Adult autism growing old with autism

For many people adult autism is just the way of life. They have to endure living with this disorder, which can be very difficult because they can't function as normal people can function. For some people, they have learned to accept this disorder and live with it, but what makes it really difficult for some, is how those around them treat them and by society in general. As a society, we should try our best to study and learn and understand what adult autism is and not just for those who were diagnosed with this disorder. By learning as much as we can as a society, we can better help those who have to live with this disorder for which there is no known cure for. After all, these are people too, just like the rest of us and are just as important as everyone else's.

This Disorder is Not a Curse

There many people who do not see adult autism as a curse. In fact, there are many people who actually enjoy being autistic. They considered being autistic a part of who they are and wouldn't have it any other way. They don't want to be cured; they just want to be accepted by everyone. Yes, they too have strengths and weaknesses like everyone else, but most of all, they are people and have every right to enjoy life just like you and me.

Generally speaking, autism starts in infancy. What this means is that this person has been living with this disorder for some time now. Autistic adults see the world differently from others. Their five senses work normally, however their brains just process the information differently. The way information is processed and stored and interpreted are slightly different from that of a normal person. Some experts believe that this may cause some of the more detrimental effects of autism, such as fits and tantrums. Reacting to the world normally would be extremely difficult for someone that already has a lot of stress and anxiety.

Heightened Senses

With some individuals, they have heightened senses or uncontrollable senses. What this basically means is that very often they can't decide if they're hungry or stuffed, hot or cold. Some autistics can't stand bad, strong odors or loud noises; and most do not like being touched or any other forms of contact from other people. Often times, they will reject hugs and kisses or any other acts of affection. Some people will see this as weird or unusual.

Trying to socialize with others can be a real challenge for people with adult autism. That is why it is a good idea to get them involved in programs and activities that encourage human contact and teach them how to socialize with others. And just as important, we must educate those around us about this disorder, so that we can assist autistic adults in their struggle to fit in. By teaching others about this disorder, we can hopefully develop into a more understanding and accepting society.

Alcohol addiction a solution

With the increase of binge and underage drinking are we heading for problems of an epidemic scale? Is the fun and free living going to come back and haunt us in the not so distant future? Well it is certainly possible as diabetes, liver failure and so many other physical ailments can be helped along by bad drinking habits. So why are we experiencing problems like this in the twenty-first century – at the beginning of the information age – and more importantly, how can we change bad drinking habits or deal with alcoholism? Well let’s start by saying that binge drinking and alcoholism are two different subjects; however the first can lead quite easily into the latter.

There are some many reasons why more and more people today create bad habits of addictions around alcohol. It could be down to peer pressure, problems at home, depression or avoidance to name but a few. Drinking sometimes becomes a simply and easy escape for the drinker that just wants to feel different and maybe even just de-stress. At some point they usually start to realise that their answer is not in the bottom of a glass, however usually by this point the addiction has set in and taken its grip on its victim. Once the action has made itself at home it then just becomes so incredibly difficult for the sufferer to change the habit by themselves.

There are many ways for a person suffering at the hands of alcoholism to get the help that they so desperately need. In my clinic and trough my products I help people to beat their addiction with hypnosis and self hypnosis. I have found this to be a great approach as it deals with the part of your brain that we refer to as your sub-conscious mind. This is the part of your brain that holds all of the information about your habits, beliefs and the part that ultimately makes you… YOU! Hypnosis simply works to reprogram this part of your mind to get you the results that you both desire and deserve in an easy and straightforward way that is very empowering.

If you are suffering with an addiction to alcohol at the moment and would like to resolve it or just cut down, then my recommendation to you would be to start with a hypnosis download or maybe a self hypnosis book. If you are really serious about gaining control then start today! I wish you the best of luck and success.

A desperate matter - spirituality information

Tom was a wonderful human being. He was kind, caring and helpful to all those who sought his assistance. The only problem was that most of us did not like to be around Tom. Much as he tried to be a "good" person, there was always an aura of doom and gloom around him. It didn't matter whether he was speaking with you on the phone or sitting across the table from you, you just would get the feeling that the world was coming to an end or that your life would be in a terrible mess. Were you to spend an hour with Tom, you'd feel that all your energy was drained out of you.

Now, mind you, as I said earlier, Tom was a caring person. The problem was, however that Tom carried around with him a "cloud of negativity" born of desperation. His was definitely a desperate matter. It didn't just stop when he got off the phone. The emptiness in your stomach, the low energy would persist for quite a while until you eventually forgot about him. That is how powerful the feeling of desperation is. It has the power to turn off the brightest light in our lives.

Desperation broadcasts a very strong message to all within our sphere of influence. It even goes beyond that to people who are meeting you for the first time. Business associates tend to shun you, partners want to avoid you, everyone -- even little children -- feel uncomfortable around you.

So what do you do if situations and circumstances seem hopeless and your fears force you into desperation? Simple, but not easy. First, try to slow your thoughts down. You are desperate because of the incessant, negative self-talk, which has taken over your entire being. Slow the internal conversation down. Take a break from whatever you're doing -- even if it's for a few minutes.

Next, breathe deeply a few times, not any special count like breathe in for a count of seven, hold for a count of five and then breathe out for a count of seven. Do that if you want, but it's not necessary. Just slow breathing, in and out, will lower the tension in the body, mind and spirit to a more manageable pace. Realize that things are as they are, but can be changed. You can change them by becoming quiet within yourself and then listening to the feelings you have. Ask yourself if there is anything you can do about the problem at this moment.

You will get one of two answers. Either "yes" or "no." If the answer is "yes," go ahead and do what you can. If the answer is "no," then go do something else or maybe even nothing. This simple exercise is a practice in patience and will tune-up the mind and make it possible for you to find creative ways for your problem to be resolved. And it will be resolved in ways that sometimes may seem magical.

Now, I realize it is not easy to conquer desperation with the flip of a switch or the snap of the fingers. Having been in the middle of it many times, I discovered that it generally takes courage and practice to overcome. Of course, most of us can't stop worrying by telling ourselves not to worry.

But we can put a time limit on it. A simple trick I use is this: I acknowledge that the situation is bad and I say to myself, "John, this seems to be really terrible -- really, really bad. But it may only appear that way because you're desperate and scared right now. It's OK to be scared for a little while. However, don't spend all day being frightened or desperate. Take 30 minutes, an hour, even a few hours if you like. Be as desperate as you want for that period of time. Then drop it and go on with other things." Just practice this whenever you feel scared and desperate.

And Tom, what about Tom? Well, He continues to call. He's exhausted all the time. Desperation, you see, consumes all his energy. I tried to show him that there is always hope, that his problems would let go of him when he got quiet enough to loosen his grip and let go of them. I tried to teach him to breathe slowly and to get quiet inside. He listened, became quiet for ten seconds and went right back to worrying.

Other friends tried to help him, but he would not let go of his problems. I came to believe that Tom thought he would have no purpose here on Earth if he did not have things to worry about. I tried to tell him that it was fine to be happy and that we did not need anything to make us happy. But he would not let go and give himself permission to be happy.

Attract more of what your really want into your life with the law of attraction

What do you want to attract into your life? Have you ever thought about it? I mean what do you really want? A nice car, a big house, a soul mate?

Well with the power of the Law of Attraction you can attract what you really want into your life.

What is the difference between people who seem to have it all and people who seem to have little? The difference is not fate or coincidence. The difference is the way people think about whatever it is that they are thinking and feeling. The Law of Attraction is responding to feelings and thoughts. Thoughts are energy, thoughts make us have feelings and emotions. This is an ancient knowledge and through the “Secret” DVD and other publications on the Law of Attraction it has become public knowledge now. So many people are able because of this to make big changes in their lives. It is a powerful knowledge that you can use to turn things around completely.

Here is how you can get started today to attract what you want into in your life:

1. Make a list of all the things you would like to attract into your life. Put the most important one at the top of your list.

2. Now you have to understand that you have to do some mind work. You know that

Whatever you have right now in your life if you wanted it or not you have attracted to you by the way you think and feel. You emotion play a big role in this.

If you do not like what you are attracting simply change the way you are thinking!

This may sound easy enough but it is a process, it does not happen over night and you have to become involved in making your mind over and in changing your thought patterns. To help you along with this you can start meditations daily. You may find this difficult at first if you are new to meditations. If you continue however you will soon notice a difference in the way you are feeling. Meditations will help you are great deal to become a person that is able to be in harmony with cosmic laws. Choose this special time of the day when things are quiet around you, maybe late in the evening or early in the morning what ever may work best for you and your lifestyle. Sit quiet for at least 10 – 15 minutes and try not to think about anything. If thoughts will enter into your mind just dismiss them gently. As longer you can do this as easier this kind of exercise will become for you. These sessions will be refreshing for you and soon you will be looking forward to meditate. You can make them even more pleasant with some instrumental back ground music and herbal candle lights.

3. Reprogram your subconscious mind! This is an important factor. We are only using a very small fraction of our mind consciously. Using the Law of Attraction successfully we need to make sure that we deliberately creating thought patterns that match with what we want.

Meditation is one tool that can help you to get started in attracting what you want into your life and become the person you always wanted to be inside and out.

There are no magical powers but knowing the secrets of the universe can make us deliberate creators of our own life experiences!

The secret - collection of inspirational quotes part 35

Faith makes all things possible . ..love makes all things easy.

-- D. L. Moody

Desperation is the mistress of the impossible.

-- Spanish Proverb

Listen carefully to what country people call mother wit. In those homely sayings are couched the collective wisdom of generations.

-- Maya Angelou

If you have knowledge, let others light their candles at it.

-- Margaret Fuller

. . . all men make mistakes. But a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.

-- Sophocles

The first duty of man is that of subduing fear.

-- Thomas Carlyle

That's what learning is. You suddenly understand something you've understood all your life, but in a new way.

-- Doris Lesing

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.

-- Albert Einstein

We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it than to consume wealth without producing it.

-- George Bernard Shaw

Enthusiasm is the greatest asset in the world. It overwhelms and engulfs all obstacles. It is nothing more nor less than faith in action.

-- Henry Chester

The map is not the territory.

-- Alfred Korzbyski

Every man's condition is a solution in hieroglyph to those inquiries he would put. He acts it as life before he apprehends it as truth.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's hard to detect good luck -- it looks so much like something you've earned.

-- Frank A. Clark

The best proof of love is trust.

-- Dr. Joyce Brothers

Transformation is a journey without a final destination.

-- Marilyn Ferguson

It's better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life.

-- Sister Elizabeth Kenny

We have to understand that the world can only be grasped by action, not by contemplation. The hand is more important than the eye . . . The hand is the cutting edge of the mind.

-- Jacob Bronowski

A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits.

-- Richard Nixon

To read more quotes visit : spiritual-simplicity. com

Spirituality - journey in the fields of forever part 97

“It was as real as you could get,” Marla said, “more real than breathing. The Chief wants us to explain to you, as clearly and simply as possible, the greatest secret in the universe.”

“So, what’s the big rush? You waited long enough,” I blurted, as I sprang from my chair, waving my hand in the air. “I was beginning to think you’d just made up the whole thing and frankly, I was a bit tired of asking and not getting a direct answer. So, what is it? What’s this greatest secret?”

“The greatest secret in the universe,” Gideon slowly repeated, “is actually not a secret at all. It’s something almost everyone knows instinctively, but most people never quite know it in their hearts. It’s one thing to know about something and an entirely different matter to know that thing. The greatest secret is really the most open secret of all. It’s written in almost all scriptures, but because humanity loves to complicate simple ideas, it has been overlooked time and time again. To tell the . . .”

“Oh come on, Gideon,” I interrupted, “just spell it out.”

“And that’s another thing,” he said in a most commanding tone, “patience is one of your areas that could use a little improvement, John. Learn to be patient and you’ll hear the rhythm of the universe.”

“I’m sorry. Please go on,” I said in a guilt-ridden tone.

“Develop a close and personal relationship with God and everything else will fall into place. That’s the greatest secret of the entire universe, of all time. Simple, isn’t it? I told you it was such an open secret, so simple that most people won’t believe it. Well, there you have it. And don’t forget, this can only be done from within.”

I looked at him scarcely believing what I had heard. That was the secret? After all this time waiting for Gideon to explain the greatest secret in the universe and have him tell me that all I had to do was to develop a close personal relationship with God was more than I could take. How absurd! I began laughing out loud and found that it was becoming more difficult to stop. Finally Marla’s voice broke through my laughter. “What’ssofunny, John?” she asked,“I don’t see anything funny about it at all.”

To read the rest of the story visit spiritual-simplicity. com

Personal development happiness tools anger release

Personal Development and Happiness: Releasing Anger

In personal development, one of the main goals is to achieve happiness. What often stands in the way are “negative” emotions that linger on. Most people have some of these emotions, either repressed or lasting with no outlet. Some are low level, some are strong.

Recognising that you have this sadness or anger bottled up inside you, or dealing with lower level emotions are articles that can be found on the Urban Monk website. I am focusing on letting out anger on this article because I feel it is one of the worst. It is crippling; it colours everything you do in your life and is often linked with depression.

Anger is crippling

I used to suffer from massively pent-up emotions; while I was often described as a teddy bear guy, I had massively pent-up anger and to a lesser extent, sadness. When I blew up, I blew up. I became verbally abusive and irrational – often this would only be shown to, and therefore unintentionally hurt, the people who love me the most and are the closest to me. This led to a deep depression that lasted for more then a year – and badly deteriorating physical health.

So trust me; be honest with yourself, and find out if you have anger issues. If you do, take steps to fix it – for yourself and those who love you.

Besides being a major step towards happiness, there are other benefits to dropping all that emotional weight from your shoulders. Self-esteem, confidence, and courage are other parts that develop as you deal with anger.

Understanding Anger and Sadness

The first step to dealing with it is to understand anger. Anger is not “negative”. It is simply an energy; an emotion. It serves as a protection system. When you get angry, it is a sign that something or someone is infringing on you or your rights.

It is not to be confused with blind rage; blind rage is when you start being abusive; when you start being violent towards inanimate objects, or worse, other people. That is not healthy.

I heard a great analogy once; emotions are like vegetables. When they are fresh, they are fine, when you hold it in for a long time, that’s when they become toxic. They explode to the surface and manifest themselves in unhealthy ways. It could also lead to cancer, stress, and several other nasty conditions.

How to deal with Anger

There are a few universal exercises for releasing anger across all the different sorts of methodologies and therapies I’ve researched. I’ve captured the essence here.

Often times you need to do this a few times. Pain comes in waves, and often times one such exercise won’t be enough to release all that pent-up energy.

There are many causes of anger or sadness; bad parenting, childhood bullies, and so on. Try to trace it back to the roots, understand it, and try to give it a voice. As you’ll see below, this is vital, as the vocal component is the most important.

Note: If it is something that you cannot handle, please do not feel ashamed to seek out professional help. And avoid self-destruction; numbing of the pain with alcohol, drugs, or other risky behaviour. I went through a whole year of this and paid for this behaviour physically and emotionally for nearly a year after. And I’m one of the luckier ones.

Once you have that, find a safe location. Somewhere you can scream and act out your anger and sadness – either alone, or with an understanding person. With each one of the following options, remember you need to scream out – all the words you’ve always wanted to say – while you are doing it. Even if it’s just a string of vulgarities, do it!

Let it all out. You might feel weird and self-conscious doing this, it’s normal. Don’t give up. Just do it over and over again until you feel that all your repressed anger is gone. You'll know when this happens, instinctively. It might take weeks, it might take days, it’s different for everyone.

The three steps

1) Do this in a safe location. Kneel on your bed like you're praying. Find a large pillow. Make a hammer fist with your hands. Not a boxing style fist, you might your wrist. And pound the pillows, with all your might until you can’t go any more.

2) Sometimes twisting is better. Find a towel, and twist it like you are trying to wring out every last drop of water.

3) Sometimes just screaming is good enough. Go somewhere abandoned, with some loud music put on maximum and scream with your whole body. Become the yell. Yell until your whole body trembles.

What’s next?

Usually what follows the release of anger is sadness. Read the next in this series of articles for this at the Urban Monk website. You’re on your way to Mastery!

This article is for educational purposes only. It is based on the author’s research and own experience; however you and you alone are responsible for what you do with it. By reading this article you agree that he will assume no liability or responsibility to any person or entity for any loss or damage related directly or indirectly to this article.

Lessons from mackenzie

We recently returned from a trip to China. No, China isn’t exactly a destination location for us. It is the mother country of both of our daughters. Our recent trip was to adopt our second daughter, Raegan Jean. Our first daughter, Mackenzie, traveled with us. Even though I was not in touch with any of my mentors or coaches during this trip, I was coached and mentored on a daily basis by my beautiful four-year old daughter, Mackenzie.

We brought Mackenzie home from China when she was only 13 months old. So, theoretically, her USA way-of-life is all she’s really known. However, Mackenzie was completely at home and at peace while we were in China. I was amazed at the lack of stress or tension with this little one who doesn’t always take change well. She attacked China with a sense of curiosity and wonderment. While at the same time treating it with reverence and respect as if she fully understood this was the country of her fore-fathers.

We spent over two weeks in China. I often would watch Mackenzie in amazement. How is it that this 4 year old, while not totally oblivious to the obvious change in environment, was able to feel safe, secure, often adventurous, always curious, and serenely at peace. All the while Mom and Dad were outwardly stressed, a little unsure, unusually inhibited, and tense to the point of physical manifestation. While China was an adventure and a classroom in many ways to Mackenzie, Mom and Dad had a much different experience.

How often do we fail to see the adventure and learning in an experience, whether it be a trip, a job, or even a relationship just because of the perspective that we approached it? How often do we fail to leave the safety and comfort of our “home” to seek the growth that comes with adventure and a learning experience? Here are the things I realize that made this trip what it was for Mackenzie.

1. Set the stage - We talked as a family about this trip months in advance. We wanted to create in her mind exactly what she experienced to take the fear away. Unknowingly, we were setting the stage for her to have a curious adventure. Unfortunately, our self-talk was totally opposite. We created in our minds exactly what we experienced as well – stress, tension, discomfort, and inconvenience. Wonder what would have happened if we had created the same visualization for ourselves that we created for Mackenzie. What would happen in our business, relationships, our lives if we changed the perspective of our self-talk.

2. Re-create home - Mackenzie felt safe because she had what makes her feel safe at home – Mom and Dad, favorite music and movies, books, favorite bed-buddy, and favorite small toys. She re-created home as closely as possible to make herself feel more “at home” in China. What things do you need to “pack” in order to feel more “at home” in your next “trip”?

3. Can the filters - Mackenzie had no filters. For instance…the playground at the park was not exactly what you’d find here in the U. S. To Mackenzie, it was just playground equipment she could play on and she did. Mackenzie didn’t stop to think about “how was the food prepared?” when we ate. She just saw beef and noodles and knew she liked it. At Pizza Hut, she didn’t see Pizza Hut in China and wonder if it were different, she just saw the Pizza Hut brand and didn’t care what country it was in. What kinds of filters are you putting your adventure through? How many of those filters were created by you and how many by others?

4. It’s raining…so let’s sing rain songs - One day Mackenzie and I were enjoying a stroll on Shamian Island and the rain started to pour down. Instead of taking off running for shelter, Mackenzie said…”Mom, let’s sing songs about rain.” As a result we actually experienced a nice relaxing stroll through the rain as we sang our way to our hotel. How many times have you run for shelter as opposed to enjoying the rain?

Our second experience of China was personally more enjoyable than our first. Maybe because we had a great “guide” to help us truly “experience” China this time. When is your next adventure? Are you looking at it through stressful eyes and filters? Or, are you looking through the eyes of Mackenzie?

Adult add get chunking

Prioritization is one of the things that’s totally abhorred by people with ADD. Logical, linear-thinking people have no problem when they sit down to write out the steps to a project---the first thing you do is step one, then two, then three. And linear thinking people have no problem with that. ADD people, on the other hand, have a horrible time thinking one, two, three. Because we say A, D, 27, 17, 0. And it all makes sense to us.

Add people see the big picture, but even more... the universal picture, about how things fit together. Because of that, randomness seems perfectly normal to us. It makes sense, where linear-thinking people just don't get it.

Except, what happens because of this is that ADD people trying to prioritize a huge project get overwhelmed. That makes it extremely hard to get their ADD mind around the project.

The skill ADD people need to learn is "chunking," which is basically breaking a huge project down into chunks.

So let’s take for example something really, really simple like clean your room, okay? And let’s say that you’ve spent the last, I don’t know, 3.5 weeks just walking in and out of your room and just dumping things everywhere. You know what I’m talking about, if you have ADD. I mean you got piles on the dresser, you got piles on the desk, you got piles on the table, you got clothes on the floor, half eaten sandwiches somewhere.

You look at that and say, "Good grief. When I'm done here, there's the kitchen, and the bathroom, and the living room, and the garage is a mess, too! How can I get this all done?

Here's the key--chunk it down. That's totally important, and here's what it looks like:

OK, start with the top of the dresser. Clean that. If you think of one area at a time, it works better for people with ADD. It will work for your kids with ADD, too. Tell them, "Clean the top of your night stand. Pick up your clothes from the floor. Dust your furniture." If you do this, one thing at a time, it will work. Give yourself or your kids one area a day.

Chunking things down is the big price. Some people have trouble with chunking things down, though. Some people can do this, and if you can do it, you got things nailed. If you can chunk down things down yourself then you’re going to save yourself an immense amount of time. And there are a lot of folks with ADD that have enough attention to detail to be able to do this.

Some ADD people just can't do it because they can't maintain focus. Trying to chunk things down and make lists like that will drive them insane. Ultimately, they're distracted 15 times while they're trying to chunk a project down.

There are two answers, if you have this type of ADD. If you do, you can get someone to do the chunking down process for you. He or she can iron out the details for you and when they report what they are, they need to be laser specific. They need to put a project into a simple list of tasks, and they have to be very clear on what it is that you need to do.

But if you don't have the money to hire an assistant, or you don't have anyone else who can do this for you, what can you do?

Well, one of the things you can do is to write things down, like on a to-do list for example, you can use a system that will allow you to crank through these things. Number one there’s never ever ever, under any circumstances, write down an idea. Only write down a task. Okay. In many cases, an idea can also quickly translate into a project.

Once you get the chunks figured out, then set your ADD-friendly system. One category will be for things that can be done or that need to be done quickly. Another category will be for intermediate tasks, things that can wait, but need to be done in the next phase. And finally, categorize those things that need to be done, but can wait for a while.

After you're done with the first category, move to the second, and do the same thing. Do the same for the third category, too. Then, you'll have the whole thing done before you know it.

Maybe this system seems too simple for you, but when you have ADD, it's just an easy way to get projects completed, no matter what they are. Big projects can overwhelm people with ADD, but they may be very important to you. So, think in chunks, one bite at a time, just like the man eating the elephant.

New beginnings the gift of starting over

I recently had the pleasure of seeing the movie, "50 First Dates" starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. (Note: this article contains spoilers for the movie. If you haven't seen it yet and don't want me ruining the surprise, you might want to put this article aside until after you've seen it.)

The main character, "Lucy" (Barrymore) has virtually no short-term memory due to a car accident. She remembers everything up until the point of the accident, but retains no new memories of anything that has happened since. When she goes to sleep at night, she forgets everything that happened that day, and awakens thinking it's the day before the accident happened.

I'm sure you can imagine the challenges of such a condition! Anyone she meets, she forgets. Holding a job is nearly impossible since she can't remember the previous day's events. Relationships present another challenge. When Henry (Sandler) meets Lucy, there is instant attraction between them, but each day she forgets she met him the day before. It seems impossible to have a long-term relationship with Lucy, since she can't even remember him! Finally, Henry gets the bright idea to make a video that she can watch each morning, detailing her life since the accident and her budding romance with him. Lucy also begins to keep a written journal, so she can skim through the previous entries and read about her life from her own perspective.

Though the situation is difficult to say the least, this movie contains a beautiful metaphor for new beginnings. How much baggage do we bring to each new day in our own lives? How many grudges do we hold? How many disappointments do we cling to, and let them color today?

Though we can't fully forget like Lucy, we can certainly make a decision to wipe the slate clean each morning and start over again! It is often our own refusal to let go and move on that causes the most pain. Each day can be a new beginning if we choose to make it so. Each night before bed we can choose what we want to keep and what we want to release. We can become someone new, purely by the power of our thoughts and intentions. The toughest part is deciding exactly who we want to become, and having the courage to see it through!

I am currently doing this in my own life. I'm pulling out the old, dust-caked parts of myself that I deemed unacceptable years ago, and giving them another look. And I'm discovering they aren't so bad. ;-) What about you? Are you ready for a new beginning? Are you afraid of starting over? There really isn't anything to fear but fear itself. Once you actually begin the process, it becomes wildly exciting!

Maybe you're happy with yourself already. If so, that's wonderful! No need to fix it if it ain't broken. But if you're living in a vacuum of dissatisfaction and boredom, it might be time to write the next chapter of your life. Or even a whole new book. You are the author. What do you want the storyline of your life to say?

8 tips for dealing with a stressful office job

It may surprise you but the main reason why we get stressed isn't that we have "too much to do". For most of us, having too much to do is perfectly fine as long as we know what our priorities are and if we can have a good oerview of our work. Instead, the plague of modern office life is that we have to MANY things to do and that we loose track of it all.

Discover an easy and effective way of managing your work. These simple techniques have been proven time and time again. In essence, the simple secret lies in taking charge of your time.

1. Write it down! I never cease to be amazed by how often stressed out people try to keep all the things they have to do in their heads. Stress is often more about knowing that we have a lot to do but not being able to remember exactly what.

2. Write it ALL down! In order for you to have a to-do list that you can rely on, you must trust that it contains ALL the things you have to do. Otherwise, you will still have a nagging feeling that you may not be focussing on the

right things.

3. Channel interruptions to your to-do list. Interruptions are a part of life so don't let them stress you. 95% of all interruptions are either very quick so that you can deal with them straight away or something that you can defer to a time when YOU decide.

4. Don't let your email inbox become your to-do list. Receiving emails can be great fun. Unfortunately, it is also very easy to confuse your inbox with your to-do list. Try to only scan your email inbox once every hour or two

(If you lack the discipline, you can set your email client to do this).

5. You don't have to do everything! If I had to choose one single reason why people fail with their to-do lists it would have to be that they lack the ability to strike things off it. Things change and so should your to-do list. If you are uncomfortable with deleting tasks, create a "storage" list and move it to that.

6. The Nibble. Let's face it, some tasks are big, vague and truly and utterly boring. We end up postponing these tasks forever and as a result they never leave our to-do list. Eventually, our list is filled with these types of tasks

and finally we decide not to look at the depressing thing. The trick is "The ibble". Break the task down into smaller components. Make sure that the first step is takes less than 5 minutes to do. Then take that first step.

7. Not my time of day - Listen to your own rhythm. Let's face it. Were human, not machines. At times we are productive and at times we are not. I see it as a surfer who times the waves and then rides them to their fullest. Try to find a task management system that let's you monitor your own "waves". You will probably find that you know less about yourself than you think you do.

8. Play! Why oh why do all planners and task managers have to look so professional and at the end of the day, so very very boring? Make your work into a game. Set small targets and reward yourself.