Is there a person who isn't ambitious? Are there really people who are very happy with just what they have and are doing? Well, the news is that there is no such person, otherwise they would be stuck in the same place forever!

Not one person in this world is genuinely without ambition or is indifferent to success and recognition because that is simply how we GROW, by pushing ourselves constantly to find our limits and develop our potential. Anyone who gives an impression of not caring about advancement, or the need for others to grant recognition, has actually developed a self-defence mechanism to protect themselves from potential failure or rejection. Such people are most likely to have been hurt in the past, rejected by others they loved or wished to impress, being denied the recognition they openly sought or secretly craved. This experience would have severely damaged their confidence and belief in themselves, making them thin-skinned and wary. Rejecting the ways of the wider world, or their environment, allows them to feel more in control of their direction and development and less vulnerable to future hurt from others. But it keeps them stuck in the past, or a familiar comfortable groove, as they then stop taking risks and settle for much less than they are capable of.

To cope with such disappointments in life or work, many people gradually redefine their status, reluctantly accepting themselves as less competent or less worthy. Some even create their own rules by dramatically changing their lifestyle, by derogating the one they have, and retreating into a more isolated existence somewhere else, often with other like-minded individuals, which puts them firmly in leadership roles. Outwardly, they appear to be satisfied with their achievement or lack of it. However, their sense of injustice is never entirely vanquished, merely repressed to protect their self-esteem. Gradually, many tend to become increasingly bitter and critical of what they have rejected while perceiving themselves to be somewhat superior and above their peers.

Even within religion, those enthusiastic exponents of godliness, glory and goodness, have not been short of their share of ambition and fierce competition. They might be doing God's work without much financial reward but a bishop's mitre, or a cardinal's hat, would do nicely, thank you. Even for the most devoted among us, the ambition is to reach the reward of glory in the afterlife, so something is still being sought, whether on earth or in heaven, for fulfilling expectations and being model Christians, Jews, Muslims or anything else.

Ambition and Hope
In its basic form, ambition represents hope. Without a fully developed sense of ambition we tend to lower our expectations and deprive ourselves of the hope required to expand our horizons, to fulfil our potential, to maintain our spirits and to keep our cherished desires alive. It also engenders competition because our ambition matches us against others and pushes us to our maximum. It may be true that too much ambition can make us cynical bounty hunters without any real commitment, but too little hope removes us from the competitive arena of life, retarding our development. We are then reduced to watching from the sidelines instead of being part of the action or influencing it. Gradually, we settle for second best while we quietly wish our life away with regrets.

If your ambition is low, start raising your sights today by addressing your fears, first of all. You are not really in competition with anyone else. The main aim is the ultimate that YOU can possibly achieve and how much of your potential you can realise, regardless of what is happening to your peers or colleagues. We are all awesome beings with hidden capabilities, but we will never find out just how much until we allow ambition to propel us forward.

Who knows? Raising your sights just that little bit could help you conquer your own special mountain. If it is very high, just allow it to take you as far as you feel comfortable. It might be a wee bit scary, but it will be a great adventure, with lots of fun and learning along the way. Just think how marvelous you will feel when you achieve your own secret ambitions and conquer your particular fears in the process. I can assure you, speaking from personal experience, there will be nothing like it!

Are you achieving your true potential? Why not find out with this quiz? :o)

Elaine Sihera (Ms CYPRAH) 2011
Emotional Health & People Management Consultant 
"Respect and love begin with the self. If we have none, how can we give away any?"

As the political theater continues in this country, I continually see people buying into their own destruction by believing in empty promises and going along with the detrimental actions being taken by the US government.

The latest in this trend is President Obama's so-called "Jobs Bill" that has yet to illustrate ACTIVE job creation strategies and/or plans other than the usual temporary public works jobs.  As stated by Obama himself, here are the key provisions of this proposed legislation:

The program includes the repackaging of some previous Obama proposals and the extension of other initiatives, including temporary payroll tax cuts that were enacted last year. But he also called for several significant new steps, such as enlarging that tax cut to provide $1,500 in savings for the average family and offering another tax cut for businesses that hire new employees.

“The purpose of the American Jobs Act is simple: to put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of those who are working,” Obama said. “It will provide a jolt to an economy that has stalled and give companies confidence that if they invest and hire, there will be customers for their products and services. You should pass this jobs plan right away.”

The current payroll tax cuts from last year have NOT had the impact that the administration hoped they would.  Unemployment remains steady at 9.1% (a VERY conservative estimate that does not include longtime unemployed people) and extending these tax cuts will probably not positively impact the situation.  The reduction in Social Security taxes being taken out of employee paychecks will give working citizens a little more money at their immediate disposal but it will also decrease their benefits once they retire and collect benefits.  The problem is that keeping the tax cut doesn't create jobs where they didn't exist before.

More importantly, the response to this bill by ACTUAL job creators seems to be lukewarm at best.  Here's how the U.S. Chamber of Commerce responded:

The president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Thomas J. Donohue, said Obama is right to call for "swift passage of pending free trade agreements," but that while the president discussed several important issues his ideas fell short. "A workable jobs plan must genuinely reduce regulatory uncertainty, unshackle promising American industries, and not be overly reliant on government spending and subsidies," Donohue said. "Now that many proposals have been put on the table, the time for talking has passed and the time for action is now. Our nation urgently needs an economic growth agenda that accelerates and fires up the powerful job-creating engine of American enterprise. The president and Congress must act faster, be bolder, and put their faith in free enterprise, not in bigger government," he said.  Source:  Business Journal Daily

Can something be done to increase the effectiveness of this possible approach?

Obama may back a national version of a Georgia program that encourages businesses to provide on-the-job training for people receiving unemployment benefits. About a third of the time, the workers wind up getting hired full-time. Offering tax incentives to businesses to hire the unemployed. Under consideration is an expanded version of a law passed last year that encouraged companies to hire the unemployed. The law exempted employers from paying their share of the Social Security tax when they created jobs for those unemployed for at least two months.  But economists say the law didn't boost hiring much.

Rajeev Dhawan, director of Georgia State University's economic forecasting center, says the tax break might encourage employers to hire workers they didn't need, which would be inefficient. Or, he says, it could give them a tax break for something they were going to do anyway. Source: Paul Wiseman, Associated Press Economics Writer, September 7, 2011

So, the question becomes "What is needed to encourage US businesses to hire American workers other than enacting tax cuts?"  Giving out tax cuts and extending unemployment insurance are NOT proactive job creation strategies.  Surveying our country's manufacturing and service needs to determine our employment shortcomings so money can be invested in developing those areas would be where I would start.  America has a tremendous wealth of untapped talent and a lot more support for entrepreneurship MUST be on the table.  The days of staying at one company with job security over the course of your career are gone. The push to maximize corporate profits are keeping wages stagnant and are enticing companies to send jobs overseas for cheaper labor prices. 

The US workforce has to evolve to navigate a rapidly changing job market that is unfriendly to the job seeker in terms of pay and workload.  Our President and Congress have yet to engage in forward thinking about this matter and things will NEVER change unless we ALL do!

The night after Hillary Clinton made her, now famous, "18 million cracks in the ceiling..." speech, I strutted into work the next day with a plan of my own to crack the ceiling. I was ready to take on "the boys". I have the education, experience, proven track record, etc and I was ready to do the required hard work. I also had one small problem, the managers and directors did not share my enthusiam for that part of Mrs. Clinton's speech. Most may have not heard it. I did not know that. I announced my plan to crack the ceiling and it went over like the proverbial fart in church. The ones who did not laugh or look surprised completely ignored me.

After my announcement, the boys and I played a great game of whack-a-mole. Yours truly was cast as the mole. Underterred, I held onto my plan and worked. It was soon obvious as the mole, I either had to stop coming out of the holes, make them miss more or wear protective head gear. While the Directors were playing musical chairs, I revised my plan, re-evaluated my surroundings and bided my time. Eventually, they would have to see my determination, appreciate my hardwork and dedication help me figure out a way out of the corporate maze and get promoted. Not so much.

The bell rang we came out of our respective corners. By the third round, I found one of the boys' weak spot and worked it methodically. I started to feel like Mike Tyson in his prime - upper cut, jab, round house - I was a boxing fool in high heels. I was no longer willing to protect him from himself. I was letting the rest of the office see him at his best (worst). I was slowly becoming the go to guy (girl). My name was floated as a possible candidate for the next manager's position, the plan was working. In public, I was aloof, non-commital but, hard working. In private, I was doing happy dances. Then it happened, a sudden round of lopsided musical chairs and I'm back to whack-a-mole for a few months. The old manager transferred, the director made a lateral move and I'm left breaking in a whole new director. After the "getting to know you" phase, I'm back in the hunt for the manager's position. Especially, since I'm doing the job and nothing is falling through the cracks. I was in the zone, hitting most of the right notes, prepping for the eventual interview and working hard to impress. I was working 10 hours a day and on the weekend. The new director was working on his short list, my name was left off the list. That little bit of news was not made official for three months. I was however smart enough to see the writing on the wall and once again adjusted my thinking and the blasted plan.

The new puppet master arrived and I'm cast as the pissed off, passed over puppet with a huge chip on my shoulder, let's dance. Having been the sacrificial lamb, cleanup lady, team player, den mother and go getter with little to show for it I transitioned into the loud mouth broad. I must say, this version of me is a riot.

My industry is 90% male. A bunch of type A personalities guarding the status quo and one another's careers. I may not get the promotion with this particular company but, for the time being I am having all manner of fun as the loud mouth broad while letting the boys know that I can learn and do their jobs. Who knew a concession speech would have such an impact?

The condition you suffer from falls under the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act. You have tried to find work, but are either given part-time hours or not offered the postion at all because the employer claims to doubt your ability to perform the work-even after you have proven your knowledge regarding the tasks you would be required to perform.

You can perform the tasks either with or without reasonable accommodations, but you are still denied the job. Even worse, you have been denied Supplimentary Security Income in the past! You cannot afford your rent, you cannot even afford your medications (if you need them!) or even to feed yourself.

Now what?

Or let's say you are someone who is actually too fraile to work. You have applied for SSI, but are refused every time.

A growing number of people who have been in this position and have tried to work with "the system" have decided that they are mad as hell and they refused to take it anymore.

According to the Associated Press, there have been at least eighty threats against judges or administrative assistants in the past year. The article also states that the threats range from a man in New Mexico who threatened to go to his congressman's office to shoot employees to another man who threatened to join the Taliban.

The AP reported Monday that these threats have increased 18%.

A Senate subcommittee found that nearly 2 million people wait an average of two years before they learn if they even qualify for benefits. Do conservatives care about what this does to a person's self-esteem and their level of desperation?

Contrary to what conservatives want you to believe, these people are not deadbeats. These are not people who do not want to work. Many of them are the people who cannot work! While many of the others in question can work, their respective conditions only allow them to work under certain circumstances and during certain times, and employers do not feel obligated to accommodate such applicants, even though the law says that such a situation would fall under the "reasonable accommodation" umbrella.

What do you expect these people to do? Die?

While it seems that many on the right would prefer just that, they should be advised of what has happened to those who have pushed Americans who live with disabilities too far.

While no one wants violence to rear its ugly head, one should also not ask for a whoopin' from someone who is limited to the use of a wheelchair at the tender age of twenty-five.

You have previously read the unemployment rate for Americans with disabilities, and the new Republican House will only seek to make matters worse, as Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) has publicly called for the repeal of ADA, the landmark anti-discrimination law which protects Americans who live with disabilities.

Due to this legislation, a bus company must have buses which help this person take advantage of public transportation so that he can go to work.

Due to this legislation, an employer must allow someone with attention deficit disorder carry a controlled substance on his person and give that employee a sufficient amount of time to medicate himself so that he can perform at his position. A.D.D. is a huge obstacle for anyone who has a desk job because they have the constant urge to move.

Due to this legislation, employees who have disabilities are allowed to have job coaches accompany them to the place of employment and prompt them so that they can prove their worth to the organization that hired them.

Those who complain about the increase in violence have only themselves to blame if they advocate the "rights" of employers over human rights.

One cannot have it both ways when they say that the employer maintains the right not to hire someone if they feel that person is unable to perform the job (a view which is based on their own prejudice against those with disabilities!) after the applicant demonstrated adequate knowledge regarding the position and demonstrated the ability to perform the job, and then whine about a man who claimed that he was a sniper in the military and that he would take care of the problem.

Those say they want smaller government may regret that wish, as the government protects them from the very people you have previously discriminated against by passing laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act or slightly raising a corporation's taxes so that SSI can be funded properly.

If one chooses not to hire a willing American who just happens to have a disability or if one supports cuts to programs which oversee the business community in an effort to make sure that the legislation is enforced or if they support cuts to the funding of these social programs that benefit Americans who can no longer work due to their disability, one gets what they deserve.

Call it a re-enactment of the raiding of the Bastille or the re-enactment of the siege of the Winter Palace.

I'm sure that Malcom X is smiling as he looks on from the other side of Eternity and has given his blessing to those brave Americans who have decided to stand up for their rights-by any means necessary.

It doesn't have to come to this. Just do the right thing and grant all Americans the birthright to which they are entitled under the United States Constitution and the tw of you will be equally able to live securely.

If any of those who engaged in the acts mentioned in this article are guilty of anything, it is self-defense. These people were only defended their equal right to live and work in a society which proclaimed in 1776 that all men are created equal.

Golly gee, but what to do now that the president's health care law has been ruled to be constitutional....

Will the Tea Party take up arms as promised, or will they just stomp and pout as they collect their Social Security checks or run off to the nearest Veterans Adminstration hospital before they go the Elks Lodge?

I mean, when will these poor, uneducated little souls realize that the federal government is not out to get them?

When are they going to realize that they are being duped by Dick Armey and his henchmen and at "Freedom"Works?

When are they going to figure out that thirty years of right-wing economic policies are the reason why they are unable to retire like their parents did?

Their parents voted for the liberal Franklin Roosevelt four times, and look what they got to show for it-a hell of a lot more than this present generation of retirees!

Oh, I realize that very few people work for the same company over the course of three decades today. Maybe that is because the conservatives they voted for supported the idea of corporate personhood and that if a company wanted to lay someone off and move their operations to Mexico, that was no one else's problem but the worker's.

It really came to a head when George W. Bush's friends helped him seize power back in December (yes, December!) of 2000.

According to Senior Journal 37.7% more senior citizens worked in 2003 than just thirteen years before! What's even more interesting is that the poverty rate for seniors fell as more returned to the workforce.

I remember the days when being 65 meant that you could spend the rest of your life on vacation. You were retired! Period! End of story! You had Social Security and your small pension from the company you worked for. No more getting up at six in the morning! No more rush hour! You could go on vacation for a month, if you felt like it!

Do you remember the days when your grandparents handed your parents the key to the house, reminded them where the pet food was and see, 'See ya in two months! We're off to Minnesota!'? I do! My grandparents said that every summer until their friends died off-twenty years later.

They would not have been able to live like that without my grandfather's union wages and his small pension. He used to be a Republican-until Herbert Hoover!

Why does this present generation of seniors insist on being duped by the Republican Party? Why do they insist on believing outright lies?

It seems as if they refuse to see that they had to work harder under Republican administrations than under Democratic administrations.

Just look at the history of recessions since the end of the Great Depression.

According to the Federal Reserve Bank at San Francisco, the recession lasted about ten months during a time span from the mid- 1940s until 2007. However, the average economic expansion lasted 57 months. This would mean a 67 month business cycle.

What is even more interesting is that the most severe recessions happened under Republican administrations; those being 1973-1975 and the other from July of 1981 to November of 1982.

Who was president in 1982?

It was bad enough that this generation voted for Ford and Reagan. So, if they were getting screwed by them, why would they vote for George W. Bush-especially after Bill Clinton's economic policies were responsible for the biggest economic boom since the end of World War II?

Maybe that generation was simply unable to learn their lesson.

Do the present generation of seniors think about their parents while they are at work?

Would it surprise anyone that their parents are shaking their heads as they look upon their children's situation.

I can just hear one of them now:

"FDR died at work so you wouldn't have to-dumbass!"

In a nutshell: Through a natural need to belong, but feeling unwanted, excluded and undervalued.

A sense of belonging dictates our level of confidence. Try as we might, we cannot function without others as we are social beings. From the moment we are born and bond with our parents, we begin the social cycle of inclusion: in family, relatives, schools, friends, relationships, associations and work. There is no escaping others because they validate our existence and reinforce our culture and identity. Others act as mirrors which reflect our presence. When this reflection is confusing, or does not match with our own self perception, it leads to isolation or an identity crisis.

Other people's attention, recognition, praise, affection and love are lifelines to our endeavours, reinforcing who we are and giving us the purpose to continue with our lives. When others we care about reject us, we are likely to reject ourselves too, internalise the hate and spew it back on the family and community in the form of deviant, selfish behaviour. Most juvenile and adult problems are caused by a deep sense of not belonging to anyone or anything. Such people are most likely to have experienced rejection of some sort in childhood or in a relationship which leaves them with a sense of isolation, probably a desire to be destructive and a feeling of not having anyone on their side who really cares about them or their future.

For example, this bright, but sensitive, young 14-year-old girl was always being called nasty, hurtful names because of her surname. She had a terribly low opinion of herself and didn't see herself advancing far, despite her abilities. Having being picked on constantly, she felt 'unloved' and 'lonely' and wanted to leave school as soon as she could. She saw the greatest event in her life as 'getting married to a nice guy who loves me as I am'.

Lack of Affirmation
Her peers' cruel behaviour did not affirm who she was so she had begun to reject herself too, rating herself very low in esteem and refusing to acknowledge that her surname had little to do with her looks or talent, or that she could still be anything she wanted. As the social mirror did not reflect her self-perception, she was very hurt and began to reject her schoolwork, precipitating her steady decline. This girl's negative feelings came as no surprise but they are disturbing. At this age, the friendship of her peers and being considered 'one of the gang' are very important in her development. If she is continually teased and rejected it makes it difficult for her to appreciate herself and her potential or to recognise herself as someone worthy of respect and love, especially at this important transitional phase when she is moving from childhood to adulthood.

In fact, one of our worst emotions come from a sense of total rejection by those whom we care about most, hence the traumatic effect of any broken relationship which is not mutual. The sense of not belonging is very obvious when a relationship breaks. The loss of a partner is an immediate loss of self-esteem. We suddenly cease to be attractive in our own eyes, not caring about anything for a while. We become non-persons whose value has dramatically fallen. Yet we would still be very desirable to an awful lot of other people. At these times, it is pointless telling someone to 'snap out of it' or that 'things will get better'. Their sense of exclusion and lack of belonging mean that they cannot see what well meaning advisers can! They have to go through a painful period of denial, anger, acknowledgement, acquiescence and finally full acceptance of their situation before they can begin to come to terms with the loss and rebuild their self-esteem.

Some people never reach this final stage of acceptance and remain bitter and vengeful for years. They cling to the past because the memories and sense of rejection are so painful they are often difficult to relinquish. The present means little to them because the past remains unresolved. By hanging on to the pain, as hurtful as it might be, they still have a 'cause', a status and a 'good reason' to do nothing to change their situation. However, along the way they lose their sense of purpose in relentless negativity, they loss their confidence and self worth and they create an emotional void which gradually affects their capacity to develop truly positive relationships or trust in others.

Anxious and Isolated
A sense of not belonging, especially with those who matter to us, destroys our confidence utterly because it is the reactions of others which moulds, confirms and maintains our self-image. Who we are and where we belong are dictated by our cultural history, individual background and significant others around us and when they cease to care, so do we, which has the biggest effect on our personal value. If our loved ones do not share our perspectives, hopes or aspirations, we become more anxious, isolated and unproductive. We cannot achieve our potential because our ambition disappears too.

A sense of belonging to someone or something is therefore our greatest need. We identify a niche for ourselves, according to the roles of those around us, and take on that persona. That is why two people cannot occupy exactly the same position in any family, friendship or work unit because a sense of belonging depends on individual uniqueness. There would be problems of social and personal identity. Our own confidence is controlled by this feeling of belonging because most of our actions are geared to align with, or to disrupt, our environment, depending on our sense of security. If it is strong because we feel wanted, there are fewer hang ups, as we feel less threatened by others. If it is weak, we are plagued by insecurity and find it really hard to be positive. When we feel isolated, insecure or rejected, our self-esteem takes a nosedive.

Elaine Sihera(MsCYPRAH) 2010
Emotional Health Adviser
"Respect and love begin with the self. If we have none, how can we give away any?"

Well, this morning I was to deliver some New Year baskets to some individuals as thank you from an organization I sub-contract, when ever they have something for me to do. When I saw the people I was delivering to I knew I was in for quite the frustrating day, since I had never ever gone to City Hall or the Board of Supervisors. I swung by my friend's, Jim, apartment to change a bad dead bolt in his front door and he started telling me where to go, when he offered to go take the trip with me. So, of we go towards downtown expecting the worst since it has been raining fairly hard by SoCal standards, but we found the traffic to be rather fair and fast. First we went to the Board of Supervisors and after to the City Council, I was within the walls of bureaucracy, quite impressive. I don't know about anybody else but it felt a bit exhilarating to me.

The streets were fairly empty, specially for the time of day, and Jim offered to take me to the building where John Henry now resides and since I have seen pictures and taught it would be a great place to visit. So we went to 17th street and Hope St., well actually about two blocks from there and after spending about 10 minutes at the reception desk trying to find some of the individuals housed there in most part by the work Jim does, a formerly homeless gentleman that no less than two weeks ago was at the emergency shelter walked in and led us into the residents area. We saw the rooms, and some of the building and as we entered to the common area looking for someone that needed to talk to my friend, Jim recognized another man he had helped get into that low-income housing building, John Henry. They exchanged a few phrases and you could still see the gratitude in the face of John. As we walked out of that building which has the word "hope" in at least ten languages you could see Jim filled with the glee of a little kid. Funny, really, since he has quite a bit of pressure on top right now, I think he wanted to take the day off without taking the day of, and he enjoyed it. Every one of the 20 or so individuals that were placed in that new building have been homeless for years on years and for them to have a brand new single room that is theirs has a bit of a hop in their step now, they got some of their dignity back (they actually pay rent, the amount is not important, that fact that they HAVE to pay it is important), and the most important of all, hope!

It was a fun day, learning, joking, driving downtown like it was the country, the weather was perfect (raining and not), the conversation like always frank and vast, oh yeah and getting paid for it. All in all good day.

By David J. Hudson

As Americans we tend to work longer and harder than any other country in the world. We tend to be the greediest in many forms. We are consumed with the love of money, chasing it at every level and at every opportunity. We have allowed our way of life to be polluted with corrupt ideas and beliefs. Personally I am not of the belief that we were created to work and stress as much as we do now. It is the systems set in place by the rich and powerful that continues to enslave us all by working more than what we should. America may be the richest country in the world with many countries following in its footsteps but greed is not good for any nation or its citizenry. Greed only benefits those in power while putting the majority at a complete and utter disadvantage.

As a society, we have succumbed to the belief that having money is the cure to all things in life when that is certainly not the case. The love of money is the cause of a lot of headaches for many people. If we all, collectively, as a society replaced the value of money with having peace, love, tranquility and appreciation for life, we would be much better off.

We have allowed capitalism and greed to destroy our way of life. We have systems in place with the sole purpose of keeping people separated as opposed to united. And the two that comes to mind are money (capitalism) and politics. Money separates us because if you don't have it, you can't get certain things and therefore separation occurs. Politics by definition is divisive and should be abolished from our society. If you remove those two out of the equation, we would see dramatic improvement in our society as a whole.

If we remove scarcity from our vocabulary and replace it with abundance, we would also see dramatic changes in the way we live. We have been programmed to believe things are scarce when the opposite is true. We have an abundance of resources and should not be programmed or influenced to think different. The only reasoning for wanting the people to believe in scarcity is to increase profits for the rich. Let me re-state this, we live in abundance and nothing is scarce.

We are here to enjoy life, not to overwork, stress, get sick and die. There should be a three day work week and nothing more. We should spend the majority of our time, doing what we enjoy. Spending time with family, loved ones, vacationing, fishing, gardening, building new relationships, or whatever it is we enjoy.

We should take the love of money from our thoughts and replace it with value on family, community, love, friendship and helping our fellow neighbor. Let's stop this cycle of greed, selfishness and self-centeredness and start focusing on uplifting everyone, from the bottom upwards.

Your confidence comes from two distinct places: your background and your education. Nothing happens by accident. Your present knowledge, attitude and actions are influenced entirely by your education and social background which include everything you learnt from your parents, family, school, college and work; people you met and events you participated in. All those aspects would have influenced you and moulded your current perceptions and character.

For example, if you are used to seeing people stealing to survive you will come to see that kind of activity as the norm because everybody else around you does it. In such a situation, stealing would be regarded as 'natural' to you, and routine, though deviant to others who do not share it. Examples of how cultures dictate our actions include thriving drug cultures, violence, Congressmen in hock to lobbyists, white-collar business crimes. Hence why some communities get locked for generations into certain behaviour. Such actions acquire a normalcy and a chilling routine about them because everybody does it, which then makes it acceptable.

Such a belief would not change unless you were shown a different way through education or a change of values or you began to mix with people who survive by other means. But old habits die hard and you would take a lot of convincing before you eventually changed your behaviour. That is the main reason why some people never recover from a traumatic or unhappy childhood, particularly if others reinforce their negative experience in later life. People who change easily would already have their doubts, or be actively seeking a new perspective and approach. They would need only a catalyst to push them into that positive direction.

Fears Dictate Action
Despite a history of low esteem, we are all capable of change, if we really want it. But it won't come without great effort because change is the thing we fear most. We genuinely believe we lose the old us, like favourite suits we have grown accustomed to, or lose the old ways of doing things, which make us feel comfortable. But, fear of losing our old selves is groundless. Only thoughts and actions change, not people, and each of us has power over what we think and do. We do change, yes, but not in some dramatic way, only in small, imperceptible shifts which then amount to a whole new experience when viewed over a period of time – rather like still frames on a film which become animated when they are run together.

We become gradually more confident, and worldly-wise, but our personality does not change. The only things which would change are the knowledge of our surroundings, our ability to deal with life's challenges, knowledge of the choices available to us, our perception of our situation and our routine actions. It is our fears which dictate our actions and, if we are fearful, we will be reluctant to act. We would still change in those circumstances, but, being forced, the process would be more superficial, stressful and problematic.

For example, it is a lack of confidence, faith and trust in others and their capabilities, that causes people to seek to control their existence and interactions unnecessarily. This kind of control stems from being let down a lot in childhood and feeling vulnerable and insecure. Such people find it hard to leave anything to chance. They believe that if they let go or act differently, everything would fall apart and others would not be able to cope. But should they fall ill, be out of the picture or simply drop dead, there is one guarantee above all. After the initial shock of the loss, people around them would continue as usual, and perhaps in an even more competent manner. One only has to think of children who lose their parents to see how quickly they adapt to their new circumstances and get on with their lives. The trauma would be felt, but circumstances dictate that we can never stand and stare. We always have to move on in time with the relentless flow of life, much wiser from the experience.

Dramatic Change
I am a living example of background and education dictating my confidence. My childhood had two significant and far-reaching traumas. Without any form of counselling, I felt unable to let go of the memories which dominated my life for nearly 30 years. I was inexplicably prone to frequent depression, often with a desire to end it all, and very low self-esteem. There were tons of tears, constantly feeling worthless and devalued, and even blocking out a significant part of my childhood to avoid the pain of recall. A cathartic exchange with a complete stranger, who had suffered some pretty damaging things in his life too, as well as greater understanding of the human condition, helped me to rise above my pain, to put the awful memories behind me and to renew my life with much confidence, vigour and self-respect.

Years after that metamorphosis, I feel absolutely fearless as a confidence guru. Now I marvel at the new, positive and dynamic woman who is a much stronger version of the old fearful and negative one. In fact, often I find it hard to believe that the former person really existed, with the change being so dramatic.

Elaine Sihera (Ms CYPRAH)
Emotional Health Adviser
"Respect and love begin with the self. If we have none, how can we give away any?"

Fran Korten had lived in Indonesia, where Fran worked with Barack Obama's mother Ann Soetoro at the Ford Foundation.

by Dani Bush

How many promises has been broken,
Where many pockets have been lined,
And many special interest have been served,
Not yours or mine.

Does the poor have a chance,
Will the working class continue footing the bill,
Where our government really doesn't work for us,
Their on Capitol hill.

Can we continue on in this economy,
When corporations pull the strings,
While government spends our hard earned dollars,
And leave us waiting in the wings.

We now have a new hope,
A youthful Commander and Chief,
I pray has our best interest at heart,
With a swiftness gets rid of the thieves.

And while we wait patiently,
Working to make ends meet,
Wanting to get back to normal,
Because we don't believe in defeat.

So lets all roll up our sleeves,
As the generations before had done,
We work for our young children,
And their future is upon this one.

It's been awhile since I've visited my Newsvine column. My articles stare at me during each brief visit, the long-past dates a silent testimony to my writer's block and lack of motivation. But as a writer, I can only dive into quiet obscurity for so long before I am pulled back to my laptop for a quick bit of rhetorical musing.

So here we are again... Life Tourist, after many undocumented adventures has returned to hear her digital echo. And what's more... she has packed up her worldly possessions and has relocated with her husband and daughter to the Pacific Northwest, a mythical land of wonder and/or tolerably temperate weather where she will be fighting for justice in the Corporate Realm, devising ways to make the ever escalating cost of fuel affordable for low income families. A challenge to be sure, but it sure beats selling out.

My former employer was worried that I had gone over to the "dark side" ie- not committing myself permanently to the non-profit sector, but I believe and/or rationalize that its the corporate sector that needs do-gooders soppy tree-huggers the most, lest business be run entirely by cut throat profiteers.

On my last day at my old job, aforementioned employer gave me a beautiful bracelet made of braided gold. He told me it was the rope to hang myself with. He also told me I could come back east any time... Any time at all... When I got tired of selling out to the evil corporate world... and was brutally disillusioned... and needed a shoulder to cry on. Cheery fellow, my old boss is.

Well, we'll see if I can walk that line between doing the most for those in need and paying deference to the corporate bottom line. It will be an interesting venture to be sure. I meet my new boss tomorrow and from what I hear, she's another "true-believer". We've never met in person. Come to think of it no one in the office has ever actually seen me. The entire interview process was over the phone. Therefore no one has a clue what I look like, which is good because on most days I look just about seventeen and my high voice (which yes, I did try to deepen on the phone call) does not help the argument that I am, in actuality, in my mid-twenties. And of course, being in my mid-twenties does not help my case either. Whatever case that is...

Fretting and kvetching aside, I've always been one for leaps of faith like this... call me an eternal optimist, but I have a good feeling about my new adventure. I've traveled to the Pacific Northwest quite a few times for my old job, and when I arrived this time, I truly felt like I had come home. It's a place where my quirkiness seems to blend right in, where the folks are just a bit friendlier, and the overall environment is more relaxed. At least that's been my impression. And at any rate, the natural beauty in itself makes it worthwhile - and I can never, ever, resist a challenge.

My soul is filled once more with stories and my heart is pouring over with words. I have so much more to say, but alas, it's half past twelve, and if I know what's good for me, I should go to bed.

I have a feeling I'll be visiting Newsvine much more frequently than I have been...

Goodnight for now...

Everybody's working for a living.
Everybody's working for a status.
Everybody's working to prove.
Everybody's working for salvation.
Everybody's working for a habit.
Everybody's working to boast.
Everybody's working for a 8 year plan.
Everybody's working for debt.
Everybody's working to pay taxes.
Everybody's living to work and in turn no one really lives.

1. Put yourself in jail. If you're working on something that's going to take a long time, and you have the urge to try to rush, or to feel impatient, pretend you're in jail. If you're in jail, you have all the time in the world. You have no reason to hurry, no reason to cut corners or to try to do too many things at once. You can slow down, concentrate. You can take the time to get every single detail right.

Do you feel stretched thin by your responsibilities around the office? Are you always stressed while working, by either the quantity or complexity of your assignments? Are you tired, bored, irritable, or would you rather just play Solitaire all day?

The solution is here!

Just follow this simple, 3 step program:

Step 1: Complain About Having Too Much Work

The real beauty of this step, of course, is that you're probably already doing it! If you feel your whining abilities are getting a little rusty, I recommend sauntering up to your supervisor whenever you sense his mood turning towards the jovial and delivering some assignment so he can see just how hard you're working. A watercooler ambush works nicely. Maybe cut some onions in the break room beforehand, to make your eyes all red and teary. Or try closing them for awhile to present the sleep-eyed look of the exhausted. (If you can get away with it, the best way to manage this is quickly dozing off and waking up from an actual nap.) Roll up your sleeves to seem busy and determined. Carry a heavy stack of extraneous papers as well, to substantiate your burden.

When you make contact and drop off that TPS report, offer a quick (you don't want to seem like you have all the time in the world to chat) but clear summary of how you possess an Obscenely, Absurdly, Staggeringly Long List of Tasks which you will never get done, especially not before their respective deadlines. Emit your best woe-is-me sigh and paint your features in the frown of despair.

This might not have any effect the first twenty times you try it, as your boss has likely built up a hefty immunity to human emotion during his rise to middle management. Continue the process until eventually he offers some form of mitigation for your problems: perhaps someone could help with one of the smaller tasks...

At this point you've got him right where you want him.

Step 2: Gratefully Accept, However Be Sure to Point Out...

Offer your profound thanks. Tell your supervisor he is the greatest boss ever, and that his management skills are the only thing keeping your division profitable. Point out exactly how much you enjoy the striking contrast and intricate hues of the floral pattern on his tie.

However... (and at this point your face should fall as you come to this realization)

Dejectedly point out that you began with an Obscenely, Absurdly, Staggeringly Long List of Tasks which you would have Never Gotten Done. If this is indeed the case (assure him it is) then merely having that annoying, pimply bum Will who works three cubicles down (who sometimes steals your Twinkees out of the shared fridge) help out with the smallest task on the list will not make any difference.

After all, an Obscenely, Absurdly, Staggeringly Long List of Tasks, minus the one smallest task on the list, ought to remain classified as an Obscenely, Absurdly, Staggeringly Long List---nobody in their right mind would agree that if removing ONLY the smallest task on the list could change it so dramatically, the list was ever Obscenely, Absurdly, Staggeringly Long in the first place! Appeal to your boss' logical faculties, surely the reason behind his promotion, and challenge him to contradict this line of thinking. As he fails, threaten a complete and utter breakdown as you ponder the Sisyphean nature of your 9 to 5 existence. Be sure to drive home the fact that despite his best efforts, your boss has failed to make the slightest dent in your workload. You are still faced with an Obscenely, Absurdly, Staggeringly Long List of Tasks---exactly the same problem which led you to seek aide initially!

Step 3: Lather, Rinse, Repeat

At this point, you have your foot firmly in the door. Remind your now certainly befuddled supervisor that---Wait!---he did have an answer for you just minutes before, when you were stuck in exactly the same state: being crushed by anxiety since your Obscenely, Absurdly, Staggeringly Long List would never get done! And he had a solution for you: offload the smallest, most marginally significant task on the list on someone else, to whose schedule its addition likely won't make one iota of difference, since it is the smallest and most marginally significant item you have, after all.

Inspired by the re-revelation of his own delegationalistic prowess, he'll smile and suggest you do just that, feeling again confident he has resolved the crisis to everyone's mutual benefit by offloading your most menial assignment. Be sure to heap praise on him for several minutes. Swallow your pride and force yourself to keep it going just long enough to---Oh, no!---suddenly remember that your Obscenely, Absurdly, Staggering Long List of Tasks, minus its current tiniest triviality, remains Obscenely, Absurdly, Staggeringly Long...

And there you have it.

Over the past 6 months, I have noticed a great deal of debate over the worthiness of articles that are created by the (meme's), versus articles that are seeded. I have honestly never really understood the difference as to why the seeded articles are deemed more important, as you can get these articles anywhere on the web, the only advantage is that they are all lumped in one place on the Vine. It seems to me that by seeding a large number of articles, you guaranty yourself a place on the leaderboard. There are other worthy writers out there, they go unnoticed, because of the volume of work being seeded far outweighs the original work.

Blog4Brains.com made a statement on one of the threads that I find to be very true, it was something to the effect that controversial articles, or heated articles get the most attention, while some of the best writing goes unnoticed. So are we really doing ourselves a disservice by seeding so much? Do we lose the custom, creative articles in the shuffle, due to shear volume?

Really I don't understand why seeding is highly regarded as the "Newsvine way" and gets more notice than creating original articles, truthfully I find my self in a quandary, because I find seeding to be sort of the easy way out, versus creating original pieces, to me its like cheating. Personally I enjoy the handcrafted articles only found on the Vine, not because they are any less informative, or valuable as the articles created by news organizations, but I guess I just feel like citizen journalists mean just that. At times, if I don't have anything to write about, I will seed an article or two, just to keep me involved and active, but I try to find the obscure article that maybe no one has read, or even cared about.

I enjoy all aspects of the vine and I do seed articles as well, this is really just for my understanding of the whole debate between the meme's and the rest of the vine. Regardless, there are some amazing writers here on the vine, who seed and write, so how do you feel each are valued in the big scheme of things? What would be your preference?

In the most recent edition of Wired Magazine, they declare that "Staying Creative" is the new 'in' thing when compared with "Becoming Happier" and "Getting Smarter." (page 52)

I agree that staying creative is what will allow you to keep your job or land a new one. In a knowledge economy, being (and staying) creative is an asset worth making sure is in your toolbox. Here are my quick thoughts on how to do that:

• Read. Whether it's a magazine or a book, you need to take in new information and ideas in order to be able to come up with good ones of your own. The beautiful thing about this is that any reading is good reading. Pick up a novel, grab a magazine, or take a look at a newspaper. I try to read a book a week, but I usually fall short of this and manage 2-3 a month. But I also make sure to take time to read what's current: just today I sifted through the latest editions of Fast Company, Wired, Inc., and Forbes. I learned about ethanol, Internet radio, online privacy, why product design is important, Blade Runner, currency trading, and social networking for baby boomers.
• Dream. There's no reason not to thing big and to dream about the next big thing. Leadership guru Robert K. Greenleaf said, "Nothing much happens without a dream. For something really great to happen, it takes a great dream." Taking time to think about something other than what you're eating for lunch later or how many emails are in your inbox will about you to think bigger and broader than the routine of your day might normally call for.
• Share. As I sat in my favorite coffee shop reading the above magazines, I ran into a friend who was meeting a friend of hers to "talk about some far fetched idea I have." Third places are made for stuff like this. I've begun meeting every Tuesday at 8 AM with two friends who I consider big dreamers. We gather for an hour to simply talk about the big ideas we have and how some of all of them might come to pass. This chance to bounce stuff off one another is quickly becoming one of my favorite times of the week. Even if it looks like it's just a bunch of talking, it is really the stirrings of the next important idea.
• Start. An easy immediate excuse not to implement any of the above is time. But, just like making a difference, staying creative can happen in five minute increments. I keep a book with me at all times in case I arrive somewhere early, find myself standing in line, or am left waiting for someone. Daydreams can also happen as you finish your lunch, and brainstorming sessions can happen in the break room, at the dinner table, or in an elevator. In fact, finding small pockets of time to stay creative is a way to stay creative all in itself.

Finding a paid gig as a full time dreamer is tough. But staying creative may be one way to make your current full time gig exciting and engaging. It also may be the clearest path to your next full time gig, which may be better than where you currently are.

This is a post in a series of "How To" pieces. You may also be interested in How to Tell Your Story to Generation Y and How to Be Remarkable.

There is nothing scarier than a blank white page. It sits on your table menacingly, reflecting back at you nothing but white. A blank page is not a finished piece of work, or even a beginning of one; it is nothing, and everything, at once. A blank page has nothing to start from. It gives you nothing to work with, and that is why it is so scary. We are used to finished products. That is our comfort, where happiness is found. We buy food from the market pre-prepared, and ready to be eaten, or only requiring such easy steps that I think a monkey could follow them; our clothes are ready to where wear from the store; our music already completed; and knowledge has been preconceived, too, only a Google search away.

This is comforting because to use these things requires no thought and imagination of our own. Why discover how to cook meals with your own twist when you can buy mediocre food at the market? Why learn about the world through sleepless nights with a book in your lap and a pen in your hand, or long days spent doing research in the real world, when you can simply look at Wikipedia?

Not everything is bad about finished products. It is not evil. But the culture this creates -- one based around the assumption that everything we need in this world is packaged and given to us without so much as lifting a finger -- is dangerous. A society that embraces this culture is a society that stops dead in its tracks, lays stagnant, and regresses to the Middle Ages.

Herein lies Newsvine's true purpose. Newsvine gives each and every one of us a blank page. A blank page that stares at you teasingly, daring you to put something down, and laughing at your naked truth: using your knowledge, thoughts and imagination to write something of your own is a challenge. That blank page pushes us to do something we rarely are required to do throughout regular life: to create something of your own, that you are proud to put your name on.

Societies depend upon people who not only do create, but can only live because they create. All great artists, scientists, and businessmen do not do their work as a hobby, but as an obsession. They cannot live without creating new art, without discovering insight into the nature of our universe, or without making great innovations accessible to the masses. Their work is their life and their life is their work.

That is what Newsvine is for. It is to remove us from the daily grind of consumer society, and remind us that at heart we are creators. To remind us that life is not worth living without creating, without thought.