“Mindfulness” = The moment to moment awareness of experience just the way it is. ~Liz Korabek-Emerson

I don’t know about you, but I could practice being more mindful today. And… every day, every moment, every breath. Recent posts have centered on holding difficult conversations amid the stress of turbulent times, and I thought I’d bring it down a notch and talk about theantidote to stress, which also happens to be a way to calm emotional triggers, find balance, and regain power under pressure–mindfulness meditation.

Practicing Mindfulness in Turbulent Times

Liz Korabek-Emerson–mindfulness teacher, transformational workshop leader and creative coach–describes mindfulness as “the moment to moment awareness of experience just the way it is.” I attended a mindfulness training with Liz recently, and was reminded of how the mind is always looking for thoughts to focus on. In Liz’s session, my mind settled and returned to the present each time I came back to the breath. I had to come back many times, because my thoughts (ever wandering) drew me away. And… that’s the practice.

My mentor Thomas Crum writes about the difference between Being and Doing. I’m a “do-er” — I like to organize and get stuff done. I’m usually thinking about what’s next on my list before I’ve even finished the task at hand. Consequently, I need to practice bringing myself back to the present–a lot!

Although I meditate daily and teach centering in my trainings, I’m still amazed at the way my mind is constantly busy–Did I remember to buy those tickets? How should I reply to that email? Will Mom manage okay while I’m away? I wish I’d kept my mouth shut yesterday! And equally amazed at how bringing my wandering mind back is a constant practice.

I asked Liz if I could reprint an article from her blog that speaks to that worry, “Am I doing it right?” — which I think we all have when the mind wanders. She graciously said yes.

Enjoy this simple summons to a kinder, happier and more connected you, and if you are looking for a centered and powerful mindfulness meditation teacher, go find Liz.

The Measure of Success

by Liz Korabek-Emerson

The measure of success of our practice is…

Not the number of sessions, or how good we are at it, or how long we sit (although we still have to show up and do it)

But in how kind we are, to ourselves and then others, how connected we feel to our life and the people around us, how happy we are – not in that “I got everything I wanted for Xmas” happy but in the kind of happiness that enables us to be resilient, to bounce back and continue to be in the natural flow of life – meeting difficulties without adding to our burdens, recognizing our common humanity and wholeheartedly embracing joy as it tumbles unexpectedly into our days. In short, happy to be with things just the way they are; including ourselves, other people and life situations.

Sharon Saltzberg, a long time practitioner and teacher has written that “we don’t watch our breath just to become good breath-watchers”. And I think this is true. We watch our breath because it is the basic practice, the vehicle through which we cultivate a mind that is focused, open and flexible. But we practice because the world could use more kindness, strength and clarity.

Couldn’t you?

Water that is clean and suitable for drinking is essential to life. A purification system provides several benefits. It is recommended by the US Center for Disease Control to drink a minimum of 64 oz of H20 daily because of the several benefits to health. The four most important reasons to consider drinking purified water are as follows:

Minimizes Disposal of Plastic

Buying bottled water instead of drinking from the tap contributes to pollution – since disposing plastic bottles fill up the landfills. The plastic that holds it is not healthy for the planet or those who drink from it. Most of them consists of BPA, which goes into the water that people drink.

As a solution, a treatment system provides clean, potable water right from the tap.

Makes Appliances Last Longer

Appliances can also benefit from high quality water. Softened water will prolong the efficiency of appliances, which will save on costs in the long run. There will be less need for soap and detergent to clean appliances and make them last longer. Using cold water to wash dishes and clothes will not interfere with their performance.

According to researchers, when laundry machines and dishwashers were tested to run for 240 cycles, washers using treated water had almost no scale buildup, while those with untreated variety needed scale removal so they could work properly.

When it comes to water heaters, researchers discovered that the heater remained to be efficient until 15 years when using treated water. On the other hand, running untreated water cuts the efficiency of the heater by up to half because of the buildup of scale.

Essential to Health

There is a clear connection between water and health. Based on CDC reports, a number of the leading causes of outbreaks are being linked to the water that affected the people drinking it.

Water that contains organic and inorganic matter can also cause serious health complications. Studies further reveal that high content of lead in drinking water have been linked with children’s learning disabilities, delays in development, and ADD.

Protects From Harmful Organisms

According to the Environmental Protection Agency reports, 90% of the water supply worldwide is not suitable for drinking unless properly treated.

More often than not, untreated water has micro-organisms that could cause vomiting and diarrhoea, among other illnesses. Thanks to advanced water purification systems, such microorganisms can be eradicated to make the water safe to drink.

Installing a water treatment system at home is the easiest way to access clean water, which is critical to every individual’s health. Not only is it the fast and easiest way to let a family stay healthy, but also the cheapest.

Aside from purifying drinking water, treating household water will help lengthen the life of water-using appliances. It may be expensive to install a water purification system, but has more advantages to the health of a family, as well as being more cost-efficient in the long run.

A newsletter calendar keeps your publication on track. Whether you send it by mail or email, creating a regular newsletter for your clients and prospects is an important marketing strategy. However, many organizations struggle to find topics for their newsletters or have trouble getting it out the door on a set schedule.

To prevent these problems, businesses can borrow a technique magazines have been using for ages: the editorial calendar. This sample newsletter schedule will help keep your organization’s newsletter on track. Remember, these dates aren’t hard-and-fast rules. The most important thing is to find a set of deadlines that feels comfortable — not rushed — and stick to those deadlines for each newsletter cycle.

What: Annual Planning

When: Each December

Create a list of seasonal topics for the upcoming year and pencil them in for each month. For example, a Realtor might want to include a spring cleaning checklist in April, tips for a greener lawn in August and strategies for choosing a good school district in September.

What: Editorial Meeting

When: 1-2 Months Before Publication

An editorial meeting typically includes everyone contributing to your newsletter: editors, writers, managers and designers. Print newsletters need more time, so schedule your editorial meeting at least two months before deadline. Email newsletters may use a shorter timeframe. In the editorial meeting discuss possible story topics, assign writers to each story and establish writing deadlines for each article. Refer to your annual planning calendar for story ideas, and also incorporate current news and events at your organization.

What: Editing

When: 3-5 Weeks Before Publication

On this day, all articles should be submitted to the newsletter editor for review and approval. Set this deadline based on whether you have a print or email newsletter, and be sure to allow leeway for missed writing deadlines.

What: Layout

When: 2-4 Weeks Before Publication

By this date, all the articles and other newsletter content should be submitted to the designer for layout.

What: Layout Approval

When: 1-3 Weeks Before Publication

While this is not the best time to make any edits or changes to the copy, the newsletter editor should take one last look at the newsletter layout to ensure everything is formatted correctly.

What: Printing & Distribution

When: 1-2 Weeks Before Publication

Email newsletters should be scheduled for release at a specified day and time, and print newsletters should be sent out for printing and mailing. Then, start the cycle all over again!

Most are trying to find the answer of what life is about. We are born to work, suffer, and serve, and when it’s over we die. During the course of life, we are often happy, sometimes sad, we suffer pain and loss, and we are either successful in our minds or we regret the opportunities that never came our way. Some may incur depression while others have lives of misery. Others still are born into wealth and have everything laid on but most are poor.

Adding to the challenges are the trials inflicted by disease, famine, drought, war, and so on. Many leave their homeland to find riches elsewhere while some are forced out due to war and loss of security. Some bear children who may die while others live full and happy lives.

It doesn’t matter how or what they become the ultimate destination is death and there we are equal. The emotional make-up of each is there to rip us apart when sorry overtakes the frame or to express anger and hate that affects those around us. Some die young and others live to a ripe old age, which in these times is being stretched often beyond a hundred years.

So what is the purpose of life and why the secrets surrounding it? My reincarnation and link to the Spirit of the Universe gave me insight into some of them. To begin with we have all reincarnated and according to the bible it has happened at least six times (Job 5:19-21). That means that there is no heaven or hell and that all religions are wrong.

The Spirit is the real God and it created everything and fills all of space. It is the little voice inside that often speaks to us. It guides and directs our path and it has made some spiritual and others to be the test for that link. Those who grow strong in their connection to God are called the Children of Israel. They are also referred to as the vineyard (Isaiah 5:4,6)

Vineyards produce wine and spirits. In order to grow they need manure, weeds, soil, and other things that are essential. They include wind and rain and the Spirit provides both through the link.

We are now at the end of the day when things will simply cease to be. This may happen through wars, which are already threatening. Prophecy tells us that the dead will stretch from one end of the earth to the other and be as dung upon the ground (Jeremiah 25:33).

Prophecies also tell us of God’s anger towards those who oppose the Spirit and put up false gods and prophets to entrap the spiritual within their walls of deceit. Those who free themselves from the prison and listen to the voice within will be saved forever.

To make this happen the Spirit provided the two beasts of Revelation 13 to rule over the day. One of these is Constantine who is the Assyrian and the one with the number 666. He he is being removed now that his identity is known and the religion of his creation, that of the Catholic Church, is exposed as fake. The Spirit promised that at this time:

“I will break the Assyrian… then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden… from off their shoulders. This is the purpose that is posed upon the whole earth:” Isaiah 14:25,26

Is there any adventure or fun in smoking? Absolutely not! Don’t be fooled by the fun packed advertisements of the cigarette making companies. There is no “taste”, no “fun” and no “adventure” in smoking cigarettes. These are just the slogans of the cigarette making companies which are multiplying their profits at the cost of the precious human lives.

The greedy multi-national multi-billion dollar cigarette manufacturers are killing people quietly without being noticed by anyone. According to the WHO report, every 6.5 seconds a person in the world dies prematurely due to cancer, heart attack, respiratory or some other kind of tobacco related diseases. No doubt, the tobacco is the fourth most common risk factor for diseases worldwide.

If you are a smoker then think seriously for a moment and decide whether you are mentally OK. I very much doubt because you are spending money on the purchase of an item which is not only risking your life by unintentionally inviting numerous diseases to attack your body but also risking the lives of other people who are forced to inhale second hand smoke, which is more dangerous than smoking. If you smoke inside your house then you also risk the life of your spouse and children. Is it a wise decision to keep on smoking?

Say no to smoking, if you want to live a normal healthy life free from diseases. Why not take a bold decision NOW and quit smoking immediately! Are you prepared to do so?

Tobacco use is going to kill nearly 10 million people each year, mostly in their productive middle ages. It is estimated that 75% of these deaths will occur in the developing countries mainly due to the high number of smokers and lack of medical facilities available there.

Due to lack of knowledge and education, the number of smokers in the developing countries and poor households is increasing at an alarming rate. The warning written on the cigarette packets is mostly ignored by the illiterate smokers. It is sad that the average amount spent by poor households on tobacco is nearly the same as the amount spent on education. A recent study in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has proved that the more people are educated, the less they smoke.

Your health is your best asset. Protect your life from painful tobacco related diseases. Live a healthy and happy life and just say no to smoking.

It’s been a month since my wife, a former nurse yielded to three phone calls from a friend to get her out of the nursing home. When she came to us, she needed a wheel chair–she couldn’t walk, talk or smile. Now she has all three and her humor rewards us!

The average number of prescriptions in a nursing home is 9-13 and these figures are nearly a decade out of date. The benefit to the patient is very low–they are prescribed for the nurses who don’t have to put up with any complaints; the patient is zonked out.

A patient can stand in the hall and fill his or her diaper while staring into space. They will say everything is fine. No brain, no pain, as we said in medical school.

Adverse drug reactions have made medical care a leading cause of death. These reactions put 2.2 million people in hospitals and 106,000 died, “making these reactions between the fourth and sixth leading cause of death.” Journal of American Medical Assoc. 4-15-1998

But how many died at home? 199,000 according to the Western Journal of Medicine… June, 2000. Deaths in and outside hospitals from Rx totaled 305,000 then, with 8 million admissions to the hospital and 3 million for long-term care (nursing homes–these people were messed up for life!)

“From 1998 through 2005, reported serious adverse drug events increased 2.6-fold… fatal adverse drug events increased 2.7-fold… ” Archives of Internal Medicine, Sep 10, 2007, p 1752.

This information makes prescription drugs the #1 cause of death, but we still hear “heart disease… heart disease… heart disease.” That’s a smoke screen for the real culprit, and it justifies giving more drugs for cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes control when ALL of those conditions are diet related, but never mind–eat as you please and take the prescriptions?

When a patient dies in a nursing home (and half of them do within a year of admission) the doctor signs the death certificate as dying from heart disease in most cases. The heart stopped, but no autopsy is done to discover the coronary arteries are OK and it was probably the drugs that affected the heart rhythm.

So how did Miriam do so well at our place? It’s mainly a low fat vegan diet and none of the prescriptions that she was taking in the nursing home! And her blood sugars (finger stick device) have been lower than at the nursing home. A side benefit to Miriam–only once a day compared to four finger sticks daily in the nursing home.

For more information on reversing most conditions by diet, watch the YouTubes by Drs. Daniel Amen, Neal Barnard, Colin Campbell, Caldwell Esselstyn, Michael Gregor, John McDougal and Neil Nedley. “The life you save may be your own.”

They are totally at odds with the medical establishment and drugging industry that has congress on their side because they donate to their re-election campaigns. The damnable greed of media for their advertising dollar is also part of the problem.

Oddly enough, the Bible was 2000 years ahead of medical science when it said the nations were deceived by sorcery where the Greek word for sorcery is pharmakeia in Revelation 18:23. This is not the only truth that translators have hidden.

On the other end of the phone, a prospective supplier was nattering on about a software platform that many of her clients use. I had just said, I don’t use that system and don’t have an interest in adopting it, and gave my reasons.

This is a great example of how we (yes, I include myself here too!) can really get off track when talking with someone who is a possible client.

It’s tempting to talk about what we know, instead of what the prospective client wants to know.

Instead of listening to what I was saying, she rambled on about things that had no relevance to me or my business. I felt a little ignored. And it was a waste of my time and her energy.

What would have made a much bigger impression is if she had asked me a series of questions up front, listened to the answers, and then used that as her springboard for sharing the aspects of her business that were actually relevant to me.

• Tell me about your business. I did some online research, but I’d like to know more about it from your perspective.
• What is a challenge for you right now?
• What services would address that challenge and support your goals?
• How do you like to work with suppliers?
• What would really impress you about a supplier?

These are some examples of what she could have asked, but didn’t. She could have done a few minutes of online research to help hone her questions, but she didn’t.

As an early indicator of whether I’m going to get what I want from her company, this did not bode well. I was immediately less confident that she could deliver.

Was it nerves on her part? Or lack of skill? Was she responding out of habit? Or is she that self-focused?

I don’t know. And as a prospective client, it’s unlikely I’ll find out.

Whatever the reason, it’s not effective, and it in fact drove me further away, the opposite of what she wanted.

The most powerful conversation you can have with your prospects is one where you begin, right off the bat, to serve them and their business needs.

A conversation where your focus is to impress and sell a prospect is going to go awry. Focus instead on delivering the level of service you offer right from the start by demonstrating it.

What’s the most powerful conversation you can have with a prospective client? It’s the one where you listen and learn, and apply what you now know by sharing valuable information that can lead him to buy.

The runaway Trump train has not only let Trump trample the American Constitution but has also skidded onto foreign rails. That could not have happened without a groundwork laid by Russia.

Trump began his run for the US Presidency as a social renegade. He descended the glitzy escalators of his gaudy tower by labeling Mexicans he didn’t like as rapists and drug runners. He fought his way to the Republican nomination by trashing and mocking his opponents. With outside help he won the prize and his track record of nastiness has gained speed as the law proved no check on his quest for personal gain with the mighty powers of his position.

American forefathers could not foresee a conman like Trump heading the country but even so they set up a system of checks and balances among three branches for the government. One made the law, another put it into practice and a third mediated in the case of conflict. That in itself was foresight from white men to whom “all men” referred to white male landowners. Laws since then have clarified the intent. New laws will have to clarify further after Donald Trump.

Trump is the first American President to defy the Constitutional norma. He has done this by exploiting a supersonic world. He has made a Tweet carry the weight of a Presidential decree, thus throwing out the cumbersome process that distilled the national position both at home and abroad. He has remade the Presidential seat of power into that of Trump. creating an enabling base for unchecked decrees to outlying train depots the world over.

America is singularly complex diverse, well run and still free. Trump grabbed the last of those virtues to trample the others and declare himself an outlaw hero. He has found a sizeable following for that brand that is as flimflam as the his personna of success itself. Once on that track, however, Trump has had no choice but to continue on the ugly path that had snared a base now fatally trapped.

Trump is stuck like an info-loop on terrorizing, defaming and intoning untruths as litanies. At any threat of any sort, he spews venom like a viper. When in doubt, he reaches out to fellow country leaders who are true autocrats, speaking without oversight on either personal or national interests. Publicly, he touts these exchanges as making friends.

The “Deep state” that Trump claims is out to get him is nothing more than the bureaucratic infrastructure that has made the United States as great and stable as it is according with the Constitutional. Tedious as it may be, the human component of the US bureaucracy is dedicated to its job and has no stake in unseating anybody beyond the usual narrow scope of jockeying for promotions. None if any in the “deep state,” aspires to the President’s job. The only contenders are political opponents or the global power glutton Vladimir Putin of Russia.

With Trump as an ally and with an open invitation to interfere in the next election. Putin need not worry about capturing Trump’s job. That leaves political foes for Trump and he follows his previous strategy of trashing them. The same strategy applies to those investigating his activities. As for the base, he continues his reign of terror about invasions with him as the only savior.

With Putin’s help in playing other countries like Ukraine, Trump seemed on the road to success as the Trump train engineer. A preponderance of Trump aggressions against the Constitution has finally gained the momentum needed for intervention. That just may be the wedge that finally splits the base.

A careful, methodical and intensified examination of Trump’s activities is bound to sway a portion of the base to see the light about Trump. As revelations about the Trump global network depots emerge, faith may be shaken when it becomes clear that Trump is acting on his own behalf and not on that of America.

Alas, others currently on the Trump train may become casualties to the strength of truth over fakery. Those Trump loyalists may take solace by getting Trump to revive his defunct Trump University. The faithful can then sign up and learn the skills they’ll need to slip back onto the Trump train wherever it is garaged by then.

In the wake of the disastrous and extremely damaging Trump Administration and performance the next president needs to be someone special. He or she has to be young, vibrant, well-educated, capable, and fit. That rules out all of those 70 years and older. While some might think that someone in that category has what it takes then they need to think again. Leaders making a difference now are well below that age.

The world is a far different place to the one in which the seniors grew up in. It is rapidly changing and facing multiple problems that only younger people can deal with. They are better communicators about climate change, technology, and above all the LGBTQ movement.

Whether the older generations like it or not we are in a time when people’s sexuality and preferences matter. Many countries are embracing the trend to accept same-sex marriage and other things related to it. We no longer have the choice to abandon and ridicule people for who they are or want to be.

It is extremely sad to know of the suffering, mental and otherwise, that people go through because they are born different to what religious societies expect. Suicide and murder have seen many leave this world far to young. Others struggle to hide who they are.

Isn’t it time, therefore, for one who understands the plight of such people to take the reins? Isn’t it also time for someone who has fought in a war and who understands what real suffering is about to be given a chance? Isn’t it time to get back to a person who wants to help reduce climate change and restore the USA to its former place in the world?

Right now, many in other countries are looking on it as a joke. More than that they also see how much of a flop it is in relationship with Western Allies and those it needs to support. In recent days the case of the Kurds and their abandonment to genocide by Turkey stands out.

There is one person among the Democrats who meets all of the criteria necessary to bring the country back to where it once was. The man is a Rhodes scholar, a Harvard graduate, and one who knows what to do about climate change and the social needs of the people. He is also gay and in a same-sex relationship. It now needs for the electorate to wake up and look at who and what he is for a better future for the United States and the world.

Here’s the secret of sales: 90% of selling situations are recurring selling situations, which means if you want to become a superstar sales person, then you have to take the time to script out a best practice response to them.

And that means you have to stop ad-libbing your way through your sales career.

Think about it: you wouldn’t want a dentist to make it up as he goes along, would you? Of course not! You count on your dentist to be prepared and trained on the up to date, best practices for handling your dental situation.

The same is true in sales.

And one of the most recurring situations is calling back prospects three or four months later. You’d think this would be a simple, straight forward situation, right? It is, but people still get it wrong.

I was listening to a recording of a client making call backs to prospects, and he opened his call this way:

“Just following up with you. We spoke last December and you told me that wasn’t a good time and that you had a lot going on. I’m hoping that you’re more settled now and perhaps we could talk about your advertising needs?”

Obviously, this isn’t a best practice approach. First, why would you lead with the previous blow off objection she gave you in December? It’s like you’re supplying her with the new blow off she’s going to use right now.

Second, why “hope” she’s more settled right now, and why “ask” if “perhaps” you can talk about her needs now?

Here’s the proper way to follow up on a lead:

“Hi {first name}, this is {your first & last name} calling with {your company}. We spoke in December, and you asked me to reach back out to you here in March – and it’s a good thing you did, because we’ve got some great programs going right now for our summer issue!

“Let me ask you… ” [And go into a qualifying/engaging question to get their attention… ]

The difference here is that now you’re being proactive, assumptive, and enthusiastic. And you’re leading with a reason for this person to become engaged. This is much more effective than the previous technique-or one you may be using now.

Adapt this script to your own personality and product or sale. And then open all follow up calls with a great big smile in your voice, and be enthusiastic and assumptive. You’ll not only be more effective, but you’ll feel better as well.