Finding Your Life’s Passion

When I was a kid my mom used to have to drag me kicking and screaming to funerals. I would cry looking at the dead body. I would cry looking at the priest. The whole funeral process just creeped me out. It wasnt until I was in high school and was looking for a summer job that my mom told me she had a friend who needed some help and he would put some money in my pocket over the summer to do a few chores. I said great, What kind of business does he run? She told me he ran a funeral home.

My parents had known this family for a long time, as did I. It never crossed my mind that I would be working for him. But they had heard that I was looking for work and they needed some cheap help. I stopped over one afternoon and talked with the owner.

When you visit a funeral home in the morning or afternoon without a funeral or wake going on, you get a completely different perspective. It is like many other businesses. People are talking in regular voices instead of in a whispering or respectfully somber tone. Music is playing. The doors are all open and they work in offices in the back or other area of the building. The only difference from any regular office was that a deceased person was in a casket in each parlor in the funeral home. Because of the totality of the situation, it was neither an uncomfortable nor terrifying place.

During my employment I had to handle normal job obligations as well as singular assignments. I could not begin any individual assignment until my regular duties had been completed. Much of the job related to cleaning.

I pretty much had to run the vacuum at least three times a day. Usually once in the morning, once again around mid-afternoon after flower deliveries, and again after visitors and mourners left. The funeral director was very adamant that he didnt want to see a speck of dirt on the carpets. The vacuuming was very easy. But vacuuming near a dead body at 9:30 in the morning took a little getting used to.

Another part of my job was to clean every car that the funeral home owned. This included the hearse, delivery vans, and family cars. Each car had to be cleaned after every use. It was a bit tricky operating the hose and not getting myself wet, but I managed. I also had to vacuum inside of the cars. Its an odd feeling crawling into the back of hearse knowing that not two minutes ago there was a dead body in there.

We often received casket deliveries on a particular day of the week. They take a lot of work. After a family purchases a casket for the deceased, it is sent to the rear of the funeral home. If the body was not ready to be put out for viewing in a parlor, it was necessary to lug the casket down the stairs for storage. Often times only two of us moved them downstairs. Because pallbearers carry them from the sides and are different heights and move at different paces, it is actually easier to move them with only 2 people.

Probably the hardest part was when families came to make arrangements. I had to be quiet and remain out of site. The same thing was true for when we had afternoon visitation hours. Respect for the families came first. This is when I usually washed the cars or did other outdoor chores.

After about two weeks of working in the funeral home, all of my fears had dissipated. I didnt blink when vacuuming next to a dead body. I could climb into the back of hearse with no problem; it was just another car that had to be cleaned. I really started to enjoy my job and the extra money I earned really came in handy later on as I was preparing for college. The experience of working in a funeral parlor actually helped me later on in life in coping with family tragedies; while its never easy, I think it made me stronger.

When Napoleon Hill wrote his best-selling classic Think and Grow Rich back in 1937, he planted his famous secret within its pages; actually, in two parts. The first part of the secret he revealed openly to his readers. However, the second part of the secret he did not openly reveal. Hill says however, that it will jump off the page when the reader is ready to receive it. Exactly what this secret is has been the subject of continuous discussion ever since.

I originally read the book over twenty years ago and I just did not get the secret. Hill explains that the reader can only receive it when he/she is ready, so I guess I was simply not ready at that time. Even many years later, when I read the book again, I had much the same experience: the secret continued to remain a mystery - at least to me.

I began to search the internet to see what other people had to say about Hills secret; and I found many people who claimed to know it too. Some wanted to sell the secret and some gave their interpretation of it, but I found that almost no two versions of the secret were the same. So I began to think, for a while, that there was no secret at all; and later still, that the secret was that there is no secret.

However, at one stage, I had quite an insight. I remembered that Hill had said that people like William Wrigley Jr., John Wanamaker and William Jennings had all used the secret to become wealthy. So I figured that one way of finding out the secret for certain would be to work out what it was that they all did in common. Sadly, this line of investigation turned out to be completely fruitless.

Speaking with a friend about the whole subject of the secret and how it was supposedly hidden in the pages of the book, I asked him what he thought it was. He replied that his opinion was that the secret was the individual reader’s interpretation. Everyone, he said, would have their own ‘aha’ moment. That, he said, was the secret.

But, I don’t really know why it happened when it did, but it did happen: the penny finally dropped and I actually got it. Once I realised what the secret was, I also realised why Hill had presented it the way he did; and that, in itself resulted in a strong inner conviction that I was indeed right. But will it make me rich (I can almost hear you say)?

Well, I began using the secret immediately; and I plan to use it in a more direct way in a project I have coming up in the near future. However, I can report that the use of the secret is indeed having a positive effect on the results I am getting right now, so I am convinced that I finally do have the real secret.

We have a nice little book on the subject that you can download completely free if you would like more information on the secret. Get it today and start putting it to use: your life will never be the same again.

When a professional collision repairer wants to bring a vehicle to its pre loss condition the best takes its cues from the aviation industry because the fasteners are very important to the life and safety of the vehicle they are working on. They have predestinated specifications for airplanes fasteners and many times these are scrutinized to make sure they are tightened correctly and if an accident ever occurs this is one main component that is looked at with great length to find out if it was a bolt or screw that loosened that could be a contributing factor!

With that being said although, vehicles may not go through the rigorous stresses an airplane may suffer it is still essential to make sure the right bolt or screw is fastened correctly. If not you, may experience squeaks, rattles, and it may ultimately impair the safety and resale value of the vehicle and cause premature failure. Many buyers are now informed on what to look for including missing bolts or different sizes not meeting specs.

When automotive engineers choose fasteners they do it for a reason and those who repair vehicles have to follow the specific requirements. This is essential, because of the different torque qualities these fasteners must be installed 100% correct. Not only can the look of your car can be affected, but the performance as well. Reports have been done that show certain fasteners on your bumpers and quarter panels if reinstalled incorrectly can cause certain expansion and allow movement, which can ultimately lead to serious damage to your vehicle after time.

When Clamping Down Fasteners Fasteners all include certain characteristics. They have a grade and tensile strength, which determines how much they can stretch before breakage. The diameter and type of material determine the resistance of this. The English system defines the strength of a bolt by radial lines with property numbers such as 4.6, 4.8, 5.8, 8.8 9.8 and 10.9 and the nuts must be appropriately classed to each fastener to ensure the same grade and work equally to the fastener that is installed. Nuts attached to the fastener have their own grading system with some using dots to determine their tensile strength and some using actual numbers. Always be fastidious to match the correct pair and that will ensure optimal matching connection. If you deviate from this, you can lose the connection state.

Some Important Variables You need to ensure the parts are secured correctly .This just means that enough force is needed to bind the components within the specifications so that parts cannot shift under regular movement.

Many times a factor of a connection can be achieved by using a pitch gauge, which can determine if a bolt or screw is tightened to its specifications. A thread pitch can sometimes be a factor and by reading the manufacturers design codes you can decrease the problems of making a bad connection which can lead to problems down the road.

We all look for the answers about how to live a successful and happy life. What is the meaning of our life? What should we do while here? This is a completely normal and natural quest.

There is, however, some words of wisdom that you might want to consider. And here it is: There is no Answer to Life!

We spend our lives looking for the answer. You know, the answer that will make us happy, whole, satisfied, successful. So we find an answer, like one the Buddha gave us. He said grasping is at the root of all suffering. So we then work hard to conquer desire and grasping in our lives.

We try to make detachment the answer to everything. But it isnt. It doesnt work that way. Grasping and attachment are just part of an answer. They are not the whole answer. Nothing is the whole answer.

You can spend years of your life trying to kill off desire within yourself and all the while you are full of the Desire to kill off desire. After several months or years of this you figure it out and go Oh well, I guess killing off desire and attachment is not the answer, not the smart thing to do, so Ill look for another answer

This pattern occurs over and over in our lives. We think love is the answer. Or spirituality. Or financial success. Then we work hard to have more love or holiness or money in our lives. Only to find it doesn’t end up making us live happily ever after.

Here is a useful wisdom secret. All answers are only partial truths. Any answer can not be the whole truth. So if you feel strongly that being more loving is your answer, good! Go to work on that for a while. But just don’t expect love to solve everything. It won’t! And don’t burden love with that expectation!

So understand this. Any answer you find to living happily ever after will only be temporary. Partial. Not the whole thing. That’s because life doesn’t need to be solved or answered. Start to be okay with living in the question. Start to be okay not knowing or even needing an answer. There’s more to this, but this can be a good beginning.

You have probably come across exotic-sounding terms such as “chakra”, “prana”, “aura”, and “tantra” in your course of reading books on spirituality, sex, and healing in the New Age literature section of the bookstore. But what’s the real scoop behind these exotic vocabularies?

Are All Energy Healings the Same?

Chakra or energy center is a term used in Pranic healing, an ancient Hindu system of energy healing. “Prana” means life energy. “Aura” is another terminology traced to Pranic healing. Aura is a non-physical body that consists of energy, which exists along with our physical body. The aura that covers our body is said to have seven layers pertaining to the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of an individual as manifested by energy. Studying the color and thickness of auras give ideas on the state of health of individuals. Six colors are associated with aura and interpreted into six personalities. These colors are all present in an individual but one or two are more pronounced.
Green – ambitious achiever
Blue – spiritual peacemaker
White – unconventional chameleon
Red – activist
Orange – creative communicator
Violet - psychic

Although Tantra is popularly associated with the peculiar practice of sex and spirituality, it is another method of energy healing. It comes from the word “tan” which means to spread or expand. The concept of connectedness is a recurring theme in Tantric writings on sex and spirituality. As a method of healing, spirituality and sex figure prominently. It is presupposed that the union of man and woman can reach spiritual levels during orgasm, which removes the body and mind off collected impurities. These impurities being negative energies can in turn manifest as physical illnesses.

Unlike Pranic and Tantric healings, which have Hindu origins, Reiki originated from Japan. It is relatively younger than Pranic and Tantric healings having been rediscovered in the early 1900’s. Reiki stands for universal energy, an energy brought forth by higher intelligence. Students of Reiki are taught how to tap this energy to heal physical, emotional, and mental illnesses.

Although Pranic, Tantra, and Reiki are all systems of energy healing, they differ in the type of energy tapped for healing: life energy, sexual energy, and universal energy respectively.

The concepts of the connectedness of mind, body, and spirit; the connection of individuals to all living and nonliving things around them and to the universe; and how energy impacts physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being are some of the salient similarities of these three healing methods.

Why Do People Turn to Energy Healing?

Pranic, Tantric, and Reiki are considered alternative methods of healing. In spite of the availability and relative accessibility of modern medicine, how come more and more people are being drawned to them? Here are some possible reasons:

· Energy healing worked where modern medicine failed.

For several reasons both explainable and unexplainable, modern medical treatment failed to heal ailments and conditions in several if not many persons. Research or data may not be able to support this statement. But for the families of the dying as well as for the dying patient, they would take the risk of using alternative methods ranging from herbals and organics, faith healers, witch doctors, and New Age healing techniques just to be get well.

· People perceive modern medicine to be isolating.

Medical treatments are oftentimes focused on the disease and its causative agent, which can make a patient feel isolated and treated like a mere host of the disease. Although recent developments in hospital practice are gradually promoting the holistic treatment of a patient, the perception still persists. Unlike in energy healing, since energy and spirituality are intimately linked, the patient feels that all aspects of his health are being attended to.

· Energy healing is non-obtrusive and natural thus it is safer.

Repeated surgical procedures are physically and emotionally traumatic for most patients. It is but a logical and attractive option to both patient and families to look for less stressful health interventions. Moreover, with the rising popularity of New Age religions, going natural is the way to go.

· Energy healing is a good way of relieving stress.

Meditation is part and parcel of energy healing methods and this is an added come-on for highly stressed people. Moreover, sophisticated equipment is not required thus it becomes all the more convenient for students and future students of energy healing.

The battle between alternative healing and mainstream medicine continues as both present the benefits of their approach. But in the final analysis, what matters is the restoration of good health.

Torque spec comes into play after a fastener has been chosen. Bolt torquing is very important. When you thread and tighten a bolt the melt stretches a little, but the metal doesn?t want to be stretched so it resists the stretches and this is where you get the holding power from. This is why when you over tighten it can?t hold the load because it can?t return to its normal shape. Further to this in time the bolt continues to stretch and will end up snapping.

Torque-to-Yield Bolts

A torque to yield fastener is a one-time use that is based on this torque principal we just talked about. The torque spec usually have a 25% safety feature giving you a 25 per cent over tightening leniency. The torque to yield bolts don?t have this safety buffer. They are not meant to stretch the metal. This may sound like a disadvantage but it?s not really. They are extremely strong as they afford the whole 100% of their strength whereas the basic bolt only gives you about 75%.The one disadvantage they do have though is they can only be used once. So if you remove them you have to replace them with a TTY (torque to yield) bold. You are going to end up with 25% less strength with the basic fastener.

The TTY are used in many cases so it?s important for the technician to be aware of this during the estimation process of the procedure.

Tightening Sequence A tightening sequence can also be specified in conjunction with torque specs. A crises cross pattern is use to install wheels and now some installation patterns are being suggested for body panel fasteners. There is a certain amount of expanding and contracting during temperature fluctuations with composite panels. This means the fasteners have to adjust to these changes and must be designed to allow for this.

Shop Tips Whenever possible replace the fastener with the same type as the one your remove. Check the manual however to ensure it is the correct part and you are doing the proper procedure. Every part is specific because there is a reason for it.

Keeping track of what you are removing is important and time saving so tossing them in a pile is not the answer. Just use some small plastic bags, put them in and then mark what they are on the outside of the bag.

If you do not have a manual, you can ask a dealership to show you their service manual.

Use all the parts that come with your replacement parts.

If you are not sure about the label, compare height, thread pitch and diameter to the new piece and this will help you choose the right replacement fastener.

Make sure to use coated materials to prevent corrosion. A classic example of making this mistake is using a non-coated steel boat with an aluminum panel. If the coated items you require are not available then use a plastic or fiber gasket, a washer or even a layer of paint to produce a barrier between the materials.

A Reiki Master Course gives you as an introduction, insights on what Reiki is, who can practice Reiki and the importance of the Reiki principles.

Reiki can be seen as multidimensional. The energy permeates to the core of the imbalance in mind, body, and spirit, the nucleus of the cell, and then moves gradually outward through the tissue balancing and healing.

The Reiki (ray - key) practitioner’s body is the instrument through which universal energy flows, drawn by the magnet of any imbalance in the mind, body, or spirit of the person, animal, or plant receiving.

Reiki Master Course Intro 1: What is Reiki?

In Japan, in the early 1920s, Mikao Usui developed Reiki-ho (Reiki method) as “the way to make mind and body healthy on the basis of Universal Reiki”. Reiki is the vibration of love and harmony of universal energy. Reiki-ho is not only a wonderful “healing technique”, but also “an effective way to raise spirituality and to create a positive life”. Reiki brings all within and around the body into balance, surrounding with harmony, and thus healing the mind, body, and spirit. I have had students say to me, “Reiki is making such a positive difference in my life.”

Reiki Master Course Intro 2: Who can practice Reiki?

The source of Reiki is from God, The Creator, Spirit, the Universal Mind, Your Inner-Self, or whatever you call Him, Her, or It, and as a result anyone can practice Reiki. We are all equal, and we have the ability to heal others and ourselves. In fact it is our forgotten birthright. But being a Reiki “Master” doesn’t make someone better than anyone else, and it doesn’t even mean that you have mastered the art of Reiki, which is not possible, it simply means that you have been attuned to the Master Level of Reiki, learned all of the Reiki symbols, and know how to send attunements, and teach others. In my personal opinion we should all be called Reiki practitioners, but since the attunements are only given and accepted from Reiki Masters, this is the only reason why there is a need of distinction. To some people, the title “Master” gives them a feeling of superiority or power, just like other occupations do.

Reiki Master Course Intro 3: The Reiki principles are very important!

As an essential part of the Reiki Master Course you will get to know the Reiki Principles, which the founder Usui always gave to his student. The principles are:

Just for today…

Be grateful. Do not get angry. Do not worry. Work hard. Be kind to others.

Think for a while. If only 1% of the human race would take these principles serious, how would be the world today?

Once you have decided that you are ready to learn something that is a little out of the box and a different way of thinking then you are ready to take NLP Training. So how do you take NLP Training? Well you cannot really go to university to take NLP Training as it has only been around for some 30 years; its still a very new way of thinking. If you look online you will see hundreds of people offering NLP Trainings. Some go from 3 or 5 days, some 7 days and some for months. So why is it that there are such a varied number of NLP training and certificate options?

Well the NLP training community is pretty much self regulated, you have a choice of taking any number of NLP trainings. So here are some points to look for:

How long has the NLP Training Company been around for? Is the company a fresh off the blocks company or has it been around for years? Anyone can start up a seminar company and make it sound and look good but how do you tell if they are going to be around or if they are big enough? There is nothing worse then taking time off work, scheduling your holidays, getting all prepared only to find that the NLP Training that you enrolled in is not running for this or for that reason. So make sure that you have a guarantee that the NLP Training will go ahead rain, hail or shine with even one or two people.

Who is the Master Trainer for the company? To be a leader in the NLP Training field you must have or be a Master NLP Trainer working for the company. Its like having a church with no minister it just does not work if the trainer is not suitably qualified. So be sure that the NLP Training is being taken by or at least has a Master Trainer on the company staff.

Once you have got the ok on the above points you can complete the training by using a Pre study pack. This is normally CD or DVD. This covers all the lingo and outline of each of the exercises you will complete at the NLP training. If you are not using any pre study then you will have to spend many more hours in the course going over the basic principles to NLP. For this reason the NLP training that has pre study works much better as you can always watch or listen to the DVD after the NLP training to refresh your memory.

So these few points should ensure your NLP Training experience is a good and satisfying one.

When integrating a learning management system (LMS) for company training, be sensitive to the fact that for many trainees, online learning may be a completely new concept. Due to this, a strong trainer with excellent leadership skills is an essential ingredient in student success.

Leaders can make each member of a group feel comfortable and committed to the course objectives by giving each clear goals and letting them achieve them. Particularly if trainees are working in teams or groups, constructing a sense of confidence and group reliance is essential.

An LMS can be accompanied by Web 2.0 tools such as discussion boards, video conferencing, and wikis. To ensure effective dialogue between group members, trainers can establish online spaces for collaboration.

Using an LMS, group members can divide roles, plan and brainstorm, create project summaries, maintain logs, and create a final report.

In any group learning situation, clarity is key. Early on, trainers should communicate standard processes to the group–both “soft” and technical. When a trainer is crystal clear from the beginning about what trainees can expect, unpleasant issues are evaded.

Unclear distribution of individual responsibilities is the most typical source of conflict student groups.The best way to avoid conflict is timely and effective communication.

Empowering people is less about tools and more about attitude and helpfulness towards a group. Successful learning groups are nurtured by respecting and encouraging; not simply dictating orders. Mutual respect is a necessary ingredient for successful teamwork.

An LMS helps tremendously with the establishment of clear goals and objectives for a team learning experience. Team leaders can also use an LMS for tracking team achievements and providing rewards and recognition to members. But more essential than an LMS online training program or any online tool in successful training is a strong and communicative leader, with an encouraging word to share.

Are the warning signs there and you just want to ignore them? Or are you ready to take action and say, help save my marriage! Good marriages can take a bad turn for many reasons, including lack of communication, lack of a physical connection, putting other people first, not compromising and/or not spending enough time together. Sometimes couples feel like the honeymoon should last forever, when in fact, marriage is hard work and if one or both people stop working at it, the relationship becomes unimportant and may become unsalvageable.

Are you feeling lonely and lost all the time? Are your children suffering? Do you fight all the time? Are you and your spouse having a hard time understanding each others needs and desires? If you are dealing with any of these emotions it is well worth it for you and your spouse to address these issues and overcome them and move on to happier times.

Don’t wait, start taking action today. In most cases we tend to always see fault or blame the other person for all are problems.You may say, Easier said than done, or it’s too late. If you feel you can’t do it alone, turn to a trusted resource and say, help save my marriage! A marriage worth having is a marriage worth saving! She’s always doing this and she never does that kind of stuff has to STOP NOW! However, if you and your spouse are still together, it’s not too late! The day that we stop blaming others and start looking within ourselves will be the day that you will see things start making a turn for the better, whether it is in your marriage or just in life in general.

In my personal search to find advice to help save my marriage a lot of it dealt with what I could do by myself to salvage the relationship. I knew that some of my actions had contributed to the breakdown of communication between me and my spouse, so I wanted to do whatever I could to remedy that. I had taken to doing more and more on my own, instead of planning activities that we could do together.

I had come to the understanding that we quit spending quality alone time together. I starting making a point to plan dinners together and even asked her to go with me, even if it was just to run to the bank or even the hardware store. Saving everything you have built together takes spending time together.

One thing I realized is that I kept looking at all the negative aspect about her and forgetting the good things. I new that if I wanted to help save my marriage I had get out of the habit of looking at her faults and start remembering the things that made me fall in love with her in the first place. Marriage is well worth saving but it takes some effort on are own part.

A simple rule to follow is to stop using they instead of I. Once we realize this the they and the I start becoming WE again.