How do you define success?

How do you define success?

Society, in general, tends to equate success with material wealth and possessions. And while those things can be an outward sign of your own career or business success - or that of your family - it reflects only a small piece of the bigger picture that is your life.

A successful life should encompass far more than your work or finances, although they are important. A successful life is one in which you are fulfilled and living purposefully in your relationships, health, finances, work and spiritual life. Come up with your own definition of personal success so that you can measure your success on your own terms. As you ponder your personal success definition, ask yourself some key questions:

1. Do I enjoy my life?
Our journey through life may not always be just what we want it to be, but we can still choose to experience contentment and joy on a daily basis. Identify the things that bring you joy in your life, and be sure to incorporate them into your everyday life.

2. Am I making a difference in the lives of others?
Life becomes meaningful when your actions impact more than just you. Your mission in life is using your gifts and talents to make a positive difference in others' lives. Whether the gift you give is a listening ear, a skill you teach or an encouraging word, make a difference to at least one person every single day.

3. Do I persevere in the midst of challenges?
Life is a learning journey. If you focus only on your challenges or problems without asking, "What am I to learn from this?," then you will continually feel frustrated and sorry for yourself. Those who persevere, grow. And as you grow, you increase your capacity to handle more and have more good opportunities come into your life.

4. Do I have an abundance of the things I need to live comfortably?
The term "comfortable" means different things to different people. Make it a goal in your life to not aim for "enough," but to have "more than enough" of what you need - whether it's time, money, love, space or other precious resources. When you live in abundance, you can focus more clearly on what you want. It empowers you to share yourself, your time, talent, and love more generously.

5. Am I successful in God's eyes?
A test that can help you focus on what's most important in your life is to consider it from a spiritual perspective. It is said that everything God asks can be summed up in two commandments: Love God with all your heart, all your soul, and with all your mind; and secondly, to love your neighbor as yourself. When you are curious about how truly successful you are, ask yourself if you are doing
these two things.
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My Challenge to you This Month
Rather than allowing others to define success for you, take time today to create your own definition. Make a list of what success looks like to you, and have the courage to measure your success by standards that are meaningful for your life.
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Journaling Assignment
In what ways am I allowing others to define who I am and what success looks like for me? How would I like to redefine my personal success so that it is perfectly aligned with God's will for my life?
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Personal Prayer
Lord, thank you for the opportunity to learn and grow. Help me focus fully on your vision for my life. When the pressure to live up to unrealistic and even unnecessary demands of the world seems too much, help me find the peace and strength that comes only from You.

9 TIPS ON INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

 9 TIPS ON INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

1. Keep skid chains on your tongue; always say less than you think. Cultivate a low, soothing voice.How you say it counts more than what you say.

2. Make promises sparingly, and keep them faithfully,no matter what it costs.

3. Never let an opportunity pass to say a kind and encouraging word to or about somebody. Praise good work, regardless of who did it. If criticism is needed,
criticise helpfully, never spitefully.

4. Be interested in others, their pursuits, their work their homes and families. Make merry with those who rejoice; with those who weep, mourn. Let everyone you meet, however humble, feel that you regard him as a person of importance.

5. Be cheerful. Don’t burden or depress those around you by dwelling on your minor aches and pains and small disappointments. Remember, everyone has their problems.

6. Keep an open mind. Discuss but don’t argue. It is a mark of a superior mind to be able to disagree without being disagreeable.

7. Let your virtues speak for themselves. Refuse totalk of another’s vices. Discourage gossip. It is a waste of valuable time and can be extremely destructive.

8. Be careful of another’sfeelings. Wit and humour at the other person’s expense are rarely worth it and may hurt when least expected.

9. Don’t be too anxious about the credit due to you.
Also, pay no attention to any ill-natured remarks about you either.

Simply live your truth. Let go & let God! Success is much sweeter that way.

Diabetic? Depressed? Did You Check Your Vitamin D Level?=HEALTH=

Diabetic? Depressed? Did You Check Your Vitamin D Level? Vitamin D deficiency has become a pandemic with about 1 billion people all over the world having low levels of vitamin D. Although adequate levels of vitamin D can be produced by the body with regular exposure to sunlight, vitamin D insufficiency prevails in United States due to several other factors like dietary habits, increasing pollution and genetics. The fact that vitamin D alone can influence about 3000 genes of our body (out of the total 24000 genes) clearly signifies its importance in our system. Extensive studies have explored the role of vitamin D in health problems. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to over a hundred health issues till now. Here are top health risks you might face due to low levels of vitamin D: 1. Brain damage: A recent study led by researchers at the University of Kentucky showed that low levels of vitamin D can cause damage to some proteins in the brain of rats.   The study also suggested that deficiency of vitamin D can affect the oxidative status of the brain, cognitive performance and memory power. 2. Cardiovascular Risk: A population-based study of 9,949 adults showed that vitamin D deficiency is significantly associated with increased risk of fatal cardiovascular events.   The study considered adjustments for smoking, physical activity and other factors contributing to heart diseases and concluded that vitamin D deficiency increased the risk of fatal cardiovascular diseases (CVD) by 62%. 3. Hypertension: Research based on a large scale observational data showed that people having low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (a form of vitamin D) had a higher risk of developing hypertension.   However, the correlation is not yet found. 4. Diabetes: The number of diabetic people is increasing day by day and most of them might be deficient in vitamin D. Vitamin D is required to balance sugar levels in the blood by regulating the secretion of insulin.   Research suggests that low levels of vitamin D increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. 5. Flu: Do you suffer from recurrent cold and respiratory infections? Instead of blaming the seasonal changes, check your vitamin D levels.   Vitamin D has an important role to play in activating the cells of your immune system which help to fight infections. 6. Anaemia: Anaemia occurs when your body does not have sufficient levels of red blood cells that carry oxygen to various parts of the body.   But the main underlying reason for anaemia might be vitamin D deficiency. 7. Weak bones: Vitamin D plays an important role in absorbing calcium from the food you eat in the intestine. Therefore indirectly vitamin D deficiency results in weak, soft and achy bones.   Lack of calcium deposition due to vitamin D deficiency also causes rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. It also affects the bone density in adults, which increases the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. 8. Infertility: Daily morning walk under the sun can help you to boost your reproductive health.   After a detailed analysis of several studies, Austrian physicians found that vitamin D stimulates the production of the male hormone testosterone and female hormone progestrone. 9. Aging: As you age, your bone mass will gradually decline. But with low levels of vitamin D, your body will start ageing prematurely.   A study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine shows that vitamin D insufficiency causes early ageing of bone because of reduced bone mass. 10. Depression: Antidepressants is not the only solution for you prolonged sadness and depression. You could actually pep up your mood by restoring your vitamin D levels.   In a systematic review on women suffering from moderate and severe depression, an oral vitamin D therapy for 8-12 weeks significantly improved depression symptoms in participants. 11. Cancer: Low levels of vitamin D also makes it to the list of hundreds of things that are known to increase the risk of cancer.    There is abundant evidence supporting the role of vitamin D levels and reduced risk of colon, prostate and breast cancers. In fact, evidence also suggest that vitamin D can help in cancer treatment. A study carried out by scientists at Georgetown University Medical Center revealed that increased level of vitamin D reduced cancer growth by 75 percent. 12. Increasing Dental Cavities: With the lack of Vitamin D, people are more prone to the risk of Dental diseases, specially cavities.   A review of 24 controlled clinical trials encompassing 2,827 children found a 47% reduced risk of Dental cavities with vitamin D supplementation. As per the current recommendations, daily intake of vitamin D should be 2000 IU. Although sunlight is the best natural source of vitamin D, you can also obtain it through your diet. Natural form of vitamin D3 is present in dairy products like milk (100 IU in one 8 ounce glass), yogurt (80 IU) and egg yolks (one yolk offers 20 IU of vitamin D). But the dietary sources are seldom enough. To start supplimentation a dose of vitamin D3 60000 IU with milk every week for 8 weeks followed by a similar dose monthly maybe enough to guard the deficiency. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005 to 2006 data were analyzed for vitamin D levels in adult participants (N = 4495). The overall prevalence rate of vitamin D deficiency was 41.6%, with the highest rate seen in blacks (82.1%), followed by Hispanics (69.2%).

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Vitamin D - Fifteen Facts=HEALTH-AWARENESS=

Vitamin D - Fifteen Facts=HEALTH-AWARENESS= Highly useful information for us because we now live in an artificial environment by blocking SUNLIGHT. Please read on. We used to hear from our parents "Get out and get some sunlight" How true, Yet one more reason why more people should take up golf!   Vitamin D - Fifteen Facts YOU NEED LOTS OF IT AND IT IS EASY, BUT DO NOT OVERDO IT! Fifteen facts you probably never knew about vitamin D and sunlight exposure. Vitamin D prevents osteoporosis, depression, prostate cancer, breast cancer,and even effects diabetes and obesity. Vitamin D is perhaps the single most underrated nutrient in the world of nutrition. That's probably because it's free: your body makes it when sunlight touches your skin. Drug companies can't sell you sunlight, so there's no promotion of its health benefits. The truth is, most people don't know the real story on vitamin D and health. So here's an overview taken from an interview between Mike Adams and Dr.Michael Holick. 1. Vitamin D is produced by your skin in response to exposure to ultraviolet radiation from natural sunlight. 2. The healing rays of natural sunlight (that generate vitamin D in your skin) cannot penetrate glass. So you don't generate vitamin D when sitting in your car or home. 3. It is nearly impossible to get adequate amounts of vitamin D from your diet. Sunlight exposure is the only reliable way to generate vitamin D in your own body. 4. A person would have to drink ten tall glasses of vitamin D fortified milk each day just to get minimum levels of vitamin D into their diet. 5. The further you live from the equator, the longer exposure you need to the sun in order to generate vitamin D. Canada, the UK and most U.S. States are far from the equator. 6. People with dark skin pigmentation may need 20 - 30 times as much exposure to sunlight as fair-skinned people to generate the sam e amount of vitamin D. That's why prostate cancer is epidemic among black men -- it's a simple, but widespread, sunlight deficiency. 7. Sufficient levels of vitamin D are crucial for calcium absorption in your intestines. Without sufficient vitamin D, your body cannot absorb calcium,rendering calcium supplements useless. 8. Chronic vitamin D deficiency cannot be reversed overnight: it takes months of vitamin D supplementation and sunlight exposure to rebuild the body's bones and nervous system. 9. Even weak sunscreens (SPF=8) block your body's ability to generate vitamin D by 95%. This is how sunscreen products actually cause disease -by creating a critical vitamin deficiency in the body.  10. It is impossible to generate too much vitamin D in your body from sunlight exposure: your body will self-regulate and only generate what it needs. 11. If it hurts to press firmly on your sternum, you may be suffering from chronic vitamin D deficiency right now. 12. Vitamin D is "activated" in your body by your kidneys and liver before it can be used. 13. Having kidney disease or liver damage can greatly impair your body's ability to activate circulating vitamin D. 14. The sunscreen industry doesn't want you to know that your body actually needs sunlight exposure because that realization would mean lower sales of sunscreen products. 15. Even though vitamin D is one of the most powerful healing chemicals in your body, your body makes it absolutely free. No prescription required. On the issue of sunlight exposure, by the way, it turns out that super antioxidants greatly boost your body's ability to handle sunlight without burning. Astaxanthin  is one of the most powerful "internal sunscreens" and can allow you to stay under the sun twice as long without burning. Other powerful antioxidants with this ability include the super fruits like Acai, Pomegranates (POM Wonderful juice), blueberries, etc. Diseases and conditions cause by vitamin D deficiency: * Osteoporosis is commonly caused by a lack of vitamin D, which greatly impairs calcium absorption. * Sufficient vitamin D prevents prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, depression, colon cancer and schizophrenia. * "Rickets" is the name of a bone-wasting disease caused by vitamin D deficiency. * Vitamin D deficiency may exacerbate type 2 diabetes and impair insulin production in the pancreas. * Obesity impairs vitamin D utilization in the body, meaning obese people need twice as much vitamin D. * Vitamin D is used around the world to treat Psoriasis. * Vitamin D deficiency can cause schizophrenia. * Seasonal Affective Disorder is caused by a melatonin imbalance initiated by lack of exposure to sunlight. * Chronic vitamin D deficiency is often misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia because its symptoms are so similar: muscle weakness, aches and pains. * Your risk of developing serious diseases like diabetes and cancer is reduced 50% - 80% through simple, sensible exposure to natural sunlight 2-3 times each week. * Infants who receive vitamin D supplementation (2000 units daily) have an 80% reduced risk of developing type 1 diabetes over the next twenty years. Shocking Vitamin D deficiency statistics: * 32% of doctors and med school students are vitamin D deficient. * 40% of the U.S. population is vitamin D deficient. * 42% of African American women of childbearing age are deficient in vitamin D. * 48% of young girls (9-11 years old) are vitamin D deficient. * Up to 60% of all hospital patients are vitamin D deficient. * 76% of pregnant mothers are severely vitamin D deficient, causing widespread vitamin D deficiencies in their unborn children, which predisposes them to type 1 diabetes, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia later in life. 81% of the children born to these mothers were deficient. * Up to 80% of nursing home patients are vitamin D deficient.

A Tribute to My Mother

Mothers are God's precious gifts from above
Taking young ones into the world with their wonderful love
To every mother who loves and cares for their children
May your world be filled with all the glory from heaven
M is for how mild you are
O is for how outstanding you are
T is for how thoughtful you are
H is for how humorous you are
E is for how exuberant you are
R is for how remarkable you are

And I say to my Mother
You're the best Mother a child could ever dream of
No one can replace the love you've given me
Nine months of labor could not have been easy
but you took me in the world with your splendor and your glory

You were the sunshine of my life
and the strength and vigor of my body
You are the best Mother there could ever be
and you are the most precious gift God gave to me

And though you're gone already, you'll always be the queen of my heart
And from your most memorable memories I will never depart
And the love you've given me will never be a boredom
Your sweetness goes on forever

Sometimes, I sit crying and no one knows why
But it's all the wonderful memories of you and the night you died
I manage to put up a smile and hide the truth
on every Mother's Day I wish you were here, so I could say "Mom, I love you"

To all the Mothers
And to all of you in the universe with a Mother in your life
Remind her how much you appreciate having her by your side
Hug her, kiss her, and tell her you love her especially on Mother's Day
Because when you lose that Mother you love so much
it will be a tough price to pay.

Most Beautiful Heart

Most Beautiful Heart

One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered and they all admired his heart for it was perfect. There was not a mark or a flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen. The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly about his beautiful heart.

Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said, "Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine."

The crowd and the young man looked at the old man's heart. It was beating strongly, but full of scars, it had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in, but they didn't fit quite right and there were several jagged edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing. The people stared -- how can he say his heart is more beautiful, they thought?

The young man looked at the old man's heart and saw its state and laughed. "You must be joking," he said. "Compare your heart with mine, mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears."

"Yes," said the old man, "Yours is perfect looking but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have given my love - I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in my heart, but because the pieces aren't exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared.

"Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn't returned a piece of his heart to me. These are the empty gouges -- giving love is taking a chance. Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people too, and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting. So now do you see what true beauty is?"

The young man stood silently with tears running down his cheeks. He walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart, and ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man with trembling hands.

The old man took his offering, placed it in his heart and then took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man's heart. It fit, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges.

The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man's heart flowed into his. They embraced and walked away side by side .