Do Positive Affirmations Work?

perhaps you’ve heard about the power of positive affirmations to help your mindset, but you may have this question:

“How do I make positive affirmations work for me?”

Following is a short video that teaches you why positive affirmations do not always work and how to help those positive messages sneak in “under the radar” of your conscious mind, effortlessly.

I am an affiliate of this product because I believe in it, and because the product creator, Glen Mollett, is a businessman of quality deserving of your trust and your business.

Get the Affirmation Ticker now

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What’s the Story Lady Reading? Story of a Living Peace Symbol: Review of Three Cups of Tea

My eclectic taste in books next brought me to one that some friends of mine read for their book club.  Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time It is a masterful example of direct emotional response storytelling.

Mountain climbing devotee Greg Mortenson made an unsuccessful attempt to reach the summit of K2. He staggered down the mountain, and a wrong turn brought him to the people of a small and poor town. They nursed him back to health, though they mad little to spare, and he found his ultimate purpose in life.

He vowed that he would come back and build a school for their children, including the girls. Yet when he came back to his home in the USA, he found the task of fundraising daunting. Not knowing how to use a computer at first, he individually typed letters to influential people, hoping for donations.

It would only take $12,000 USD to build and supply a school. Yet the wealthy and influential did not flock to his aid. Would you like to guess who gave him the most in donations at first?

Watch this video…

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Greg talked to children at the school where his mother worked. He told them about children in Korphe, Pakistan, who drew letters in the sand with sticks and only had a teacher some of the time. Plus, the girls had no way to be educated. They wanted to do something. Realizing everyone has a penny, they collected over 6,000 pennies.

Three Cups of Tea is a real life adventure in bringing education and peace to Pakistan and Afghanistan. You can read the original version of Three Cups of Tea, and there is also a young reader’s version.

This book excites me on many levels. For one, it is a brilliant collection of personal narrative example’s that walk you through Mortenson’s life-changing climb and his passionate dedication to building schools. One of the women I know who read this book thinks Mortenson was crazy to live in his car. I say his passion drove him to sacrifice what most people consider a normal life in order to make his dream a reality.

Imagine this. He cared so deeply about having enough money for a school in Pakistan that he lived in his car and used a storage space to keep a few items. That’s because he did not want the expense of rent to rob the children of their education. He used money sparingly in order to power his dream.

That’s an impassioned servant willing to give up so much, including what we in America would consider “the basics” such as a place to live, because that was the only way he felt he could get things started. Later, he garnered other resources, but at first, he was willing even to give up a place to live. Now he has a modest house and a family.

I truly admire his passionate devotion.

I really love the story about how he met his wife. The video below is his first daughter singing the song, “Three Cups of Tea.”

Education Changes Lives

I’ve been thinking a lot about the power of education since reading this book. In America, education is pretty much a given, and even those who drop out still live in wealth by global standards. You can be a grade school dropout and still have an apartment, a cell phone, a TV, and so forth. I’ve always been a proponent of giving people all oaver the world an education, but I never realized the depth of the issue until reading this book.

My commitment to education is deeper because I understand on a deep soul level what it’s like in places like Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, and so many other parts of the world. When you don’t have an education there, you truly don’t have options. Think of how many people who join the Taliban or other terrorist organizations do so because they’re simply trying to have the ultra basics of food and a roof over their heads. It’s easy to think people make those choices out of political or religious loyalty, but so often, it’s simply because without an education, there are few options.

I cried more than once while reading this book. When I read about the young woman educated in one of the first schools Greg helped establish march into a meeting of men and demand that Greg live up to his promise to send her for medical training so she could help her people. I did a fist pump and shout for joy!

Powered by Peace

Did you ever stop to realize how much peace is linked to education? So often I’ve heard people complain that America will send money everywhere else for schools and medicine. Yet stop to think about it. Sure, children are our future, but it’s more than that cliche.

When you have the opportunity of education, you realize you have choices. Education turns boys and girls with little guidance into empowered young men and women who understand that they can choose their own destiny.

This book will help you know the people of Pakistan. When you know how people live and stop to ask them what is important to them, it is easier to bring about peaceful relations.

One thing that popped out for me as I read the book is the power of relationships. Several times, Greg had intended to build a school in a certain place, however, the wisdom of someone who knew the specific people involved urged him to leverage the relationships first. And this is so true everywhere.

Relationships are the key to building any dream. Greg started out as a lone wolf and spent so much time and energy trying to get things moving. But through the power of people who knew the situation and people who had the financial ability to provide funding, his dream got legs.

Three Cups of Tea is a powerful peace symbol. It is about spending enough time with people to get to know them and share their lives. By the time you have had 3 cups of tea, you have received not only gracious hospitality, but trust.

Please read this powerful book and bring a little more peace into the world in so doing.

order Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time

Related articles by Zemanta

• Stones into Schools: Mortenson climbs another mountain (thestar.com)
• Greg Mortenson On Bill Moyers: A Better Path To Peace In Afghanistan (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
• 1 man’s voice, 1 man’s mission; 2nd shot to see ‘Three Cups of Tea’ co-author Mortenson (bendbulletin.com)
• Amid devastation, oppression, compassionate effort expands (boston.com)
• A Very Different and Positive Way of Bringing Peace to “Trouble Spots” (innovationtoronto.com)
• Educating Girls – Our Responsibility in Afghanistan? (kingstonaauw.blogspot.com)
• A cup a cha – A review of ‘Three Cups of Tea’, By Shaikh Muhammed Ali (liveactivecultures.net)

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Book Review: 47 Hearts: How to Live Your Dreams and Reach Your Goals with Passion, Purpose Persistence.

“Dreamers see the world, not as it is, but as it should be!”
- Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian

Dr. Mani dreamed of being a heart surgeon ever since his childhood. He saw an article in Reader’s Digest magazine about a famous heart surgeon, Dr. Denton Cooley. As a young physician, he felt a burning desire to beat the odds and cheat death.

A few years later, he found his passion to work with children in India who have congenital heart defects, CHD. This work ultimately led to him writing his new book, 47 Hearts: How to Live Your Dreams and Reach Your Goals with Passion, Purpose & Persistence.

“Working with children born with congenital heart defects (CHD), interacting with their parents, and understanding the uphill struggle they faced, gave me a unique perspective into how 9 in every 10 CHD families in India live.

“Limited finances, lack of awareness and restricted access to resources

“I had found my focus. A problem that I could try and solve.”

47 Hearts has several meanings, one of which is to honor the 47 healed hearts and the hope of more to come.

Watch the book trailer.

This book takes you on a journey into your own passion. It is a fast read, and one you will want to pick up when you need a boost of positivity or courage to go for your dreams.

A number of the chapters ask you to consider a question about your own dream, such as, “What if it takes your whole life?”

The chapter I like best is titled: “You are the Visionary; The Others are Missionaries,” in which he reminds you to hold the vision and surround yourself with a team to bring it into fruition. He’s saying you should not have to be chief visionary and chief cook and bottle washer.

I had an interesting exchange with someone via Facebook today. Each day I post a Word of the Day on this blog, courtesy of an RSS feed. Rick saw today’s word and commented that I was up early. I “fessed up,” telling him it was my blog feed auto-posting to Twitter and all over the place because of the way I have everything hooked up.

Rick said he was disappointed. I countered with this: “If I didn’t use some technology and automation to help me serve my audience, I would spend all my time doing piece work instead of PEACE work!”

47 Hearts is a nice little book. I will definitely buy a copy because it is a fundraiser for heart surgeries for children.  I have to honestly say it lacks one of the key elements I say belongs in every book: storytelling. How much more powerful this book would be if he had included stories of some of the families in India with children who have received their heart surgeries.

One element I like very much in this book is that he says if 47 people come together, each contributing a portion of the $1,250 it takes to match the government subsidy in India to give a CHD child heart surgery, those 47 hearts united can make the difference.

I am hoping that as his Feb. 14^th launch approaches, he will share more stories on his website, in videos, etc.

WAIT until Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14^th…

Dr. Mani asks – “Will YOU Commit To Spending $6.95 To Buy My new Book On February 14th?”

All profits from sales of the book go to charity. Purchase of this book helps provide heart surgery for underprivileged children.

Visit www.47Hearts.com and register for your reminder to purchase the book on Feb. 14^th.

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Review of Living in Freedom Everyday by Kenneth Brown

Since I work with authors, I have a lot of opportunities to read new books and often to give a gift to contribute to the success of a book launch.  I enjoy reading  a variety of books and am not afraid to read books by people whose perspective differs from my own.

How much time and energy do you put into your personal development each day? Do you read, study and improve yourself? If you are not currently doing so, I urge you to spend at least a few minutes each day reading a book or listening to a recording that empowers you to expand yourself.

Reading stories of people who raised themselves out of difficult situations and change lives everyday is one of my favorite passtimes. The book I review today

Kenneth Brown, author of LIFE: 6 Principles for Living In Freedom Everyday, lived his early life in poverty. Yet he had a dream of owning his own restaurant. Naturally, he did not effortlessly move from dream to fulfillment. He faced numerous challenges along the way. Only once he gained the right mindset and associations, a sense of vision and purpose for his life and took responsibility for his circumstances did he discover the meaning of freedom.

in LIFE, Kenneth Brown walks you through a journey of self discovery that will help you connect with what I would call your passion and he calls your calling. This is a book for those who appreciate a Christian perspective and/or who hold the belief that God directs your life.

He says in the book that when he first tried to borrow money from family to live his dream, the deal fell through because he used “earthly currency” and because he had not been made ready. After gaining skills working in McDonald and other restaurants, he discovered a passion for leadership and a clear sense of what God was calling him to do..

The guiding principles he talks about in the book are:

• Faith in God
• Vision  of success
• Purpose ordained by God
• Passion  and energy
• Ownership of your life and situation
• Associations that strengthen you

The book is written in a very friendly and accessible style. Kenneth uses some of his own stories, Biblical tales and stories of people he knows throughout the book.

If you feel a desire to understand God’s purpose for your life or you wish to deepen your faith, this book will definitely inspire you.

One of the great stories he tells is about the importance of your associations. He shares a time when he nervously started a horseback riding lesson. The instructions given to him reminded him of his wife. No, he does not liken her to a horse, but the instructions a rider gives a horse are like those of a good accountability partner. Sometimes you give a gentle direction with the reigns, and when you want the horse to go, you kick him in the stomach. While the contact does not hurt the horse, it gets him moving. That’s what Brown says his wife does for him at times.

One of my favorite stories is in the section on vision. Brown coached a businessman whose company was failing. While the man talked about wanting his employees to buy into his vision, and while he had created excellent training materials for them, his vision statement was not posted anywhere either in the manual or around the offices. How can anyone buy into a vision when they do not know what it is?

Brown shares an unfortunate truth in the book, which is that most people do not have a written vision statement or written goals. He created a simple yet powerful guiding vision statement for his restaurant. This single sentence stated the vision so clearly that all he had to do to demonstrate to an employee that they were not in alignment was to point and say, “Read the vision.”

I really appreciate Brown’s use of stories throughout LIFE. This isn’t surprising, since I’m definitely an advocate of connecting with people through storytelling. His stories poignantly guide you into an understanding of how to improve your life in the 6 arenas he covers in the book.

While there are no specific “exercises” in the book, there are many questions for you to consider and suggested actions you can take to raise yourself up in each of the 6 areas. You will find this book easy to read and powerfully pertinent.

Give yourself the gift of LIFE Tuesday, Jan. 26 and receive some life-changing gifts from Kenneth and his promotion partners right here..

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What’s The Story Lady Reading? The Cat Who Went Bananas

After an intense suspense novel(The Lost Symbol), I took a journy in history to read the Autobiography of Ben Franklin, then a dip into the ridiculous with The Darwin Awards, and then back to an old favorite series.

I enjoy the Cat Who cozy mysteries by Lillian Jackson Braun. They’re light reading and a nice break between intensely suspenseful or gripping books.  I’ve read a number of them now, and I enjoy the interesting life and adventures of Twil, the main character.

It is fun when yuo get to follow characters you have come to know and love through their adventures. In the first book, journalist Jim Qwilleran, our hero, inherited a Siamese cat named KoKo,who has a penchant for turning up clues. The trick, of course, is in interpreting those clues correctly.

Qwil soon inherits a second Siamese, yum Yun. Braun is obviously a cat fancier. As a cat lover myself, I especially enjoy hearing of the adventures

This book came out in 2005, and I confess it isn’t one of the best. The plot was weak in this one. My mom, also an avid fan of the series, did not like this one as much as others either. But once you start reading the series, you’ll want to give this one a quick read to keep up with  the cats’ latest adventures.

What’s your opinion?

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