Think Yourself Well - Scientific Evidence for the Power of Visualisation

A 2008 study at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak demonstrated the power of visualisation for the treatment of interstitial cystitis. Fifteen women visualised for 25 minutes, twice a day, for a total of 8 weeks, where they pictured healing the bladder, relaxing the pelvic-floor muscles and quietening the nerves involved. Fifteen women in a control group rested during these times so that the scientists could compare visualisation vs. non-visualisation.

After the 8 weeks, the women who visualised had significantly reduced symptoms and pain than those who didn't.

A 2008 study published in the Journal for the Society of Integrative Oncology demonstrated that visualisation reduced the risk of reoccurrence of breast cancer. The study involved 34 women who participated in an 8-week imagery program. It found that the women who visualised had reduced stress and improved quality of life. It also found that cortisol rhythm, which is an indicator of the probability of the reoccurrence of cancer, was improved and thus the likelihood of cancer returning was reduced.

Visualisation even affects wound healing, which was shown in a 2007 study at Southeastern Louisiana University School of Nursing, involving 24 patients undergoing surgery to remove their gallbladders. The study found that, not only did visualisation reduce levels of anxiety and stress hormone levels but those who used it had much lower levels of surgical wound erythema, which is redness around a wound that's usually associated with infection or inflammation. In effect, visualisation speeds up the healing of our wounds.

These 3 studies, and many more, can also be found in my new book, 'How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body', which is published by Hay House UK on 27 th November 2008.

It's the Thought That Counts: Why Mind Over Matter Really Works

This article is Copyright © 2008 by David R. Hamilton Ph.D.
It has been left entirely unedited for this Blog.

The Science of Mind Over Matter

Imagine that scientists discovered a new drug that could cure or improve the symptoms of most known diseases. Just one pill! Wouldn't it make headline news all around the world, and become the greatest selling drug of all time?

Such a thing already exists. Let me introduce to you - The Placebo!

" The placebo effect has evolved from being thought of as a nuisance in clinical pharmacological research to a biological phenomenon worthy of scientific investigation in its own right. "

These are the words of Professor Fabrizio Benedetti, a neuroscience professor at the University of Turin School of Medicine, a world authority on the placebo effect, and member of the 'Placebo Study Group' of the Mind/Brain/Behaviour initiative at Harvard University.

A placebo is a dummy drug that is made to look just like a real drug. It is used in medical trials so that the drug can be tested against a control. Being a control, it is not supposed to heal but it does, because patients believe that it's a real drug. Their mind heals them.

For years the cures were dismissed as 'just placebo' but new evidence has conclusively proven that there is no such thing as 'just' placebo. When you think you are receiving a medicine, you change the structure of your brain on a microscopic level and chemicals are released in several different areas.

For instance, a recent study into Parkinson's disease saw patients given an antiparkinson's drug (apomorphine). MRI brain scans then showed dopamine released in an area of the brain known as the striatum. When patients were given a placebo instead, there was also release of dopamine in the striatum. The brain didn't seem to know the difference between actually getting apomorphine and just believing that the drug was apomorphine.

Much of the effect of many modern drugs is due to the placebo effect. Of course, drugs work in their own right. When I was a scientist in the pharmaceutical industry I worked with them. They work in test tubes. But a test tube doesn't have a mind. When you give a drug to an actual person, their thoughts about the drug become important. If they think the drug will work, it is likely to. If they think that it won't, then it won't work as well.

This is often influenced by what a doctor tells them. Studies have shown that if a doctor is enthusiastic about a treatment then it works much better than if they have their doubts.

In a 1954 study, for instance, patients with bleeding ulcers were given water injections but told either that the injections would cure them, or that they were being given experimental injections of undetermined effectiveness. Of the patients who were told that the injections would cure them, 70% showed excellent improvement, but of the group who were told that it was an experimental injection, only 25% improved.

In another study, some patients were given a positive consultation (for minor ailments) along the lines of, "you will be better soon," and some were given a negative consultation, along the lines of, "I'm not sure what's wrong with you." After 2 weeks, 64% of those who received a positive consultation were better but only 39% of those who received the negative one were better.

So some of the effects of drugs are caused by our belief in the doctor or our belief in the drug. Recent analysis of the bestselling antidepressants on the market revealed that the placebo effect accounts for 81% of their effectiveness.

It was a meta-analysis (summary of a number of scientific studies) of Fluoxetine (Prozac), Venlafaxine (Effexor), Nefazodone (Serzone), and Paroxetine (Seroxat), covering 35 clinical trials involving 5,133 patients.

But as I've pointed out, this doesn't mean that the drugs don't work. It really just means that, for depression, the placebo effect is very high. With heart medicines, there is also a very high placebo effect. A number of heart medicines have a placebo effect around 60-70%. The drugs work, but so do our thoughts about the drugs. So great power to heal lies within us, we just need to believe it.

And it's not just thoughts around whether we are receiving a medicine or not that affect us. Every thought, regardless what it is a thought of, causes changes in the brain and releases chemicals throughout it.

This is how paralysed people are able to walk down a virtual reality street or move a cursor on a computer screen by thought alone, as recent news reports have described. These things are possible because a thought to move, say, a foot causes electrical activity in the 'foot' part of the brain. Implants measure the electrical activity (as brain waves) coming from the foot part of the brain and send a signal to a computer. The computer then makes a virtual character take a step.

In a similar way, paralysed people can make a cursor go left or right, up or down, on a computer screen and point to certain letter so that they can type e-mails with their thoughts. Sounds like science fiction, but it is science fact and it all relies on the simple fact that thoughts change the brain. In other words, that the mind affects the body.

These recent advances, as the forefront of science, are sure to lay to rest, once and for all, any scepticism that exists around whether mind affects body.

How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body

This article is Copyright © 2008 by David R. Hamilton Ph.D.
It has been left Unedited for this Blog.

A Calm Mind Accelerates the Healing of a Wound.....Stress slows it down

Scientists at Ohio State University, Ronald Glaser and Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, created small blisters on the skin of volunteers who were married to each other. First they asked the married couples to discuss a neutral topic, then the scientists monitored the levels of a protein that is produced during wound healing over the next 3 weeks.

Then they asked them to discuss something that they disagreed upon; that would create stress in them both. Again, the scientists monitored the levels of the wound-healing protein.

Astonishingly, the levels of the wound-healing protein were lower when the couples had disagreed - when they had been stressed.

The effects of calm and stress work at the genetic level. For the wound-healing proteins to be made in the body, a gene must be switched on. So calm and stress affect the switching on or off of genes on our DNA. Most states of mind have genetic effects, and studies in epigenetics have shown that prolonged emotional states have genetic effects that can be passed on to the next generation.

My personal philosophy is that if I strive to be the best person I can; that is, the most kind, caring, understanding, and tolerant then any positive genetic effects that come from these prolonged states in me might be passed on to my children. And don’t worry if you are not in the place right now where you can focus in this way. I have had prolonged times in my past when I’ve been depressed and it’s just been so hard. I believe that we are constantly re-writing parts of our genetic code, in terms of which genes are switched on and off. And so any biological effects at that time will now be over-written. All things eventually change. You have plenty of time!

And the effects on the next generation are not going to determine their destiny. Epigenetic effects act more like a gentle wind. Their own free will, and choices in how to live their lives, are the overwhelming authors of their own genetic evolution.

How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body

This article is Copyright © 2010 by David R. Hamilton Ph.D.
Only Title has been Edited for this Blog.

Destiny, Free Will and Attraction

As well as giving us heat and light, the Sun periodically sends out bursts of radiation towards the Earth that bounce off our atmosphere and cause magnetic storms. And some alignments of planets can affect these bursts. For instance, Venus, Earth, Jupiter and Saturn almost in a straight line with the Sun causes them.

And the bursts affect us. Scientists have shown that they can affect the rhythms of the heart and even the release of melatonin from the pineal gland.

Even though this isn't classic astrology it goes some way to lending it credibility.

And the positions of the planets are predestined. We can count on them aligning in particular ways at particular times so there are real cosmic forces of destiny that act upon us.

There are spiritual forces too.

I believe that our ultimate destiny is to come to know ourselves as All That Is, and so our Soul chooses (although not always) for us to be born into certain conditions where we'll meet certain people, and have certain influences, that will offer us the best opportunity for this.

We always have free will though.

Most people nowadays have heard of the Law of Attraction; that we attract what we focus upon. By holding the image or intent of what we want in our mind we can attract it into our lives. And at those times when 'stuff just happens' it is sometimes the forces of destiny calling.

I use an analogy of life as like sitting in a canoe on a big wide river. Free will is our paddle. As we use the Law of Attraction we paddle our canoe where we want to take it. Forces of destiny act like winds, sometimes gentle and sometimes forceful, which blow our canoe left and right, forwards and backwards. Sometimes we're in the flow, and everything is working for us, but sometimes we're trying to attract against a strong wind and it feels like we're not getting the things we want. These are times when we just need to wait out the storm, so to speak.

I believe that humanity has a destiny, but that it's not set in stone. I believe that through our free will we can create the type of world that we choose. If we want a world of peace, sharing, kindness, and love, then we can create it. If you think it will take a miracle, then I invite you, today, to Be the miracle.

It's the Thought That Counts: Why Mind Over Matter Really Works

This article is Copyright © 2008 by David R. Hamilton Ph.D.
It has not been Edited for this Blog Post.

Dissolving Sexual Worker Dependence

~"Every Addiction arises from an unconscious refusal to face and move through Your Own pain. Whatever the substance you are addicted to - alcohol,food, legal or illegal drugs, People or Sex-You are using Something or Somobody to cover up Your Own pain."~

-Dissolving Sexual Worker Dependence- The Seminar


CASE 1: A 28-year-old homosexual man spent evenings "cruising" local parks, public restrooms for sexual contacts. This activity consumed several hours a day. His primary outlet was sex with multiple anonymous partners. When he learned that the majority of gay men in his city had tested positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), he began to worry constantly about his risk of contracting AIDS. Still, he was unable to change his unsafe sexual practices despite repeated promises to himself to do so.

CASE 2: A 52-year-old married minister had a 10-year history of sexual involvement with female parishioners who came to him for counseling. He experienced marital stress because he was often away from home in the evenings "counseling" rather than spending rime with his family. Overcome by remorse and guilt, he promised to break off with the women. However, he was unable to avoid new involvements. After several women came forward with their stories, the minister was fired, evicted from his church-owned house, and publicly humiliated. He and his wife moved away, where she supported them with her teaching income.

CASE 3: A 32-year-old woman from a rigidly religious family married an alcoholic. After 2 years of marriage, she became involved in what was to be the first of many extramarital affairs. To prevent detection by her husband, she withdrew from him emotionally and neglected the marital relationship. She recognized that she was not spending enough time with her children. Despite feelings of guilt, she did not seek help until she cheated on her new lover.

CASE 4: A 50-year-old married business executive neglected sales calls when out of town and visited massage parlors and prostitutes, despite knowledge that he was risking HIV infection. He was once an effective salesman, but his work performance suffered because of his sexual pursuits. He took alternative routes on trips in an effort to avoid massage parlors, but he was unable to control his urge to visit these establishments. His wife learned about his sexual activities when he was arrested for soliciting sex from an undercover policewoman posing as a prostitute. At that point, his marriage was in jeopardy, his children and friends shocked, and his job future uncertain.

HELP!! IAM ADDICTED TO HOOKERS

I have a serious problem and addiction to hookers. It started out as fun and spending a wild evening with the guys, but now i cant be a day without picking up a hooker and sometimes twice a day. I have been with a whole range of them from the $2000 high class to the $30 street hookers. Its ruining me not only emotionally but financially too. I just love the adventure and adrenaline involved with being with a hooker. Is There any kind of treatment for hooker addiction? Pls Help.

Why would seemingly balanced, rational and reasonable men go to great lengths and risks just for a momentary thrill?

~"Whoso is simple, let him turn and head in her direction, and as for him that lacks understanding, she said to him: 'stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant'. But he does not know that the Dead are there...and that her guests are in the Depths of Hell."~

-Proverb 9:16

When sexual behavior is compulsive and continued despite serious adverse consequences, it is addiction. Sex addicts tend to sexualize other people and situations, finding sexual connotations in the most ordinary incident or remark. They spend great amounts of time and/or money in pursuit of a "quick fix." Any sexual behavior can be part of the addictive cycle: The context of the behavior must be considered to ascertain whether the behavior is compulsive. What is healthy sexual behavior for many people may be unhealthy for others, just as the use of alcohol causes no adverse consequences for most people but severe problems for some.

Sex addicts describe a euphoria with sex similar to that described by drug addicts with drug use. This may be an effect of endorphins and other endogenous brain chemicals, whereas the drug-induced state is externally produced. Milkman and Sunderwirth(6) have classified sexual addiction as an arousal addiction because its effects on the brain are similar to the effects of cocaine, amphetamines, compulsive gambling, and risk-taking behaviors. In contrast, addiction to alcohol, sedatives or hypnotics, and food are considered satiation addictions.

Like alcoholics and other drug addicts, sex addicts behavior engage in distorted thinking, rationalizing, and defending and justifying their behavior while blaming others for resulting problems. They deny having a problem and make excuses for their behavior.

~"It is a stroke of Good fortune to find One who is worth seducing...Most people rush ahead, become engaged or do other stupid things, and in a turn of the hand everything is over, and they know neither what they have won nor what they have lost."

-Soren KierkeGaard

~"They who are happy with What they have and Who they Are...are Not easily Seduced."~
-My Dad

On the basis of a survey of about 600 self-identified sex addicts, Sex addicts usually participate compulsively in more than one type of sexual behavior. For example, they may masturbate compulsively in addition to viewing pornography and patronizing prostitutes. Although some sex addicts are hyper-sexual, seeking sexual intercourse or orgasm several times daily, most are not. For the addict who has affairs, the euphoria may come from the thrill of the chase and conquest rather than £from the sexual experience itself. Many sex addicts report progression of their addiction; that is, they have to take increasing risks or try new sexual behaviors to maintain the same euphoric effect.

Sexual difficulties are common in families of sex addicts. The great majority of sex addicts (82% of almost 900 addicts in Carnes' survey had been sexually abused in childhood). Among the male addicts, 3% were forced to have sex by their fathers and 11% by their mothers. Others (41%) were abused by neighbors, business associates of their parents, or strangers, while 8% were molested by other adults in authority.

In some families, there was no overt incest, but a heightened sense of sexuality was present. Sexually explicit material may have been available, or sexual comments (eg, a father remarking on his daughter's anatomy) were made repeatedly. Privacy in the bathroom and bedroom may have been lacking. - Children who come from families that lack emotional support and nurturing tend to be vulnerable to sexual exploitation. Children who are sexually abused may grow up fearing sex, confusing sex with love, or believing that the only way to relate to others is sexually. Others may be troubled by "repetition compulsion," in which they become perpetrators of sexual abuse.

More than half of sex addicts surveyed come from a rigid, emotionally disengaged family. In such families, discussion of sex may be taboo or sex may be considered disgusting. As a result, children grow up lacking accurate information about sex and believing that sex is powerful and dangerous.

Like chemical dependency, sexual addiction is a family disease. Spouses of sex addicts, or "co-addicts," usually grew up in a dysfunctional family, where they acquired a set of core beliefs that resulted in low self-esteem and difficulty in relationships. They may believe that they are not worthwhile, that no one could love them for themselves, that they can control and are responsible for others, and that sex is the most important sign of love.

Spouses of sex addicts were often sexually abused in childhood and thus have fear or confusion about sex. They tend to be attracted to individuals who are needy, which describes most addicts. Co-addicts usually fear abandonment, often cannot imagine life without their partner, and are willing to accept behaviors that healthier persons may find unacceptable. For example, in a survey of 78 recovering co-addicts, 52 (66%) said that they had participated in sexual activities that they found uncomfortable. These included viewing pornography, swapping sexual partners, and having sex in public places.

~"I do not approach her, I merely skirt the periphery of her Existence...This is the First Web into which she must be spun."~

-Soren KierkeGaard

~"A person will desire any object so long as he is convinced that it is desired by another person whom he admires."~

-Rene Girard

Many coaddicts fear refusing sex; others use sex to control and manipulate. Those whose sexually addicted partner prefers other sexual outlets (eg, compulsive masturbation, hiring of prostitutes) may go for years with out conjugal relations, often at great cost to their emotional well-being. Since the sex addict's primary relationship is with the addiction, the partner justifiably feels unimportant and unloved.

All too often, couples who seek marriage counseling because of sexual problems are advised to add variety to their sexual repertoire or to do more to please each other sexually. Some marriage counselors may not understand that the sexual problems are an addictive pattern, not a marital issue. Often, the co-addict takes responsibility for the marital discord and fruitlessly works at finding a solution, as illustrated in the following case.

Case 5: A 36-year-old woman, the mother of three small children, was raised by a rageful alcoholic father and a dependent mother. She married a man who also had an alcoholic parent. Over the course of their marriage, he had multiple affairs. He denied the most blatant evidence of his philandering until she at times doubted her own sanity. Although she knew he was having sex with other women, she did not dare deny him sex for fear he would leave.

Frightened of confronting her husband and expressing her anger, she had bouts of depression and periods of overeating. During her second pregnancy, she contracted gonorrhea from her husband. Although she felt intense guilt about risking her fetus's health, she continued having sex with her husband. She expressed intense shame when she disclosed her home situation to her physician.

She became progressively obsessed with her husband's infidelity and would drive around town at night, with her three small children, looking for her husband's car. When she found his car-at a girlfriend's house-she would send one of the children to ring the doorbell and ask daddy to come home.Despite her recognition of how hurtful this behavior was to her children, she was unable to stop.

Eventually she sought counseling, joined a self-help group for spouses of sex addicts, and later divorced her husband.

In Life...Creating and Choosing Relationships is commonly done Irresponsibly and Unconsciously, and almost random procedure.

In This Seminar we will remove this Quality of Unconscious randomness, and Discover...Your Real, Until Now unknown, purpose in Being with a Particular person.

There are certain assumptions we have about Men ad Women of which we usually are not aware, and we live as If these assumptions were So True as not to rate conscious Review.
Instead of examining these assumptions...We Live them Out.

You will be shown the Unconscious methods You use to Create a person into Your Life, thereby leaving you with the ability to allow this to be done by Intention rather than by waiting for "It" to Happen..

The Power of Hearing these Items verbalized manifests itself in the freedom to Be how We are, as Women and Men.
Without apology. Without regret.

At the Core of our Lives...the Original Restriction in the Experience of Being Loved, is derived from the primal relationship with Parents.
Through Lecture, Process and Sharing...be Prepared to take the Relationship with parents to its Core.

Break Free from Your Dependence on Sexual Workers.

Take back Your Power to Transform your Reality.

Explore and Embrace Monogamy with a Renewed sense of Purpose.

This program is not for everyone...It may not Be for you, but for someone You Know...

Reach out and have a Conversation...

Choosing a Hypnotherapist to Stop Smoking and Regression Theraphy

Choosing A Hypnotherapist To Stop Smoking

There are still just a Few Hypnotherapists out there,Here in Aruba, so how do you find one that works for you?

When Should I See a Hypnotherapist?

If you are struggling with giving up smoking and feel you need a helping hand, then hypnosis may well help you. If you feel you just need that little bit extra to quit and become free from tobacco, then this could work for you.

Will It Work?
No hypnotherapist can Guarantee you that the session will work! Unfortunately, Hypnosis is not a replacement for the DESIRE to quit smoking. If you are going along looking for the Hypnotherapist to make you stop smoking then save your money.
Hypnosis will only work to supplement your willpower and help you to give up. If you go for hypnosis because you feel you ought to or because your partner/ family are pushing you to, then again, save your money and stay at home.

If you genuinely want to give up smoking and are willing to use some willpower then Hypnosis will more than likely work for you.

Where Can I Find A Hypnotherapist?

There are a number of ways you can do this:
* Contact a professional hypnotherapist body to find some in your area
* Look in the yellow pages
* Look in the local papers
* Ask friends / co workers for personal recommendations (this is the best method)
*You can Contact: G_Thode@yahoo.co.uk

What Can I Expect?
A stop smoking hypnosis session will last anything from an hour to two hours, depending on the therapist.
They will use a variety of different techniques and processes on you.
Usually it will involve entering trance, relaxed and altered states.
This is a simple process where you relax as if you were almost asleep. In Hypnosis you are in control the whole of the time, which is why you have to want the result. No hypnotherapist can make you do anything you don't want to do.

What Will They Charge Me?
The price varies greatly from therapist to therapist. It is probably a good idea to contact a few in your area to determine pricing. In the UK it can be anywhere for £40 to £500(and in the US that same rate is in Dollars $,and in Europe it's in Euro's) and beyond.
However, the price is no indication of quality in this case.
Anyone can charge any figure you want, which is why personal recommendation is always best.

How Will I Know They Are Good For Me?
Most Hypnotherapists will offer you a Free consultation before going for Therapy. Use this to ask questions and to get to know the therapist.
If you are not comfortable with them, then move on and find a different Therapist. Some questions you might want to ask are:
* What success rate have you had in the past?
* What follow up's do you offer?

And anything else you feel you need to know in order to be comfortable proceeding with the therapy.

What Qualifies Them?
There are three types of hypnotherapists:
1. Those who have done a Correspondence Course
2. Those who have solely trained in stopping smoking (sometimes they will have trained in weight control and stress management too)
3. Those who have taken a full training course, including practical experience
If possible, find one that falls into the third category.


No disrespect to the first two...I myself started with several correspondence Courses,and investing $1000's on every book on the Topic I could find, but Hypnosis requires interaction with people, so how can you learn it properly by post? I invested in doing Internships to get that practical experience while combining it with Vacation time.

I was lucky it was so much cheaper for me, being able to stay Free of Charge at many family homes(for weeks on end), because of Contacts I had created while working as a Tour Guide and Narrator for Atlantis Adventures for 8 years.
(The Practical application of Hypnosis in the Art of Tour Guiding is still sadly overlooked!)

As to the second category, sometimes the desire to smoke may be due to other issues in your life and as such, they will not be able to help you with anything else. Often this type of therapist will be inflexible in their approach due to their limited training.

Regression Theraphy

The Object of Regression or Analytical work is to discover the underlying cause of an individual's Symptom Pattern and Satisfactorily resolve the associated internal conflicts.
There are Two distinctly separate, though related, methods of achieving this that may be Employed:

1)Regression to Cause. Which seeks to follow a memory path down to the first time the symptom pattern or associated emotional response(or damage) was experienced, during the Originating Cause. For example; the first time you experienced the Emotion of Fear. Can You remember?
The Conflicts generated may then be worked through so that negative emotions may be released.

2)Free Association, the Freudian method of Analysis.
Here, the object of the therapeutic exercise is the same, but the route is far less direct, taking in a wider area of your Life and usually concentrating on Childhood.

Each system has its own particular strengths and weaknesses and the Professional Therapist should be familiar, practiced, and confident with both.

You can always check the Therapists Qualifications with the appropriate Professional bodies if you are in any doubt. Remember though that personal recommendation is the best possible way forwards with Hypnosis.

Finding Your Ideal Career

In the current climate, many people are looking away from the traditional job market towards working for themselves. The massive redundancies and job-insecurity has caused many people to radically rethink their career plans. With the ever rising cost of living, many would be happy just earning extra money to support their family and to pay the bills.

In this article, you will discover what you really enjoy in life and how to turn it into a money making opportunity, and perhaps even a full-time career. Your only limitations are those you impose upon yourself! At the very least, what you learn will help you to be happier with your current job.

First of all, a little exercise to get you started. Make a list of everything and anything you really enjoy and are passionate about. This can be anything at all, from playing with Lego through to planning projects or programming in Cobol. Write down everything you think of, no matter how silly or pointless you think it may be. They are all important and must be included on your list.

Go through the list and ask yourself whether you truly are passionate about each one. Ask the question, “If someone offered to pay me to do this, would I be happy?” If you would not, then cross it off your list.

Look at each item on your list and ask yourself what you enjoy about it. You may enjoy the peace and tranquillity of gardening, or the fast paced life style of project management. Write this down too by each item.

The why you enjoy it is very important because it gives you an insight into your inner workings. When you understand what it is that you enjoy about something, you can look at applying that quality specifically to your life and current job to improve your happiness. If you like peace and tranquillity but your job is hectic, you could take time out for a walk in a park or to meditate to bring into your job peace and tranquillity. You could make sure you take a lunch break and switch off your phone.

Once you have identified the things you are passionate about, write down next to each one how much time a month you currently spend doing them. You may love surfboarding but only manage to go once a month or you may be passionate about cooking yet have to live on fast food because of your lifestyle.

From now on, make a commitment to yourself to spend time doing the things you are passionate about every single month. You will find that not only does your level of happiness improves, but your energy increases and life feels so much better because you are doing things that you love.

Carry your list around with you for at least a fortnight, adding to it each time you think of something you are passionate about. Then repeat the process above for each new item, analyzing it and understanding what it is you like about it.

"We will either find a way, or make One..."-Hannibal

Whatever your current job situation, working for yourself can be a very appealing option. But the question is, ‘do you have what it takes to work for yourself?’ Not everyone does, but the good news is that the necessary skills can be learnt by anyone.

To successfully work for yourself you need to have all of the following skills to some degree. The better you are at each skill, the more chance you have of being successful on your own.

Motivation: You must be able to motivate yourself and to not rely on others to push you along. When you work for yourself, there is no boss telling you what you need to do, when you need to do it by, and providing you support and guidance when you need it. You are the boss! Working for yourself, it is all your responsibility. If you cannot take the responsibility, then you are best off staying in employment.

Belief: You must believe in yourself and in your business and / or product. It is very difficult to do well at something you do not fully believe in. Your belief and passion about what you do comes across to your customers. This has a positive effect in building their confidence and in turn, your business. Before starting any business or selling any product ask yourself if you believe in the product and business.

Development Time: It is important to spend time developing yourself and increasing your skills. Many technical people forget to develop soft skills, and vice versa. Aim to attend at least two courses or workshops a year. Also regularly read relevant books to develop these skills. You have to stay one step ahead of the competition in order to be a phenomenal success.

Determination: You must be determined to succeed and not to give up. There are times when it will be tough, but you are the boss and the one solely responsible for making it good again. You may get knocked back on occasion, but a true success just keeps on going in the face of set-backs.

Inter-personal skills: Working for yourself does not mean you will be locked in a room alone. You will often have to interact with other people; your customers. Good inter-personal skills will make this experience more rewarding and help you get the best from people. They will help ensure you have a successful business.

Communication skills: Both written and spoken communication skills are important. Often in the market place today, words are the key to the success of your business. Therefore, spend time developing your skills in this area - it will pay you back many times over to do so.

How many of the above skills do you currently have? Do you feel you are weak in any of these areas? If so, then strengthen them by attending courses or reading some relevant books. Being strong in all the above areas is not necessary for personal success, but will help to make it much easier.

Look at the list of things you are passionate about, and think about how the above skills can be applied to and compliment these.

Finding your ideal career

Now, back to the list of things you are passionate about. Take a new sheet of paper and write the first item on your list at the top of this new paper. Underneath it, brainstorm all the jobs you can think of that involve your passion. Let your imagination run riot and be as creative as you can. Each item you have written down offers you many possibilities. Also use the reasons you enjoy the item to help in this exercise.

Using gardening as an example, you could write down: gardener, author, teacher, TV presenter, landscape designer, tree doctor, and farmer, park ranger, and so on, just to mention a few.

Still on the same item from your list, write down all the ways you can think of to make money from it.

With our gardening example this may be growing and selling plants or vegetables, or doing gardening for people in your neighbourhood. There are of course many other opportunities here. Be creative and imaginative and think outside of your normal box.

Look at all these ways of making money and note the ones you can start right now and ones that you would really like to do. Perhaps you could start on one or two of these now, whilst still working in your current job.

Repeat the above exercise for each item that is on your list. Over the next few weeks keep adding to these lists. This exercise stimulates your mind to be creative, which results in creating many more great ideas – often when you least expect it, so make sure you write them all down.

The results of these exercises will be a list of what you enjoy doing, why you enjoy doing and a list of possible careers and money making opportunities that you would gain pleasure from. You do not have to make a massive move and quit your job right now. You can take your time, and slowly begin building your own business, or just earn a bit of extra money to help pay the bills whilst keeping your current job. You can also use this list to determine what career is best for you and begin planning a move to this new career.

Ask yourself the questions...

“Who would I Be If I knew No Limits?,”

"Who Would I Be if I Knew No Fear?"

"Who Would I Be if everything was Possible and Nothing was Impossible?"

The answer to these questions will help you determine and Identify which of the items on your list to pursue first. It is important not to spread yourself too thinly otherwise you may find that nothing ever gets done. Once you have decided which way to go you must do a goal setting exercise and work out your route to your target.

Reverse Engineering.

Pursuing your passion means living life to the full. It means waking up each morning and looking forward to working. It means more energy, more fun and feeling more alive. Sadly today many of us are working jobs we would rather not be doing. Perhaps it is time that you took advantage of the shifting economy and lived your passion instead of dreaming it?