Most people want to improve themselves as much as possible. Believe it or not, you can do this on your own with just a notebook or computer and the willingness to open your mind to a few new techniques. For you see, journaling is one simple, but extremely effective way to gain more satisfaction on your journey to higher awareness and self-empowerment.

First of all, it is important to understand the difference between regular journaling and intentional journaling. As you probably know, journaling in general usually means recording what happened to you during a given period, your thoughts and feelings about it, your hopes and dreams, sketches, poems, lists, and anecdotes from your life.

Intentional journaling often includes these things, too, but focuses on a specific topic for each entry. Thus, the name intentional journaling. Before beginning, you pose a question, problem, or situation to your subconscious mind and then write down or journal its responses. These entries are very focused and have endless benefits.

According to John Robson, a certified journaling facilitator and the founder of HigherAwareness.com, some of the 100 benefits of intentional journaling are:
Awareness and authenticity
Balance
Clarity, commitment and creativity
Decision-making ability
Expansion and empowerment
Focus, fun
Healing and harmony
Intuition, insights, imagination and inspiration
Joy
Knowledge of self, reality, truth
Manifestations, motivation and meaning
Peace of mind, planning, purpose
Quality of life
Results, release, relaxation and revelations
Understanding
Values
Wisdom and wholeness

To make intentional journaling easier, there are specific techniques you can use to access any and all information in your subconscious mind. These are called journaling tools, and two of the most popular ones are Smart Questions and List-making. These will be explored below.

Before learning about these tools, however, you need to understand that anything and everything you want or need to know is already in your subconscious mind. Everything! You just need to access it. When you do, you will have every answer, each solution, the wisdom, knowledge, and all the abundance you could ever need. You can use Smart Questions and/or List-making any time to tap into the vast stores of information in your subconscious.

Smart Questions--Statements and questions evoke different responses from your subconscious mind. Statements are perceived as fact and use the left brain, while questions create more outside the box, intuitive, and creative responses. They, in turn, use the right brain, where intuition, creativity, spiritual matters, and more abstract thinking come from.

However, you cannot just ask any old question and journal on it. Instead, it should be a Smart Question, one that will evoke a meaningful response. For example, Do I love myself? is not a Smart Question, but How can I love myself more? is, because it produces ways to obtain the self love you are looking for.

Other examples of Smart Questions include:
How can I create more free time?
How can I discover my life purpose?
What can I do to express self love?
Where is the best place for me to be alone to think or meditate?
Who do I relate to best?
Who could be my mentor?
What kind of work would be most fulfilling for me?
What do I have trouble accepting about myself?

Making up your own questions is extremely effective, because they reflect what you want and need most. Simply be sure they can produce multiple answers and are not limiting in the way you phrase them. Limited questions will work, but you will not gain as much insight from those.

Before writing down the answers that come to you, ask the question three times to drill it into your subconscious mind. Then, do not worry about what comes; just write what your mind throws at you without analyzing it. Later, you will be surprised at the responses and ideas you have generated in only a short time.

List-making--This is similar to Smart Questions, because it starts with a question. For instance, you have recently discovered a business that's new to you, and you want to explore it more deeply. Whether you know a lot about it or not, you can use list-making to find out more information. Set a minimum number of responses; then, pose your question and start writing quickly. Duplicates are ok. Your list might look something like this:

What can I learn about this new business?
At least 5 responses required.
Earning potential
Type of product
Marketing opportunities
Demand for product
Profit margin
Initial investment

When your list is finished, group the responses into categories. In this case, we could use financial considerations, marketing, and product information.

Then, especially for a longer list, prioritize the responses in each category, putting the ones you want to learn about most at the top. Finally, start researching the business. List-making takes the pressure off, organizes your knowledge, keeps you from becoming overwelmed, and keeps the list up-to-date as you add new items and re-prioritize the list. In this case it also gives you an informal study of the business.

With Smart Questions and List-making alone, you can gain greater insight into your relationships, life purpose, business, education, interests, developing your intuition, creativity, and so much more! You can use them in any and all areas of your life for even more success and abundance. If you practice them for a few weeks, you will see life-changing results: guaranteed!

For more journaling tools, check out the e-book Go Deeper.... Reach Higher... Journaling for Self-empowerment. It was written by John Robson, a certified journaling facilitator, and offers 40 tools like these along with exercises to encourage your journaling practice. You can find the e-book at:
http://tinyurl.com/ylamhp

 

When seeking a personal trainer, it is necessary for the public to educate themselves on how to interview the right person for the job. While there are many certified personal trainers out there, only a select few of them are truly competent. You should always ask and verify where their certification is from and what their credentials are. There are different types and levels of training certifications, only a handful of them are good. Most tests are multiple choice questions that are moderately difficult and some others require some essay or program design but are usually easy. What you need to look for is the continuing education courses the trainers have taken. It is the seminars and practical workshops that make a trainer better.

It is difficult for the public to decipher a good trainer from a bad one. In many cases, even the worst trainer knows more about physical fitness than the average person. Below are some fundamental questions that should be asked before making your choice. They are designed to save you from choosing a bad apple.

Questions you should ask:

* What certifications do they hold?
* Do they attend workshops and seminars? Which ones?
* How long have they been a trainer?
* How thorough was your evaluation? Did they do a medical history and test flexibility, balance, core strength, proprioception, muscle strength and endurance?
* Are they familiar with functional training (training according to daily activities or a specific goal)?
* Have they explained the importance of flexibility?
* Do they stress how important it is to properly brace the core and preserve the lumbar spine?
* Do they know what P.N.F(Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) stretching is?
* Have they explained that function is more important than vanity?
* Can they explain what they are going to do in the routine and how it benefits you?
* Did they explain that cardio alone is an inefficient workout?
* Do they have a basic understanding of nutrition?

If you already have a trainer you can evaluate them:

* Does your trainer understand that a core routine is not a series of floor exercises?
* Do they understand current research that proves traditional sit ups, leg raises and many of the common exercises that flex the spine can actually be harmful even for healthy people?
* Are you doing more free weights and medicine balls than machines?
* Do they ever take notes?
* Are you being properly warmed up at the beginning and being stretched at the end?
* Does your trainer change the routine periodically?
* Does you trainer incorporate balance boards, swiss balls, single leg exercises and other challenged environments?
* When training the core (midsection) does your trainer explain how important it is to do dynamic multiplantar movements as well as isometric exercises and the importance of low back exercises?
* Does your trainer target weak areas?
* If you feel pain in places that you should not like your knees, low back and neck does your trainer change or modify the exercise to a pain free range?
* Do you truly understand what you are doing while you train?
* Are you really getting results?
* Do you do more back exercises than chest and abs?
* Are you setting goals?
* Are you talking about you and your needs?
* Are you getting undivided attention?

If you answered no to any of these questions, then your trainer may be lacking key knowledge that is necessary for you to reach your fitness goals. More importantly, your trainer may be doing you more harm than good. It is simple for a trainer to deceive an unsuspecting client into believing they are knowledgeable. This is due to the general public not being educated about the fitness industry and trusting a gym will provide them with a competent trainer. In most cases, gyms are not always concerned with the quality of the people they are hiring. If a gym thinks a trainer possesses strong sales skills, they will hire them as long as they have some type of certification. A qualified fitness professional will understand at the very least everything listed above. Remember when hiring a trainer to make sure they are a full time professional. Part time does not cut it when it comes to your health. Would you go to a part time Medical Doctor?

Be aware of trainers that are charging low rates. The going rate for a high level trainer in a gym like Equinox or New York Sports Club is around $85-$90/hr even their entry level trainers are $65-$70/hr in addition to membership. There are other gyms that charge way more than the rates just mentioned. In-homes for a high level professional trainer are around $125 and can be more. You may be able to get a really good trainer for $90-$100 depending on travel time, trainers charging much less are either just starting out, not that good or a close friend. You get what you pay for. It is important you research the trainers’ certification and check to make sure they are currently certified by multiple accredited agencies. Presently there is an agency named Ethics Safety Compliance Standards www.escs.info It insures all registered trainers are acting appropriately. Find out if your trainer is registered.

It is important to understand that certifications and degrees certainly help but do not mean everything. You want to know about their clinical experience and the workshops they attend. Ask who they work with and get at least three references to call from current clients. See if they work with any local doctors, all the good trainers work with at least one doctor.

A bad trainer can hurt you - do your research and make sure they are good.

 

It seems we all need to carry more of our personal possessions around with us these days. Cash in your wallet or purse; checkbooks, credit cards, personal organizers and mobile phones are just some of the everyday items that are sorely missed if they are stolen.

All these possessions might seem invaluable, but according to the police the best advice for hanging on to your possessions is "only take what you need with you".

They suggest you learn to minimize the amount of possessions you carry with you. If you don't need a camera with you, don't take it and the same goes for cash and credit cards, only take what cash you need and don't take all your credit cards with you, just the ones you are likely to use.

Keep your purse or wallet somewhere where you can feel it, such as an inside jacket or trouser pocket. Pockets you can zip or button are best. Check every now and then to make sure you still have your wallet or purse on you, but don't make this too obvious as pickpockets can spot you doing this.

Likewise, keep your mobile phone out of sight - in a zipped up pocket is best. If you carry a bag, strap it across your chest and keep hold of it, but at the same time try not to look overly cautious. Keep the zip or opening towards you. Be aware that back-pack style bags are especially vulnerable to thieves.

Do not leave your bag unattended in a public place, such as in a pub, coffee bar or shop. If you're trying on shoes in a shop for example, don't walk even a short distance away from your bag. Keep it with you or ask the shop assistant to hold it for you.

Try to appear relaxed, but at the same time be thoughtful about your surroundings. Pickpockets like busy streets and crowded places, and someone bumping into you could well be a pickpocket. If this happens, check you still have your things with you, but again don't make it too obvious that you're doing this.

If something is stolen, go to the nearest police station or call the police. However, don't dial 911 unless you have actually caught someone in the act and have managed to apprehend them. Think carefully before chasing after someone or trying to restrain a thief. The value of what they have stolen may be minor compared to the consequences of being attacked. Always put your own safety first.

And Remember, Non-resistance to prevent physical violence, Negotiate, Stall for time, Distracting or diverting the assailant, then fleeing, Verbal assertiveness, Screaming, and using a whistle or shriek alarm to attract attention and help.

For more information pertaining to Personal Safety Products please visit my website: http://www.self-defense101.com

 

Ever meet someone who is always setting goals for themselves? Who loves struggling and competition for its own sake; maybe even has a streak of ruthlessness in them? Chances are, they are part of the 11% percent of the population living on Life Path (8) the Path of the Warrior. These individuals have birthdays which when summed, and then reduced by Fadic addition give us a (8) result.

(For example Halle Berry, born August 14th, 1966; 8 + 14 + 1966 = 1988 = 26 = 8)

Note that your Life Path is Numerology's equivalent to your Sun Sign in Astrology; telling us what the primary factors are in shaping your Destiny.

===> Talents and Abilities

Warriors primary goal in life is to establish goals or obstacles for themselves, and then to achieve or overcome them by battle or struggle. They live for the thrill of the fight, the struggle for power and achievement that fills their lives. They are strong, mentally tough, and ruthless in the pursuit of their objectives. Warriors are dynamic, self-reliant people who hate depending on others where their success is at stake. Success does not come easily for Warriors; they must wrest it from life by their own efforts.

These people are ambitious, powerful, and confident; they easily intimidate others who cross their path. They were made for the business jungle, where their power and self-confidence shine. These people are excellent organizers, and they tend to immerse themselves in their chosen career or profession. Warriors take lots of time and trouble with their appearance. They tend to be natural athletes, and good at most sports they take up. Warriors tend to be either complete successes or total failures at the task they undertake; there is no middle ground for them.

===> Problem Areas for Warriors

Warriors tend to have problems in their domestic lives; either with affection for loved ones, or feeling out of sorts when they have to deal with people they are not competing with. Warriors must learn to balance their material desires with their spiritual desires. When they are in balance, they enjoy helping others, and life will reward their generosity. When they are out of balance, and material greed or over ambition is present, they tend to be unlucky in life.

===> Famous Life Path (8) Warriors

Famous people with this Life Path include: Giorgio Armani, Neil Armstrong, Lance Bass, Warren Beatty, Kate Beckinsale, Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Bjork, Cate Blanchett, Helenna Bonham-Carter, Sandra Bullock, Naomi Campbell, Deepak Chopra, Cindy Crawford, Penelope Cruz, Matt Damon, Ted Danson, Hilary Duff, Bob Dylan, Anthony Edwards, Jane Fonda, Aretha Franklin, James Gandolfini, Andy Garcia, Richard Gere, Gene Hackman, Mariska Hargitay, Faith Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Enrique Iglesias, Don Imus, Tommy Lee Jones, Nathan Lane, David Mamet, Dylan McDermott, Sarah McLachlan, Paul Newman, Randy Quaid, Gloria Reuben, Natasha Richardson, Diane Sawyer, David Schwimmer, Martin Scorsese, Elisabeth J. Shue, Martha Stewart, Ben Stiller, Oliver Stone, Barbara Streisand, Elizabeth Taylor, James VanDerBeek, Robin Williams, and Yanni.