Image: The Heading new
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Don't believe in yourself?
CHANGE YOUR BELIEF!
A leopard can't change its spots?
Wrong!
When Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford University
studied students at Columbia University,
she found that those with fixed views about intelligence
were primarily focused on proving their smartness
and so were less motivated to learn
and less likely to take on challenges.
Dweck and her colleagues have shown that
"when you change the belief,
a lot of important things happen:
students’ motivation turns around;
their grades and test scores go up;
managers become better mentors,
more successful negotiators."
When children or even adults are taught
that abilities and character can develop and change,
they become more resilient to setbacks.
ALL WE NEED TO SUCCEED, APPARENTLY,
IS TO BE WILLING TO CHANGE !
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Dear Reader, so you want to achieve success
.... AS A SINGER OR "ARTISTE"?
Here are some simple ground rules:
If you want to succeed,
in virtually ANY area of life,
there are THREE main points to consider .....
Firstly, most successful people are those
who "get on" with their fellow humans.
(Despite the apparent success of aggressive louts
promoted by "our" media!)
So I recommend you work most on improving
your "self"...
at least as much as on your specific skills.
Second: work hardest on your faults ...
It won't be your strengths that stop you !
Third - And lastly - for now -
Never give up !
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER EVER !!!
It's an EVERGREEN TRUTH - that
QUITTERS NEVER WIN,
AND WINNERS..... NEVER QUIT ! ! !
* * *
It's easy - if you work hard -
And hard - if you work easy !
* * *
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ARE YOU "self-actualised"?
According to A. Maslow, self-actualized people
are characterized by:
An acceptance of themselves and others as they are;
Simplicity and spontaneity in communication;
A realization of their calling,
often turning their hobbies into professions;
An unprejudiced perception of life;
They can establish deep relations with the people by their side;
They perfectly distinguish their goals
and the methods to achieve them;
They are highly creative people;
with high morals;
a philosophical sense of humour;
They are Democratic;
They are anxious for the public interest
and wish to help people.
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LIES AND TRUTH
Humanistic psychologists think that lying to yourself or other people,
takes us too much time.
The time and effort could be better devoted to
self-actualization, they say.
A lie is not just the words we say;
lies also control what we do.
Sometimes we choose to keep friends
whose sympathies are advantageous for us
even though these people are boring.
Lies may make people follow the wrong course in life.
Humanistic psychologists like A. Maslow,
suggest that people need to throw away
the mask imposed upon them by society
then they can better focus on self-actualization.
They see self-actualization as the peak of emotional experience;
opening up your real self
and your own uniquely special talents.
When I read Maslow I actually believe
that a self-actualized man is a truly happy man:
and that such a person needs
no more lies in their life.
For some of us it is still not clear
what self-actualization is.....
But, to get rid of the lies piling in on us,
we need first to give up lying to ourselves
and then we can demand the truth from others.
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NOT ONE OF US IS "ORDINARY".
Many people think that they are special because
their ancestors were royalty and they think they
have so called “blue blood”.
However today scientists have come to the conclusion
that everyone on earth has royal roots.
Even without a documented connection to a notable forebear,
experts say the odds are virtually 100 percent
that every person on Earth is descended
from one royal personage or another.
"Millions of people have provable descents from medieval monarchs,''
said Mark Humphrys, a genealogy enthusiast and
professor of computer science at Dublin City University in Ireland.
"The number of people with unprovable descents must be massive.''
By the same token, for every king in a person's family tree
there are thousands and thousands of nobodies
whose births, deaths and lives went completely
unrecorded by history. We'll never know about
them, because until recently vital records were
a rarity for all but the noble classes.
It works the other way, too. Anybody who
had children more than a few hundred years ago
is likely to have millions of descendants today,
and quite a few famous ones.
Take King Edward III, who ruled England
during the 14th century and had nine children
who survived to adulthood. Among his documented
descendants are presidents (George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, Zachary
Taylor, both Roosevelts ), authors (Jane Austen,
Lord Byron, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Elizabeth
Barrett Browning), generals (Robert E. Lee),
scientists (Charles Darwin) and actors (Humphrey
Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, Brooke Shields).
Some experts estimate that 80 percent of England's
present population descends from Edward III.
A slight twist of fate could have prevented
the existence of all of them. In 1312 the close
adviser and probable lover of Edward II, Piers
Gaveston, was murdered by a group of barons
frustrated with their king's ineffectual rule.
The next year the beleaguered king produced the
son who became Edward III.
Had Edward II been killed along with
Gaveston in 1312—a definite possibility at the
time — Edward III would never have been born.
He wouldn't have produced the lines of descent
that ultimately branched out to include all those
presidents, writers and Hollywood stars
— not to mention everybody else.
Of course, the only reason we're talking
about Edward III is that history remembers him.
For every medieval monarch there are countless
long-dead nobodies whose intrigues, peccadilloes
and luck have steered the course of history
simply by determining where, when
and with whom they reproduced.
The longer ago somebody lived,
the more descendants a person is likely to have today.
Humphrys estimates that Muhammad, the founder of Islam,
appears on the family tree of every person
in the Western world.
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Those who want to have beautiful bodies
spend plenty of time in gyms.
What should be done if you want to
have a beautiful voice?
This problem is extremely important for singers.
Scientists from the University of Michigan
Health System have developed 10 main tips
to help those who need to have a perfect voice.
1. Drink water to keep your body well hydrated,
and avoid alcohol and caffeine.
Your vocal cords vibrate very fast, and having a
proper water balance helps keep them lubricated.
2. Allow yourself several "vocal naps" every day,
especially during periods of extended use.
For instance, teachers should avoid speaking
during breaks between classes.
Find quiet ways to spend the lunch hour,
rather than talking in a noisy staff room with colleagues.
3. Don't smoke, or if you already do, quit.
Smoking raises the risk of throat cancer
tremendously,
and inhaling smoke (even secondhand smoke)
can irritate the vocal cords.
4. Don't abuse or misuse your voice.
Avoid yelling or screaming, and try not
to talk loudly in noisy areas.
If your throat feels dry or tired,
or your voice is getting hoarse,
reduce your voice use.
Hoarseness is a warning sign that
the vocal cords are irritated.
5. Keep your throat and neck muscles relaxed
even when singing high notes and low notes.
Some singers tilt their heads up when singing
high notes and down when singing low notes.
"The high notes are on the ceiling and the low
notes are on the floor," Rosenberg says.
"Over time, you'll pay for that" —
not just with strained vocal muscles
but also by placing future limits on your vocal range.
6. Pay attention to how you speak every day.
Even performers who have good singing habits
can cause damage when they speak.
Many skilled singers don't continue their
healthy habits when they speak;
indeed, says Herseth, "many people -
including singers - should have much more
breath flow when they speak."
7. Don't clear your throat too often.
When you clear your throat, it's like
slamming your vocal cords together.
Doing it too much can injure them
and make you hoarse.
Try a sip of water or swallow to
quench the urge to clear.
If you feel like you have to
clear your throat a lot,
get checked by a doctor for
such things as acid reflux disease,
or allergy and sinus conditions.
8. When you're sick, spare your voice.
Don't talk when you're hoarse due to
a cold or infection.
Listen to what your voice is telling you.
9. When you have to speak publicly,
to large groups or outdoors,
think about using amplification
to avoid straining your voice.
10. Humidify your home and work areas.
Remember, moist is good for the voice.
HERE ARE TWO OTHER MORE UNUSUAL TIPS:
ONE:
YAWN ! (STRETCHES MUSCLES FOR EASIER VOICE PRODUCTION)
TWO:
HUM ! (GIVES GOOD "TONE").
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Image: How the lilies grow.......
Yoga offers a way out from
the pains of modern life
Yoga is first and foremost concerned with harmony
between body and soul. If the body is out of balance
with the soul, then it is difficult to attain harmony in life.
Harmony with oneself and with one’s environment,
which is becoming more aggressive and brutal,
can be achieved only through hard internal work.
Many people are in a state of constant tension
and some just do not know about the simple methods
of relaxation offered by yoga.
First, breathing exercises.
Breathing is directly linked to our emotions,
therefore whatever emotional state we are in,
our breathing will be the same.
Agitation, rage and indignation lead
to quickened and hindered breathing,
whereas tranquility and relaxation calm it down.
As a rule, people breathe with their chest or stomach,
not making use of the full volume of their lungs.
An exercise which yoga offers us is called “full breathing”.
It enables us to use the entire volume of our lungs,
regardless of the amount of inhaled air.
This breathing technique allows significantly improved
ventilation in the lungs,
increases the saturation of blood with oxygen,
improves the removal of carbon dioxide
improves one’s physical state and
stabilizes one’s emotional state.
We should start a breath from our stomach,
then inhale using our rib cage and stop at our collarbones.
Breathing-out works in the opposite order.
It is not hard to master this exercise,
and practice for 3-5 minutes every day.
If people are lifeless and not prepared to work hard,
they should breathe actively, but if they are over-excited,
then this exercise should be performed at a slow rate.
Secondly, fire can help to remove tension.
After having looked at a fire for a few minutes,
we are able to to relax and give our eyes a rest.
Yoga suggests watching the rising sun every morning,
because as they said in ancient times:
“Anyone who has seen the rising of the sun
has filled himself with energy for the whole day”.
Thirdly, a large role is played by colours.
For example, yoga considers light blue cold and calming.
This colour will suit people with nervous, tense work.
Yellow is the colour of joy,
as it has positive energy.
If you have experienced hardships,
you should surround yourself with yellow.
In yoga green is known as the colour of nature,
therefore being around the colour green
allows one to relax both in spirit and body.
Yoga views massage as rejuvenating, healthy and relaxing.
With regular massage the muscles in the face become stronger,
wrinkles smooth out and facial skin problems can be cured.
Yoga massage can also help with other health problems.
If you rub the area between your eyebrows
up and down and left to right with your thumbs,
then you can get rid of a mild headache.
And by making circular movements with your index fingers
around the wings of your nose, you can avoid
a blocked nose, sinus trouble and some cold symptoms.
Do not try to treat yourself without the help of a yogi.
If you have serious health problems,
then you should firstly address your doctor.
You can wash your face with melted water,
as our ancestors used to do. In yoga
this water is considered energetically charged and pure.
Using it with herbal mixtures and natural oils
is extremely therapeutic for our skin.
Most jobs involve long and motionless sitting or standing.
We therefore subject our bodies to undeserved “tortures”.
Circulation is cut off, our muscles do not work,
becoming soft, our spine becomes curved,
wreaking its revenge with terrible pains.
Stretching exercises do not take up much time,
and require a small amount of space.
Sitting on a chair, lift up your arms and stretch.
The muscles will first be tense but then relax,
allowing normal blood flow and relaxation.
Essential oils give a variety of therapeutic benefits.
The virtues of scented plants go beyond their
antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.
Their scent can revive memories, change
people’s moods and improve their health.
Aromatic oils give people inner comfort and balance.
Yoga recommends using aromatic oils as a natural way
of keeping in good emotional and physical shape.
The aromas take away the stresses of daily life,
prevent illnesses, remove pain and give our life variety.
Aromatherapy also has healing and rejuvenating power.
Do you have a head ache? Massage your temples
with a drop of mint oil. Were you tired in the day
and felt that you had run out of energy?
Take a scented bath with lavender oil.
Are you having trouble breathing and are
getting over a heavy cough? Inhale some
eucalyptus oil. Are you planning a romantic evening?
Burn a rose-scented candle in the background.
We have learnt to look after our external attractiveness,
but it is much more difficult to take care of inner beauty.
Modern problems, worries and fears do not help
to make us younger, more beautiful or kinder.
But is it maybe sometimes worth looking to
ancient traditions for advice on how to live
in peace and harmony with the surrounding world and ourselves?
A happy person is one who has found harmony.
Love, do not harm the motherland.
Serve, don't disserve the people.
Uphold science; don't be ignorant and unenlightened.
Work hard; don't be lazy and hate work.
Be united and help each other; don't gain benefits at the expense of others.
Be honest and trustworthy, not profit-mongering at the expense of your values.
Be disciplined and law-abiding instead of chaotic and lawless.
Know plain living and hard struggle, do not wallow in luxuries and pleasures.
That was a message from The Great Oi Chong.
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Stop Smoking.
"The interaction of tobacco, and especially nicotine,
with brain chemistry is a fascinating area that
we're just beginning to understand,
especially when it comes to correlating
neurochemistry with behavior,"
said Jon-Kar Zubieta, psychiatrist and neuroscientist.
"Just as with the ‘hard' drugs of abuse,
such as heroin and cocaine, the phenomena
of pleasure, addiction, increased tolerance
and craving from tobacco
are firmly rooted in neurochemistry."
However when we speak about smoking
the biggest question here is not
“Why people smoke?”
but “How to stop smoking?”
Recent research finds that a snap decision
to quit smoking cigarettes is actually two
to three times more effective than planning
ahead for the big day.
Some smokers want to quit, but lack the motivation.
Others have tried and failed. The trick,
according to Robert West of University
College London, is to let the motivation
build and then seize the day when a trigger
to put down cigarettes suddenly emerges.
"It very much goes against conventional
wisdom in the field," West said.
His research is based on interviews with
1,900 smokers and ex-smokers in England.
He found that half of attempts to stop smoking
involved no planning ahead and that unplanned
attempts succeed for longer than planned attempts.
About 23 percent of Americans smoke
(the figure is 25 percent in England)
despite the fact that quitting smoking
extends life expectancy by up to 10 years.
Effective triggers to quit can be small,
in West's view, such as just being sick
and tired of being sick and tired from smoking.
Or large, such as a physician's delivery of news
of precancerous cell growth or high cholesterol.
Many experts have thought that the stopping
occurs in stages that start with thinking about
stopping, then planning an attempt to
actually try to quit.
West's research found that unplanned attempts
to quit succeeded even after adjusting for
study variables such as age, sex and socioeconomics.
Quitting is not a cost-benefit game
in the minds of smokers, he says.
"It depends on how people feel and that
is a whole different ballgame."
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HOW TO SPEAK TO OTHERS.
The key to success in anything is directly
dependent on a person’s ability to communicate
effectively. Regardless of the type of
relationship, it is essential not only to know
how you should communicate information, but to be
able to listen.
When you speak, remember your motives. Do not
forget why you started the conversation, what the
aim was and what you wish to achieve during the talk.
Speak for yourself and do not use
too much criticism.
Choose a suitable place for your conversation
where no-one will disturb you and where you can
calmly discuss any problem. Always begin the
conversation with something positive: praise or
recognition of someone’s merits, and only
afterwards smoothly move on to
the question that concerns you.
Discuss your expectations of the conversation
with your partner. Avoid such questions
as “why?”, as they could be interpreted negatively
and may force the other person to defend themselves.
Express your indignation correctly, so as to
ensure that your conversation partner does not
think that it is directed towards them, their
behaviour or the question that they broached.
Listen to them, pay attention to their reactions
and think about what you are considering saying.
When you are listening, react to what is said,
make it understood that you are listening
attentively to your conversation partner.
Rephrase everything that they say to confirm
that you understood them correctly.
Emphasize that the question raised by the other
person is genuinely important and find points on
which you are prepared to agree with them.
This does not mean that they are completely right;
you are simply agreeing that the question that
they have raised is genuinely serious.
If there is something you did not understand,
ask more precise questions. Express your opinion
on your partner’s words, so that they know that
you have understood and that you are thinking in
general about what they have told you.
Propose a method of resolving the question between you.
During conversation, it is always important to
maintain eye contact, to support the speaker (by
means of a smile or a nod to indicate agreement
and make it understood that you are listening
attentively and are prepared to listen to the end).
Express your thanks for your partner’s efforts to
understand your point of view as well as for their sincerity.
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BEETHOVEN DID IT DEAF !
.....BUT WE MIGHT BE BETTER OFF
(IF WE LOVE MUSIC !)
PROTECTING OUR HEARING !
A diet rich in vitamin E is essential
for keeping your hearing in order.
Wholegrain cereals, nuts and seeds,
dark leafy vegetables, vegetable oils
and eggs contain large quantities of vitamin E.
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