Welcome to Michael's Article Collection

4 Steps to Teaching Your Family to Treat You Better

Case #1- Elizabeth, a 40 year old homemaker was always feeling angry and “used” by her family, constantly saying that everybody took advantage of her. She felt that she worked like a slave but her family showed no appreciation or acknowledgement of her many efforts. Case #2- Bill, a 34 year old husband complained that his critical wife was always angry at him.He spent his life trying to cope wi. . .

To Stress or Not to Stress?

Today it seems that no matter who we are or what we do, we have more stress in our lives than our parents or grandparents did. There are many factors and demands that cause stress in our lives: things such as demanding careers, relationship conflicts, financial worries, health concerns, parenting challenges, legal issues, fear of the unknown and so many others. If that were not enough, the stre. . .

Where Do You Get Your Daily Success Quotes?

Don’t be left behind today in the motivational stakes. START OFF YOUR DAY WITH OUR FREE BOOK! "365 Daily Success Quotes" Inspiring self help ebook - a Power Pack of Quotes for every day of the week. E-book can also be loaded onto your desktop for quick daily calendar reference to this day's inspiration. I have also just published my favourite “500 Famous Quotes” free self help book for you t. . .

Conquer Your Fear

Your belief system is the driving force behind your behaviors and your results. If you can change your beliefs, you will change your behaviors. When you change your behaviors, you will change your results. Then, when you change your results, you will change your life. It all starts with your belief system. Jesus said, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes" (Mark 9:23). . .

Life Is Good!

Ahhh, the American Dream. You're sitting by the beautiful ocean at Kaanapali Beach on Maui basking in the warm rays of the dying sun as it sets into the horizon. It's not just the sun that warms your body. You also have that warm, fuzzy feeling that comes just from knowing that thousands of dollars are pouring into your very large bank account from your fully-automated home based business. Life. . .

What Is Front Porch Attitude?

What is front porch attitude? Well, it's not an easy thing to explain, but I'll see if I can try to explain it by telling you a story.Before my wife and I moved from Texas to Oregon, we owned a beautiful house that was built in the early 1900s. As was common in those early days, our house had a large L-shaped font porch. The sides of this porch came up about 3 feet and it had screening up to th. . .

Music Therapy: Can Music Really “Soothe The Savage Beast?”

It has long been suggested that “music soothes the savage beast.” But is this true? And if it is, does this have any implication where humans are concerned? The answer, apparently, is yes. To illustrate this, researchers point to the different physiological changes that take place within the human body in response to different sounds and noises. A loud noise that shatters the silence sets . . .

The 31 Absolute Best Resources for Self Improvement

Every week, I hear from people with the same Self Improvement questions: Where should I go for help? What should I do? Who should I listen to?This article is designed to help you explore all of the people, places and things available to help you improve your life starting today.Right off the bat, I want to share with you some very good news: There are literally DOZENS of places to go and people. . .

Focus Brings Prosperity

"...as you sow, so shall you reap." What does that statement have to do with Prosperity? Well, just think for a moment and ask yourself, which farmer produces the most abundant crop: Is it the farmer who puts his attention, daily, faithfully on his crop? Or, is it the farmer who tends to his crop whenever he thinks about it or has a spare moment or two? I think we can agree that the farmer who . . .

Success Is Based On A Realistic Plan

Everyone wants to be successful. However, many people often rely on luck and chance to achieve results. The best example in this case is someone who wants to be rich but only try the most ineffective method: playing the Lotto. Of course, there are chances of becoming rich over night, but how likely is it that this will actually happen? Creating a realistic plan in order to achieve the desired r. . .

Meditate to Unlock Your Hidden Potential – Part 1

Meditation is often misunderstood by those who do not practice it. Very often, I hear meditation referred to as, “altered states of consciousness.” That sounds more like intoxicants, rather than bringing clarity to a cluttered mind. Without going too deep into what meditation is, or is not, let’s focus on one of the many things a daily meditation practice can do for you.Meditation is commonly s. . .

Discover Your Path to Success - Part 3

If you have read this far, we both know you are serious about succeeding, getting the most out of life, and attaining your goals.Now, how do you “keep the fire burning” during life’s daily struggle? It’s simple really, but will require the patience to take each task into consideration, without doing everything at once.You will get the urge to make up for lost time. You now want to jump ahead at. . .

C-R-I-T-I-C-I-S-M

C-R-I-T-I-C-I-S-MYuk!One thing, I really have a problem with is criticism. Oh I can do the criticism. That I can do. It’s too easy (but that’s not today’s point!) Receiving it, well that’s another story. So, today, from now on, I thought I need to take it like a mature, grown person. I don’t want it to bother me so much. How do I do that? Well I started reading up on the subject and this is wha. . .

Meditate to Unlock Your Hidden Potential – Part 2

You can be the creator of your own manifest destiny. Through daily meditation practice and focus on changing your life for the better. In fact, you have the ability to redefine yourself in any direction you desire. The power that you can cultivate is limited only by your own imagination.As I have mentioned earlier, this will change the lives of people who you come into frequent contact with. Th. . .

Are You Taking Responsibility?

It is time to take responsibility for our actions and the results we create in our lives. It’s time to stop expecting someone else to do for us what we are unwilling to do for ourselves. It’s time to remember that no one is doing it to us and no one is going to do it for us. We have the right and the responsibility to powerfully, positively choose what we desire for our lives, and to create . . .

Time Management: How to Stay Motivated and Get More Done

If you can motivate yourself at will to get any task done, you’ll have taken a huge step towards managing your time better. There are several practical ways to increase your motivation. There are a couple of facts to remember about human beings in general. One, newness is a great spur to motivation. Think about when you took up a new job. Everything was fresh and you applied yourself to your wo. . .

MORAL ARMOR'S Irrational Parenting, Part III

Not Letting Them Think. We all implicitly know that anything questioning the process of cognition itself will be met with massive irritation, making us want to respond with “Don’t question my capacity to think.” Their moronic reasoning to show how logic is derived, provokes the thought, “Don’t try to tell me how to think.” Forcing their opinions down your throat earns the response, “Don’t tell . . .

Time Management: Eliminate Time Killers to Gain More Hour...

There are two types of time killers in everyone’s life. Unless you deal with both, you’ll lose productive time every single day and be a lot less effective than you could be. Some time killers are more of less common to most people. This article will tell you more about how to deal with them.Apart from that, there are also other time killers that are highly specific to each individual. They hav. . .

Time Management: Analysis Is the Key to Mastery

If you’re like most people, you want to get better at managing your time, whether at work or at home. The question is, do you know where to start? Unless you have a clear idea of where you are right now, no road map is going to help you get to your destination. That’s why, before you can think about managing your time well, you need to analyze how you’re using your time today. Let’s backtrack a. . .

Improve Your Workplace to Make Your Life Better

What does “quality of life” mean to you? If you want to improve it, you have to define and measure it. Most people think of it in terms of lodging, car, financial income, medical services, and social position. That point of view, however, is not fully complete. An average person is spending more than half of his/her life at work. That is why the level of comfort at workplace is an essential fac. . .

Leadership Qualities

There is no doubt that a lot of emphasis is placed on leadership qualities today. However, this is nothing new. If my school history lessons were anything to go by it seems that it is the leaders that we learn most about. Many people believe that the world is divided into two types of people, the leaders and the followers. I don’t agree with this statement to be honest as I think that everyone . . .

Improve Your Image at Work

The image we have at the place we work or, in other words, what people we work with think about us, is always important for each and every one of us. It sometimes happens that you’re very close to a promotion and you’re wondering how to prove that you’re better than your hard-working colleague; or maybe you realized you would like to get along better with the persons you meet at work everyday. . . .

The Ripple Effect: Small Steps Lead to Big Results

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit." -AristotleProcrastination is the single habit at the root of so many problems that plague all of us at one time or another - challenges with managing our time, relationships, projects, and information.Procrastination is doing low-priority tasks and activities instead of the high-priority ones which so often contribute . . .

Discovering Your Strengths

"Most Americans do not know what their strengths are. When you ask them, they look at you with a blank stare, or they respond in terms of subject knowledge, which is the wrong answer." --Peter DruckerMany people never fully utilize their natural gifts because they don't find the proper way to express them in the world, or perhaps they don't even recognize the talents they have. Realized or . . .

Music & Intelligence: Will Listening to Music Make You Sm...

Will listening to music make you smarter? Will learning to play a musical instrument make your brain grow larger than normal?Questions like these ones have been popping up all over the place in the past few years, and not just in scientific journals either.In recent times the media has been fascinated by the research surrounding brain development and music, eagerly reporting on the latest studi. . .

A Simple Cure For Anxiety And Depression

Our innate desire is to be happy, and when we move away from it, we experience fear. This fear is actually millions of years old, for it arises from the biological programming of our species. While we may not have to contend with a sabre-toothed tiger on any given day, we still use those very reactions to deal with events looming ahead. We think, “Will I be fired for making that mistake at work. . .

A Few Simple Things You Must Do If You Want To Be Wealthy

Making money is easy when you move to cause rather than living out effects. Let me draw a simple analogy to clarify my point. Imagine standing before a huge waterfall. You’re thirsty and the water is fresh, clean, and pure. You can take as much as you like. How much can you take home with you? It all depends on the size of your container. You can take a thimble, a small cup, a gallon bucket, a . . .

Motivation To Change, Why Is It So Hard?

We encounter constant changes throughout our life; it could be educational, health, relationships or financial, and of course with oneself. Maintaining or increasing one’s sense of self-worth and happiness are strong incentives for these changes.Too often trials and errors affect our self-esteem and therefore hinder true engagement in learning and changing. It’s very comforting to have a routin. . .

Grocery Shopping Tips

The grocery store is full of delicious items that may all seem tempting to buy however use these tips to keep your costs down and not purchase more than you need.Before Heading to the Grocery StoreCheck to see what you already have so you don't buy more than you need.Plan your spending to avoid impulse buys like candy bars at the checkout or unnecessary snacks.Grow your own fruits, nuts, and ve. . .

Got Goals? Did You Reach Them?

Most of us have goals.Big ones, small ones. But not always do we follow through with them and that...hum…could be dangerous.You see, within a lifetime our goals may change a little or dramatically, which is fine. The problem is when you have definite goals but can't follow through with them. It's crushing. It makes you feel miserable. As if you can't accomplish anything properly. You start some. . .

Inspiration, the Living Force

These moments of awareness are powerful motivators. They boost our spirit and expand our view of certain joys we don’t have the chance to appreciate every day. They make you want to shout for more and they also rejuvenate the child within. They have inspired new dreams and goals, and made possible other options in life.Are you one who finds it hard to be inspired? Here are a few tips to let in. . .

The Ultimate Kick-Butt Motivational Lesson

How often have you struggled with yourself over the work that needs to be done? How many times have you put off performing some task or other because it's too mundane?Not everything you do in business is going to excite you. There will be many times when you just can't get yourself sufficiently fired up to make the effort to start, develop or even finish a project.I get like that quite often. I. . .

Ignite Your Success - 21 Actions

Taking action is the strongest way to create success in your life. The following are the 21 Actions that you can take right now, to ignite the success in your life, business, career, relationships, or family. Take one or two of the actions that you are better at and practice them. Then, start working on some of the other actions. You will be surprised at the success that you will have when you . . .

Travel Nursing Career - A Dream Come True?

Deciding what job to pursue after college entails more brain cells that most activities. Unlike deciding on what car to buy or what clothes to wear, one must give the decision its due because it will effect your happiness and quality of life for the next three to four decades.Most people believe that a career in travel nursing is stuff that dreams are made of. For those currently following thi. . .

Smile Your Way To Success

Smile brings beauty to your face, charm to your personality and money to your pocket; apart from being your recognition as a cheerful, friendly, loveable person. When you smile you also bring smile to the faces of other people around you. And that is a great service to the mankind. Smile, even for a while, can bring happiness in the lives of people who are suffering from distress, anxiety or pa. . .

Creating Success - Understand The Tao of Success

One of the most important aspects of creating success involves a delicate balance between two somewhat opposing forces – REFLECTION and ACTION. This balance is very similar to the balance of Yin and Yang in the Tao philosophy.Most successful leaders in business or elsewhere are seasoned veterans at creating an ongoing balance between the reflection of where they are now and the action of pushin. . .

Success Through The Eyes Of A Child

Adults, with eyes to see, can learn so much about success in life from children. When a baby is born, it has instinctively in it everything needed to succeed in life. A child is like a fresh piece of canvas, ready to become a unique contribution to the world. A child has had less exposure to adult conditioning with regards to behaviour and expectations. Every child has the seeds of success for . . .

The Accidental Leader

It was never planned, it just happened. After years of enjoying what you do, and consequently doing quite well, your efforts and results have been recognised by management. They asked you to lead a small group and coach up a few other staff to work with you and 'learn from the master'.While work was still quite enjoyable and some people blossomed under you, others didn't. You were also unawa. . .

5 Tips To Gain A Winning Advantage In Life

Do you wish you could live your dream life? Here’s 5 top tips to help turn your dream into reality…1. Invest in your dream. This will mean investing time to develop the necessary skills and investing money to develop skills - equipment, books, courses, seminars - to take you closer to your goals. These are investments in yourself – in your dream and are never wasted. My best friend is currently. . .

4 Simple Ways To Get Over Your Need For Acceptance...And ...

Imagine what your life would be like if you could just be yourself, without thinking twice about what other people think of you! Here are four quick tips that will help you get over your need for acceptance. Make these four things a part of your daily routine and you’ll find that people will judge you less and accept you more!1. See Yourself as a SuccessYou’re probably familiar with that little. . .

Turning Setbacks Into Comebacks

There are so many times that we experience some setbacks in our lives and we feel it is the end of the world. We tend to dwell on those things that we forget to learn from them and move on with our lives. The story below states clearly what our attitude to setbacks should be. Enjoy it: "I'm always looking for the right words to encourage my football(American) team. at Baylor University where I'. . .

Control Your Own Level of Motivation

When I first mention this to most people, they really don’t get it, so here is a simple formula for keeping your moods upbeat. Audio books and music can be used as tools for motivation. The audio book is such a great motivational and learning tool, while you are commuting, or just out for a drive by yourself. I mention “by yourself” because, ideally, you should spend quality time with people i. . .

Facts About the Art of Influence

All of us could work on our skills in influencing others - whether it is within a company, a family, or a group of friends. Within the corporate world, influence is a power that you can control with your supervisor, upper management, customers, and co-workers.Don’t confuse influencing, with the art of “kissing up;” it’s not the same thing. Livia, the wife of Octavian (Caesar Augustus), and moth. . .

Rubber Cancer Bracelets: A Small, Big Gesture

What prompted ace cyclist Lance Armstrong to hit upon the idea to use rubber cancer bracelets to fund cancer research? No one knows. But the signature yellow rubber cancer bracelets worn by the seven-time Tour de Force champion and cancer survivor quickly caught on as a common fundraising tool. And young people soon turned wearing them -- in all colors and with all kinds of messages stamped on . . .

Transforming Anger

All of us feel anger and hatred from time to time. Eastern meditation and mindfulness techniques can help us mange and transform our anger so that the energy contained in the anger benefits us instead of spreading misery in others and ourselves.It is important to note that although anger causes us pain we should not reject it or disown it. Suppose your stomach or legs or some other part of your. . .

Discover Your Path to Success - Part 2

Time taken for self-analysis is so important in developing your road map to success. Let’s continue with a few more questions to ask yourself - before we go into the heart of the formula for personal success. Are you easily distracted? Most people cannot focus on a goal, without getting “side tracked.” When this cannot be helped, you can develop a new skill set, through meditation, self-hypnosi. . .

Meditation Also Gave Me Something Else

I'm passionate about meditation and its benefits, anyone who knows me can attest to that. It's so much part of my makeup that I really can't imagine living my life without it and I give it a plug whenever an opportunity arises.Some of the greatest benefits for me have been my ability to tap into 'my well of inner peace' whenever I need to, my connection with, and to, spirit, achievement of gre. . .

Discover Your Path to Success - Part 1

Success can easily be compared to the “genie trapped in a bottle.” For many of us, it is a matter of finding a way to open the bottle, and then, follow a specific path. This path is filled with pitfalls, and traps, along the way, so it is wise to expand your vision by learning as you go. To many people, success is a “fairytale” and as elusive as a Yeti. In reality, success is just around the co. . .

Discover Your Path to Success – Part 4

In Part Three, I promised we would get into the resources. Before we do, however, let’s discuss a treasure that most of us have been exposed to, but don’t take nearly enough time out of our day to focus on – the power of prayer. This may offend some people, but I hope it does not; as that is not my intent. As humans, we have progressed in so many ways, but we have lost touch with our bodies, na. . .

‘Back to School’ is an Opportune Time to Set Your Own Goa...

Any time of year is a good time to set goals and start working towards them. However there are certain times of year when it feels very natural to set goals. One of these times is the New Year, and another is ‘Back to School’ time. What would you love to have achieved by December? What would you feel really proud of accomplishing? As students head ‘Back to School’ to achieve their academic goal. . .