Let Your Dreams Inspire Your Creativity

We all have dreams and they can be a great source of inspiration. I'm not talking about the wishes we have for lives but those nocturnal dreams we have when sleeping. They come unbidden to us and often are gone before our feet hit the floor.
Scientists are at a loss to explain them: why we have them or what creates them. Still, many of the greatest innovations of our day came to their creators in dreams.
Music, including Paul McCartney's "Yesterday", and great works of fiction like Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein," have both been attributed to dreams. If these works can be based in dreams, then what can we mine from the depths of our own dreams?
The best way to begin is by keeping a note pad and a pen beside your bed. When you wake in the morning, write down your impressions and any memories you have of your dreams. Do not wait until you've brushed your teeth or had your first cup of coffee as dreams are fleeting and will be gone by then.
Just reach for the paper and pen and begin writing, even if you feel as though you are still half asleep. You can even do this if you waken during the night. As long as the dream is fresh, write down whatever you can remember about it.
Later, when you look back at your notes, you may have little understanding of what you had been dreaming. Or, you may discover that you have touched on a spark of inspiration that will lead you to some new work of art, piece of music or bit of prose.
Even negative dreams can have value.
Consider the case of Mary Shelley's dream. Frankenstein may not have been the most enjoyable dream she ever had but it ignited her imagination and she penned one of the classic pieces of literature of all time. Never dismiss a dream out of hand. Sometimes, when you look at it in the light of day, you will find that the answer to a problem you had been trying to resolve is looking back at you.
The randomness of dreams is a benefit to the creative mind. There are no surefire ways to control what you will dream about or how the dream will end. This leaves your creative mind open to endless possibilities. Take advantage of those possibilities and you may find your life improved by this wellspring of inspiration.

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What is Personal Development ?

Personal development is the enhancement of specific life skills which are necessary to facilitate happiness and success in one's personal life. These life skills are the basic building blocks that form all the success or failures that you have in life. Personal development skills become the foundation from which all your achievements in life flow from and it has a direct relationship with winning and life success.
One key distinction between personal development skills and other skills that you might possess is that personal development skills are used 24 hours each day, whereas you may only be using your programming skills eight hours a day in the capacity of your employment. When you talk to someone, you are using personal development skills. What you decide to eat is personal development. When you investigate your feelings--that's personal development. Even managing your sleeping habits belongs in personal development.
Personal development skills are life skills that must be honed in order to reap the benefits of a life worth living. The investment of time in developing yourself personally leads to a peak performing individual who lives a more fulfilling life than those who do not choose to develop themselves.


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Dalai Lama Quotes

"Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion." -- His Holiness the Dalai Lama

In the present circumstances, no one can afford to assume that someone else
will solve their problems.  Every individual has a responsibility to help guide our global family in the right direction.  Good wishes are not sufficient; we must become actively engaged."-- His Holiness the Dalai Lama,

Human beings by nature want happiness and do not want suffering.  With that
feeling everyone tries to achieve happiness and tries to get rid of suffering, and everyone has the basic right to do this.  In this way, all here are the same, whether rich or poor, educated or uneducated, Easterner or Westerner, believer or non-believer, and within believers whether Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and so on.  Basically, from the viewpoint of real human value we are all the same."-- His Holiness the Dalai Lama,

When receiving the teachings, it is important to have the correct attitude.  It is not practicing the Dharma properly to listen with the intention of gaining material advantage or reputation.  Neither should our goal be higher rebirth in the next life, nor should we be wishing only for our own liberation from samsara. These are all attitudes we should reject.  Instead, let us listen to the teachings with the determined wish to attain the state of omniscience for the sake of all beings."-- His Holiness the Dalai Lama

"With a selfish attitude, oneself is important, and others are not so important. According to Shantideva's advice, a technique to help in turning this attitude around is to imagine- in front of yourself as an unbiased observer- your own selfish self on one side and a limited number of other beings on the other side- ten, fifty, or a hundred.  On one side is your proud, selfish self, and on the other side is a group of poor, needy people.  You are, in effect, in the middle- as an unbiased, third person.  Now, judge.  Is this one, single, selfish person more important?  Or is the group of people more important?  Think.  Will you join this side or that side?  Naturally, if you are a real human being, your heart will go with the group because the number is greater and they are more needy.  The other one is just a single person, proud and stupid.  Your feeling naturally goes with the group.  By thinking in this way, selfishness gradually decreases,
and respect of others grows.  This is is the way to practice."

"If there is love, there is hope to have real families, real brotherhood, real equanimity, real peace.  If the love within your mind is lost, if you continue to see other beings as enemies, then no matter how much knowledge or education you have, no matter how much material progress is made, only suffering and confusion will ensue.

"Human beings will continue to deceive and overpower one another.  Basically,
everyone exists in the very nature of suffering, so to abuse or mistreat each
other is futile.  The foundation of all spiritual practice is love.  That you
practice this well is my only request."-- His Holiness the Dalai Lama,

How to Make a Relationship More Serious

Knowing where your relationship is going is an important factor if you are deciding if you want to commit and settle down with someone or not. Maybe you are at a point in your relationship that you want to explore more serious alternatives such as moving from a friendship to dating or moving from dating to marriage. Wherever you are in the process, below you will find tips on ways to make your relationship more serious.

• When speaking about your relationship don't reference yourself and your partner individually, begin to refer to each other by saying "we."


• Imagine yourself spending the rest of your life with the person. Make this person of the utmost priority in your life.


• Focus more on your partner, take some time to think of ways to make your partner feel loved and cared for and be creative.


• Stop thinking like a single person and begin thinking with respect to your union as a couple, picture what life will be like for the two of you.


• Create opportunities for your families to meet, such as holidays or special nights out so that they may get to know each other.


• Discuss your future and goals you share together. You will need to understand your partner's perspective on life and the future and vice versa.

Be realistic about your expectations for a serious relationship. No matter how perfect your partner may seem, there will be challenges and obstacles to overcome. There will be differences of opinion and disagreements. Be sure to open and honest with discussion of your thoughts and feelings and seek outside help if necessary before moving to the next level if you are uncertain about things.

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What is 'Happy' ?

The top line: People who have one or more close friendships appear to be happier. It doesn’t seem to matter if we have a large network of close relationships or not. What seems to make a difference is if and how often we cooperate in activities and share our personal feelings with a friend or relative. Simply put, it’s not the quantity of our relationships, but the quality that matters.
In 2002, two pioneers of Positive Psychology, Ed Diener and Martin Seligman, conducted a study at the University of Illinois on the 10% of students with the highest scores recorded on a survey of personal happiness. They found that the most salient characteristics shared by students who were very happy and showed the fewest signs of depression were “their strong ties to friends and family and commitment to spending time with them.” (“The New Science of Happiness,” Time Magazine, Claudia Wallis, Jan. 09, 2005).
In one study people were asked on random occasions about their mood. They were found to be happiest with their friends, followed by family members, and least happy if they were alone (Larson). Another study constructed a scale of cooperativeness, ie how willing people were to constructively engage in activities with others. This study showed that the cooperativeness of an individual was a predictor of their happiness, though it did not conclusively show if their cooperation resulted in happiness or the other way around (Lu). A study on the quality of relationships found that to avoid loneliness people needed only one close relationship coupled with a network of other relationships. To form a close relationship required a growing amount of “self-disclosure,” or a willingness to reveal ones personal issues and feelings, and without it people with friends would still be lonely (Weiss). A similar study found that some students who had many friends with whom they often spent time were still plagued by loneliness, and this seemed to be related to their tendency to talk about impersonal topics such as sports and pop music instead of their personal life

The Process Of Self Growth

Self growth is something that each of us goes through as we progress through life, and the process does not stop at any given point. Each part of our life experience involves self growth in different aspects of life, from the time we are born until the time we pass into the great beyond. The process of self growth is a continuous learning experience

Along with self growth comes self development and the process of conditioning ourselves to accept the changes that come with aging. Aging in this respect does not mean growing old, but growing older, maturing, and developing the personality and style of being that will be with us into all of our adult lives. Self growth involves implementing and accepting those changes that allow us to be the best person we can be. Self development is the process of taking those changes as they take place and implementing and accepting the changes, and thus, becoming a "victim" of those changes.

Although self growth starts as we are babies and learning new things all the time, it does not stop until our life does. It's a continuous process of self growth because every new thing that enters our lives requires an adjustment, a change and process of acceptance for that change. It's a life long process, and if we don't allow ourselves to grow throughout life, we will become stale and stuck in a mindset that is younger than our years. It's impossible to mature without self growth for without self growth we cannot move forward in life.
Things that assist us in becoming who we are as adults begins in infancy and continues through life as part of the self development process. If we attempt to disrupt this process in any way, we create a personality within ourselves that is not compatible with the maturity level of our brains or of the rest of our emotional and physical being. If you don't allow the process to occur naturally, you will create a very confused individual who doesn't know how he or she is supposed to think or act. Perhaps this is the scenario that creates so many teens and adults who are bi-polar or with other emotional imbalances.

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Dream Big- Johnny Cash did-

Johnny Cash: I think the first time I knew what I wanted to do with my life was when I was about four years old. I was listening to an old Victrola, playing a railroad song. The song was called, "Hobo Bill's Last Ride." And I thought that was the most wonderful, amazing thing that I'd ever seen. That you could take this piece of wax and music would come out of that box. From that day on, I wanted to sing on the radio. That was the big thing when I was growing up, singing on the radio. The extent of my dream was to sing on the radio station in Memphis. Even when I got out of the Air Force in 1954, I came right back to Memphis and started knocking on doors at the radio station.

What causes low self-esteem?

It is not possible to point to one cause of low self-esteem for everyone, because each of us follows a different path through life. The formation of your core beliefs about yourself is a complex process.

Your own inborn nature or temperament will play a role, but your experiences and relationships with the people around you also have an important part to play.

Negative experiences in childhood are often particularly damaging to self-esteem. In your early years your personality and sense of self is being formed, and harmful experiences can leave you feeling that you are not valued or important. You have not had a chance to build up any resilience, so this negative view can become the one that you believe about yourself.

Significant negative experiences in adult life can also shake core beliefs and cause them to change. This will normally happen over time and you might not realise at first that your self-esteem is being lowered. Experiences that commonly impact on people’s beliefs include:

• being subject to abuse – sexual, emotional or physical, and the loss of control associated with this
• having your physical and emotional needs neglected in childhood
• failing to meet the expectations of your parents
• feeling like the 'odd one out' at school
• coming from a community which often experiences prejudice, such as being an asylum seeker, or being poor but living in a wealthy neighbourhood
• peer pressure to conform to social norms which you don't agree with
• bullying or excessive pressures at work
• trauma
• physical ill-health – its impact on your quality of life and activities you can do
• bereavement
• facing redundancy or being unemployed
• social isolation and loneliness.  

The way you feel about experiences such as these will depend on lots of other factors, but negative core beliefs about your intelligence, appearance and abilities will often be formed:

 I think I’m ugly and unattractive. Other people are more intelligent, talented and interesting than me. Most people wouldn’t want to spend any time with me because of these things.

When something happens that reminds you of these significant experiences, you expect the worst and are likely to react badly. Your low expectations are likely to be at the back of your mind all the time.

• You will probably feel anxious and might shake, blush and panic .
• You may also try to avoid the situation all together, or behave in a way that you think will keep you 'safe', e.g. not going to a social event on your own.

This reaction is likely to confirm the negative core beliefs you have about yourself and leave you feeling you have even less chance of coping with a similar situation in the future.

This cycle might seem unbreakable, but it is crucial to remember that these are beliefs, not facts, and they can be changed.

Source; mind.org.uk

How to improve confidence

Because self confidence and feeling good has a major 'hormonal' element, you can change the way you feel by re-living good times. If you can remember a time you felt really self confident, then excellent - use that! If not, then use a time you felt contented or happy. Taking deliberate control of your thoughts and emotions will have an huge impact on your self confidence and other areas of your life.

Self Development Leading to Self Realization

'Self' means an insight into the psychological personality of a person. A superior thinking about our own self broadens our understanding of attitudes and morals between the actual and idyllic self. This will improve our perspective of analyzing our own self.
Development of self helps an individual to have a deep insight into their inner thoughts. This way he/she can also achieve self-realization. A person who grows with self realization knows how to perceive the world around them i.e. their thoughts will be clear on how to carry themselves in the world and stand apart. Moreover, self-development enables the person to carry all the ups and downs of life in a more reasonable manner.
Additionally, if a person will deal with their inner thoughts and actions rationally, they will always have a positive outlook towards life. An entity with an optimistic attitude toward life grows both mentally and spiritually. Thus, in attaining self-development, one should always concentrate on the development of the mind as well as of soul. It is essential because with more and clearer thoughts, a persons understanding level increases and they automatically inclines towards the state of self-realization.
There are several ways for attaining self-development. Out of which, meditation plays a crucial role in this discovery of one's self-identity. It is a method, which contributes in the outcome of a dignified and blissful state of mind. This results from the techniques of self-knowledge and self-awareness. It helps us to bridge the gap between individualism and universality. It makes a person selfless and develops spiritually. It makes us think beyond our restricted self. However, before this there is a need to control this restricted self. Meditation serves three main purposes - self-regulation, self-liberation, and self-exploration.
Self-regulation - is a capacity to asses intentionally what we feel and how it affects the functions of our mind and body. Awareness of breath, meditation and relaxation are some of the ways by which this can be achieved. This helps in reducing pain, nervousness and stress levels of an individual. These techniques come to our aid especially during the situation when we are under constant worry. It deliberately makes us control this anxiety and helps us relax. For example, if we have indigestion problems while tackling stressful situations, then these techniques can be a way out of the problem.
Self-liberation - meditation can assist us in the attainment of elevated conscious self and recognition of spiritual truths of life. This also gives us support in discovering our own real self that lies hidden behind various personality layers that we have. These layers keep on adding with our own experience of life. It also develops our faculty of intuition by which we may wonder about certain psychological questions like from where we have come and what lies in store for us in life after death. Thus, it calls for meditating on our existence as an individual, in relation to society and beyond this world.


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