care products and services.

I'm open to ANY suggestions!!!!!

Thanks for your time :) Have a great night!!!
Be Blessed, Melanie