The Difference Between Being Smart, Educated, and Intelligent

September 22, 2012 By admin

The Difference Between Being Smart, Educated, and Intelligent

I’ve always been intrigued by the subject of intelligence. As a child my mother would refer to me as “smart,” but I quickly noticed that all parents refer to their children as smart. In time I would discover that all children are not smart, just as all babies are not cute. If that were the case, we’d have a world full of beautiful, smart people – which we don’t.

Some of us are smart; but not as smart as we think, and others are smarter than they seem, which makes me wonder, how do we define smart? What makes one person smarter than another? When do “street smarts” matter more than “book smarts”? Can you be both smart and stupid? Is being smart more of a direct influence of genetics, or one’s environment?

Then there are the issues of education, intelligence and wisdom.

What does it mean to be highly educated? What’s the difference between being highly educated and highly intelligent? Does being highly educated automatically make you highly intelligent? Can one be highly intelligent without being highly educated? Do IQs really mean anything? What makes a person wise? Why is wisdom typically associated with old age?

My desire to seek answers to these questions inspired many hours of intense research which included the reading of 6 books, hundreds of research documents, and countless hours on the Internet; which pales in comparison to the lifetime of studies and research that pioneers in the fields of intelligence and education like Howard Gardner, Richard Sternberg, Linda S. Gottfredson, Thomas Sowell, Alfie Kohn, and Diane F. Halpern whose work is cited in this article.

My goal was simple: Amass, synthesize, and present data on what it means to be smart, educated and intelligent so that it can be understood and used by anyone for their benefit.

PRENATAL CARE

With this in mind, there was not a better (or more appropriate) place to start than at the very beginning of our existence: as a fetus in the womb.

There is mounting evidence that the consumption of food that’s high in iron both before and during pregnancy is critical to building the prenatal brain. Researchers have found a strong association between low iron levels during pregnancy and diminished IQ. Foods rich in iron include lima beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, seafoods, nuts, dried fruits, oatmeal, and fortified cereals.

Children with low iron status in utero (in the uterus) scored lower on every test and had significantly lower language ability, fine-motor skills, and tractability than children with higher prenatal iron levels. In essence, proper prenatal care is critical to the development of cognitive skills.

COGNITIVE SKILLS

Cognitive skills are the basic mental abilities we use to think, study, and learn. They include a wide variety of mental processes used to analyze sounds and images, recall information from memory, make associations between different pieces of information, and maintain concentration on particular tasks. They can be individually identified and measured. Cognitive skill strength and efficiency correlates directly with students’ ease of learning.

DRINKING, PREGNANCY, AND ITS INTELLECTUAL IMPACT

Drinking while pregnant is not smart. In fact, it’s downright stupid.

A study in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research has found that even light to moderate drinking – especially during the second trimester – is associated with lower IQs in offspring at 10 years of age. This result was especially pronounced among African-American rather than Caucasian offspring.

“IQ is a measure of the child’s ability to learn and to survive in his or her environment. It predicts the potential for success in school and in everyday life. Although a small but significant percentage of children are diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) each year, many more children are exposed to alcohol during pregnancy who do not meet criteria for FAS yet experience deficits in growth and cognitive function,” said Jennifer A. Willford, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Paul D. Connor, clinical director of the Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit and assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington has this to say about the subject:

“There are a number of domains of cognitive functioning that can be impaired even in the face of a relatively normal IQ, including academic achievement (especially arithmetic), adaptive functioning, and executive functions (the ability to problem solve and learn from experiences). Deficits in intellectual, achievement, adaptive, and executive functioning could make it difficult to appropriately manage finances, function independently without assistance, and understand the consequences of – or react appropriately to – mistakes.”

This is a key finding which speaks directly to the (psychological) definition of intelligence which is addressed later in this article.

ULTRA SOUNDS

Studies have shown that the frequent exposure of the human fetus to ultrasound waves is associated with a decrease in newborn body weight, an increase in the frequency of left-handedness, and delayed speech.

Because ultrasound energy is a high-frequency mechanical vibration, researchers hypothesized that it might influence the migration of neurons in a developing fetus. Neurons in mammals multiply early in fetal development and then migrate to their final destinations. Any interference or disruption in the process could result in abnormal brain function.

Commercial companies (which do ultrasounds for “keepsake” purposes) are now creating more powerful ultrasound machines capable of providing popular 3D and 4D images. The procedure, however, lasts longer as they try to make 30-minute videos of the fetus in the uterus.

The main stream magazine New Scientist reported the following: Ultrasound scans can stop cells from dividing and make them commit suicide. Routine scans, which have let doctors peek at fetuses and internal organs for the past 40 years, affect the normal cell cycle.

On the FDA website this information is posted about ultrasounds:

While ultrasound has been around for many years, expectant women and their families need to know that the long-term effects of repeated ultrasound exposures on the fetus are not fully known. In light of all that remains unknown, having a prenatal ultrasound for non-medical reasons is not a good idea.

NATURE VERSUS NURTURE…THE DEBATE CONTINUES

Now that you are aware of some of the known factors which determine, improve, and impact the intellectual development of a fetus, it’s time for conception. Once that baby is born, which will be more crucial in the development of its intellect: nature (genetics) or nurture (the environment)?

Apparently for centuries, scientists and psychologists have gone back and forth on this. I read many comprehensive studies and reports on this subject during the research phase of this article, and I believe that it’s time to put this debate to rest. Both nature and nurture are equally as important and must be fully observed in the intellectual development of all children. This shouldn’t be an either/or proposition.

A recent study shows that early intervention in the home and in the classroom can make a big difference for a child born into extreme poverty, according to Eric Turkheimer, a psychologist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The study concludes that while genetic makeup explains most of the differences in IQ for children in wealthier families, environment – and not genes – makes a bigger difference for minority children in low-income homes.

Specifically, what researchers call “heritability”- the degree to which genes influence IQ – was significantly lower for poor families. “Once you’re put into an adequate environment, your genes start to take over,” Mr. Turkheimer said, “but in poor environments genes don’t have that ability.”

But there are reports that contradict these findings…sort of.

Linda S. Gottfredson, a professor of educational studies at the University of Delaware, wrote in her article, The General Intelligence Factor that environments shared by siblings have little to do with IQ. Many people still mistakenly believe that social, psychological and economic differences among families create lasting and marked differences in IQ.

She found that behavioral geneticists refer to such environmental effects as “shared” because they are common to siblings who grow up together. Her reports states that the heritability of IQ rises with age; that is to say, the extent to which genetics accounts for differences in IQ among individuals increases as people get older.

In her article she also refers to studies comparing identical and fraternal twins, published in the past decade by a group led by Thomas J. Bouchard, Jr., of the University of Minnesota and other scholars, show that about 40 percent of IQ differences among preschoolers stems from genetic differences, but that heritability rises to 60 percent by adolescence and to 80 percent by late adulthood.

And this is perhaps the most interesting bit of information, and relevant to this section of my article:

With age, differences among individuals in their developed intelligence come to mirror more closely their genetic differences. It appears that the effects of environment on intelligence fade rather than grow with time.

Bouchard concludes that young children have the circumstances of their lives imposed on them by parents, schools and other agents of society, but as people get older they become more independent and tend to seek out the life niches that are most congenial to their genetic proclivities.

BREAST-FEEDING INCREASES INTELLIGENCE

Researchers from Christchurch School of Medicine in New Zealand studied over 1,000 children born between April and August 1977. During the period from birth to one year, they gathered information on how these children were fed.

The infants were then followed to age 18. Over the years, the researchers collected a range of cognitive and academic information on the children, including IQ, teacher ratings of school performance in reading and math, and results of standardized tests of reading comprehension, mathematics, and scholastic ability. The researchers also looked at the number of passing grades achieved in national School Certificate examinations taken at the end of the third year of high school.

The results indicated that the longer children had been breast-fed, the higher they scored on such tests.

TALKING TO YOUR CHILDREN MAKES A DIFFERENCE

Thomas Sowell, author of Race, IQ, Black Crime, and facts Liberals Ignore uncovered some fascinating information that every parent should take note of. He writes:

There is a strong case that black Americans suffer from a series of disadvantageous environments. Studies show time and again that before they go to school, black children are on average exposed to a smaller vocabulary than white children, in part due to socioeconomic factors.

While children from professional households typically exposed to a total of 2,150 different words each day, children from working class households are exposed to 1,250, and children from households on welfare a mere 620.

Yes, smart sounding children tend to come from educated, professional, two-parent environments where they pick-up valuable language skills and vocabulary from its smart sounding inhabitants.

Mr. Sowell continues: Black children are obviously not to blame for their poor socioeconomic status, but something beyond economic status is at work in black homes. Black people have not signed up for the “great mission” of the white middle class – the constant quest to stimulate intellectual growth and get their child into Harvard or Oxbridge.

Elsie Moore of Arizona State University, Phoenix, studied black children adopted by either black or white parents, all of whom were middle-class professionals. By the age of 7.5 years, those in black homes were 13 IQ points behind those being raised in the white homes.

ACCUMULATED ADVANTAGES

At this juncture in my research it dawned on me, and should be fairly obvious to you, that many children are predisposed to being smart, educated, and intelligent, simply by their exposure to the influential factors which determine them long before they start school.

An informed mother, proper prenatal care, educated, communicative parents, and a nurturing environment in which to live, all add up to accumulated advantages that formulate intellectual abilities. As you can see, some children have unfair advantages from the very beginning.

Malcolm Gladwell, author of top-selling book Outliers, wrote that “accumulated advantages” are made possible by arbitrary rules…and such unfair advantages are everywhere. “It is those who are successful who are most likely to be given the kinds of social opportunities that lead to further success,” he writes. “It’s the rich who get the biggest tax breaks. It’s the best students who get the best teaching and most attention.”

With that in mind, we turn our attention to education and intelligence.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE WELL EDUCATED?

Alfie Kohn, author of the book What Does It Mean To Be Well Educated? poses the question, does the phrase well educated refer to a quality of schooling you received, or something about you? Does it denote what you were taught? Or what you remember?

I contend that to be well educated is all in the application; the application and use of information. Information has to be used in order to become knowledge, and as we all have heard, knowledge is power.

Most people are aware of the floundering state of education in this country on some level. We tell our children that nothing is more important than getting a “good” education, and every year, due to government budget shortfalls, teachers are laid off, classes are condensed, schools are closed, and many educational programs – especially those which help the underprivileged – are cut.

The reality is, we don’t really value education. We value it as a business, an industry, political ammunition, and as an accepted form of discrimination, but not for what it was intended: a means of enriching one’s character and life through learning.

What we value as a society, are athletes and the entertainment they offer. The fact that a professional athlete makes more money in one season, than most teachers in any region will make in their careers, is abominable. There’s always money to build new sports stadiums, but not enough to give teachers a decent (and well-deserved) raise.

Ironically, the best teachers don’t go into the profession for money. They teach because it’s a calling. Most of them were influenced by a really good teacher as a student. With the mass exodus of teachers, many students are not able to cultivate the mentoring relationships that they once were able to because so many are leaving the profession – voluntarily and involuntarily – within an average of three years.

At the high school level, where I got my start, the emphasis is not on how to educate the students to prepare them for life, or even college (all high schools should be college-prep schools, right?), it was about preparing them to excel on their standardized tests. Then the controversial “exit” exams were implemented and literally, many high schools were transformed into testing centers. Learning has almost become secondary.

This mentality carries over into college, which of course there’s a test one must take in order to enroll (the SAT or ACT). This explains why so many college students are more concerned with completing a course, than learning from it. They are focused on getting “A’s” and degrees, instead of becoming degreed thinkers. The latter of which are in greater demand by employers and comprise the bulk of the self-employed. The “get-the-good-grade” mindset is directly attributable to the relentless and often unnecessary testing that our students are subjected to in schools.

Alfie Kohn advocates the “exhibition” of learning, in which students reveal their understanding by means of in-depth projects, portfolios of assignments, and other demonstrations.

He cites a model pioneered by Ted Sizer and Deborah Meier. Meier has emphasized the importance of students having five “habits of mind,” which are: the value of raising questions about evidence (“How do we know what we know?”), point of view, (“Whose perspective does this represent?”), connections (“How is this related to that?”), supposition (“How might things have been otherwise?”), and relevance (“Why is this important?”).

Kohn writes: It’s only the ability to raise and answer those questions that matters, though, but also the disposition to do so. For that matter, any set of intellectual objectives, any description of what it means to think deeply and critically, should be accompanied by a reference to one’s interest or intrinsic motivation to do such thinking…to be well-educated then, is to have the desire as well as the means to make sure that learning never ends…

HISTORY AND PURPOSE OF IQ

We’ve always wanted to measure intelligence. Ironically, when you look at some the first methods used to evaluate it in the 1800s, they were not, well, very intelligent. Tactics such as subjecting people to various forms of torture to see what their threshold for pain was (the longer you could withstand wincing, the more intelligent you were believed to be), or testing your ability to detect a high pitch sound that others could not hear.

Things have changed…or have they?

No discussion of intelligence or IQ can be complete without mention of Alfred Binet, a French psychologist who was responsible for laying the groundwork for IQ testing in 1904. His original intention was to devise a test that would diagnose learning disabilities of students in France. The test results were then used to prepare special programs to help students overcome their educational difficulties.

It was never intended to be used as an absolute measure of one’s intellectual capabilities.

According to Binet, intelligence could not be described as a single score. He said that the use of the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) as a definite statement of a child’s intellectual capability would be a serious mistake. In addition, Binet feared that IQ measurement would be used to condemn a child to a permanent “condition” of stupidity, thereby negatively affecting his or her education and livelihood.

The original interest was in the assessment of ‘mental age’ — the average level of intelligence for a person of a given age. His creation, the Binet-Simon test (originally called a “scale”), formed the archetype for future tests of intelligence.

H. H. Goddard, director of research at Vineland Training School in New Jersey, translated Binet’s work into English and advocated a more general application of the Simon-Binet test. Unlike Binet, Goddard considered intelligence a solitary, fixed and inborn entity that could be measured. With help of Lewis Terman of Stanford University, his final product, published in 1916 as the Stanford Revision of the Binet-Simon Scale of Intelligence (also known as the Stanford-Binet), became the standard intelligence test in the United States.

It’s important to note that the fallacy about IQ is that it is fixed and can not be changed. The fact is that IQ scores are known to fluctuate – both up and down during the course of one’s lifetime. It does not mean that you become more, or less intelligent, it merely means that you tested better on one day than another.

One more thing to know about IQ tests: They have been used for racist purposes since their importation into the U.S. Many of those who were involved in the importation and refinement of these tests believed that IQ was hereditary and are responsible for feeding the fallacy that it is a “fixed” trait.

Many immigrants were tested in the 1920s and failed these IQ tests miserably. As a result, many of them were denied entry into the U.S., or were forced to undergo sterilization for fear of populating America with “dumb” and “inferior” babies. If you recall, the tests were designed for white, middle class Americans. Who do you think would have the most difficulty passing them?

Lewis Terman developed the original notion of IQ and proposed this scale for classifying IQ scores:

000 – 070: Definite feeble-mindedness

070 – 079: Borderline deficiency

080 – 089: Dullness

090 – 109: Normal or average intelligence

110 – 119: Superior intelligence

115 – 124: Above average (e.g., university students)

125 – 134: Gifted (e.g., post-graduate students)

135 – 144: Highly gifted (e.g., intellectuals)

145 – 154: Genius (e.g., professors)

155 – 164: Genius (e.g., Nobel Prize winners)

165 – 179: High genius

180 – 200: Highest genius

200 – higher ?: Immeasurable genius

*Genius IQ is generally considered to begin around 140 to 145, representing only 25% of the population (1 in 400).

*Einstein was considered to “only” have an IQ of about 160.

DEFINING INTELLIGENCE

Diane F. Halpern, a psychologist and past-president of the American Psychological Association (APA), wrote in her essay contribution to Why Smart People Can Be So Stupid that in general, we recognize people as intelligent if they have some combination of these achievements (1) good grades in school; (2) a high level of education; (3) a responsible, complex job; (4) some other recognition of being intelligent, such as winning prestigious awards or earning a large salary; (5) the ability to read complex text with good comprehension; (6) solve difficult and novel problems.

Throughout my research and in the early phases of this article, I came across many definitions of the word intelligence. Some were long, some were short. Some I couldn’t even understand. The definition that is most prevalent is the one created by the APA which is: the ability to adapt to one’s environment, and learn from one’s mistakes.

How about that? There’s the word environment again. We just can’t seem to escape it. This adds deeper meaning to the saying, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” It means recognizing what’s going on in your environment, and having the intelligence adapt to it – and the people who occupy it – in order to survive and succeed within it.

There are also many different forms of intelligence. Most notably those created by Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University.

Dr. Gardner believes (and I agree) that our schools and culture focus most of their attention on linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligence. We esteem the highly articulate or logical people of our culture. However, Dr. Gardner says that we should also place equal attention on individuals who show gifts in the other intelligences: the artists, architects, musicians, naturalists, designers, dancers, therapists, entrepreneurs, and others who enrich the world in which we live.

He felt that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on IQ testing, was far too limited and created the Theories Of Multiple Intelligences in 1983 to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults.

These intelligences are:

Linguistic intelligence (“word smart”)

Logical-mathematical intelligence (“number/reasoning smart”)

Spatial intelligence (“picture smart”)

Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence (“body smart”)

Musical intelligence (“music smart”)

Interpersonal intelligence (“people smart”)

Intrapersonal intelligence (“self smart”)

Naturalist intelligence (“nature smart”)

Not associated with Dr. Gardner, but equally respected are:

FLUID & CRYSTALLIZED INTELLIGENCE

According to About.com, Psychologist Raymond Cattell first proposed the concepts of fluid and crystallized intelligence and further developed the theory with John Horn. The Cattell-Horn theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence suggests that intelligence is composed of a number of different abilities that interact and work together to produce overall individual intelligence.

Cattell defined fluid intelligence as “…the ability to perceive relationships independent of previous specific practice or instruction concerning those relationships.” Fluid intelligence is the ability to think and reason abstractly and solve problems. This ability is considered independent of learning, experience, and education. Examples of the use of fluid intelligence include solving puzzles and coming up with problem solving strategies.

Crystallized intelligence is learning from past experiences and learning. Situations that require crystallized intelligence include reading comprehension and vocabulary exams. This type of intelligence is based upon facts and rooted in experiences. This type of intelligence becomes stronger as we age and accumulate new knowledge and understanding.

Both types of intelligence increase throughout childhood and adolescence. Fluid intelligence peaks in adolescence and begins to decline progressively beginning around age 30 or 40. Crystallized intelligence continues to grow throughout adulthood.

SUCCESSFUL INTELLIGENCE

Then there’s Successful Intelligence, which is authored by intelligence psychologist and Yale professor, Robert J. Sternberg, who believes that the whole concept of relating IQ to life achievement is misguided, because he believes that IQ is a pretty miserable predictor of life achievement.

His Successful Intelligence theory focuses on 3 types of intelligence which are combined to contribute to one’s overall success: Analytical Intelligence; mental steps or components used to solve problems; Creative Intelligence: the use of experience in ways that foster insight (creativity/divergent thinking); and Practical Intelligence: the ability to read and adapt to the contexts of everyday life.

With regard to environment, Mr. Sternberg writes in his book Successful Intelligence: Successfully intelligent people realize that the environment in which they find themselves may or may not be able to make the most of their talents. They actively seek an environment where they can not only do successful work, but make a difference. They create opportunities rather than let opportunities be limited by circumstances in which they happen to find themselves.

As an educator, I subscribe to Mr. Sternberg’s Successful Intelligence approach to teaching. It has proven to be a highly effective tool and mindset for my college students. Using Successful Intelligence as the backbone of my context-driven curriculum really inspires students to see how education makes their life goals more attainable, and motivates them to further develop their expertise. Mr. Sternberg believes that the major factor in achieving expertise is purposeful engagement.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

In his best-selling 1995 book, Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman reported that research shows that conventional measures of intelligence – IQ – only account for 20% of a person’s success in life. For example, research on IQ and education shows that high IQ predicts 10 to 25% of grades in college. The percentage will vary depending on how we define success. Nonetheless, Goleman’s assertion begs the question: What accounts for the other 80%?

You guessed it…Emotional Intelligence. What exactly is emotional intelligence? Emotional intelligence (also called EQ or EI) refers to the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions. Many corporations now have mandatory EQ training for their managers in an effort to improve employee

relations and increase productivity.

TACIT KNOWLEDGE aka “STREET SMARTS”

You’ve heard the phrase, “Experience is the greatest teacher…”

In psychology circles knowledge gained from everyday experience is called tacit knowledge. The colloquial term is “street smarts,” which implies that formal, classroom instruction (aka “book smarts”) has nothing to do with it. The individual is not directly instructed as to what he or she should learn, but rather must extract the important lesson from the experience even when learning is not the primary objective.

Tacit knowledge is closely related to common sense, which is sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts. As you know, common sense is not all that common.

Tacit knowledge, or the lessons obtained from it, seems to “stick” both faster and better when the lessons have direct relevance to the individual’s goals. Knowledge that is based on one’s own practical experience will likely be more instrumental to achieving one’s goals than will be knowledge that is based on someone else’s experience, or that is overly generic and abstract.

BEING BOTH SMART AND STUPID

Yes, it’s possible to be both smart and stupid. I’m sure someone you know comes to mind at this precise moment. But the goal here is not to ridicule, but to understand how some seemingly highly intelligent, or highly educated individuals can be so smart in one way, and incredibly stupid in others.

The woman who is a respected, well paid, dynamic executive who consistently chooses men who don’t appear to be worthy of her, or the man who appears to be a pillar of the community, with a loving wife and happy kids, ends up being arrested on rape charges.

It happens, but why? I found the answer in Why Smart People Can Be So Stupid. Essentially, intellect is domain specific. In other words, being smart (knowledgeable) in one area of your life, and stupid (ignorant) in another is natural. Turning off one’s brain is quite common especially when it comes to what we desire. A shared characteristic among those who are smart and stupid, is the difficulty in delaying gratification.

Olem Ayduk & Walter Mischel who wrote the chapter summarized: Sometimes stupid behavior in smart people may arise from faulty expectations, erroneous beliefs, or merely a lack of motivation to enact control strategies even when one has them. But sometimes it is an inability to regulate one’s affective states and the behavioral tendencies associated with them that leads to stupid and self-defeating behavior.

The central character in this book who many of these lessons regarding being smart and stupid revolve around is Bill Clinton and his affair with Monica Lewinksky.

WISDOM & CONCLUSION

My great grandmother, Leola Cecil, maybe had an 8th grade education at the most. By no stretch of the imagination was she highly educated, but she had what seemed like infinite wisdom. She was very observant and could “read” people with startling accuracy. Till the very end of her life she shared her “crystallized intelligence” with whomever was receptive to it.

She died at the age of 94. I often use many of her sayings as a public speaker, but most importantly, I use her philosophies to make sure that I’m being guided spiritually and not just intellectually. Many of us who are lucky enough to have a great grandparent can testify that there is something special about their knowledge. They seem to have life figured out, and a knack for helping those of us who are smart, educated and intelligent see things more clearly when we are too busy thinking.

What they have is what we should all aspire to end up with if we are lucky: wisdom.

Wisdom is the ability to look through a person, when others can only look at them. Wisdom slows down the thinking process and makes it more organic; synchronizing it with intuition. Wisdom helps you make better judgments regarding decisions, and makes you less judgmental. Wisdom is understanding without knowing, and accepting without understanding. Wisdom is recognizing what’s important to other people, and knowing that other people are of the utmost importance to you. Wisdom is both a starting point, and a final conclusion.

The Difference Between Being Smart, Educated, and Intelligent

Gian Fiero is a seasoned educator, speaker and consultant with a focus on business development and music/entertainment industry operations. He is affiliated with San Francisco State University as an adjunct professor and the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) where he conducts monthly workshops on topics such as career planning, public relations, and personal growth.

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Kids and Teens – Just How Smart Is Your Kid?

September 22, 2012 By admin

Kids and Teens – Just How Smart Is Your Kid?

This is very scary. If judged only by their IQ scores, kids today are smarter than any generation since IQ testing began. We all think our kids and/or grandkids are the smartest kid walking on this Earth. Believe it or not it now appears to be true. It is believe that this is attributed to: a richer intellectual environment; smaller families; testing dexterity and possibly genes. I used to ask my grandson “How did you get so smart?” and his answer was always “It’s my brain, grandma”.

My only concern is if the teachers are able to keep up with these intelligent kids. I have experienced some teachers that are lost when it comes to relating to kids in their classrooms (sorry teachers). I hate to categorize it this way, but it appears with some teachers the only way they know to relate to some of the kids in the classroom, who are completely bored with the average teaching that has been in place for generations, is to bully the student. At this point, it is the responsibility of the parent to check on the teachers to make sure their kids are being taught in the best way possible; considering our kids are getting smarter each and every day. Let’s not, as adults, stay complacent and think kids today can be taught the same way we were taught.

One mom explained to me that she believes the teachers are only teaching the kids what they need to know in order to achieve high SAT scores to ensure state and federal financial support. That is truly a disappointment if indeed that is true. An easy answer for schools is to push the kids ahead in the “advanced” courses. Some kids are not mature enough to handle “advanced” courses even though their brains may be ready. As it turns out kids are struggling with “advanced” courses because they are not mature enough to plan their time; their concentration has not been developed to figure out how to get all of their school work completed; and the kids gets emotional about not being able to keep up.

Kids and Teens – Just How Smart Is Your Kid?

Kids and Teens - Just How Smart Is Your Kid?

Rosalie Lynch is a Certified Life Coach who works with parents and kids in figuring out how to live together. You are invited to check out the blog “The Kids Speak Out” at http://www.uachieve.blogs.com/kids

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How To Be a Smart Shopper When Selecting Kitchen Cabinets

September 6, 2012 By admin

How To Be a Smart Shopper When Selecting Kitchen Cabinets

When renovating or remodeling a kitchen your choice of kitchen cabinets might be the most important selection you make. Cabinet selection is important for two reasons.

First, the cabinets you choose for your new kitchen will be the items having the greatest visual impact. In the average kitchen cabinets are mounted on or against at least two walls (or the equivalent), and perhaps more. Cabinets will also create the base for an island, whether designed for cooking or for casual dining. The cabinets you select will establish the design of your kitchen.

Second, the cabinets you select will account for about half of the total cost of your kitchen renovation or remodel. Although you can find and purchase cabinetry in a wide range of price categories, this is an almost universally applicable rule of thumb. Good cabinetry in not inexpensive. Most contractors and kitchen designers will agree that kitchen cabinets are not the place to scrimp when designing a new kitchen. Your cabinets will outlast your kitchen floor, your appliances, and possibly your countertops (depending upon the material you choose).

Characteristics of good kitchen cabinet construction:

Avoid drawers held together with glue, nails or staples

Avoid drawers made with thin particle board

Test the drawers before you buy to be sure they will support about 75 pounds when open

The case or cabinet box should be made of wood that is 1/2 inch thick or more on all sides

All surfaces of the cabinet should be finished, even the back and the interior sides

Kitchen cabinets should have adjustable shelves (this is a clear indication of construction quality)

All shelves in kitchen cabinets should be 5/8 inch thick or more, otherwise they will bow

Check the quality of the hinges (most should be invisible from the front, no squeaks and no metals that will rust easily) and ensure that doors open completely

The very best kitchen cabinets are made entirely of solid wood

A plywood box or case with solid wood frames and doors can still be a good quality product

Some reliable kitchen cabinets are available at lower cost because they are built with plywood supports and use medium- to high-density particle board for door and drawer fronts. Others use laminate over the particleboard.

Cabinet design installs the cabinet doors in one of two ways. Frameless construction was a very popular adoption from European design in the 60s. The style continues to be very popular in contemporary kitchens. In this style, the door covers the entire box or case of the cabinet. Alternatively, in framed construction, the doors are installed in a way that leaves a frame around the outside of the door. Framed construction is the norm in traditional, country, cottage, and many eclectic kitchen styles.

Ways to purchase kitchen cabinets:

Knock-down cabinets can be purchased and taken home the same day. Many homeowners can install these units themselves. These are the least expensive types of cabinets and can be the perfect choice if you are on a tight budget.

Stock kitchen cabinets are available only in standard sizes and limited styles and finishes because they are mass-produced by the manufacturer. These are also a good option when the budget is tight.

Semi-custom cabinets are also available only in standard sizes. There is a larger selection of styles, finishes, accessories and options. These provide somewhat more flexibility in designing your kitchen.

Custom cabinets, although available from some cabinet companies, are most often purchased from local cabinet makers. These cabinets are made to order and are thus built to the exact specifications of your needs. They are more expensive, but they offer the largest variety in wood, finish, style, size and special and unique details.

Hybrid approaches are also very popular. By working with a cabinetmaker to select the kitchen cabinets you like from a manufacturer. The cabinetmaker then installs the standard size cabinets and customizes others for special sizes and needs, as well as adding personal touches and special features.

Many inserts and built-in features are also available to provide for organization and ease of access to items stored within your kitchen cabinets. From pull-out work surfaces, to drawer fronts for refrigerated drawers, to door covers for nooks for small appliances to wine racks, you can customize your cabinetry in a variety of ways to meet your needs. It is possible to create an appropriately designed cabinet or work surface for every need.

There are also a number of features available or customizable to meet the needs of persons with disabilities. These include lower work surfaces that pull out or that are stationary and leave open space beneath. Pull-out organizers, Lazy Susans and other enhancements to make items readily accessible.

This basic information should help you begin to make decisions about your new kitchen cabinets. Keep in mind when shopping that the appearance of your kitchen renovation will be established to a very large extent by the cabinets you choose. Your cabinetmaker will be able to help you consider the vast range of ways you can customize your cabinets and create a unique kitchen design.

How To Be a Smart Shopper When Selecting Kitchen Cabinets

Scott Dostal is the President of Kitchen Cabinet Value, LLC, Clinton Township, MI, serving homeowners and real estate investors throughout SE Michigan. His company specializes in modifying structurally sound inexpensive kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities to look like cabinetry found in high value homes. To find out more how to buy kitchen cabinets that contain the quality and look of expensive custom cabinets at a fraction of the price, get his free report at http://freereport.kitchencabinetvalue.com.

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Children’s Board Games That Make Kids Smart

September 4, 2012 By admin

Children’s Board Games That Make Kids Smart

Are you looking for children’s board games that can have a positive influence on children?

Game boards that can help kids acquire new knowledge and skills. They can be a nice way for the family to spend a fun time together. Can you remember a time when you sat down with your family and spent a few hours playing together on a rainy Saturday afternoon? Children’s board games can be a lot of fun but they can also have an educational value. We do not always realize it, but there many such games that are also educational. They can help kids acquire learning skills such as counting, reading or increasing vocabulary.

If you are interested in your child acquiring counting skills, some games that can help him do just that. For example, game boards such as Chutes and Ladder is ideal for young children and as a game that encourage children to count. Trouble is also recommended as it involves a lot of counting and also enhances children’s problem solving skills.

If you are interested in your child acquiring a lot of new vocabulary and literacy skills, there are also many fun game boards that can be useful. One classic word board game that also received numerous awards is Apples to Apples. It encourages children to read and memorize new vocabulary. It is creative and humorous and can help children increase their vocabulary skills in no time. Boggle is another word board game that helps kids improve their spelling.

There are also geography board games that can help kids get better grades in geography and history class. Geography games such as Brain Quest Around The World encourage kids to explore the world and answer questions about different cities, countries and continents. You will surprised to see how kids can learn memorize every capital city in Europe just by playing geography board games.

If your child isn’t doing well in history class, games infused with history themes are a great way to get those grades up. There are games for each particular time period (for instance, history of USA, Ancient Rome or Egypt). Today’s educational game boards can really take you back in time and open up children’s imaginations while increasing their knowledge in history. Most of the times, these games are tailored by age group, so make sure you get a game that matches your child’s age.

Children’s Board Games That Make Kids Smart

Children's Board Games That Make Kids Smart

For more information on childrens board games, please visit: http://www.smart-kid-educational-games.com/childrens-board-games.html.

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Cell Phones, Smart Phones, and Personal Tech Mobile Devices Do Not Work Without Software

August 11, 2012 By admin

Cell Phones, Smart Phones, and Personal Tech Mobile Devices Do Not Work Without Software

The cell phone industry is booming, and it is expanding around the world. Companies like Nokia are expanding into that marketplace and Nokia may even post a potential profit of 2 Billion Dollars in 2010, time will tell. Does this mean if you are an investor that you should get in on all the action? Sure, that makes sense, but where should you put your money, and how much growth is available, which stocks should you choose?

Well, consider if you will the size of the industry and all the players. There are companies which make the cell phones and smart phones, and there are companies which sell the services, the providers with the cell phone plans. And let’s not forget the chip and component makers, as these are some hot stocks too. But that is not all, did you ever consider that these mobile communication personal tech devices do not run without software? Think about it.

Can you say Microsoft? Sure you can and they seem to make operating software for everything don’t they? Indeed, they do. In fact, they have some new software especially adapted for new smart technologies allowing these mobile devices to do much more than ever before. They have software ready to run on HTC, Samsung, Motorola, and RIM devices. So, don’t count Microsoft out just because Apple and Google seem to making waves in the smart phone space.

Microsoft Corp could just be the 8.8 Earthquake in the cell phone markets, which means things are not Chile – rather they are heating up in personal tech. In fact, according to sources, Microsoft had only 8.8% of the smart phone market share prior to this latest and newest software. Who has the rest of the market?

Well, Symbian has the software running the guts in the Nokia product, Nokia of course has almost 50% of the smart cell phone market share currently. And Nokia which reported a 1.23 Billion Dollar profit in 2009 is under pressure for market share with Google and Apple hot on the trail. But let’s not forget all those future cell phone users in China and India. The pie is getting bigger and there is a lot to go around for everyone.

This is what Microsoft is banking on, along with Intel which has a new robust Smart Phone Chip out too. Needless to say, things are getting very interesting in the mobile cellphone space. Please consider all this.

Cell Phones, Smart Phones, and Personal Tech Mobile Devices Do Not Work Without Software

Lance Winslow is a Cell Phone Technology Writer, and specializes in Futuristic Topics and Personal Technologies such as smart phones, cell phones, and mobile technologies. Learn more about your options with various No Credit Check Cell Phone Plans. Please visit http://www.calling-plans.com.

Note: All of Lance Winslow’s articles are written by him, not by Automated Software, any Computer Program, or Artificially Intelligent Software. None of his articles are outsourced, PLR Content or written by ghost writers.

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Homemade BBQ Grills – The Smart Option

August 5, 2012 By admin

Homemade BBQ Grills – The Smart Option

We all love a BBQ, nothing beats it, nice weather (if you’re lucky!) and good food (hopefully). While we all love a good BBQ, many of us settle for a basic store bought BBQ, and neglect all the extra enjoyment and satisfaction that can be derived from building your own BBQ grill. If you only occasionally fire up the BBQ, you may not think building your own is worth the effort, so be it. But if you’re a BBQ enthusiast and take every opportunity to break out the charcoal, what could be better than enjoying food you’ve cooked on your own handmade grill?

More people are coming around to this ‘do it yourself’ mentality, with money being that little bit tighter for most of us these days, building your own and recycling otherwise unused materials makes more and more sense, no matter what it is you’re considering buying or making.

Building your own grill, has a lot of benefits, as I mentioned it’s obviously cheaper. Don’t be put of by thinking it’s difficult or that your have to be a skilled tradesman to pull it off, it can be a simple or as complicated as you make it. The other major benefit of building your own grill is that you decide just how you want to build it. Sure you can follow step by step guides, but once you get the basic principle you can build whatever you fancy!

Your standard homemade BBQ grill usually starts of with an old cylindrical vessel of some description, an old beer keg can make for a really nice, smart looking little grill, however for extra grill space and versatility an old 55 gallon oil drum is commonly used.

The 55 gallon oil drum is fantastic, they’re easy to get your hands on an have a million and one uses, a recyclers dream! With a few simple tools, the humble oil drum can be easily turned into a large BBQ grill that’s both tough and rugged but can clean up very nicely.

Click through for more info on How To Build A Grill Out Of A 55 Gallon Drum, as well as links to free step by step guides and plans.

Homemade BBQ Grills – The Smart Option

Homemade BBQ Grills - The Smart Option

Jon Farrell is an Engineer by profession, whose real passion lies with the humble BBQ, and in particular the design and construction of homemade BBQ grills, roasters and smokers. For more info on the 55 gallon drum BBQ grill, as well as links to Jon’s free guides and plans, check out http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-build-a-grill-out-of-a-55-gallon-drum-101

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Car Care and SMART Repair Information For Vehicle Owners

August 2, 2012 By admin

Car Care and SMART Repair Information For Vehicle Owners

Every car owner should know the basic of car care for vehicle owners to keep the car in good condition, reduce maintenance costs, and minimize the risk of accidents. There are hundreds of parts in a car and each possesses its own peculiar maintenance needs. The engine, carburetor, tires, bodywork, electrical systems, and lighting components are the major areas that need regular maintenance. However, the car owner would not be able to attend to them all of them individually. An expert service mechanic would be required to keep the car in good condition. Still, each car owner could look at a few basic maintenance works that could be easily done without the assistance of a car service engineer. Apart from these precautions, one aspect of car maintenance that is crucial is known as smart repair. This should never be ignored by any car owner.

Smart Repairs

SMART is the acronym for Small to Medium Area Repair Technology. This technology is specially designed to rectify scratched, chipped, and dented paintwork in the car body or plastics, and to correct scuffed alloys and scuffed bumpers. Even dent repairs, mirror casing repairs, bumper repairs, alloy wheel repairs, vandal scratch repairs, windscreen repairs, leather seat repairs, upholstery repairs, and interior trim repairs are generally included in Smart repairs.

If you find minor scratched paintwork or vandal scratch defects on your car, you would be able to rectify it without taking your car to a service station, but only if the paintwork has not been broken. This should only be attempted by individuals with a sound knowledge of vehicle paintwork, as it is very easy to make the damage even worse and could lead to further costs. You should obtain a scratch/swirl remover. Then you should use a 100% soft cotton cloth for buffing the scratched area with the scratch/swirl remover. After buffing the area, you should use a car wax to wax the area for added protection. You should be careful to use only a 100% soft cotton cloth or a microfiber towel. Other cloth materials would scratch the paint even more. The cloth or the towel should be clean and dry. The buffing should be done only under shade. Direct sunlight should be avoided. The waxed and polished layers would be removed if you use a washing detergent for cleaning the car.

Bumper Repairs

The car bumper is a crucial safety part in your car. It is the bumper that protects the car and the inmates to some extent when a collision occurs. The bumper could also be damaged when it scrapes against walls, trees, and other abrasive surfaces. Since majority of bumpers are made of plastic nowadays, they scratch quite easily. The bumper would not only look ugly but the resale value of the car would also be reduced. A full-fledged vehicle bodyshop might charge you too much for minor bumper repairs. On the other hand, you would be able to find several smart repair companies that would be quite reasonable priced in comparison. You should also check up whether painting is also needed along with the bumper repair, this could be done at the same time by a professional.

Dent Repairs

Dent is a common occurrence for any car. Certain dents could be fixed by you at your home; while certain others would require a full bodywork repair. If the dent is quite small, you need not approach a full body shop. You should obtain the services of a dent repair specialist.

These repairs are relatively quick for a professional to carry out, and can be done easily at your home or place of work. This type of repair is non invasive and usually does not require any painting after the repair.

Windscreen Repairs

Windscreen repairs are not something that you could do at home. It is the job of a professional. Normally, any chipping or cracking in the windscreen for less than 10 cm long could be rectified by a windscreen specialist. If the chip or the crack is more than 10 cm, then the windscreen should be completely replaced. As an immediate measure, you could use a transparent tape to cover the chip or the crack for keeping the dirt out, until you call a mobile windscreen repair specialist. Smaller chips or cracks are repaired by the technicians with resin injections.

Alloy Wheel Repairs

Alloy Wheel damage is a common problem, today most vehicles on the road come with alloy wheels as standard, or if not have had sometimes very expensive aftermarket alloy wheels fitted. Rather than replacing the wheel because of damage to either the rim or the spokes, you may decide to use the services of a mobile alloy wheel repairer in your area. Many general Smart Repairs companies also do alloy wheels or you could arrange for a company that specializes in wheel repairs to come out to you to do the repair at your home or place of work for convenience. Always ensure whoever you use, finishes the wheel with quality finishes and a 2K lacquer as this will leave a tough and durable, long lasting finish. The other most important factor is that the re-finished wheel is an exact match to the rest of the wheels on your vehicle.

Leather Seat Repairs

Leather Seat damage, i.e. wear to the side bolsters, base or minor cracking can be professionally repaired by smart repair technicians. Any damage to the leather seat is repaired first, even cigarette burn damage or small splits or tears can be repaired, and then a texture or grain to match the leather on your vehicle is added and last but by no means least the repaired area is colored or dyed to match your seats. More and more companies nowadays are using a spectrometer to ensure an exact color match is achieved. A well carried out leather seat repair will be backed up by a lifetime guarantee, and is seen a permanent repair and shouldn’t fade or discolor if done well. This type of repair can also be carried out at your home or place of work.

Car Care and SMART Repair Information For Vehicle Owners

At SmartRepairs.co.uk we aim to spread the message of the SMART Repair industry to individuals who have not heard of this relatively new motor industry phenomenon, it has the tools available for companies within this field to advertise their business and connect with each other to learn any new information which may be useful to them.

Andrew J Macguffie

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I Hear Voices…
This is not a statement of paranormal; it is a statement of truth. Yes, we all have an inner voice…Is yours an ally or an enemy? Do you realize you say things to yourself you would never let anyone else say to you? Don’t let your inner voice tear you down and strip away your confidence.
All outward success first starts with inward success…learn the secret strategies to winning communication with your self.

“Men ought to know that from the brain and from the brain only, arise our pleasures, joys, laughter and sorrows. …Through it, we think, see, hear and distinguish the ugly from the beautiful, the bad from the good, the pleasant from the unpleasant…To consciousness, the brain is messenger.” -Hippocrates

Did you know that each day you have more than 50,000 random thoughts flying around in your head? You might find it interesting to note that we all have voices in our head. Sometimes the voice is calm and reassuring providing you with great confidence in your abilities. Other times, this voice is the negative and self limiting voice that calls into question all of your deficiencies. The voice that brings up all of the past failures and shortcomings and reminds you of all of the things you have going against you.
In sports, this voice is the last thing you hear before you take action. In interaction with others, it is sometimes the voice that challenges your worth in relation to others and weakens our own esteem.
Although we are born with this amazing supercomputer, the most complex and incredible instrument known in the universe, it does not come with an owner’s manual.

Success principles are not secrets; they are hiding in plain view.

Famed journalist, Edward R. Murrow remarked, “The obscure we eventually see. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer.” They are not reserved for the rich or famous, but to everyone who will apply them. We are inborn by our creator with tools to guide us and protect us and to open the world of abundance to us; if only we will let it.
Like understanding the law of gravity will place you on your bottom if you violate it, principles of success are laws of nature. Every idea you produce consciously produces subconscious activity to fulfill what was first created in your mind.
A farmer choosing what to plant in a field is like the conscious mind. The field itself is the subconscious mind. Whatever the farmer plants, the field grows. The field does not possess a will of its own; it must grow what was planted. It would be ridiculous to think of the farmer planting corn and having beans grow. In the same way your subconscious mind will carry out the actions our conscious mind directs. If the farmer neglects the field and plants nothing, there will still be growth. The growth will be wild and weedy based on whatever was accidentally planted.
Over time the field will be out of control with weeds. In the same way our minds, if not consciously directed, will fill with mental weeds.
There is good news!
The good news is that just like any other skill, you can learn to take greater control of your inner voice and in doing so, create greater control of your life.
“The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.” -William James

Create Your Destiny
with the
Power Of
Questions and Affirmations

The Power of Positive Questions
Most people ask themselves the wrong question which produces a negative subconscious effect. You can learn to program your super computer brain by learning to ask yourself the right questions. The key is to ask yourself solution-based, positive and empowering questions rather than negative, disempowered, problematic questions.
In the past, you may have asked questions like the following. “Why am I so fat?” “Why is my life such a failure?” “Why do bad things always happen to me?” “Why am I so stupid?” These questions and all the ones like it take a terrible toll on you.
First they start with a negative assumption, stated as fact with the question supporting the wrong conclusion. If you ask yourself, “Why is my life in the crapper?” any answer you give provides support to the negative assumption. This can be compared to an attorney taking a witness from the opposing side down the path to prove the lawyer’s point.
Next time you find yourself doing this, interrupt yourself with the quip, “Objection your Honor; leading the witness!”
Improving your condition comes through asking yourself better questions. This allows the creative inspiration to work through our subconscious to bring about the conditions or magnetize the conditions we seek.
You not only have the ability, but also all the resources necessary to learn anything you need to learn to fulfill any ambition or achieve any goal you desire. The goal for your questions to yourself in any situation should be outcome or solution based. The assumption is that there is an issue that needs to be fixed. Rather than what was presented above, look at an approach leading to an action conclusion. “What do I need to change about my habits to get to my fitness goal?” “What do I want to do with my life that gives me meaning and satisfaction?” “What do I need to do differently to change this string of results?” “What can I learn and apply from this?” “What is affecting my mood that makes me feel my life is not going the right direction?”
Tony Robbins asserts, “Questions provide the key to unlocking our unlimited potential.” Probably the single best question you can begin to ask yourself in any situation is, “What outcome do I want from this event/situation?”
You may certainly wish to adapt this slightly, but when you go into a situation, whether it is a business meeting or negotiation or class, knowing your desired outcome is vital. As I began to work on this habit in earnest for myself, I was simply amazed at how many actions I took and how many activities I worked on without asking this clearly up front? I need to research a better mortgage for my house. What is my ideal outcome? Is it lower payments, less interest over time, more house for my money, flexibility? Without knowing the right question, the answers don’t help much. What outcome do I desire for my relationship with my spouse and children? Do I know and plan or just let it happen?
We have the power through understanding and training of our subconscious minds to plant the seeds and affirm health, security, happiness, abundance. We also have the opportunity to allow society’s programming to plant the seeds of lack, insecurity, fear, doubt, and negativity. I am not speaking about deep hypnosis or anything out of the ordinary.
It takes practice to keep your mind free from worry and insecurity. It takes dedication to constantly feed your mind new information and positive stimuli that will provide positive associations. It takes vigilance to associate with positive people and positive influences. Make sure your questions ask for what you want, not what you don’t want.
Remember…your mind is a supercomputer. In addition to the information and educational programming you provide as input to your computer, how you talk to yourself and the questions you ask is the most influential factor in your outcome.
The Simple Power of Affirmations
We need to find a way to control our thoughts to keep them as allies rather than adversaries. In her book, The Secret Door To Success, the late Florence Scovel Shinn talks about having a Watchman at the gate of our thoughts. Her assertion is that we have the power to choose our thoughts. She uses an analogy of a single sheep dog controlling frightened sheep into the pen through gentle determination.
“We cannot always control our thoughts, but we can control our words, and repetition impresses the subconscious, and we are then master of the situation.”
Although her book was written in the early 1900s, she hits upon a tool that is one of the best and yet underutilized tool for controlling and programming your thoughts, the power of affirmation.
Affirmation as a mental programming technique is an extremely powerful tool, yet one that is scoffed at by many. Affirmations are tremendously misunderstood and very much underutilized. What you may not realize is that you use them all the time although most time not to your benefit. Affirmations are simply statements of intent. You can develop into all that you desire to be based on what you chose to affirm about yourself.
I Am The Greatest!!
Mohammad Ali is one of the most widely known and recognized sports figures as a former heavyweight boxing champion of the world. Ali is famous for his repeating of an affirmation he used with great effectiveness to convince not only himself, but also his opponents and the rest of the world. “I am the Greatest!” Mohammad Ali’s affirmation created his legacy.
Like goals, affirmations work best when they are worded in the present tense as “I am” or “I achieve” type statements. The mind cannot hold a negative. Affirmations are nothing more than affirming the truth as you wish it to be to instruct your subconscious mind to take action in that direction. It is really very simple.
Affirmations help you believe in your dreams and what you wish to be. Belief is essential to convincing your subconscious to act the direction you want to go. Affirmations are like exercise. You will not see immediate results until you create the habit which over time helps you build strength in yourself and in your beliefs. This ultimately affects your actions which affect your results.
An affirmation in some cases might be a lie at present, but you are in a sense trying to convince your subconscious that it can be true to make it a reality in the future.

“To affirm anything is to state that it is so, and to maintain this as being true in the face of all evidence to the contrary. Repeating an affirmation is leading the mind to that state of consciousness where it accepts that which it wishes to believe.”-Ernest Holmes

Sometimes we inadvertently affirm and reinforce old established beliefs. “I am so stupid.” “I’m going to lose this account.” “I always flub this shot.” “There is no way I can make this deadline.” “I gain weight just smelling chocolate.” “I need a drink.” “I am a horrible golfer.” I can’t speak in public.” “I could never write a book.” “I am such a klutz.” “I never win.” “I’m not smart enough to do that.” “I could never do something like that.” “I am such an idiot sometimes.” “I would lose my head if it were not attached.”
Have you ever said things like this to yourself; or worse to others about yourself? Of course you have…we all have done this. This kind of talk while sometimes self effacing and done for positive effect, can actually have negative consequences. If taken to extreme and developed into a habit or pattern of self talk, the message and programming can be damaging. The issue that separates people is their underlying attitudes and beliefs about themselves. How do you respond to setbacks and adversity? Do you take it in stride, or do you take the glum and negative approach of “this always happens to me, I never catch a break, etc.”
The other choice is to create and affirm and reinforce our desired positive beliefs. This happens all day long, moment by moment, and takes hold a little at a time. “This is easy.” “I only eat when I am hungry.” “I feel great when I exercise.” “I know I can drop the pounds when I put my mind to it.” “What an awesome day!” “I don’t run and hide from problems, I attack.” “I feel great!” “My life is really working.” “I see a lot of opportunities in this situation.”
I have one friend who repeats to herself daily an affirmation of, “I feel healthy, I feel happy, I feel terrific!” Every time I see this person, I can tell it is real, applied and working in her life. Another friend of mine, when asked how she is, replies glumly sounding like the always depressed Eyore from Winnie The Pooh, “I’m here.”
You make the call which one is progressing faster in their lives. Can you guess which one has more abundant opportunities “luckily” come her way?
The Art (and Science) of Affirmations
When you learn to change and direct your thoughts and your internal communication your life will reflect the change (law of correspondence). Creating affirmations can change your beliefs and change the course of your life. For affirmations and autosuggestion to be effective it needs to have the following six elements. In order to be effective, your positive declarations should embody most or all of the following characteristics:
Personal (Usually a statement beginning with I)

July 8, 2012 By admin

Positive (The mind cannot hold a picture of a negative)

Present Tense (The time is now)

Short (Easy to remember and easy apply)

Specific (A specific target allows for a specific course of action and most direct route)

Emotionally Intense (This is necessary to break through the clutter of the thousands of thoughts and images that you are bombarded with on a daily basis)

The real goal is to imbed this into the subconscious to allow it to do the yeoman’s work. The only real obstacle is convincing your subconscious that you are serious and committed and that you truly have a burning desire for what you want. Long-term change will only happen when there is congruency between who you think you are and how you act and behave and the choices that we make.

Affirmations are Catalyst for Success

Positive affirmations mixed with emotional intensity produce amazing results. Music is an amazing mood catalyst. To really get the most out of affirmations and create an incredible Incremental Advantage in their effectiveness in your life, I suggest recording your affirmations to inspiring music.

A good friend of mine challenged me to do just this ten years ago. I purchased an inexpensive karaoke machine, put an upbeat instrumental tape in and recorded all of the affirmations I could create to change behaviors and support my goals.

Unless you are willing to step out of your comfort zone and give this a real opportunity to work in your life, you could never know the simply incredible power and way that this mental programming technique can work in your life. I literally wore my first tape out listening to it, but it created significant leverage and results for me. I know the vast majority reading this will not make the commitment to this habit. It is a shame, but for those of you who do, I promise your results in every area of your life will improve as your internal communication improves. I constantly look for, borrow, adapt and write down affirmations. I cannot claim originality for all of them as they have been collected and changed over the years.

I turn challenges into opportunities.

I eliminate debt as dead weight and a YOKE around my neck. I will only be as free as I am free from debt.

I am a leader and a developer of people!

I am calm and composed under pressure.

Stress makes me stonger.

I utilize my strengths and abilities to benefit everyone I come into contact with.

I actively pursue excellence in myself and others.

I get up at 5:00 every morning feeling energized and ready to take on the day.

I face my fears and conquer them.

I am empowered by the energy that I feel and that flows through me.

My daily routines are positive and improving.

I always increase my value to other people.

I am flexible and adaptable in every situation. I look for creative alternatives and seek out new ways of accomplishing my goals.

I have money in savings and a balanced plan for security and income growth.

I see people, not as they are, but rather for what they can be.

I am a strong, motivated and extremely dedicated leader.

I am a great leader and achieve my victories thru the victories of those I serve.

I choose to spend my time with positive and forward thinking life affirming people.

I am persistent in the pursuit of my goals.

Solutions and alternative ideas come easy for me.

I take time each day to play and to enjoy my family.

I am an excellent role model for others.

I forget the mistakes of the past and press on to my greatest achievement.

“What a man thinks of himself that is what determines, or rather indicates his fate.”

“I have learned this at least by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

-Henry David Thoreau

________________________________________

Excerpted from Stack The Logs!

by Frank F. Lunn

for information about “Building a Success Framework to Reach Your Dreams,” other valuable success resources or to purchase your copy, please visit www.stackthelogs.com or email tim@kahunaworld.com.

About The Author

Frank F. Lunn is an expert in leadership, marketing, and small business entrepreneurship. A former military officer and Gulf War veteran, Lunn is the founder of the Kahuna Business Group, a $20 million annual company. Lunn is the author of STACK THE LOGS!: Building a Success Framework to Reach Your Dreams, pledging to donate 10 percent of all sales to St. Jude Children?s Research Hospital, where his son?s life was saved.

tim@kahunaworld.com

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characteristicsppPersonal, Children, Chocolate, Choice, Choose, Choosing, Chose, Class, clearly, Comes, Communication, Compared, Completely, complex, Computer, conclusion, Condition, Conditions, confidence, confidenceppAll, Conscious, Consciously, Consciousness, Consequences, constantly, contrary, Control, Controlling, CONVINCE, convincing, correspondence, Could, Course, crapper, Create, Created, Creating, Creative, creator, Daily, Damaging, deadline, declarations, dedication, deficiencies, depressed, Desire, desired, Destinyppwith, determinationppWe, Develop, developed, Differently, Direct, Directed, direction, directionppTony, directs, Discovery, disempowered, Distinguish, Doing, Doubt, Dreams, Drink, Early, earnest, Educational, Edward, effacing, Effect, Effective, Effectiveness, Elements, embody, empowering, enemy, Enough, Essential, Established, esteemppAlthough, etcppThe, eventsituationppYou, eventually, Every, Everyone, Evidence, Exercise, Extreme, Extremely, Eyore, Factor, Failure, Failures, Famous, farmer, Faster, Field, Figures, First, Fitness, Fixed, flexibility, Florence, Flying, Following, Former, Friend, frightened, Front, fulfill, futureppppTo, Generation, gentle, Gives, glumly, Goals, Going, golfer, gravity, Great, Greater, Greatest, GreatestppMohammad, Grows, Growth, guess, Guide, Habit, Habits, happen, happenppWe, Happens, Happiness, Happy, havewe, Having, Health, Healthy, heavyweight, Helps, hereppYou, herself, hiding, himself, HippocratesppppDid, HolmesppppSometimes, honor, horrible, House, Human, hungry, Hypnosis, Ideal, idiot, immediate, impresses, inadvertently, inborn, Incredible, Influences, influential, Information, Inner, input, insecurity, Inspiration, instruct, instrument, Intent, Interaction, Interest, Interesting, Internal, interrupt, inward, Issue, itppLike, Itself, JamesppppCreate, Journalist, klutz, Knowing, Known, laughter, Lawyers, leading, Learn, Learning, legacyppLike, lifeppThe, limiting, Little, Lives, longer, Lower, Luckily, magnetize, Maintain, Makes, manualppppSuccess, Master, Meaning, Meeting, mental, Message, messenger, Might, mindppA, minds, misunderstood, Mohammad, Moment, Money, Mortgage, Murrow, Myself, Nature, Necessary, Needs, Negative, negativity, neglects, negotiation, Never, newsppThe, Nothing, Objection, obscure, obvious, OfppQuestions, opponents, Opportunities, Opportunity, opposing, Order, ordinaryppIt, Other, Others, ought, outcome, outcomeppThe, outward, Owners, paranormal, Pattern, Payments, People, Person, Place, Plain, plant, planted, plantedppOver, Planting, Plants, pleasant, Pleasures, pointppNext, Positive, Possess, Potential, pounds, Power, Powerful, Practice, Present, presented, Principles, Probably, problematic, Problems, produce, produces, Program, programming, progressing, Protect, Prove, Provide, provides, Providing, Public, Question, Questions, questionsppIn, QuestionsppMost, random, rather, Reality, realize, Really, reassuring, recognized, Reflect, reinforce, relation, Relationship, remarked, reminds, repeating, repeats, repetition, replies, Research, reserved, Resources, Respond, Results, resultsppAn, ridiculous, Right, Robbins, Satisfaction, Science, scoffed, Scovel, Secret, Secrets, Security, seeds, seekppYou, seems, selfppppMen, Sense, separates, setbacks, sheep, Shinn, shortcomings, Should, Simple, simpleppAffirmations, Simply, Single, Situation, situationppAlthough, situationppI, Skill, slightly, Smart, smelling, societys, Solution, solutionbased, Something, Sometimes, sorrows, sounding, Speak, Speaking, Sports, Spouse, Start, Starts, State, Stated, Statement, statements, Still, stimuli, Strategies, Strength, stride, String, strip, Stupid, subconscious, Success, successlearn, Super, supercomputer, Support, Supporting, Taken, Takes, Taking, Talks, Technique, tense, terrible, terrific, Their, Themselves, theppPower, There, These, Thing, Things, Think, Thoughts, Through, Times, Tools, Training, tremendously, Truth, Trying, Ultimately, underlying, Understanding, underutilized, Universe, Unlimited, Unlocking, unpleasantTo, Until, Usually, viewppppFamed, vigilance, violate, Vital, Voice, voiceIs, voices, VoicesppThis, wantppRememberyour, Watchman, wayppThe, weakens, weeds, weedsppThere, weedy, Weight, whatever, Where, Whether, Which, While, widely, William, Winnie, Winning, Wishes, Without, witness, witnessppImproving, worded, Words, worked, Working, World, Worry, worse, Worth, Would, Write, Written, Wrong, youppFirst, youppIn, Yours, Yourself, yourselfppI

How to Gamble Smart For Winning in Online Casino Gambling

July 1, 2012 By admin

How to Gamble Smart For Winning in Online Casino Gambling

To enjoy online gambling and win on the internet, the players need to have some basic knowledge of selection of gambling sites, make a smart deposit, play with your favorite games, etc. The article will introduce you what you should know to bet or gamble effectively on the internet and play casino games with fun and seek the chance to win online gaming or progressive jackpots.

The article will tell you how to gamble or bet online wisely based on the skills you have on casino games like blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat, video poker, slots, poker, and other casino games.

Find an online casino for your internet gambling

It is important to find a right gambling casino to play casino games. What need to consider are 3D graphics, real casino-look environment, sounds, type of games, etc. The most popular quality softwares are developed by Microgaming, PlayTech, and so on. Security and help is also important.

Choose your favorite games to play

The skill is fatal to win casino gaming. From this point, you should always choose one of the favorite games to play.

Check the odds of the games

The high odds will let you win more when you have a chance. So playing the games with high odds is a good option.

Check the special offers of casinos to get more casino bonuses for your deposits

This will bring you more chips with the same amount of money deposit. You can play longer than the time you can play with the normal purchased chips.

Bet on the bets you can offer

It is a good habit to schedule your playing time and betting bets based on your budget. Time flys and chips (or points) decrease with the pulling or clicking. You will not have fun when you loose too much in just one go or few bettings.

Practicing will help you win gambling online

By more practicing, you will become more skilled in playing the games. This will also give you an idea of when you should bet more to win more money.

Relax yourself before and when you go to gamble

Relaxing means you are not in a hurry, you are clear what your action is, and you can control yourself.

The most popular games played by online gamblers are slots (5-reel, 3-reel slot machines), blackjack, roulette, video poker and video slots. By visiting USA Online Casino, you will find all information about online gambling: best free casino games, high free deposit bonus offers, payout summaries of online casinos, poker rooms, bingo halls, and sports betting sites, which accept US gamblers (deposit from the United States of America). You can also read some guide and tips about internet gambling. We hope you enjoy online gaming at the sites to satisfy yourself.

Here we have shown you how to win casino gambling on the internet. They include choosing the best online casino, practicing and playing your favorite games, relaxing yourself before and when your are gambling, depositing wisely to get more bonus chips, always bet that you can offer. Good luck!

How to Gamble Smart For Winning in Online Casino Gambling

The USA Online Casino is the place for those who want to find quality internet gambling sites.

Content About : How to Gamble Smart For Winning in Online Casino Gambling Article

Filed Under: Casino Gambling Tagged With: Casino, Gamble, Gambling, Online, Smart, Winning

T-Mobile MyTouch Phone – Choice of First Time Smart Phone Buyers

June 30, 2012 By admin

T-Mobile MyTouch Phone – Choice of First Time Smart Phone Buyers

There are numerous types of cell phones available in the market which offers different interesting features. Nowadays, buyers are fascinated with T-mobile MyTouch phone and they are ready to purchase these impressive handsets. The list of features includes all latest capabilities such as whole QWERTY system, android operating system and MyTouch Music functionality. Due to its high quality features, this handset becomes more users friendly and it also provides various additional applications which helps to boost the performance of this handset. Its 3G speed as well as its clear call quality is the most impressive features of this cell phone. For best quality pictures it includes 3G slide’s camera. The Faves gallery of T-mobile MyTouch phone always displays huge amount of current information. This is the only handset which has android system and this system is made up of HTC Evo 4G, the Motorola Droid and HTC Droid Incredible. It comes with other midrange of features to fulfill the needs of buyers. The call quality of this phone is immensely good and it has stern physical keyboard. Weight of this model is around 5.8oz with capacitive display size. This rock solid model is quite sturdy and has bright screen in addition to the light sensor. On the right side of the screen, QWERTY keyboard is fixed which reduces all types of typing errors. This t-mobile MyTouch phone has smoothest sliding mechanism as compared to all other current handsets. On the screen, another Swype keyboard is also available in portrait and landscape mode.

If you will read cell phone reviews of Palm Pixi, then only you will understand more about its quality. The range of Palm Pixi comes with extraordinary slim design, enhanced QWERTY keyboard and advanced operating system. To boost the performance of this cell phone, it includes Yahoo integration system. The list of its features includes GPS, Bluetooth, high quality camera, recording as well as video editing options and 3G supports. The hardware system of this phone is developed of WebOS operating system and tech backyard. To make this phone more impressive among huge number of buyers, manufacturers include various features such as system for contact management system, powerful massaging functionality, and immense multitasking capabilities of GPS and WebOS. While purchasing any cell phone model, most buyers prefer to take help of these cell phone reviews.

This model is best suitable for first time cell phone users as well as for casual buyers. Palm Pixi reviews are help you to select the best handset which offers various interesting functionality. This smartly design phone has soft touch finish at rear end. The set of hardware system is made up of power button which is positioned at the upper portion of this phone and headphone jack. By using an attached cover, the Micro-USB port is cosseted. The camera flash and camera are fixed on the rear end of as usual. Before selecting any model, its better to read any reliable source like Palm Pixi Reviews which offers all the detailed information regarding cell phones of all brands.

T-Mobile MyTouch Phone – Choice of First Time Smart Phone Buyers

T-Mobile MyTouch Phone - Choice of First Time Smart Phone Buyers

Cellphoneshopper.net provides you latest Cell phone reviews, like Palm Pixi review news and information on phones like HP iPAQ glisten AT&T from Nokia, Samsung, Motorola and many more mobile manufacturers.

Content About : T-Mobile MyTouch Phone – Choice of First Time Smart Phone Buyers Article

Filed Under: Mobile Cell Phone Reviews Tagged With: Buyers, Choice, First, MyTouch, Phone, Smart, TMobile

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How to Gamble Smart For Winning in Online Casino Gambling

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T-Mobile MyTouch Phone – Choice of First Time Smart Phone Buyers

T-Mobile MyTouch Phone – Choice of First Time Smart Phone Buyers

T-Mobile MyTouch Phone – Choice of First Time Smart Phone Buyers

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