Forget all this reading and writing...it's time for a little fun!

Why not take a moment and try this personality test. It will show you a series of pictures. Just click on the one of the pictures that appeals to you the most.
It's just that simple. At the end it will give you a personality profile.

Go for it and have fun, you will find it here....

http://dna.imagini.net/friends

Eduardo

God doesn't do ugly!

Take a moment and ask yourself this question; what has your God created that is ugly?

"a weed is no more than a flower in disguise" (James Russell Lowell)

If we look at nature we all frequently use terms such as; wonderous, inspiring, magestic, awesome and breath-taking. Have you ever stood looking out at the bountiful ocean or at the snow capped mountains and thought to yourself; man this is ugly? Even when we look up at the skies and see a threatening storm, you can still find beauty if you will look for it.

"look deep into nature
and then you will understand
everything better" (Albert Einstein)

No, only man can make ugly. We can destroy what is naturally beautiful with relative ease. We have the ability to rip up the wilderness, polute the skies and the water. We create ugly not the universe.

"put a child in nature at play,
and I challenge you to find even one iota of ugly, it's impossible" (Eduardo)

We also create another kind of ugly....people! It is through our eyes that we create images of ugly people. If you believe in God, do you think he would create an ugly child? Of course not, it is our interpretation of his creation that allows for that terrible description. It is our perceptions and words that do so much damage.

"we look for evidence of miracles, forgetting that nature puts them on display every single day" (Eduardo)

Only man, purposely does ugly unto himself and those around him. We are the one's who can and do abuse and do ugly upon our physical bodies and even worse on our souls. It doesn't and shouldn't be that way. We need to create the sunshine within, so that we can share it with our world. We are resonsible to create a beautiful life for ourselves and others.

"Where did we ever get the crazy idea that in order to make children do better, first we have to make them feel worse? Think of the last time you felt humiliated or treated unfairly. Did you feel like cooperating or doing better?" (Jane Nelson)

Would anything that could create the northern lights, the magestic wilderness, the breathtaking beaches or put the diamonds in an infinite night sky, be capable of contemplating ugly on mankind?

Our contemplations of beauty, fade with years and no human can ever be enough, these are sad thoughts but also not reality. Real beauty comes from within, not from cosmetic surgury and make up. The light within a person is the real beauty that lasts. So be kind to yourself amigos and to every soul that crosses your path, we are God's creation and God doesn't do ugly!

Smile, it looks really good on you!

Eduardo

Be careful what you rush to dismiss

We all read and hear about different ideas and decided instantly whether we had any interest or not. What I'm thinking about is when we dismiss an idea or a thought that might acually been good for us.

I read a lot of books and frequently I will think of someone who I think in my sphere of influence would benefit from me sharing my discovery.

It was interesting to me that the one's that I thought that would benefit from it the most were the one's I know would be least interested in watching, reading or even talking about it. It's much the same when you go to a seminar, you look around and see who is there and who is not? Yep, those that need it, aren't there, and those who are already on the right path, are there.

By contrast those that I felt needed it the least were the one's who jumped right on something that sounded interesting to them. They saw the immediate benefit not just for them but for others they thought might find value. This has me thinking about what I might have dismissed in my life that could have had major benefit to me? Now obviously its healthy to dismiss some things like recreational drugs for instance. But perhaps we would all benefit if we were just a little more open minded and were not so quick to dismiss what we don't initially understand.

Here is the thought...what if I'm wrong? Just contemplate for a moment all the good things you missed because you thought you had all the answers?

Then there are those who dismiss the ideas of others and by doing so crush their enthusiasm. The damage done by belittling someone else's dreams can be devastating. Here's what Mark Twain had to say about that...

"keep away from people who belittle your ambitions.
Small people always do that but the great one's
make you feel that you too, can become great"

Eduardo

The business secret they don't teach....

"Have you ever heard of the word 'reciprocity'? If you haven't, then you probably haven't experienced any great business success"

This is one of those things that is so obvious that, they would never teach it in a business school and yet, if you don't understand it, it is like running a race with your feet tied together.

Fear not the Truthteller loves to reveal all! First off 'reciprocity' means....mutual exchange. In simple terms, reciprocity is the idea, based on the thought that people have a very hard time saying no to someone who has done something (of value) for them. This is a very powerful psychological tool, and you really should read this paragraph over again, just to make sure you understand it.

Think about this....if someone does something kind or generous for you, without any apparent motive, how does that make you feel? Assuming that you are like most of us, you feel the urge to respond in kind, right? So if you are in any form of business, this is in incredible strategy to follow. Do favors, every chance you get.
Make introductions, offer profitable advice freely, be generous, promote and speak kind of others....chances are, your generosity will come back to you many fold.

Here is a common mistake. Companies give out cheesy calendars, hats and pens every year. They of course want to promote their company so they put their name on the gift. The problem is that this is not viewed as a gift by the recipient, instead it is viewed as a promotion, a calculated method to advertise and market their service or product. Therefore, although the gift is welcomed (why not it's free) no obligation to reciprocate is felt by the recipient of your gift. You pretty well, wasted your money!

Now imagine that you just received a gold pen with YOUR name on it, how do you feel? First of all it has become personal (it has your name, not some business). No one except you will know that it is a gift. Most people upon receiving such a gift would experience the feeling of reciprocity (and the urge to reciprocate). Or, when someone has done you a personal favor...ditto, right?

This is one for the really smart business person; give you client a gift that they can in turn give to their spouse or children. This could be something like a gift to the local spa or even sports tickets. They get to be a hero at home and they will remember you for it. The urge to reciprocate (with their business) will be HUGE!

This is advanced reciprocity; give the customer, more than they expected. A little extra service, product or even a gift. The extra is what compels them to reciprocate (they expect a quality product or service).

Ok, you're smart, I think you now understand how this valuable technique can work for you, not just in business, but in your personal life. And there is a BONUS to all of this....(there's always a bonus here at the Truthteller) it just makes for a better and nicer world to live this way.

Now go out there and make piles of money, make new friends and remember, the next time you see me, buy me beer....I just might reciprocate!

Eduardo

What is your highest and best use?

In real estate they have a term, highest and best use, it is used to describe the most profitable usage of a propery. Let me give you an example; suppose you have a small older apartment block that brings in a nice income. Now imagine that if that apartment block were torn down and replaced with a high rise condo building. Assuming that the condos sold for a high price, then the highest and best use of that property might be to tear it down and rebuild even though it is presently a good investment.

Now, what about if we think about our highest and best use. Since we are talking about people and not property, the possiblilities are infinitely bigger. And how does one know what their, highest and best use, is?

Now that is a very useful question to ponder. You might think on that question for a long time and not come up with a proper answer, for you. That is where the Creation Box, you see pictured above comes into play. And of course in keeping with the Truthteller philosophy, it is fun and easy.

Ok, lets have some fun! Get yourself a nice box and like I did put a label on it that says....CREATION BOX....That which is in here....IS! Just as you can see I did in the picture. Now, here's the fun part; put pictures in the box of everything you ever desire. If you can't find a picture, write out your desire on a piece of paper and put that in the box. (I got this idea from the book, Ask and it is Given by Esther and Jerry Hicks).

What we are doing is collecting our desires and attracting more desires. It is by examining our desires that we will find our, highest and best use. The answers you seek may not come quickly, but they will surface if you continue with this fun exercise.

If you don't have a lot of desires, it may be because you just aren't inspired. And if you are not inspired, guess what? You are not living your highest and best use. So stay with and keep collecting desires until it gets easy and really flows.

It is important here to realize that your highest and best use may have nothing to do with money or material gains. It may be that your calling is to be a missionary or a stay at home mom. Only you will know the right answer. And you will know by how it feels so right when you think about it.

Yesterday, I watched a video of a Professor who was dying and was giving a talk about, what he would like to accomplish before he died. (I'll try to link to it later, it's fascinating) One of things that he said, that nearly knocked me off my chair was this...

"If you lead your life the right way
you won't have to chase your dreams
they will find you"

Powerful stuff! Living your life the right way to me, means living your highest and best use. To find that, you need to examine your desires and then follow your hunches and intuitions....quickly! And should you get a little discouraged on your path to enlightenment, here's something else he said...

"Brick walls are there to stop
those who just don't want it bad enough"

All this from a man who is dying with a big smile on his face. Inspiring.

Eduardo

Getting Healthier, it's partly in your head

"Eduardo to the rescue, here is the fun easy way to get healthier"

Check out this article I found on the Real Age site!

Sounds crazy, right? But it was true in a study of hotel workers. Just 4 weeks after the room cleaners were educated on how their duties counted toward their exercise needs, they saw a drop in weight and blood pressure -- despite no changes in overall activity levels.

Placebo Effect at Work

Changing bed linens, vacuuming, dusting, scrubbing the bathroom floor -- it's not spin class, but it is physical activity. And if you do physically active things with the right mind-set (namely, think "This is good for me."), it could translate into greater health gains. Just chalk it up to that mind-body connection to which so many other health benefits (like the placebo effect) have been traced.

Think About It

You need only about 30 minutes of exercise daily to meet the surgeon general's physical activity recommendations. And keep in mind that things like pulling weeds, painting the garage door, and folding laundry count toward that total. And we mean literally keep it in mind. Couldn't hurt, right?

Wasn't that a great article? And I want to help you too!

So here is where I get to help you out? Come over to my house, it could sure use a good cleaning and the yard, my goodness, you could do wonders with that too. This is a serious win/win situation. I let you take over my chores and you get healthier. How could you lose? It's perfecto!

Saturdays would be best but you know me I'm flexible when it comes to letting other people do my work.

Eduardo

P.S. Please no presents when you come over ladies, your presence and gratitude will be my gift! Ok, you can bring cleaning supplies if you really want to!

This is what sunshine looks like!

"this is my friend Sandy, she is the closest thing to walking, talking sunshine, that I know of"

Everyone you meet has the potential to teach you something, if you take the time and interest to learn. So here's what I've learned from Sandy...

"the gift that everyone wants, is your own happiness"

When Sandy walks into the room, with that big beautiful smile of hers, I've noticed, everyone else starts to smile. It's very contagious. Happiness is like that, it just wants to multiply and spread. That positive energy is like a powerful magnet. It makes you feel good and energized to be around someone who radiates happiness.

It feels very much like a gift to be around someone who radiates that kind of positive energy. And that is why I say that the best gift anyone can ever give is their own happiness. Sandy could bring me a box of my favourite beer but it wouldn't be equal to just being around that goofy smile and wacky sense of humor. (mind you, I'd still accept that box of beer, I wouldn't want to insult her).

Just think of the feeling you get when you see children laughing and giggling? It makes you feel good, right? Their joy just makes us feel good, we want to around it and share in it.

So if you want to give someone a gift, that is guaranteed to please, just give them your happiness. It's the gift they want. Nothing makes me happier than to see the people I care about being happy. It's like the world is in perfect harmony.

So we have an obligation to find our own happiness. Isn't this just perfect, makes me giddy to realize that making me happy, is actually a gift to those I come into contact with. I'm not being selfish when I do what I need to find my inner sunshine, I'm doing my part to heal the world! Who knew I was such a giving guy?

Then of course when we are in a negative mode; angry, jealous, worrying, discouraged or sad, it's like we turned our sunshine off. No longer do those around us feel good. The gift is gone.

So take care of yourself first so that you can give to others. Find your joy, connect with what is good for you. Relax, and remember the world is full of small meaningless stuff that can distract you. Be a Sandy and start giving the gift that everyone wants....your own happiness.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm feeling like Santa Claus, I'm about to go out and start handing out my gift (some Eduardo sunshine). And my buddies thought I was weird, wait until they read this post!

Eduardo

How to tell, if a book is really good?

"a really good book, demands no more of you, than is necessary to make it's point"

Academics have a really hard with brevity. Research papers are notoriously long and laboured. In Universities its just not possible to get a great mark with a very short paper, no matter how much genius is contained in it. Boring is rewarded and humor frowned on. So then when people like this, write books for the public, they continue over-writing and demand too much from us readers. Why is that?

Perhaps it's because they think it will come off as more scholarly or maybe they fear a weakness in their arguement or idea. After all, how can you be taken serious and win some snooty writing award, if have the genius to write a brief, entertaining and highly informative book?

Einstien said, 'things should be made as simple as possible and not any simplier'. That means once you have sufficiently made your point, move onto the next one. And what is wrong with having a little fun along the way?

I've read more than a few books that have to do with happiness. None of them made me laugh or made me happy. What's with that? I think they missed the point. How are you going to sell me on your theories of happiness if you don't show me any joy.

So how do I determine the worth of a book to me? Glad you asked. If I get 25% of the way through the book and my feeling is that I'm bored with it, I stop and chuck the thing. This is much how I feel about watching movies. Any writer who can't catch my interest that far in, isn't worth the rest of my valuable time.

Next, I read with a highlight marker and pen at the ready. If I read something that really resonates with me, I highlight that part. If it spurs an idea, I make notes either in the margin or on a pad of paper if there isn't room. Once I've finished the book, I can simply flip through the pages...a lot of marked up pages and I know its good, a ton of marked up pages and it's great.

Also, I can go back to the book at any time and find the important points in a flash by looking for highlighted parts. Quick retrieval of the good stuff, is fun and easy. I admit that at one time, I was reluctant to mark up a fresh new book. I guess I wanted it to keep it looking pretty and new. Now I figure if I really marked up a book, I'm paying the ultimate compliment to the author.

Good grief, I just figured out how to study, I'm so disgusted, I'm going out to play!

Adios amigos

Eduardo

I double dog, no I triple dog, DARE YOU!

"miracles are a normal experience, for those that have the courage to believe in them"

See the card shown above, well I dare you to print it off (if you don't know how, scroll down to the bottom of the article, You Might be Shocked and the instructions are at the bottom) and carry it around with you for one week. Put it where you will see it often and contemplate on it, whenever you look at it. Whenever, you get a thought about it, write it down. You are going to be in for the surprise of your life. Bold challenge right? Well, have you got the guts to try it?

It's really simple and fun to do, or I wouldn't suggest it. Remember, to write down your thoughts (right away) when you look at the card. For one week! Come on, what are you afraid of? The truth? Let's be honest here, you've read lots of this self improvement stuff, but how much have you actually followed through with? This is it, here is your opportunity to open up your mind to your possiblilities. Go for it, have some fun.

"I triple dog dare you"

Eduardo

P.S. I decided not to try and explain what you might experience, because I want you to discover the answers by yourself, you deserve to have your own epiphany! I would however, be thrilled to hear about your experience.

Forget positive thinking, you need something more powerful!

"emotions are powerful stuff, that bring you to abundance or despair, the choice is yours"

One of the beautiful advantages of writing a blog like this is, that I get explore my own thoughts. I learn as I go and sometimes I realize a better way to get to where I want to go.

I have always believed in the power of positive thinking from the first time I read a self help book. What I didn't know at that time is how much more powerful positive emotions are. You know I like the fun easy way and this is it. This (positive emotions) is powerful stuff that can turn your life around on a dime.

Think of positive thoughts as being like driving a Volvo. Safe and dependable, and sure to get you where you want to go. Now throw in some positive emotions such as love, wonder, bliss, confidence, inspiration, courage and faith and now you're driving a Ferrari. The ride is going to be quicker and much more exhilerating.

Emotions are the fuel that drive your life. Positive emotions propel you forward towards your desires. Mix in more that one positive emotion and its like you just upped the octane level or turbo charged your life.

Fill your tank up on negative emotions such as anger, depression, hate, emptiness, discouragement, loneliness and cowardess, and you are still moving your life...only in reverse. You will be moving away from instead of toward your desires. Mix in more than one of these emotions and you likely are headed for a crash.

Looking for neutral gear in your life? No problem, that's called indifference!

"Positive thinking is good, positive thinking plus positive emotions and you are ripe for a miracle."

One of the reasons you don't reach your desires, is that they may not be worthy of you. They don't really inspire (a positive emotion) you. Small easy achievable goals are like putting a cap full of fuel in your tank, probably not enough juice to start your engine.

It's time to raise the level of your dreams, think really BIG. Put some high octane thoughts into your tank. Ramp up your courage, confidence, love and bliss and really put the petal to the metal. Who gives a damn if your dreams are unrealistic! They are your dreams and only the small minded will be interested in discouraging you. The others, the big dreamers, they are the one's who will change their world for the better. They will admire you and support you because you are one of them now. There is great power to be found in sharing your big dreams with someone who is supportive. If you don't have it at home, maybe you need to look elesewhere for support. I'm here for you and so are lots of other like minded dreamers.

"Get excited and inspired with the bigness of your dreams and the whole universe, will and must move to make it a reality"

Eduardo

You might be shocked, by what you are attracting into your life!

"those little messages that you feed your brain every day are becoming your reality"

Garbage in, garbage out...you've probably heard that saying 100 times (ad naseum, I might add). But, are you really aware of your self talk, what messages you are feeding that brain of yours? Think about this...

When you keep saying, I don't have love in my life
Then you never will have love.

When you keep saying, I don't have enough money
Then you never will have enough.

When you keep saying I don't have time
then you will always be too busy

When you keep saying, I will do it tomorrow
then it will never get done..

I could keep going, but I'm sure you get the idea. So what about positive affirmations like the one on the card above? Just repeating an affirmation like that won't necessarily work. The missing ingredients that needs to be included in any affirmation are....emotion and belief!

Of course the emotion you attach to an affirmation has to be a positive one, like; joy, excitement or elation. You get that by imagining the desired outcome and daydreaming about it, in as much detail as possible. This is the fun part of affirmations and the part that gives it power. I find that if I say the affirmation out loud with emotion that it really elevates the feeling I get. You may want to close your windows or passerbys will think you are bonkers.

You also need to believe in the affirmation. You may not carry the belief when you first write out or meditate on an affirmation and that's ok. The more you say it out loud, meditate on it and repeat it, the more your belief will increase. Time will take care of you. You must eventually attach belief to something you can feel with passion.

Finally, there's this little thing called, 'infinite patience'. The first time I read that term, I shuddered. Who the heck wants to have infinite patience? Doesn't that imply, that it will take a long, long time to manifest? No, not necessarily. Infinite patience means that you recognize that the universe will give you intend, at the perfect time...for you! Trust that the universe knows better than you, what you need and when. It may be sooner that you anticipate and it might be a little longer, but have faith. Trust in something bigger than yourself!

Now if you will excuse me amigos, I feel the need to stick my head out the window and yell to the world.....YOU WILL LOVE THIS ARTICLE!

Ahhh, I'm feeling more positive already...

Eduardo

P.S. If you want to download the card you see above, here's how to do it;
right click on the card
click on SAVE AS
then SAVE TO DESKTOP
then FILE
then PRINT
then ENJOY!
then BUY ME A BEER.

Daily decreasing leads to happiness

"its time to be honest with yourself, how much more stuff do you need"

A while back I wrote an article about, cleaning up your life. The jest was that we all or at least most of us in the western world have so much more than we really need. We are crazy consumers, out of control. As soon as the newest gizmo hits the market, the mad rush to the mall starts.

"the enlightened shopper, asks herself (or himself)...do I really need this"

Then there is all the stuff we accumulate. How many boxes of stuff do you have, that you don't even know what is in it? How much stuff do you have that you haven't touched in the last 6 months?

"don't you find it strange, that the more a person has, the more unhappy they tend to become"

Just look at the celebrities that try to kill themselves or lead self destructive lives. They can buy anything their heart's desire (and frequently do) yet where does that get them. Are they happier? Well, yes, for a short period of time. Then they need something new to renew the feeling. It's like a drug that needs to fed, and yet it loses it's power with time. Soon no new thing will give them the feeling they desire. All that striving and accumulating and they are left hollow.

Remember that theory that nature abhors a vaccuum? Maybe, when we start decreasing our lifestyle, the universe wants to replace with something else. Maybe, something more worthwhile and lasting like some meaning for our existance.

The daily decreaser says, this is my formula for simplifying and finding happiness.

"if, its trash...throw it out. If it's still useful but unused...give it away"

CONFESSION: I Eduardo have been trying to practice what I preach. I have been decreasing slowly what I possess. I'm a little on the lazy side, so I haven't decreased as rapidly as I would like. However, I am committed to continuing the process. So if you see a weirdo walking the streets of your town who looks like a reincarnation of Ghandi, be kind, he may have gone overboard this concept and....it might be me!

Eduardo

I don't know if this true...but I like it!

Robin Bal over at the FortuneWatch blog has an interesting story to tell:

A man walked into a bank in New York City one day and asked for the loan officer.

He told the loan officer that he was going to Philippines on business for two weeks and needed to borrow $5,000. The bank officer told him that the bank would need some form of security for the loan.

Then the man handed over the keys to a new Ferrari parked on the street in front of the bank. He produced the title and everything checked out The loan officer agreed to accept the car as collateral for the loan.The bank’s president and its officers all enjoyed a good laugh at the guy for using a $250,000 Ferrari as collateral against a $5,000 loan.

An employee of the bank then drove the Ferrari into the bank’s underground garage and parked it there.Two weeks later, the guy returned, repaid the $5,000 and the interest, which came to $15.41.

The loan officer said, “We are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multi-millionaire. What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow “$5,000?.

The millionaire replied: “Where else in New York City can I park my car for $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return”

Well thats how the rich stay rich, they know a lot more about Money Management. All the millionaires I have met in my life were penny wise. Look after your cents and the dollars will look after themselves.

P.S. Seriously, I doubt the authenticity of this story, but if it is true, then that is one cheap multi-millionaire!

You deserve a miracle, so I'm going to give you one!

Suspend your disbelief for a moment and listen to this!

Yesterday, I rediscovered my miracle card, and decided to change the picture on it to one I just took. Anyway, I like the effect so I carried it around with me and found I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I had about a half hour drive to my destination and on the way I just kept glancing at the card. When I got to my destination I stopped for gas. When I went to pay for my gas the clerk told me that someone else had paid for my gas. I asked who, and she said...I don't know just some guy who had already left. (One small miracle, right?)

This morning I drove down to the local convenience store and was thinking about the card and the experience. Again, I kept looking at the card. I went into the store and purchased a paper and large coffee. I went to the pay the clerk and she told me that my coffee was free because some lady who had already left had given here some extra cash and said, 'this is to pay for the next person's coffee'. Cool,huh? I was mildly shocked. Not knowing what to do I gave her the card I was carrying and told her the story from the previous day. I told her to keep the car and who knows maybe she would experience a miracle of her own. The look on her face was incredible. She held that card like it was made of gold. Her appreciation seemed beyond what I might have ever expected. Who knows maybe she really needs a miracle in her life and now she thinks it might be possible. I don't know.

By the time I got home with my paper and coffee, I decided to reprint my original article and to print off some of my cards and to pass them around. Maybe, instead of giving them to people, I'll just put them in places where they will be found. Or maybe, I'll look for people who like the clerk in the store, look like they could use a miracle in their lives. I haven't got a clue what effect this might have but it feels right...so I'm a going to do it!

If you'd like to get in on the fun, email me at edsemail@shaw.ca and I'll email you back a page of the cards that you can print off (keep them for yourself or pass them around) This might be the unltimate Truthteller Magic Card.

Thanks for listening to my little story and here is the original article reprinted..



"miracles are a normal occurrance for those that have the courage to believe in them"

Here are a few 'way out' thoughts I'd like you to consider:

What if miracles are a normal occurrence?
What if the only reason that you haven't been experiencing any miracles in your life, is because you've stopped believing in them?
What if we were blocking the flow of miracles and didn't know it?

First off, lets establish that there are big miracles and little miracles. Little miracles I've heard described as unexpected pleasant surprises And big miracles are like curing a disease or finding true love.

Ok, I can hear you saying.....Eduardo, how do I manifest some miracles in my life? No problemo amigos!

RULES FOR MANIFESTING MIRACLES;

1. Expect miracles to happen. Condition your mind to expect miracles by putting notes where you can see them often that say....EXPECT A MIRACLE!
2. Let go of all negative emotions (see past article)
3. Expect to receive intuitions or hunches
4. Act on those intuitions and hunches
5. Receive miracle
6. Remember, what your mother told you....say thanks (this is the most important part of the whole experience)

I'm going to be working on this for the next week, why don't you give it a go? I'm sure you could use a few good miracles. (if you win the lottery, remember your amigo Eduardo)

"miracles are normal and natural"

Eduardo

P.S. If you would like me to email you a CREATE A MIRACLE card, just send me a message to the email address at the top right of the page.

What are you in to?

"everything is possible, if you can have fun doing it"

I'm happy to say, that I'm getting better at walking my talk. For instance, I love a warm sunny day but what happens when the weather doesn't cooperate? I'd see those menacing clouds start to roll in on the lake and start thinking to myself, darn there goes some of my enjoyment.



But then I had an 'aha moment'. I thought to myself, I think I'll be into clouds. So I got out my camera and started taking some pictures. Soon a friend, Mrs PP, joined in and we were having a great time amusing ourselves with the clouds. Now, I'm really into clouds. Once you start noticing them you realize that they are one of natures masterpieces. There they were, right in front of me and I never noticed their beauty. I had thought of them of as more or a nusiance.



The other day, I was driving down the highway and I had to pull over to take another picture, it was just such a striking cloud I saw. It even made my trip more enjoyable. Then one morning, I awoke and the fog had enveloped the lake, so I drove the boat out into the water and got this picture;



Now I'm not saying that clouds have replaced sunshine on my list however I can say that I found some new appreciation for the beauty of the universe! And that amigos made my life just one small bit happier!

"be who you are and say what you feel.
Those who mind, don't matter.
Those who matter, don't mind." Dr Seuss

Eduardo

P.S. Did you see the kangaroo or is it a rabbit in the second picture? Doesn't that remind you of when you were a kid and we would lay on our backs on the lawn and try and find intersting shapes in the clouds. Some of us never grow up...luckily!

The myth of the go-getter guy!

The movies and novels repeat the myth of the 'go-getter' (sometimes called the hustler). Myth has it that you can fight, scratch and use superior will power to conquer the pinnacles of success. The go-getter, gets the good life.

The myth is crap!

Anyone who's life is full of strife, conflict will eventually succumb to poor health. He can accumulate wealth but sacrificies wisdom, spirit, health and love. This is a path that leads to ulcers, heart attack and early death.

The final insult for the 'go-getter' is that it is so unnecessary! Success and happiness don't have to be hard and difficult. That's the result of poor thinking. Right thinking gets you what you want without neither the effort or the pain.

"action is not efficient, unless it is right action"

Right action produces quicker results with less effort. So be not busy nor in a hurry, because you won't have time to learn what you need to know. To do that you need silence and solitude to let the better quality thoughts surface. As Abraham Lincoln said...

"if I had 6 hours to chop a huge tree, I would spend 5 hours sharpening my axe"

Eduardo

P.S. So when you see me relaxing on my boat this summer, soaking up a few rays, remember, I might not be goofing off...I could be in serious thinking mode (so please don't disturb me (unless you have a spare, ice cold beer), thanks!

Lazy people are smarter

"all of man's problems can be traced to the fact that he can't stand to have silence, stillness and solitude"


I've wrote before about how it's the lazy people that make the best inventors, writers and even entrepeneurs. You see us lazy folks always want to find the short cuts to getting things done. We love the easy path. We are like water, that finds the low spots and lets gravity do the work, to take us to the ocean (possibilities).

"he does not seem to me to be a free man, who does not sometimes do nothing" Cicero

So let's talk about how to relax and enjoy. Our poor brains are so full good stuff and unnecessary junk information, that they no longer work efficiently. Even in our down times, most turn on the TV, the radio or the internet. We refuse to give our poor old brains a break. We require constant stimulation of some sort. It's no wonder that we have few new ideas or insights.

"we give up leisure that me may have leisure" Thoreau

If you want to fire up your creative juices, it would help to remove as much stimulus as possible. Free up those brain cells to do some productive thinking. And the best way to do that is to go outside. It would be better to go the park, the lake or out in the woods, depending on what is available to you.

"the wisdom of a learned man, cometh by opportunity of leisure, and he that hath little business, shall become wise" The Bible

Connect with nature, take off your shoes and socks and plant those feet on the ground. It's very freeing; just watch any young child. If you want to feel really young and free, I would suggest running around buck naked, but your town may have some ordinances against that.

“The really efficient laborer will be found not to crowd his day with work, but will saunter to his task surrounded by a wide halo of ease and leisure.” Thoreau

Relaxing can take many forms, such as a leisurely walk or even a drive in the countryside with the windows down. How about laying on your back and watching the clouds go by, just like we did as kids. A while back I wrote about some research that suggested that high ceilings in buildings led to more creative thoughts. Well, just imagine how high the ceiling is when you are outside?

"The happiest people are those who think the most interesting thoughts. Those who decide to use leisure as a means of mental development, who love good music, good books, good pictures, good company, good conversation, are the happiest people in the world. And they are not only happy in themselves, they are the cause of happiness in others." William Lyon Phelps

Once the brain is in a relaxed state, the thoughts and ideas rush in to fill the void (some of us have bigger voids than others).

I'm told howling at the moon, works wonders for some folks, but my neighbors probably think I'm weird enough as it is.

"Smile amigos, it looks really good on you"

Eduardo

When was the last time you slayed a dragon?

"come on, admit it, you have a dragon in your closet, don't you"

Confused? Let me explain. I got to thinking about what is holding me up from being and achieving my hearts desires. I came to the conclusion that my biggest (dragon) is procrastination. Yep, there are times when I know that I should do something but;

*it seems unpleasant
*I have some unidentified fear
*I feel lazy
*I'm not motivated
*I've somehow built it up in my mind to being something hard and difficult

And that is what I call a 'personal dragon' Just like the mythical dragon, most of what I'm feeling, isn't real. And yet, it seems real and getting barbequed by a fire breathing dragon is not a pleasant thing to contemplate.

However, I, Sir Eduardo have decided to slay my personal dragon (procrastination) So I got to thinking how I would make it so? I came to the conclusion I needed at least 4 things;

*motivation (some beautiful damesel to rescue and claim as my perfect love)
*a constant reminder to myself
*since my dragon is imaginary, I will fight it with my imagination
*I intend to have fun doing it

So now you can see the necessity of the 'magic card' you see pictured above. Yes, it's whimsical and little goofy, but then that's me! I need to remind myself that my dragon is not real and not to be feared. What fun could I have if I had to grit my teeth and struggle to beat back my habit. I don't do difficult. No, not Eduardo, he will have fun doing it.

Amazingly, this being only my first full day with the magic card, I've already conquered a few tasks that I had been putting off.

Now where that's that hot beautiful damsel, I was promised?

Eduardo

P.S. What is your personal dragon? Send me an email or make a comment below and I Sir Eduardo the Dragon Slayer, will make up a magic card...just for you.

The Decision Machine

"you need never fret over another difficult decision, your friend the Truthteller has the latest no fail technology and its your FREE, just for stopping by"

Sooner or later we all have to make decisions that just can't seem to be done easily. Perhaps we feel the stakes are too high. We have fears of the consequences of making the wrong choice. Not any longer amigos....

Here is the tested and 100% proven, absolutely best way to make great decisions. You will need however some technology to aid you. I strongly suggest a pen and paper.

Ok, here's how it works; remember that old idea of writing the pro's and cons of a decision down on a piece of paper. The idea was that after you listed the pros and cons, the list that was longest was the correct decision....WRONG! Good idea, that doesn't work.

The reason it doesn't work is because not every pro or con is equally weighted. Let's suppose that you are trying to decide whether to go to college or to get a job.
Now suppose that one of the cons to going to college is that you can't buy a car, right away. One of the pros is that if you go and graduate you will make twice as much money for the rest of your life. Which is more important? I'm not making a judgement call here. If you think having a car now is more important...so be it. My point is that we need to assign a value to each pro and con.

So amigos, what you should do is assign a mark between 1 and 10, with 1 being least important and 10 being most important to each pro and con. Now you can add up the numbers and voila, you will have made a great decision every time. Isn't that beautiful?

Here's a sample, just in case its clear as mud to you:

Decision: Should I send Eduardo all my money?

PRO'S:

1. It will make him really happy... 10 pts
2. I will no longer have to worry about money... 10 pts
3. He will do great things with it... 10 pts
4. Giving is better than receiving... 10 pts

Total points for Pro's: 40 pts

CON'S:

1. That jerk is trying to rip me off... 1 pt
2. He'll waste it on wine, women and himself... 10 pts
3. If even one sucker goes for it, he wins... 2 pts
4. I'd sooner cut of an arm than give him anything... 3 pts

Total points: 16 pts

Brilliant, you can now see that the pro's have 40 pts and the cons only 16 pts. The decision is obvious and I will notify my banker of the sudden influx of your money!

Now wasn't this worth the price of admission? I hope you can see why this is as close to bein infallible as any decision making technique can be. I wish I had known about this many years ago. And of course it is in keeping with the Truthteller philosophy of being fun and easy and over-flowing with abundance (at least for me).

CAVEAT: Sure as heck there will be one anal (pardon my French) uptight nerd who will debate with himself (or herself) for hours as to what point to assign to a pro or con.

Here's the neat part, the idea is to assign the points as quickly as possible and without much thought (easy for me to do). This works beautifully every time. It's just like in school when you had multiple choice questions, the first answer is almost always the right answer. Students who go back and second guess themselves invariably just mess it up. If you are really a worry wort then do it now, then leave it for a day and without looking at the previous day scores, try it again. You'll see....Eduardo is right!

Ok, class here is your assignment. Do questions 1-189 and questions 190-245. No, you fool, here at Happy School we don't do that. However, I would like you to print this article and save it for when you next need to make a decision. Give it others and they will also make great decisions. Any questions? Excellent...everyone passes with 100%.

Smile, it looks really good on you!

Eduardo

P.S. I have a confession to make! I have in the past used the old pros and cons method without the scoring system added. When using this with someone else and you want to influence their decision you just help them on either the pro or con side depending on where you want the decision to fall. The longer list wins remember? But that was my evil twin and I no longer would consider that moral or ethical....

Enjoy life....simplify!

"we live in a world that is complicated, too much hurrying about, too much stress and not enough happiness. It doesn't have to be that way"

So then here are my 'top 10' ways to simplify your life;

1. Let it go! Let go of past hurts, anger and resentment. Let go of all the things that you don't really need and that don't serve you, like negative thoughts.

2. Learn to live with less information. Who needs all the negative stuff on TV and in the papers. Be selective about what you allow in your head. (but do keep coming back to the Truthteller, it's all good)

3. Be grateful. I'm always noticing that the most appreciative people are the happiest ones. You will also find yourself less impatient when you are in a state of gratitude.

4. Just say no! Trust your gut feelings and say no when something doesn't feel right.

5. Keep your memory out of your head. Why overload your memory banks with stuff that's better written down somewhere, like to do lists. You need some empty storage to capture new ideas.

6. Outsource the parts of your life that you don't like. I've outsourced cutting the grass to my son (I'm much happier now)

7. Be spontaneous. Why not drop the vacuum cleaner when a friend calls and take a trip to the lake or whatever your really enjoy. Being spontaneous can lift your spirit.

8. Lower your standards (just a little). Perfection can be a pain. Who are you trying to please? Who cares what others think? Spend more time with friends and family.

9. Get some peace, quiet and solitude. It can really recharge your batteries and give you some great insights.

10. Have fun. Make time for fun, its just important as making time to do chores. You just might be a little less insane. And remember this; everything is possible if you can have fun doing it!

11. Hold it Eduardo, you said top 10 and not 11 tips? Well amigos, its not because I can't count, its because you are so nice and I feel generous. Besides, this is the most important one! Ok, here it is.... send all your money to Eduardo. Now you won't have to worry about what to do with it. I know, you will be unloading that money problem on me....but I'm here to serve!

Smile, it looks really good on you!

Eduardo

In search of happiness

"aw so grasshopper you have come to the great palace in search of happiness, listen and learn so that you may spread the wisdom"

If you want to be happy
for an hour, take a nap

If you want to be happy
for a day, go fishing (or shopping)

If you want to be happy
for a month, get married

If you want to be happy
for a year, inherit a fortune

If you want to be happy
for a life, help others!

If you just want to make Eduardo happy
pass this on, so that others may bask in my brillance!

(ok smartypants, I didn't make this up, its a ancient chinese proverb)

Eduardo

Truthteller Exclusive...An interview with a Guru!

I've been sitting here at my computer looking over some other sites that deal with success, happiness and abundance. It started me thinking what it would be like if I were a guru, sitting on some mountain top. People would scale the mountain, risking their lives to get the opportunity to ask me great questions, like what is the meaning of life. Stuff like that.

So let me play along with you and see what wisdom or lack of wisdom comes up. I'll be the wise guru named Truthteller and you will be The Foolish One . Hey, its my blog, I get to decide who is who!

Foolish One Oh great Truthteller, I have risked my life to climb this mountain.

Truthteller Was it worth it?

Foolish One How would I know, I just got here and I haven't heard you answer a question yet?

Truthteller Well then, Foolish One, why don't you ask a question?

Foolish One Ok, I will.....I work hard, and yet I can't seem to accumulate wealth nor happiness.

Truthteller Don't tell me about your problems, tell me about your solutions.

Foolish One If I had solutions, I wouldn't have climbed up this damn moutain to see you.

Truthteller Concentrate on solutions and that is what you will find.

Foolish One I hope they don't pay you to give this kind of advice. What else have you got for me?

Truthteller The answer is within you, all you want is for me to give you a shortcut.

Foolish One You know Mr. Truthteller, the more I think about what you said, the more sense it makes to me. Maybe you're smarter than you look in those dumb robes. By the way, it almost killed me to climb this mountain. I took me 3 days and I'm beaten and bruised. I barely could summon the strength to get here. How the heck did a scrawny little guru like you make it up here?

Truthteller Oh, you really are a foolish one...It only took me 12 minutes....I took the gondola ride on the other side of the mountain.

Eduardo

P.S. If you enjoyed my little story, why not pass it on to someone else, maybe they will find it funny! And even if you didn't find it funny, pass it on, just to annoy someone!

The Fountain of Youth

"what's the point of discovering the fountain of youth, if you are not allowing yourself to be happy now"

Every once in awhile I stumble across some article about discovering the 'fountain of youth'. Sometimes the article will advocate things like; a new drug, exercise, diet or meditation. Personally, I think many things attribute to a long and healthy life.

So here my amigos is the Truthteller "Super 7 Steps" to living to a hundred years of age or more;

Think young and never quit playing Once the mindset of, I'm getting old sets in, it starts to affect your actions. 'I'm too old for that' is a sure sign that you've decided to put limitations on what you can do. I've read stories of people who ran marathons in their 80's, so forget that excuse. A little immaturity is a really good thing.

Eat well and exercise. That doesn't need any more explaining, it's so obvious.

Hang with happy people. The benefits of happiness are too extensive to list. Besides, if you are going to be on this planet for 100 years or more, you have to ask yourself....why would I want to, if I'm not happy?

Have faith in something good. It just has to be a good thing to believe that things will always improve and that the universe is on your side.

Try a new experience. Climb a mountain, jump out of an airplane or a spend a day in nature in solitude...whatever, try something you've never done before. It will be some juice in your life. If you half tried, I'll bet you could easily think of a lot of things you might have always wanted to do, but didn't (for whatever reason).

Look forward to growing old. I'll bet you've never heard this one before? However, research has shown that the biggest secret to living to 100 and beyond may have more to do with psychology than with physiology. If, you look forward to getting older, your chances of doing so are much better than if you fret or dread about aging. Attitude is the best predictor of longevity.

Get a role model. One of mine is George Burns the commedian. He lived to be a 100 years old and never reached the pinnacle of success as a commedian until he was in his late 70's. Here are a few quotes from him that will give you an idea of how funny the guy was and why he had life in him for 100 years...

"happiness is having a large, loving and close-knit family in another city"

"Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good drink and a good woman...or, a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle"

"I would go out with women my age, but there aren't any"

"The secret of a good sermon is, a good beginning, a good ending; then having the two as close together as possible"

"I can remember when the air was clean and sex was dirty"

And when he was asked about the success of his only hit song (I wish I was 18 again) "Why shouldn't I be a country singer? I'm older than a lot of countries"

Yes, anything is possible, if you can have fun doing it...even living to be 100!

Eduardo

Did you enjoy this article? Then maybe you would like to revist a past (slightly humorous article I wrote, you will find here...
http://www.reddeerblog.com/2007/08/you-may-not-realize-it-but-just-because.html

The way of the lazy man

"you can't teach people
to be lazy....either they
have it, or they don't"
Dagwood Bumstead


So here is one of my wacky theories explained, that says to get what we want, we need to quit working hard! I'll bet that got your interest?


The universe doesn't fight or snarl. It does things in the easiest and most efficient manner possible. Just as electricity finds the path of least resistance, water flows to the lowest point in the land and forms rivers that find the path of least resistance on its journey to the ocean. It does this because it is the easiest way (letting gravity do the work).


So I'm thinking that life is like that (or should be). We should quit trying so damn hard to be successful or happy. We should follow natures example and take the easy way.


Aha, I can imagine what you are saying to yourself about now? This nut thinks he will be happy and successful by doing nothing! Well you are right (I am a nut) no actually I mean you can't get what you want by doing nothing.


So what pray tell Eddyweirdo, is the easiest path you speak of? Well grasshopper, it's all about dreaming and thinking! That sounds fun and easy, right? (it's ok, I always talk to myself)


Imagine the consequences if we worked 4 hours per day and then spent the next 4 hours dreaming up possibilities and thinking of how to implement them? Now if someone can tell me how to sell the idea to employers, we could change the world.

"progress is made by lazy men,
looking for easier ways to do things" (Robert A. Heinlein)

Eduardo

World's greatest beauty tip...

"my first impression was to pass her by,
until I saw her having so much fun with
another guy"


Yes, it's true....the number one way to make yourself more attractive to the opposite sex is to 'get happy'. Actually, let's correct that sentence...a happy person is attractive to everyone they come in contact with.

Really, its so obvious. We have already established that 'being happy' makes you smarter and now you know, it makes you more attractive. Just makes you want to get jiggy all the time.

If the cosmetics companies could find a way to bottle 'happy' they would make billions. Finally, a product that would work everytime for everybody. I'd buy shares in that!

In case you are wondering, there have been plenty of studies to verify my astute observation. In fact a smiling person is more attractive than a non smiling person (so you can even 'fake it' if you are into that kind of thing). Although, a person who feels genuine happiness is many times more appealing than the one with the forced smile.

"So now we discover that the graduates of my 'Happy School' will also be better looking than everyone else."


Eduardo

Why you need passion

"Passion is the fuel
that drives
achievement and
can lead to higher
levels of happiness"


Have you ever known anyone who accomplished great things or was extremely happy, that didn't have passion? No, of course not. It's the passionate people who get things done. They are like magnets to others. Others want to help them reach their goals because of their passion.

"greatness is not possible without passion"

So what is your passion? Have you lost it over the years or did you ever have it? Would you like to know how to find your passion?

First off, here is what deters you from finding your passion....fear, self-doubt and caution.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help determine the areas of your passion:

*What did you want to be as a child?

* What are you good at?

* What do you daydream about?

* What are the things you really enjoy doing?

* What have you always dreamed about doing but never told anyone?

* Who do you envy and why?

And when you think you've identified your passion and you start doing something about it, here's how you will know your on the right track. You will know by the energy you get from it. If you are passionate you won't have any problems with procrastination or lack of energy.

"If you can't put your heart into it,

then find something else"

Eduardo

A gift for you from Eduardo

"My gift for you, is a very powerful technique, one that will get people to do things for you, that they wouldn't normally do for others."

It is very powerful idea that has been tested and proven effective. I should charge you something for it but since you were kind enough to stop by my site (and I like you) I'll be only to happy to share it with you! Please use it with discretion.

Let's imagine that you arrive at a busy restaurant, a airline ticket booth or a hotel and you would like something extra. Perhaps you would like a better room or a better seat by the window. Here is a special phrase you can use that will get you surprising results. Please make sure you use the exact phrase.....

I don't know if you have the authority
or the power, but I need a favour.
Can you help me (then give your request)

Here is why it works...

What it is really saying is, if you can't help me, then you have no power or authority. It also becomes a challenge and when they do help you, they then think to themselves, that you think they have power and authority. This makes them feel powerful and good. Also, asking for a favour is very hard to refuse. Together they are a powerful mix.

This powerful technique can be used for many different things besides getting a better seat in a popular restaurant. Use your imagination?

Now, I don't know if you have the power or the authority, but I need a favour. Would you make a point of trying this powerful technique out for me?

Eduardo

It's just a hunch....but...

We've all experienced sudden moments of knowingness. We know them as hunches, intuitions and flashes of insight. Here is what Dr. Joyce Brothers has to say about this...

'hunches are usually based on facts that are hidden just below the concious level'

So you could say that hunches are a form of inner wisdom. This wisdom can be experienced by a gut feeling, a flash of insight, a dream or an unexpected rush of energy.

Generally speaking our culture preaches logic and scoffs at intuition. So we were mostly trained to not trust these hunches. However, many of the worlds greatest inventions and visions were born in moments of doing nothing when the recipient was moved by an intuition.

Benjamin Franklin flew a kite and Sir Isaac Newton loved to mediatate under an apple tree. They did quite well by their sudden insights. And I'm betting your mother had pretty good intuitions when you did something wrong!

So how do you encourage your own intuitions? First you need to find all available knowledge on the subject (remember that hunches are usually based on facts). Find your own special quiet spot that is free from distraction. Next you need to totally trust in yourself to find the answers. And finally when you get the hunch, write it down immediately.

Hunches can be very fleeting insights that can be easily lost or forgotten. They are best captured when the mind has quiet moments and sometimes during mundane chores such as driving or showering. One thing is certain, you aren't likely to capture a great insight if the radio is blaring your favorite tunes.

My final comment is that if you don't use your insights when you do get them the mind automatically quits retrieving insights for you. So expect intuition to show up and it will!

And amigos think on this...

"you lose 100% of the opportunities
that you never go for"

Eduardo