I’ve never had an addiction to drugs or alcohol… but there are other addictions that are just as debilitating and destructive… like the addiction to being broke.

“Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol, morphine or idealism.” – Jung

Two weeks ago, I took off on a road trip that led to a place I’d rather not visit.

You see, I have a twenty-five year old daughter who is in prison.

Writing and speaking those words seem like a foreign language to me, even now after seven years of watching her life deteriorate from heroin addiction.

Pretty sure I’m not the only parent going through this surreal experience. One of the most transformative changes to occur in me is becoming transparent about the whole thing. No longer do I care about the stigma associated with addicts and their families. I care about reaching out to other moms and dads to be a shoulder, an encourager, a friend – to listen when nothing makes sense in their chaotic world of their child’s addiction.

It’s apparent the problem of addiction is not bound by demographics – it happens in good, stable families as much as it happens in troubled families; it happens to affluent families as often as it occurs in poor ones; it happens in the big cities and in small towns; it happens to honor students, athletes, and class presidents. It happened to us.

She’s in long-term treatment now and as I talk with her, I realized that her recovery from addiction to heroin parallels my recovery from the addiction to being broke.

Think not? Stick with me on this one and you’ll see the similarities between our recovery from addiction.

For the past seven years, she has blamed everyone outside of herself for her addiction – family, friends, school, work… it was always the focus of her reasoning why she couldn’t do better with her life, her choices.

For all my adult life, I blamed everyone outside of myself for my addiction to being broke. My perception was that no one else in my family seemed to have to struggle to pay bills; everyone else was taking vacations and buying new cars; the government took too much out of my paycheck; my employer didn’t give me a good raise; credit card companies practically begged me to use their new card – my life of living paycheck to paycheck and blaming everything and everyone else for the struggle was no different than my daughter’s list of excuses for her heroin addiction.

For the past seven years, I have tried to fix her. I’ve spoken words of encouragement and hope and assurance; I’ve bailed her out of jail; I’ve given her money and a place to live; I’ve visited her in treatment centers, city jails and prisons. Everything I did, every word that I spoke and every letter I wrote was done with the hope that THIS time, she would “get it” this time she would break free from her addiction. She was bombarded with the messages from not only me, but all those who loved her.

In the same way, business opportunities for making money have tried for years to fix me. I have been bombarded with messages of hope and encouragement that financial freedom is possible – within reach. Each message from the endless methods and systems holds the hope that theirs will be the one I choose and will free me from the addiction to being broke.

For the past seven years, she has been through so many treatment programs, that I have lost count. She always rushed through the required work, sat through counseling and finished the programs to allow her release. She knew how to work the system well – always doing just enough to get by – and all indications from the outside were that she had successfully finished the course and would recover from the addiction. When one didn’t work, she found herself sentenced to yet another one to try.

It’s been no different for me… I have signed up and joined so many opportunities for making money from home that I’ve lost count. And, just like my daughter, I’ve rushed through the steps, listened to some of the training and started completing all the steps to lead to success. When one didn’t work, I found another one to try – the bright, shiny object that sparkled the most brilliantly would get my commitment and my money just as my daughter would be enticed by one more “hit” to satisfy her heroin addiction.

But, we both continued to fail. We both remained powerless over our addiction.

We continued to fail until we realized that the answer to recovery from addiction comes from within.

The answer to recovering from any addiction requires taking a hard look at who you are and who you want to become. It requires an understanding of the beliefs that have shaped your life. It demands a release of those beliefs that are pulling you back into a deep dark hole, that are holding you back from moving forward in your recovery from addiction.

She is working on reuniting with the girl she was before the heroin addiction took control. She is creating the woman she wants to be. For the first time in seven years, I see strength and confidence emerging from my daughter, whose self-esteem began plummeting years ago. I see hope and faith springing life into her words. I see her acceptance of responsibility and choices, forgiveness and reconciliation and a spirit of determination to succeed.

And me? My recovery from the addiction to being broke has led me to uncover false beliefs about money that are stored in my subconscious – beliefs that were formed from all that I saw, heard and experienced as a child. In addition, the fear of failure still lurks in my subconscious as well… and requires me to work to purge those self-limiting beliefs that hold me back. I am creating the woman I want to be – financially free to live life on my own terms. My determination to succeed keeps me putting one foot in front of the other, doing whatever it takes to recover from this dead-end addiction.

You see, it isn’t any particular rehab program or the “right” opportunity that is the answer to our recovery from addiction – it’s waking up to the realization that we had the answer all along – inside.

One of my favorite memories of my daughter “before addiction” is when she was just twelve years old and got the lead part as Dorothy in a ballet of the Wizard of Oz. I loved watching her grace the stage with her dancing. As we’ve talked about her recovery, I remind her of what Dorothy discovered at the end of her quest to get back home… that she always had the power within her.

I don’t know if this article troubles or inspires you.

I don’t know what you are dealing with in your life right now.

Addiction of any kind destroys life. We all have the ability to change, to recover from the addiction that is holding us back from being the best we can be.

If you’ve tried and failed so many times you’ve lost count, maybe it’s time to try one more time.

For the first time ever, we are seeing results from the recovery from the addiction to being broke. It’s happening for us and it can happen for you.

Everyone needs money, There are always bills and taxes to pay. Even if you stay home mucj of the time. you’ll;likely spend money. even if that involves putting a stamp on an envelope.

You should aim to hold on to as much cash as you can though. you can cash a savings bond, for example. or move some cash ftom one account to another, But best of all

Set up a separate savings account st your bank for emergencies. Then leave it a;one! Do not even think of withfrawing money from that account unless you desperately need ot And when you need it, you will only need some ot it to tide you over. A friend of mine didn’t save and wound up with 6 dollaes to her name.

Get one or two gigs or jobs that will provide snd supplememt your regular income/ To be sure, that money might not be very much, but it could grow and even provide extra money to save or spend.

Realize that if you apply for part time or temporary jobs. the application process will take time, as other people may be applying for those same jobs But find jobs that match your experience and talent and apply nay way. Remember that it may take a year or longer to land a job.

Invent a job that is needed and based on your background and talents Can you repair things? Fix broken things? Cook? Bake? Teach? Drive? Troublrshoot computers or other electronic equipment? Program? Translate languages?Do handucrafts? Or combine these abilities to land a gig or start a business with little or no competition? By a;; means, go for it! You may wind up making a 6-fiure income

Begin getting a gig as soon as possible to save time and earn some money. Start by brainstorming things that pep[;e need and will buy. Solve a common problem by offering a swevice that addresses it. Such as putting on puppet shows at chilfren’s parties. Also try auditioning for a part or try modeling.

Access and adjust your spending and saving in the meantime Labding a side gig or job often takes more time than you think. So avoid spending on impulse. Buy only what you need. Remember that prepared items cost more. And that nice tee shirt or jeans will take room in your closet. You will controlling clutter at the same time!

I recall a time not so long ago when I was “totally in love” with this young lady to the point it was agonising. It consumed me and I would muse about her for great periods of time — not many days would go by when I didn’t invest significant time thinking about her, both subconsciously and consciously, I’m sure. It was distracting and paralysing in retrospect. I’m sure everyone around me could see, but I was blind to it — or at least I chose to be blind to it. The power of this ‘love’ was totally captivating and entrancing. 

Yet, much later (two years to the day) I learned — or suddenly discovered — I wasn’t so much in love, more totally infatuated — in love with the thought of being in love; the perception of what that might look like; and foolish to that end, as the dictionary meaning puts it: in·fat·u·a·tion 1 : to cause to be foolish : deprive of sound judgment; 2 : to inspire with a foolish or extravagant love or admiration.[1] Such a ‘love’ is clearly fanciful, not real, and therefore foolish. But is seems real.

I’m reminded of this having recently re-visited “Love Actually,” the movie. It is such a good motion picture in that it showcases just some of the myriad of emotions that couple with love. The host of different manifestations of love in the movie range from the betrayal, to closeted love, to lived-out sexual fantasy of Colin, to ‘real life’ love stories in the formation of a relationship between the British Prime Minister (played by Hugh Grant) and his very junior assistant, Natalie, played by Martine McCutcheon, and also between Colin Firth’s character, Jamie, and Aurelia, played by Lucia Moniz.

According to the film Love Actually, there’s a blend of many forms of love: love in politics (mentioned above); love as a second language — a wonderful comedy of errors that ends up in marriage; love at work — that doesn’t work out; love that lasts a lifetime — and is never expected to end in a cheap ‘fling’; love is elementary — and painfully so, when you lose your life partner; love is unspoken — that ‘closeted’ love of infatuation; and, love that simply ‘rocks on’ in words sung by Billy Mack (Bill Nighy).

The title quote: comes from Liam Neeson’s character’s step son’s (Sam) horribly awkward emotional turn; not so much of losing his mother — the predicted reaction, but of “being in love” with a twelve year old siren from school. And he tries everything to force his way into her heart. 

And so it is for us when we find ourselves in the tormenting reality of a ‘world central to one person.’ It seems each of us goes through infatuation at least once. We are stung and at times cruelly — had we been better to be prepared to guard our thinking and our heart? No doubt really.

There is a Proverb that speaks powerfully to this errant issue of emotion: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (4:23) It may have a plethora more meaning but it stands on this at least. We must be careful with our mind. We can be so easily deceived; then we’re but a step from the enemy force invading our hearts.

Yet, life also goes on in the midst of all this.

Copyright © 2008, S.J. Wickham.  All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

[1] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infatuation

If you are in your younger years, you are for sure not yet aware or very much particular with what people call as midlife crisis. For clearer explanation, midlife crisis is that point in a person’s life when emotional transition takes place. This usually occurs to individuals who are in their late 40s or 50s. In normal situations, some people can accept the changes happening to them at this point in their life, but this is not applicable to all. Because in reality, there are those individuals who find it middle age crisis as a very challenging situation wherein they can experience feelings of depression and other negative emotion; for their guidance, this article will point out the 6 stages most people would go through before they come out of that middle age crisis situation.

1st – The Denial Stage

The first among the stages of midlife crisis consequences is the denial stage. It is that point in life when the sufferer is not able to accept that they are no longer young. They keep on doing things that they feel can make them fit in with the younger generation prompting them to go under the knife for cosmetic surgeries if this can be the solution that can help vanish the physical signs of aging starting to creep into their skin. You can observe women and men who are dressing up in a fashion that is not appropriate for their age; clearly indicating that they are showing the usual signs and symptoms of dealing with middle age crisis.

2nd – The Anger Stage

Because of being trapped in the state of denial, feelings of anger manifested by assertiveness and hostility tend to come out. It may reach to the extent that they can even offend and hurt the feelings of others within their circle. Being caught up in this situation puts them at the greater risk of being vulnerable to illicit behaviors particularly with relationship that are not bounded by morality.

3rd – The Replay Stage

Men are most commonly trapped in this stage because they want to get away from the reality that they are getting older and their younger days of vivaciousness and vitality are not how it was anymore. This makes them eager to join younger broods in their drinking sessions and other fun activities. Worst case scenario is when they become too carefree that they end up falling for foolish relationships like extra marital affairs or having different partners, which can be the cause of broken homes and shattered family lives.

4th – The Stage of Depression

Individuals suffering from midlife crisis symptoms end up with feelings of fright causing them to create a big distance from people who are trying to interfere and be more inquisitive. They would hesitate and turn away when someone approaches them to discuss about this problem. They end up shunning away from others, thinking that they can manage the situation they are in.

5th – The Withdrawal Stage

This stage is actually just an extension of the stage wherein the sufferer is depressed and desires to be alone most of the time. The best way to help them cope with this is to give them the space that they want until they are ready to come out from their sanctuary. At this point, this person is trying to sort out many things and needs more space wherein they can contemplate on a lot of things that they have done brought about the crisis state they are trying to pass up with.

And finally, the stage of Acceptance wherein they are now fully ready to accept everything that they have been through without any regrets; this marks a more positive change in their life. Now, they are more broad-minded individuals who are totally prepared to face life with a new and more optimistic point of view.

A committed relationship is one where you are involved exclusively with your partner. You are dedicated to them; and you are loyal and faithful to them physically and emotionally. And they to you! It’s the ultimate relationship level and many of us spend our lives looking for just the right partner and relationship. But why do we so long for this relationship? What is the reality of a committed relationship? What are the pros and cons of being in one?

1. Pros

a. Someone to share your life with. This is the biggest plus of being in a committed relationship. Having a partner to navigate life with. Someone who compliments you so that you are better together. You are strong where they are weak and they are strong where you are weak so your ability to face life is much better than when you are alone.

b. You live longer and the quality of your life is better. Research shows that people in committed relationships live longer than those who are single. And it makes sense since when you are down in the dumps or unwell or going through challenges then you have someone by your side offering support. Unlike a single person who has to bear their load by them-self.

c. Guilt free sex with someone you know and trust. The commitment that you have to one another gives you freedom in your intimacy that you don’t get in a non committed relationship. And this greatly increases the depth and pleasure of your sex life especially if your relationship gives you both the freedom to use your creativity in your interactions.

2. Cons

a. Your own source of aggravation. They can aggravate you to distraction. Living in such close proximity to another human being has its challenges and most of the endearing habits that attracted you to them can become a source of friction. There is no-one on earth who can aggravate you like a partner in a committed relationship and because of the commitment that you have to them, you are obligated to use all your emotional resources and wisdom to live with them amicably and with joy.

b. Contempt in daily doses. As we all know familiarity breeds contempt. It’s so easy to begin taking each other for granted and to be blind to the great traits that attracted you to them. Many begin to increasingly see the great qualities of other people and to see less greatness in their own partners. Getting increasingly disillusioned or unhappy. It is so easy to become unhappy and to feel trapped; and to tear down each other on a daily basis. You may often feel like strangling them.

Committed relationships have both good and bad attributes so that as you get into one or seek after one you need to go in with your eyes open. Knowing that you will enjoy some things but you will need to guard against others to ensure that your relationship is both committed and happy.

Tact is an important communication skill involving discretion and discernment. Are you one who is said by others to possess this skill? If so, you are at a distinct advantage in both your professional and personal lives.

American historian J.G. Randall stated, “Tact is a number of qualities working together: insight into human nature, sympathy, self-control, a knack of inducing self-control in others, avoidance of human blundering, readiness to give the immediate situation an understanding mind and a second thought. Tact is not only kindness, but kindness skillfully extended.”

While tact is not an easily acquired skill, it is certainly worth the effort to study and observe others and then to modify one’s own behavior in incorporating and developing this valuable ability.

Here are five reasons why tact is an important quality for an individual to possess:

1. You can make a positive impression on others. Business executives look favorably upon a tactful person, especially when dealing with others outside the company. Impressions are often formed quickly, and a tactful, poised, confident individual is very likely to be viewed with greater favor than one reflecting the opposite.

2. You will be seen as one who thinks before speaking. This is not only a good management trait, but reflects a certain strength of character. We’ve all known individuals who seem to speak without thinking, and quite often come to regret it. Tactful people rarely have to live with this sort of regret.

3. Your negotiating skills can be greatly enhanced. Having the tact and patience to seek and then find a win/win solution, instead of always aiming for unconditional surrender, will far more often yield a successful, mutually beneficial outcome. And negotiation is always about outcomes.

4. By giving respect, you will get respect in return. Being sincere and considerate of others’ opinions and feelings can bring about a mutual respect. Respect is a quality we all admire and desire; who among us doesn’t want to be respected by our peers?

5. You will get to the heart of the matter more effectively. What we say is important, but how we say it is also vital. If the content of a matter can be discussed with tact and respect, especially if that content is uncomfortable or contentious, then the likelihood of having a more productive discussion is significantly improved. This is not to say that candor and honesty should be relegated or even disregarded; it is to say that keeping the listener engaged in the discussion in a tactful manner may make more sense than losing the listener at the beginning with a less tactful approach.

Tact is important in life. Some would argue that tact is more important than ability. Both are important, obviously, but a person who develops and uses tact will have a clear advantage.

For normal human beings, conducting their day-to-day activities is a form of living life. However there is a section of people who are unable to do so without help. Even if they are able to do on their own, it is accompanied with great pain and labor. For such people, also called disabled people, it is convenient for their families to lodge them in institutions against their wishes – institutions which were built primarily to help them and take care of them but in truth have evolved to be breeding ground for maltreatment, abuse and neglect.

People with developmental disability are the ones who have long-term medical problems that could be due to genetic and prenatal issues or preterm birth with the effect that going through the daily routine of life also becomes a major concern for them and their families. They are people who either have physical or mental disabilities or have both.

Community integration is the process of being a part of the community with self-dignity where each and every person enjoys certain rights and liberties. It is the right for all people irrespective of their mental and physical health, race, caste, religion, sex or age.

Community integration for people with developmental disabilities revolves around this concept that disabled people too have equal rights to live in a community just like other people instead of being locked up in institutions unnecessarily. Even the United Nations has risen up to this cause and many western countries like the United States passing laws have passed laws that protect the right of people with mental and physical disabilities – laws that permit disabled people to co-exist in the community and not be institutionalized for indefinite period. Such laws helps the community to accept developmentally disabled people as active members of their community and help them live under a supervised community integration program that involves equal opportunities of education, employment, housing, healthcare and recovery.

The program is setup in a way that people with developmental disabilities are able to use the local transportation, live in supported apartments or specially built housing for the disabled, access local schools and hospitals and enjoy financial independence when they get hired by employers who create jobs for disabled people.

As the first step towards integrating disabled people with the community, young children or adults with special needs continue to stay with their parents and family. However, many of the youngsters find it difficult to do so with passing years. At times it also becomes stressful for the ageing parents to care for their child on a continual basis. In such cases, group homes become a viable option as housing for the disabled. Since these homes have many people with similar special needs residing in one locality, it proves to be the perfect setting for them to gain confidence and live life on their own.

Some of them also opt for assisted living for developmentally disabled where they can live in their own apartment, cook their own food and receive assistance with regards to certain daily activities like bathing, cleaning the house, getting their daily dose of medicines and other such activities. These assisted apartments hire the services of unskilled or specialized people as per requirement to deliver these services.

The program also consists of community integration for seniors so that they are able to move out of institutions and nursing homes and live in the community independently with dignity and enjoy equal rights as other people. They could choose to live in assisted homes or otherwise and are able to access medical resources, meals etc as part of the community integration program.

Recently I have been coaching more and more clients on organizational skills because they now understand the importance of being well organized. Let me ask you, “Have you ever paused long enough to ask yourself how you could benefit from being better organized?” There are many benefits for being well organized and I have selected twelve (12) major benefits to share with you. These twelve (12) major benefits are:

Benefit #1: you will be able to be more focused on what you want to achieve.

Benefit #2: you will be able to be more productive.

Benefit #3: you will be able to manage your time more effectively.

Benefit #4: you will be able to do your work more economically.

Benefit #5: you will be able to reduce the clutter in your workspace and reduce your stress levels.

Benefit #6: you will be able to achieve more balance in your life.

Benefit #7: you will be able to set and achieve your goals in a more efficient manner.

Benefit #8: You will be able to present a more positive business image.

Benefit #9: you will be able to prioritize your tasks.

Benefit #10: you will be able to be more flexible and more creative.

Benefit #11: you will be able to achieve more energy and enthusiasm.

Benefit #12: you will be able to achieve freedom from chaos.

If you want to learn more about the benefits of being well organized for you and your company and how you can become more organized, please contact Glenn Ebersole through his website at http://www.businesscoach4u.com or by email at jgecoach@aol.com

The best practices for anyone living with HIV and AIDS is to be health conscious. Being health conscious with HIV and AIDS means educating oneself about the virus, a nutritious low-fat diet, proper exercise, and taking the prescribed medications, all of which, I being HIV positive, am very slack on doing. To add to my lackadaisical health conscious attitude I am also a cigarette smoker, which is a huge no, no even without a detrimental health condition.

One reason I decided to be lax in taking my HIV medications is because one of the side effects of those medications is erectile dysfunction. But far more than the HIV medications the psychological impact of being HIV positive has turned me into a eunuch because of the ever-present awareness of my illness and the negative consequences that it may have on an innocent woman.

In other words, my genitals have effectively been removed since my dream and my desire for having a loving, caring relationship with a woman has been extinguished by the anxiety that I feel in being a carrier of this hideous virus. Thus, my diligence to be health conscious has been compromised by the feeling that my life, at least a wholesome life, was brought to a disgraceful, and a deserving end when I was diagnosed as being HIV positive.

Now this feeling of being a sub-human because of being HIV positive may well be a case of being too willing to sit on the pity pot and committing suicide by proxy, but what the hell no one lives forever.

My cigarette habit is not only a health-conscious issue but also one that makes me feel like I am a weak-minded person who has allowed himself to be placed under the control of a ragweed. I stop smoking every so often and then start blowing smoke again. The gruesome side of my cigarette habit is that I have been isolating myself from human contact as much as possible for the past number of years and cigarettes have become a murderous companion to ease the loneliness.

Just for today, I am clean and sober and have been so for twenty years since I stopped using crack cocaine. I am not saying that smoking cigarettes are a harder habit to break than drugs or alcohol, but I was younger when I stopped using drugs and saw some daylight ahead of me and had not compounded my health problem with an avalanche of bad choices and decisions that have made me feel even more inadequate and stupid, and less energized to pursue a vigorous health conscious agenda.

Anyone who has allowed themselves to start thinking as I have I would strongly suggest that they cut it out now. Being HIV or AIDS positive is not the end of life but is only one of our lives many challenges that must be faced and successfully managed

I am now old and ugly so for me the bridge has already fallen into the creek and sunk to the bottom, but a young person who is HIV or AIDS positive should live their life to the fullest and work to find a cure for the HIV and AIDS virus, or I should say, make those who have the cure for the HIV and AIDS virus release it.

Being health conscious does not only apply to someone who has an illness but to everyone who wants to be as mentally and physically sound as possible during this fleeting span of time of terrestrial existence.

For a person who is HIV or AIDS positive being health conscious also means being health conscious of others. I do not recommend self-imposed isolation as a method of containment but I do suggest that being very thoughtful and considerate of others is a workable approach to the containment of the HIV and AIDS virus.

I have done and said things during my life that I feel are deserving of death, so for me to be an animated cadaver is a fitting and just punishment for me. I detest being HIV positive. I abhor being a lethal weapon because of the blood that is coursing through my veins.

I hate that when I see a nice-looking woman my loathsome virus makes me speechless and immobile. I am ashamed of smoking cigarettes, which is why I do it as discretely as I can in public, but my clock has only a few more ticks left in it and if all goes well I will die before my murderous smoky companion kills me with a slow agonizing death.

Being health conscious is not merely a good thing to do but is a necessity if one has a desire to be mentally and physically strong and energetic. A person can allow themselves to fall into a sense of depression and quasi-hopelessness but at the end of the day, the day has come to an end, and life is too fragile and fleeting to waste a moment of it in anger and self-pity.

Regardless of subject, medium, technique, or level of experience, all painters unavoidably work with space, line, value, and color. By controlling visual relationships, we create images on things that won’t actually be on the picture surface at all: form, depth, separation, texture, and varying degrees and types of light. Depicted accurately, these elements magically produce convincing illusions of subject matter.

Art has always been a means of communication. It’s a “show and tell” process with the telling being most important. We zoom in on what we personally discover to be the most important aspect of our subject, and then we relate principles of art to increase the effectiveness of communicating our unique emotional rapport with that something special.

Technically, we must understand exactly how end results are achieved or why they fail. It’s those visual relationships that make the difference.

We must see and know our subject. Guesswork probably destroys more compositions than any other factor. Good enough usually isn’t. We cannot possibly produce work with artistic merit until we focus intently on principles of art rather than merely attempt to duplicate what we see “just like it is,” leaving nothing out, but putting nothing in of our own choice. I believe that it is necessary to recognize, evaluate, and control eight major components of every painting.

Impact

This is the all-important first glance impression when looking at our own work or that of others. It’s often called the WOW factor. If the finished work doesn’t take our breath away or require a double take, it probably won’t make much of an impression on others either.

Clarity

A painting should be easily understood. Its message should be as obvious as the melody rising above countless other supportive orchestral notes, or an easy to follow story line in well-written literature.

Composition

The picture surface should generally be divided into just a few explicit measurements and shapes, while satisfying the universal human need for simplicity, harmony, and variety.

Design

This is the selection and relative positioning of subject matter or objects to fit into the compositional pattern and enhance illusions of form, depth, separation, and texture by showing varying degrees and types of light.

Values

Each visible object and surface reflects light. Light is what we depict. Only when the light we see is described accurately can the illusions of subject matter appear.

Edges

Edges are selected and controlled so as to be sharply defined, soft, or unseen. Edges are what hold the composition together and are controlled to add emphasis to a focal point.

Color

Variations of color temperature, lightness, darkness, and brilliance are utilized to attract the eye, subdue importance, and clarify types of light, nearness, or distance.

Line

Horizontals, verticals, diagonals, straight or curved lines, and calm or active lines should vary in length, activity, and direction, while easily leading the eye toward a center of interest.