I’ve been fasting today. I do it four times a month and am seldom bothered by hunger (I’ll explain why later). But today was different and in the afternoon at around 5.00 PM I had “demon hunger” and couldn’t concentrate on some computer work that I was doing. I really felt like eating something! I contemplated taking some fruit, which is generally a good idea whenever you are in this kind of predicament. For example, suppose you are trying to lose weight by cutting down on high calorie snacks in-between meals, and all of a sudden you get the “munchies” well if you eat an apple or some other fruit it sometimes does the trick and your hunger is gone. But instead of grabbing an apple, I resorted to a “yogi trick,” I drank two glasses of lemon water. I made it by squeezing lemon into the glass and adding a bit of salt and water. This lemon water drink is great for giving strength and it also works to allay the hunger. I drank and then went back to work (which includes typing this blog entry). So if you really want to stick to your fast, before you to for fruit, try the lemon water. And remember one thing: you will not go to hell if you take some lemon water or eat a fruit. Fasting is not a “religious” act (though it has value if you use the time that you save from shopping, cooking and cleaning and do something spiritual during the gained time). Fasting will help you to maintain your health, so do your best to do it regularly (twice a month is great). Now, I promised to tell you how I usually avoid hunger altogether on the fasting day, so I will do it. Before you begin a fast you have to prepare yourself physically, and most important mentally. Let’s start with mental preparation. The night before the day when you will be fasting you have to remember that tomorrow is the fasting day and set your mind to it. It’s final, tomorrow you are fasting. If you have this kind of determination, then your desire to eat will not even start working on the day of fasting. It just shuts down. It is amazing but it is true. If you don’t make this kind of mental preparation then when you wake up you will be thinking of breakfast or of eating sometime. If you decide to fast right then, on the spot, you will also think about why it might be good to eat (you can always find a reason!). And in the midst of this quivering mind-set hunger usually wins the day! So make up your mind the night before and you will be surprised at how helpful it is. Second, and this is why I was hungry today, prepare yourself physically. The day before the fast make sure that you get enough liquids and also enough calories. My meals yesterday must have been too skimpy and that is why I got hungry. In any case the day is almost over and tomorrow I will dig into some yogurt and fruit!

How you store your wine is extremely important. If you store it right it can lead to euphoria, while if you store it wrong it can lead to depression. When you tear into a bottle of wine that has properly been stored, it can be glorious indeed, while tearing into bottle of poorly stored wine can be quite the letdown. Often times, drinking a bottle of wine that was poorly stored is much like drinking vinegar. To properly store wine, you’ll need to meet several factors, such as humidity, temperature, lighting, the cleanliness of your storage area, the angle of the bottle while it is stored, and the vibration of the bottle on the rack. The proper level of humidity for storing wine should be around 70%, although it is perfectly accepted to keep it 10% above or below the 70% level. If you have too high of a humidity temperature, the labels can easily rot or mold, which can affect the wine’s value. The angle that wine is stored is important as well. If the wine stays in contact with the cork during storage, the cork won’t dry out. If the wine doesn’t stay in contact with the cork, the cork could dry out and allow air into the wine. You should also strive to keep the wine out of the light, as light can ruin any type of wine. Light causes the wine to age prematurely, making it in your best interest to store wine in a dark location. To prevent damage to the wine from sediment, you should also store wine in a location that is free of vibration. If you store wine in places that are free from vibration, it will give the sediment in the bottle ample time to settle. Vibrations are never a good thing for wine, as the sediment becomes unsettled and can ruin the wine or shake it to the point where it tastes horrible. To protect the quality and investment of your wine, storage and care is very important. In the world of wine, nothing is more disappointing than waiting several years to open a bottle of fine wine, only to find that it is nothing but vinegar. You can prevent this from happening though, by taking care of your wine. Wine isn’t hard to care for or store, it just takes the right conditions and location. Although position is important when storing wine, temperature is the most important storing factor overall. The temperature when storing your wine is very important, as it affects the overall quality, flavor, and longevity of the wine. Most wines need to be stored for long periods of time, which is why the temperature is so very important. The temperature for storing wine should always be between 50 and 65 degrees F. When stored in this range, the wine will develop quite nicely. In the days before refrigeration, wine was stored in underground cellars and caves. When refrigeration came along, it quickly became the easiest and most preferred way to store wine, as it allowed you to maintain the same desired temperature. If wine is stored in direct sunlight or in a hot area, the increase in temperature can result in a chemical reaction that can damage both the flavor and the quality of the wine. Wine that has been damaged from heat will normally turn brown due to the oxidation. Colder temperatures on the other hand may slow the aging process, although it can also prevent the wine from getting the chemical reactions it needs as well. Lower temperatures may not affect the quality or taste of the wine, although it isn’t recommended. All bottles of wine, until they have been opened, should be stored in a location with a temperature above 50 degrees F. This way, the wine will be in the proper temperature for storage and able to get the chemical reactions it needs. You should keep any open bottles in your refrigerator, as the average temperature is normally 41 degrees F. If you follow the above tips when storing your wine, you’ll find the taste to be spectacular. Storing wine will always raise the value and add to the taste – providing you store it the right way.

Discover the divine meaning behind the painful feelings and events in your life with a healing practice called TruAwareness, and uncover the powerful wisdom embedded in your life experiences and find deeper healing and more peace than you’ve ever known. Answer the following questions with a True or False response and write your answers down: 1. When I’m reminded of moments from my past relationships, I can feel regret, sadness, anger or resentment. 2. I experience stress and tension in my life. 3. I often wonder how I could accomplish my goals more quickly. 4. I would like to eliminate certain patterns in my behavior, but I’m not sure how to do it. 5. I think about taking revenge toward those who have hurt me. 6. I would like to have more confidence in certain situations. 7. I want to trust my instincts more readily. 8. Knowing my life purpose would make my life more meaningful. 9. I would like to be happier. 10. I would like to enhance my intuitive abilities. 11. I want to know how I’ve created certain experiences in my life. 12. Sometimes I want to know the reasons for others’ behaviors so I can understand them and certain situations better. 13. I would like to hear Divine Guidance more clearly. 14. I want to be powerfully authentic in my life. 15. I have grief and sadness that I would like to heal. 16. I feel anxiety at family gatherings, work functions and social settings. 17. When I think of my current relationships, I can feel regret, sadness, anger or resentment. 18. I wonder why certain things happen in my life. 19. I want a deeper connection with those I love. 20. I would like to have a way to peacefully resolve conflict in my life. 21. I wrestle with guilt, depression, anger or sadness in my life. 22. I would like to have more success in my life. Rate each True response with 5 points, rate each False response with 0 points. 0-5 Points: We all have stress and pressures in our lives and facing these challenges helps us to grow and change in positive and healthy ways. TruAwareness can help you to become more aware of what you’re experiencing and why, and to bring your awareness to the healthy reasons why you face the challenges that you do. 10-25 Points: A little more insight, a little less stress and before you know it you’ll be moving more quickly toward what you want in life. You don’t have to be suffering or to want to completely reinvent your life to use TruAwareness, you simply need to have the desire to have more insight, healing and success in your life – as you do. You have a desire for a better life and TruAwareness can help you respond to this call with enlightening results and without a significant time investment. 30-65 points: You have a sincere hunger for self-improvement and this desire will serve you well in life. You’ll be able to use TruAwareness to bring insight and healing into any area of your life that you choose. Since you’re used to struggling for the answers, you’ll love the emotional release that TruAwareness offers. You’ll be amazed as TruAwareness shows you how you don’t have to do this anymore. With All You’ve Ever Known you’re going to learn to hear and see the empowering insight and Guidance that calls to you. 70-110 points: You are on a deep path of enlightenment and are truly seeking the answers to your questions and the remedies for your pain. Though you may not feel like it, you really are a courageous individual. Your questions are – where do I begin? How do I begin? Will this be hard? With deep, healing insight and a release of your most painful emotions, TruAwareness will make your challenging path easier. You’ll begin where you are right now and soon you’ll see how get to where you long to be. The healing you want is right here waiting for you!

Everyone’s been talking about it – heck, you are reading about it right here. What are they talking about? This phenomenon we call the Law of Attraction. People always seem to ask the same question, does it really work? The answer – YES! Absolutely, unquestionably, and eventually it always does when we apply the proceeding principal. . What I am about to offer is what that next step is. It is a very common word, that when applied, along with the attraction principle, will bring you what you desire even faster…the word is – ACTION! All successful people understand that simply ‘wishing’ for something is great. It gets the ball rolling, so to speak, and opens our minds and hearts to the possibility of something special. Now combine that with positive, forward thinking, action steps and you can attain anything you have your sights set on at an amplified speed. It works like this… Imagine someone sitting in their living room and saying to themselves, “I would LOVE a fruit tree in the backyard.” Well, that’s great – and it puts the law into motion. (Let me ask you, what would it take to make that desire materialize right away?) They would go to the local nursery, and pick up a fruit tree, drive it home, dig a hole, fertilize it, keep it watered along with weeds away from its roots….right? Then after an incubation period of about two years, it blooms, and produces fruit….and what do you know? Viola! You have yourself a fruit tree in your backyard. Sure, you manifested it and applied the laws of attraction (heck you are the one who wanted it in the first place); but then you did something many are simply not willing to do …you took action! You put the Law of Attraction INTO action! So many people miss this key ingredient. They may desire wealth, romance, security, happiness, etc…and believe they will receive it overnight. If that was so, everyone would win the lottery that plays each time, or fall in love whenever they left the house. As we know, life does not work that way. We have to take certain steps in order to have our dreams fulfilled, such as learn to budget and open an investment program, or enroll into a dating service, etc… You are a smart person; that is why you are reading this right now…you want to move forward and are willing to open your mind to new ideas. Here is my suggestion. Within these pages, you will find an abundance of ideas to create a vision of what is important to you. Once you have the clarity of what that something is – Write beside it what action steps you could take right now, today, to move closer to making that dream a reality. Then do something crazy – Take Action, and make it so. Your very own fruit tree is waiting for you; now roll up your sleeves, and get to digging…before you know it, you’ll be enjoying the sweet fruit of your efforts, too! Learn more from Greg Reid and Pass It On…and here’s to your success!

Self-talk is the inner chatter that accompanies us in most of our waking moments. Your self-talk can be a powerful aid to your performance, or it can be destructive. What do you say when you talk to yourself? If you’re like many of us, your self-talk is a caustic mixture of judgments, complaints, and verbal abuse, in the form of “tapes” – mental recordings – that you’ve imprinted on your mind and play over and over again. No wonder you feel down and depressed. However, you can change the tapes you play, and your self-talk, as soon as you become aware of what you’re saying to yourself. Changing your self-talk will turbo-charge your life and enhance your performance in everything you do. You can change your self-talk right now Let’s try a little test. Say to yourself, silently or aloud: “That was a stupid thing to say. How could I say _________ (pick any verbal blunder you can remember). I’m so stupid.” How do you feel? Perhaps you feel sad, or anxious. Take a moment to track your emotions in your body. Perhaps you have a sinking feeling in your tummy, or your face is becoming hot. Your self-talk immediately affected your body, your mental state and your emotions. Now let’s try some positive self-talk. Take a couple of deep breaths, smile, and say to yourself, aloud or silently: “I’m happy, strong and confident.” How do you feel now? Feel your emotions in your body. Repeat the words “I’m happy, strong and confident” several times – keep smiling as you do so. You felt an emotional lift, didn’t you? You can give yourself an emotional boost at any time, just by changing your self-talk. If you make it a habit to repeat motivating self-talk to yourself, not only will you feel better, but you’ll perform better in everything you do. Self-talk is powerful, and it’s free. It’s the best thing you can do for yourself. Erase old self-talk tapes: make new tapes Affirmations are a form of self-talk, and you can create your own affirmations to use as self-talk. However, the best way to change your old self-talk tapes, is to make a new tape every time you catch yourself replaying an old tape. For example, if you hear yourself saying: “I’ll never get this project done. No one’s helping me with it, I’m always left to do the hard work and others get the credit…” Change your self-talk immediately. Write down your new self-talk tape which will over time erase the old self-talk tape: “This project’s interesting. I’m going to have fun working with it. I’ll ask ___ and ___ for their input right away. I’m taking charge of this project, it will be done in no time, and I’ll claim the credit because I deserve it.” Now repeat your new self-talk to yourself as often as you need to, particularly as soon as you can hear any faint whispers of the old self talk. Boost the new tape with affirmations, like: “I’m confident, capable and strong. I CAN do this!” Start today: use powerful self-talk to enhance your performance in everything you do.