The Pursuit of Happiness and the American Dream - It's All About Improving the Quality of Life

What did Thomas Jefferson have in mind when he penned the the phrase, "the pursuit of happiness?" Depending on your beliefs and point of view the meaning hinges on the interpretation of the word happiness. Happiness means something different to each of us, but in general most people would probably agree that happiness has a lot to do with improving the quality of life at all levels.

While there may be an over emphasis on capitalism in American society and the ever present drive for the almighty dollar, at its root this peculiar American characteristic is based on the desire to improve the quality of life. Yes, it may have become distorted over the years by the misguided notion that money will bring happiness, but we shouldn't downplay the importance of the drive to have enough money to live a comfortable life. The American dream of owning a home and having a business or a job that can offer financial stability and independence is part of our heritage. We as a people are the ones who in a very real sense have raised the bar high in establishing the ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

At the very inner core of the American consciousness, beyond the material things, is the conviction and the unshakable belief in the freedom of ideas. It is the freedom of ideas, above all, that that is worth fighting and dying for, because without this liberty all other freedoms would be hollow. American ingenuity and inventiveness is based on the notion that no system and no set of beliefs is beyond questioning.

If Einstein had not challenged the conventional beliefs and scientific precepts of his time he would not have made the remarkable contributions that he did. The drive to improve the quality of life is an inborn quality in each of us, but it is the unique American trait of casting aside false assumptions and limiting ideas that sets the standard for all to follow. We must not judge ourselves, therefore, by lesser standards and rest on our laurels, but measure ourselves against our own ideals. If we do this as a people and as a nation then the future is indeed bright.
 Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Boston

How to Be a Lovely Lady Without Losing Weight

You can actually be a very lovely lady without having to lose weight and look thin or slender. This article will tell you how to take care of yourself if you are female and do not want to lose weight but still be and look lovely.

Most of society has placed a stigma on women who are on the large side. Most women who are large hardly find ready-made clothes that can fit them. Our society has not grown to tolerate having fat females as models to display fashionable wears. The society has also not accepted watching fat females act lead roles in popular movies or treat robust women as celebrities to be admired on the catwalk. These societal norms impact negatively on the psyche of fat women and always keep them on the defensive wherever and whenever issues of weight is discussed.

There is nothing to be ashamed of if you are fat and on the large side. However, due to the health concerns associated with being fat and heavy, you should have to tone down to remain healthy and free from the terminal and dangerous diseases linked to being fat.

If you want to remain a lovely lady without losing weight, you must take care of your health needs. I will advise that you:

1.  Exercise yourself at least three times a week for about 30 minutes each exercise session.
2. Gradually reduce the amount of calories you consume on a daily basis to maintain and return your 
3. shape to normal (where you have been deformed by excess fat)
4. Wear dresses that promote your good points but hide your defects
5. Reduce the consumption of fatty foods and junk meals to prevent the scourge of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases and other conditions associated with being fat.
6. Live an active instead of a sedentary life
7. Consume natural foods that are not cooked. You can add fruits to your normal diet.
8. Use natural and herbal weight loss pills to regulate your weight and avoid obesity
9. Do not wallow in self-pity. Live your life as best you can and do things that make you happy and looking forward to the next day with joy and great expectations

You can still be a lovely lady without losing weight if you adhere to the points listed above. You may have other tips of your own to help you remain lovely and healthy regardless of your size and weight. The bottom line is, are you happy with the way you look? You should.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nnamdi_Agha

5 Temptations That You Need to Resist

Sometimes the temptations that come with working at home can be a bigger danger than we think. A danger to our health and our very livelihood. Here are a few work at home temptations to avoid.

1. Following too many gurus:

 There is a lot of good stuff out there and our natural inclination is to want to learn as much as we can to help us make a success of our business. The problem is that too much of a good thing really is too much. Choose a few at most so that you can stay focused and to help you move in a straight line, without becoming overwhelmed and confused.

2. Reading too much email:

 This can materialize in two ways. You can either check your mail too often throughout the day, taking up far too much time and getting you off of your schedule, or signing up for too many newsletters, courses and similar things resulting in information overload.

3. Too much input:
 Are you seeing a theme here? Your main focus needs to be on output. Unfortunately it's quite common today for the focus to be on input over various forms. Courses, email, social networks, videos... the list goes on. Too much input leaves not enough time or focus for the output needed to create a presence and income stream when you work online. If you want to see results, write that down and tape it to your desk. If you can consistently increase your output, you will be on your way.

4. Neglecting your health:

 Getting so caught up in your business that you don't leave time for spirit, exercise, relaxation, sleep and healthy eating is a huge temptation. The result is low energy, fuzzy thinking, mood swings, aging and and a general feeling of lethargy. Does that sound like something that will help you succeed? If you're thinking no, you're right. Neglecting your health is a dangerous path. No business is worth your health.

5. Neglecting your family:
 It's very tempting to put off spending time with your family until you think you will have more time. You may be thinking that you just need to get over the hump and then you will make it up. When you have your own home business, there is no hump. There will always be money to be made and things to do. And you can never make up neglecting your family. No business is worth your family either.

If you have found yourself struggling with these temptations in your own home business, being aware is the first step to making improvements.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jan_Ferrante

3 Ways to Make Her Fall in Love With You

 

"How do I find true love?" This is an all-important question, especially among couples who are not yet sure if the other person is The One. This seems like a no-brainer, but actually, how to find the girl for you requires strategy. The fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach. On the other hand, for men who wonder "how can I find true love," here are 3 ways to make her fall in love with you:

• Show some muscle. Women, even those fiercely independent ones, need men who are stronger than they are at certain low points in their life. Nowhere is she more in need than when she's drowned in the task of moving to a new place. Help her with the really heavy stuff that requires brute strength. Or, offer to help fix her flat tire. Being masculine in the real sense of the word conveys macho appeal.


• Shower her with affection. Finding a soulmate requires displays of affection, whether done overtly or covertly. Some guys do it with flowers, some do it with flour. Send her flowers when she does well at work (and make sure she gets them in front of everybody, unless she categorically said otherwise), or bake her some sweets as consolation for that postponed promotion. Send her sweet messages day and night, upon waking up and before going to bed. It tells her in more ways than one that she is cared for. Men who put women in their minds are the ones likely to get the question "how can I find true love" answered.


• Wear your heart on your sleeve. How to find the girl for you requires more than brute force, for sure. As much as you love the macho gig, it would score you points to show your soft spots. A man who does not feel diminished by a display of emotion conveys a message that he is into the relationship as much as she is into it. After all, how can you be so hard of heart when you are trying to answer "how can I find true love?" Finding a soulmate requires that you open your heart to the other half. You know she feels bad for the world's hungry children, so sympathize. Do you feel like shedding a tear or two with that melodrama on screen? Cry. Women want men who understand pain, in all its ugly glory. After all, only humans feel pain. Women want humans, not androids.

Try to implement these 3 ways to make her fall in love with you and see magic happen.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lori_Abela

Make Her Fall in Love With You Again - Tips to Get Your Girl Back

The goal of trying to get your girlfriend back can be intimidating. After all, she has already shown you that she will walk away from a relationship with you. This can cause you to wonder whether or not it is possible for you to make her fall in love with you again, however, you want to take note that many guys have done this before, and many of them were far less deserving than you.

Here are some tips to get your girlfriend back and make her fall in love with you again:

1. She has to see a NEW you.
Unless you can show her that you have made changes to yourself and you can make her see you from a new point of view, it IS going to be a struggle to attract her back. After all, to make her fall in love with you again, she has to feel the same way that she did when she met you.

2. You cannot rely on pressuring her.
I don't know about you, but I know I would not fall in love with someone that pressured me. So, when you are pursuing your ex, the last thing that you want to do is to make her feel pressured to make a decision. If she does feel the pressure from you, the results are not going to be to your liking.

3. You have to be willing to fall back and let her fall in love with you, again. It's one of the hardest things to do, but you have to be able to give your ex girlfriend the proper distance so that she can evaluate things and make a decision on her own. There are ways to make it hard for her not to want you, but in the end, it does have to be her decision.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Tyler

6 Reasons to Never Give Up on Your Dream

You've all heard it before... the old "Never give up on your dream" speech. But little by little, one by one, those dreams of yours fall to the ground, get covered by life's mundane realities and are never thought of again. Book after book and motivational speech after speech, yet somehow those dreams still lie buried beneath your doubts and confusion.

But then something magical happens. You search on YouTube for an inspirational video and somehow under the muck, that spark glimmers yet again. It's your dream! It seems to be calling out to you. You look as other people seem to be fulfilling their dreams and say aloud to yourself, "Maybe I can do this... again."

Life has a way of getting people caught up in its necessities and responsibilities that prior dreamers don't even realize they've allowed their own dream to die. Here are six reasons to never give up on your dream.
1. Your dream was placed in your heart for a purpose.

Some people think having a dream is some sort of self-serving possibility they will get to if they have time. But what you need to know is that you have been chosen to carry this dream to reality. If you don't do it, who will? Your dream carries a premium price because it serves a purpose greater than you.
2. Your dream uncovers a need in the world.

Let's assume your dream is for others beyond yourself. You must stay focused on the fact that if you give up, others will not experience the answer to their problem. Understand that the decision to quit is always bigger than you.

3. People secretly believe you will succeed.

We all know about the "haters"-those who secretly (or even openly) want to sabotage your dreams. But let's not focus on them yet. There is a whole other group of people who want you to win! See, if you accomplish your dreams, you will give them that needed burst of faith to accomplish (or maybe even begin) their dream.
4. People want you to fail.

Here is where the haters come in. There are actually people in your life right now who are stuck in life. They want to get out, but they are not willing to commit the time, energy, money (in some cases) or belief into digging their way out of the quicksand of failure. Indeed, they feel more comfortable in their present situation than taking strides to change it. It's scary for them. So they want you to stay stuck with them.
You must make the decision to keep pressing through, no matter what the haters say. As you pick up your dream again, you just might entice a few of them to pick up theirs.

5. Your "Why"

Why did you begin on the journey to your dream in the first place? Making money was probably a good motivator, but what is the real "Why" behind the dream. Is to break the cycle of poverty in your family? To travel the world? To stop a horrendous social crime in your country? At the inception of your dream, what was the reason you even began?

When you are tempted to quit on your dream, go back to your "Why" and remind yourself that the need is still there, and you need to keep going.

6. You Owe it to Yourself

You can spend all day and night trying to accomplish your dream for others, but at the end of the day, you need to realize that you owe it to yourself to succeed. At the end of your life, don't you want to be able to smile, knowing you made a difference in the world and accomplished the very thing you were created for? Then go. Pick that dream up, dust it off and refocus.

Remember, success is a choice. It is the byproduct of determination, skill, hard work and let's not forget, faith.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dana_Che

Finding Your Purpose and Living Your Dream

This is a subject I have spoken about before, but want to talk about again because we are in this season of high school and college graduation. Students are now considering their future. Some will defer to their parents and let them continue to make decisions for them, while others make the decision to take control of their own lives.

Recognize that you can't possibly do everything, and you can't be all things to all people. Remove from your life those material things, practices and relationships that are no longer aligned with your goals. That includes people who drag you down, who you spend time with out of sheer obligation, who prey on your good nature, or who pull you back into bad habits when you're trying to change. New opportunities you never imagined will rush in to fill that space.

You'll find it much easier to focus on those things that truly matter to you, and those dreams you're determined to make come true. If you're clear on your Purpose, you'll also find it much easier to keep fresh clutter out of your life.

We need to continually reassess our lives because we often let those things back into our lives that pull us down.

YOU are responsible for yourself. Responsible for what you do. Responsible for who you are. Responsible for the way you face the world and deal with it. You aren't a victim of your childhood or your past or your circumstances--unless you choose to be.

It's not easy. Nothing worthwhile is. But it DOES get easier if you're clear about your purpose and you embrace it with passion.

The actions you take to solve a particular problem or to make a change in your life break down into two categories: direct actions and indirect actions. Indirect actions are things that require the cooperation of other people. Direct actions, are actions that you can take right now.

When it comes to setting goals, all or almost all the steps you take toward your goal should be based on direct actions.

Dreams aren't bestowed from above. You have to reach out and take them. All it requires is hard work, strategy and the determination to see it through.

We are all unique in our personalities and behavior patterns, and no one knows better than us what we have a passion for. Therefore, it behooves you to take control of your life, find your passion, and pursue it relentlessly.

Some people have a passion for entrepreneurship, while others, work better with others making the decisions for them in the workplace because they've feared taking on total responsibility when it comes to making decisions.

This is why it is very important to know yourself and your natural behavioral style. When you let someone else make your employment decisions for you, you will end up living their lives, or you will resent them pointing you in the wrong direction when it comes to a long-term career.

I grew up in an era when women had few opportunities when it came to employment. They were encouraged to go into teaching or secretarial schools. During this era, you had many teachers who were there for the pay rather than helping students reach their potential. These teachers didn't want to be there, therefore, many of their students were not inspired or encouraged to set higher goals for themselves.

Today women have a wider range of opportunities when it comes to employment and have even chosen self-employment as an option for themselves. This gives them the opportunity for flexi time, so they can multitask and take care of their families without being guilty.

Everyone has dreams as children of what they want to be when they grow up. It is up to their parents to guide them, without reliving their lives through their children. This becomes very tricky, because if the theory is a poor communicator, they become very dictatorial, rather than discussing the future with the children, or asking them for their opinion.

When the parent is a good communicator and understand how to guide their child effectively, the child will grow up well-rounded and be able to make the right decisions for themselves. There should always be parenting classes for adults that help them learn to communicate with their children effectively and helped him mature as adults.

Society still have a long way to go to understand how to help adults be good parents to their children! Learning starts in the home early before the child even answers. Received a formal education. Not only will parents but the school systems have to reinvent the education system to help children grow up to be responsible adults in today's society.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Davida_Shensky