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15 Quotes on Success Never to Forget

July 26, 2020 by Power of Positivity

The ultimate goal of adults is to reach their goals, and there are many quotes on success to help motivate you. When faced with challenges, it may be easy to quit or lose momentum. That is when it’s most important to keep moving, however.

By listening to advice and encouragement from those who have been through it, you’ll find comfort and motivation. The main piece of advice, though, is to never quit trying and to keep persevering.

You are the only one who can set the level of your successes. Go after what you want and work hard to reach your goals.

15 Quotes on Success Never to Forget

These quotes on success will help you stay motivated as you strive to achieve your dreams.

1. “If you don’t value your time, neither will others. Stop giving away your time and talents. Value what you know & start charging for it.” – Kim Garst

Once you make it clear that your talents and time are worthwhile, others will treat it that way. You can’t do things for free just because someone is your family member or friend. To be successful, you must know what you are worth and expect others to pay you for what you do.

2. “There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.” – Fred Rogers

All of the money in the world won’t make you successful if you aren’t kind. You have to have people on your side, and you have to treat people with kindness to get them there. Even if you feel like you don’t need anyone on your side, you have to be kind to bring in business.

No matter which way you look at it, kindness is required. You may start to build an empire without kindness, but it won’t reach its full potential.

3. “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.” – Vince Lombardi

Even with strength and knowledge, a person can fail. Everyone fails at some point, and the determining factor to success is having the will power to try again. Only then will you be able to reach your ultimate goals.

4. “Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.” – Zig Ziglar

You may not have all the tools to make a job easy right away, but keep trying with what you do have. When you keep trying, you’ll find yourself succeeding with what you already have. Plus, true success is about the process, not what the outcome is.

You set your standards for success, not anyone else. If you accomplished what you set out to do, you have succeeded. Likewise, if you are proud of yourself for the work along the way, you’ve also succeeded.

5. “The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself.” – Mark Caine

You can’t blame your surroundings for your failures or your lack of progress. Leave the environment that you are in if it is that toxic. Otherwise, get started on your goals and remind yourself that you are the only one holding you back.

6. “Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost legendary. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Perseverance and determination alone are omnipotent.” – Calvin Coolidge

All the talent, genius, and education in the world can’t ensure that you reach your goals. The only thing that can ensure you get there is perseverance and determination. With perseverance and determination, you are sure to reach the ultimate goal.

You have to remain motivated and keep trying even after failures. Keep pushing yourself to learn more and do more, and to keep trying even when faced with adversity.

7. “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” – Dale Carnegie

Everyone fails at some point in their life. Most people fail more than once. Successful people are the ones who get back up and try again, though.

You can’t give up when faced with mistakes or when things didn’t go as planned. These are opportunities to grow and learn. Then, you’ll be able to get it right the next time, or the time after that.

8. “Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down.” – Charles F. Kettering

Just when you want to give up, you may get your big break. Keep going, learning, and trying, and eventually, you’ll stumble upon your dreams.

9. “A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” – David Brinkley

Other people may want to see you fail, and they’ll do whatever it takes to ensure that it happens. Don’t let them succeed at knocking you down or hurting you. Instead, take all of the negativity they throw your way and use it as your stepping stones.

10. “There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed.” – Ray Goforth

When you are faced with a negative person as Goforth describes, ignore them. Better yet, listen to them and then do everything they said you couldn’t.

11. “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.” – Jim Rohn

You have to decide what you want your life to look like. Figure out the goals that you want to reach, and then determine how to reach them. Otherwise, you’ll have to work towards someone else’s goal, and that won’t do much for you.

12. “Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life. Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism.” – David M. Burns

You’ll never be perfect, but you will be successful. If you were never wrong and things always worked out perfectly, you would never learn from them. Learning is essential to being successful because you have to keep working toward a higher goal.

As Burns explains, perfectionism is only a sign of fear. Don’t hold yourself back by being afraid. Keep moving forward, even when the plan didn’t work out how you intended.

13. “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – From an Apple Computer Ad, 1997

Those who are most successful weren’t afraid of being different or being the first to do something. They knew what they wanted and they did what they had to do to get it. Most often, they seemed like they didn’t fit in just right.

If this is you, then you completely understand how different it was to be that person. Those are successful people. They are the ones who are willing to speak up, make a change, and better the world. Despite those who disagree with them, they continue going until they are successful.

14. “After every difficulty, ask yourself two questions: “What did I do right?” and “What would I do differently?” – Brian Tracy

You can learn from every moment in your life, whether it was good or bad. Reflecting is one key to success because it enables you to make changes and do better next time. Always find at least one thing you did right, and then determine what could have been done differently.

15. “Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles, and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.” – Mark Victor Hansen

Things will never be perfect, and there will never be the perfect time to get started. Obstacles and challenges are everywhere, but you have to push through it all. You’ll become stronger and more able to handle what is coming next.

Final Thoughts on Quotes on Success Never to Forget

These quotes on success should never be forgotten, as they can motivate you when you need it the most. When things get hard and don’t seem to be working out, remember these quotes and reference them for advice.

You are responsible for your success, and the comments and actions of others should play no part. Focus on your determination and perseverance and never give up. Tuck away these quotes on success for continued motivation. And, keep working towards your goals and you will find yourself successful.

Researchers Reveal How Mindfulness Can Heal Your Brain

July 25, 2020 by Power of Positivity

“Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different. Enjoying the pleasant without holding on when it changes (which it will). Being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way (which it won’t). – James Baraz

This world can undoubtedly test our limits, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Sometimes, the haste and worries of the world can seem overwhelming, and our minds can quickly become imbalanced. Mental illnesses have skyrocketed in recent years, due to increasing demands, technology overuse, and an increasingly chaotic world in general. Many of us wish we could just shut our brains off. But perhaps the answer lies in using our minds more efficiently.

Doctors and scientists discovered that mindfulness could allow us to remain in the present moment and not become frazzled by life’s uncertainties. By remaining still and calm without, this inner peace permeates outward. Thus, anything in one’s environment becomes manageable. Tranquility, in one’s mind, makes it much easier to tackle all of life’s stresses and worries.

A short time ago, scientists thought the human brain stopped developing in one’s teenage or young adult years, and that it would never change after that. However, now they’ve discovered that our minds can reorganize and rewire themselves by forming neural connections throughout life, called neuroplasticity. In fact, some studies demonstrate that the brain can build new connections despite injuries, disease, or age. These studies prove the brain might even strengthen and repair itself!

Researchers no longer believe that the brain cannot change throughout life. Furthermore, mindfulness can help rewire it and create new connections. Below, we’ll go over several studies that show how increasing awareness can help our brains develop new pathways and neural networks.

Researchers reveal how mindfulness can help heal your brain:

1 – Mindfulness can help reduce depression.

Millions of people suffer from depression globally, and according to data from Blue Cross Blue Shield, people of all age groups have seen a rise in depression diagnoses. In the U.S., depression affects around 10% of the population in a given year. And in the U.K., the number of people taking antidepressants increased by 100% between 1998 and 2010.

The study

Professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, Zindel Segal, received a grant from the MacArthur Foundation to perform a study on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (or MBSR). Along with two colleagues from the University of Oxford, Dr. Segal found that many patients saw dramatic results from the mindfulness program. Patients showed such high success rates that Dr. Segal got permission to do another study showing the effectiveness of mindfulness on depression. Because of these studies, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) became a mainstream healing modality for depression.

In the study, all of the patients had been previously diagnosed with depression. Of those, 80% experienced three or more depressive episodes in a year. 34-36% of MBCT participants who experienced three or more depressive episodes had not had a relapse in a year compared to those taking antidepressants or engaging in other types of therapy.

“People at risk for depression are dealing with a lot of negative thoughts, feelings and beliefs about themselves and this can easily slide into a depressive relapse,” says the Lancet study’s lead author, Willem Kuyken, PhD, a professor at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. “MBCT helps them to recognize that’s happening, engage with it in a different way and respond to it with equanimity and compassion.”

The study also found that the participants with a history of severe childhood abuse, which links to a higher risk of depressive relapse, benefited more than the group overall. Of course, this type of therapy alone may not cure someone with severe depression. However, it can always serve as a helpful addition to antidepressants and other types of treatment.

Learn five ways to feel more in control over your life.

2 – Mindfulness helps improve learning, memory, and cognitive functioning overall.

“Although the practice of meditation is associated with a sense of peacefulness and physical relaxation, practitioners have long claimed that meditation also provides cognitive and psychological benefits that persist throughout the day.”

Harvard University Medical School professor Sara Lazar and other Harvard researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital wanted to prove this statement through the development of an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program. The program included weekly mindfulness meditation classes. They provided audio recordings for the 16 participants to listen to on their own. The instructors told them to keep track of how much time they meditated alone each day. The time averaged around 27 minutes a day for most participants. Researchers instructed them to primarily focus on “nonjudgmental awareness of sensations, feelings, and state of mind” during the duration of the study.

They used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to take brain structure images of the participants and took separate images for the control group. The control group did not participate in the eight-week meditation program.

The results

The participants stated that they had noticed improvements in cognitive functions, which they explained further in mindfulness questionnaires. Their MRIs showed significant differences in gray-matter density in the brain, which controls functions such as learning, memory, and stress response.

The images revealed the following:

– Increased gray-matter density within the hippocampus, the area of the brain that controls learning and memory.

– Changes within areas of the brain responsible for compassion, self-awareness, and contemplation.

– Decreased gray-matter density in the amygdala, which controls anxiety and stress response.

As this study demonstrates, by practicing meditation and mindfulness, we can increase plasticity in the brain, essentially rewiring our minds. We hold power to control our responses to the world around us as well as our thoughts. Indeed, mindfulness helps to unlock this incredible power within us.

3 – Mindfulness can help reduce stress, as well.

Professor J. David Creswell of Carnegie Mellon University performed a study showing that one needn’t practice meditation for years to obtain the benefits. He found that just 25 minutes of mindfulness meditation for three days can provide significant stress reduction.

Creswell and his team conducted a study that included 66 individuals ranging from 18-30 years old. The first group of participants completed a short meditation program, which included 25 minutes of mindfulness exercises for three consecutive days. The meditation group engaged in breath exercises designed to bring their awareness to the present moment and still the mind. The other group used the three days to read poetry designed to increase problem-solving abilities.

To measure their results, all participants in both groups had to complete speech and math exercises in front of strict-looking evaluators. All individuals in the study had to report their stress levels during the activities as well as provide saliva samples to measure cortisol.

The results

– The meditation group reported lower stress levels during the task, which shows how quickly meditation can work in the brain. After only three days, participants noticed these benefits.

– However, the meditation group showed higher cortisol levels, which contradicted the response the research team expected.

Creswell said the following:

“When you initially learn mindfulness mediation practices, you have to cognitively work at it — especially during a stressful task…these cognitive efforts may result in the task feeling less stressful, but they may also have physiological costs with greater cortisol production.”

The research team focuses on making mindfulness practices less cognitively taxing in the studies so that cortisol levels decrease. While more studies need to be done, this one shows that people can feel the benefits of meditation in a short period. Even though their cortisol levels may not mirror how they feel, the importance lies in the improvements they observe in their mental states.

Tips on practicing mindfulness daily

In addition to meditation, try these techniques to remain more present in your everyday life:

Focus on your surroundings. Many of us get caught up in our thoughts. But perhaps by putting awareness on our immediate environment, much of our worries will fade away. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, and we can’t control the past. However, we can find solace in grounding ourselves into the here and now.
Try positive affirmations. When you find your mind working on overdrive with worries, say phrases such as “All is well” or “I am safe, happy, and calm.” If you tell your brain something over and over, it will eventually start to believe it.

Final thoughts on how mindfulness can heal your brain

Mindfulness, like everything else, takes practice consistently to observe any benefits. However, as shown by the stress reduction study, you can start to notice results in just three days! We must take care of our brains if we want to live a happy, healthy life. Plus, practicing mindfulness can improve our mental health exponentially.

Studies prove that mindfulness can help lower stress, improve depression symptoms, and increase capacity for learning and memory. If you don’t have a meditation practice, make sure to incorporate one into your routine. Then, watch how quickly your mindset will change!

5 Ways the Eightfold Path of Buddhism Can Improve Your Life

July 25, 2020 by Power of Positivity

One of Buddha’s teachings included the eightfold path of Buddhism, which serves as a guideline for those who follow the religion. However, no matter what your spiritual beliefs, these teachings can help improve your life in many ways. The eightfold path includes eight principles that help man to find the middle way in all circumstances and avoid the extremes, or dualities, of existence.

The eightfold path includes these guidelines: right understanding, right intent, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. When followed correctly, these moral codes offer humankind a balanced way of living, which creates peace and harmony within oneself. Below, we’ll go over a bit of history about Buddha and his teachings, and talk more in-depth about the eightfold path.

Buddha’s early life

Considered one of the most influential spiritual leaders in history, Siddhartha Gautama, otherwise known as Buddha, grew up in modern-day Lumbini, Nepal, sometime between the 6th and 4th century B.C. He traveled throughout Nepal and India, sharing his teachings about inner peace and the path to enlightenment. Buddha means “the enlightened one” or “one who is awakened.”

He grew up in a palace, raised in an aristocratic, wealthy family of the Shakya clan. His father wanted to protect his son from all the horrors and suffering of human existence, so he sheltered his son inside the palace walls. However, early accounts of Buddha’s life suggest that he became disillusioned due to his upbringing and desired more than just riches and becoming a king. One day Buddha’s curiosity got the best of him, and he left to explore the world outside the palace.

What he saw shocked him. He left the palace with a charioteer and encountered an old man for the first time. His companion had to explain to him that all people grow old and die eventually. Buddha later went on longer trips outside the palace where he came across a man with a disease, a decaying corpse, and an ascetic (a person who gives up luxuries and practices severe self-disciple). The ascetic inspired him to continue to seek spiritual truth and understand how to defeat human suffering.

After seeing all of this, Buddha decided to leave the palace and promises of becoming a king to discover how to overcome the pain of being human. He wanted to figure out how to avoid the endless cycle of rebirths, or samsara, that comes from unfulfilled desires.

Reaching nirvana through Buddhism

Some accounts of Buddha’s life say that he meditated under the tree for seven days. During this time, the Lord of the desire realm, Mara, visited Buddha and tried to keep him from reaching enlightenment. Mara supposedly sent his daughters to seduce Buddha, unleashed armies of monsters on him, and attempted to assert his superiority. However, Buddha didn’t allow these distractions to keep him from his goal.

He called on the earth goddess for help, asking it to bear witness to his superiority and enlightenment. Buddha then conquered the desires that Mara had placed in his mind and achieved nirvana. He no longer had to reincarnate on Earth because of unfulfilled desires, extinguishing the flames of past, present, and future karma.

Buddha’s teachings

After Buddha’s awakening, he hesitated about spreading the vast knowledge he had gained with others. He thought that humans wouldn’t appreciate his teachings due to being overpowered by ignorance, greed, and hatred. However, the god Brahma convinced him to teach, arguing that some humans would grasp the meaning behind his words.

As Buddha traveled, he taught two main philosophies: the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, which he called the Middle Way between sensual indulgence and self-mortification. Below, we’ll talk more about the eightfold path and what it entails.

The Eightfold Path of Buddhism

1 – Right Understanding:

This aspect of life relates to seeing the world clearly, not giving in to pessimism, optimism, or idealism. Instead, we should see the world as it truly is, not as we perceive or wish it to be. In this practice, Buddha stressed the idea that our actions have consequences, otherwise known as karma.

He stated that unfulfilled desires and wrong living would tie man to the cycle of rebirths unless he can overcome them by having the Right View. Once a man can clear his mind and consciousness of delusion and misunderstandings derived from ignorance, he will see this life and all his past ones.

2 – Right Intent:

The second step on the eightfold path, right intent, involves following the spiritual journey with passion and vigor. It means removing all desires except enlightenment, knowing that everyone and everything will eventually fade back into the source of all. Therefore, we shouldn’t become attached to anything on this Earth. Instead, renouncing all desires will eliminate suffering and ill will, which causes further karma.

Right understanding eliminates ignorance, while the right intent takes away the seeds of desire. Being attached to anything causes suffering due to its impermanence, so Buddhism teaches to transcend worldly desires.

3 – Right Speech:

Buddhism defines the right speech as “abstaining from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech, and from idle chatter.” All words carry energy with them, and the four types of speech we mentioned have negative consequences. Therefore, we should always strive to speak calmly and carefully choose our words.

Speaking from a place of unconditional love and compassion will allow us to emanate good energy. Communicating thoughtfully in the spirit of consideration and acceptance can bring people together and heal tension, so we should always speak mindfully.

4 – Right Action:

Because every action and word can either bring good or bad karma, we should never inflict pain or harm on others. Right action means living ethically, considering the well-being and happiness of others with every move we make.

This teaching includes refraining from harmful actions such as stealing and harming others and fulfilling the promises we make to others.

Buddha laid out five precepts to follow under the right action: not to kill, steal, lie, to avoid sexual misconduct, and not take drugs or other intoxicants. Right action also includes taking care of the Earth so that the future generation can live comfortably and in harmony with their environment.

5 – Right Livelihood:

Your line of work should help you progress on your spiritual path, so one should choose something that respects all life. If your line of work causes suffering to others in any way, it will hinder your spiritual progress. Buddha discouraged any type of work that deals with drugs or alcohol, involves weapons, or harms animals and humans. He encouraged any work which enriches others’ lives, such as community service.

6 – Right Effort:

This concept means cultivating the right mindset so that you can perform the right actions. It involves generating wholesome states such as peacefulness and love and working to prevent unwholesome states such as laziness, ill will, restlessness, and sensual thoughts. Feelings such as anger, resentfulness, and hatred must be eliminated as well.

7 – Right Mindfulness:

This means being fully aware of the present moment, putting one’s attention all on the task at hand. It means being transparent and undistracted, not allowing thoughts or feelings to disturb inner peace. By practicing mindfulness, any cravings will start to melt away, helping the person to expand his or her consciousness. Having a clear and focused mind allows you to see reality with more clarity and transcend the ego.

8 – Right Concentration:

This means unifying the mind by concentration and meditation. By having a one-pointed sense of concentration and giving up sense desires, one can enter into a state of emptiness and nothingness where the mind ultimately becomes liberated. You’d think that giving up the world would cause great suffering and grief, but many renunciants have spoken of the immense joy and peace that comes from this practice.

How Buddhism enhances your life

So, now that we’ve gone over the eightfold path, here are some ways it can improve your life:

1 – More inner peace.

By following the eightfold path, you will gain inner tranquility and greater resolve. Giving up desires may seem difficult at first, but in time, you’ll appreciate the simplicity of life.

2 – Better understanding of the self.

Meditation and expanding awareness to others will help you understand yourself and your dharma, or life purpose, much better.

3 – Greater compassion for others.

Buddha emphasized considering others in the eightfold path, because we all come from the same consciousness. Therefore, we should treat everyone with kindness and compassion.

4 – Improved self-control.

As you refrain from indulging the senses, your self-control and willpower will drastically improve.

5 – Mental clarity.

Without mental chatter formed from desires, you can see life and the answers to the universe more clearly. In time, this can lead to total liberation with enough concentration and desire for freedom.

Final thoughts about the eightfold path of Buddhism

You don’t have to follow Buddhism to improve your life with the eightfold path. Anyone can follow these teachings and achieve greater inner peace, self-control, mental clarity, compassion, and wisdom. It takes great dedication, but making liberation at the end seems well worth the effort.

7 Reasons Cancer Is The Best Zodiac Sign

July 25, 2020 by Power of Positivity

If you have a Cancer in your life, you probably consider them one of your most loyal friends. Being the 4th zodiacal house from the 12 signs, anyone born from June 21st to July 22nd is a Cancer. As a water sign, Cancer understands deep emotions and takes time to process them, yet they may appear calm on the surface.

Although Cancer coincides with the hot season of summer, they have a very calming, cooling effect, much like their water element. The symbol for Cancer is the crab. This zodiac sign may seem tough on the outside. But they hide a lot of their vulnerability on the inside. Before we get into the reasons why Cancers are simply the best, we will give you a little background on this watery zodiac sign.

Cancer Facts

Element: water
Polarity: negative (referring to the yin and yang, Cancer reflects the yin, or more hidden, passive qualities)
Quality: cardinal (leaders or visionaries of the zodiac)
Symbol: crab
Mantra: I Feel
Ruling planet: moon
Ruling house: 4th
Birthstone: ruby
Main qualities: intuitive, emotional, caring, passionate

Now, let’s get into some of the main traits of this sign that make Cancers stand out. If you are a Cancer or know one well, you will probably note that these characteristics seem very familiar to you.

Here’s why Cancer is the best zodiac sign:

They make compassionate leaders.

While Cancers may seem passive, they have excellent leadership capabilities. They use their intuitive, emotional nature to deeply understand people and situations, which gives them great insight into solving problems. Cancer thinks with their heart and not their head, and while this may seem like an unwise approach, their compassion takes them far in life.

They make sure everyone gets their needs met because they genuinely care about the well-being of others around them. A deeply maternal, nurturing sign, Cancer uses their emotional acuity to take care of people’s hearts. You may see them in professions such as counseling, gardening, political positions, artists, musicians, or nurses.

If you need a listening ear, you can count on this sign to provide one. They will drop whatever they’re doing to help you because that’s what they do best. They live to serve others and lift them when life brings them down, and because of this, we consider them the best zodiac sign (and their friends will wholeheartedly agree).

No one can comfort others quite like a Cancer, because they have a way of seeing into people’s hearts and offering wonderful advice. They will put you before themselves because they want to make others happy no matter what.

Cancers are the voice of reason.

Despite their deeply feeling nature, they will not hesitate to tell you the truth about a situation. Don’t underestimate a Cancer’s ability to reason; they don’t just go off blind emotion. They take their time to respond, taking in all information in order to come to the best conclusion for everyone involved.

Perhaps their mothering nature allows them to offer sound advice. Taking a cautious approach to life, Cancer will bring you back down to earth when you’ve spent too much time in the clouds. This zodiac sign can help calm your anxieties and fears, using their water element to cool you down and soothe you.

No matter what life throws at you, a Cancer will come to the rescue and do whatever it takes to make you feel better. Cancers relate deeply to the feelings of others, and many consider themselves empaths because of this. They can easily put themselves in the shoes of others and see many sides of a situation. Their friends usually call them first when they find themselves in trouble.

Deep emotions don’t scare them.

No one knows emotions like a Cancer, so they don’t shy away when others express their deep feelings about a topic. Ironically though, Cancers usually don’t show their emotions unless they really trust you, so if they happen to bare their soul, take it as a huge compliment. Cancers would rather listen to someone else’s problems than share their own because they often feel so deeply that they have a hard time translating it into words.

However, because of their deep understanding of the human condition, they make the best listeners and advice-givers. You can always count on them to offer a shoulder to cry on, and they will make sure you leave their company feeling taken care of. Cancers will encourage you to spill your feelings and will never judge you for them because they’d rather you get everything on the table than bottle up your emotions.

They pay attention.

Out of all the zodiac signs, Cancers pay the most attention to detail. Even when you think you’re rambling on and they’ve lost interest, they pick up on the subtle hints and unspoken words. They’re the sign most likely to surprise you with your favorite dessert after a long work week or buy you a thoughtful gift just because. They love putting a smile on people’s faces and will go to great lengths to take care of you.

Cancers love getting to know people to their core, and because of their attentive nature, you will always feel loved and seen by them. They can’t stand to see others upset and will cross oceans just to make you happy.

This zodiac sign is a rock for the people in their lives.

Don’t underestimate the strength of a Cancer. While they have a lot going on internally, they will hardly show this to the people close to them. They don’t like feeling vulnerable, so they present their tough crab shell to the world most of the time. They have a turbulent nature but appear calm on the surface, much like their water element. Always poised and collected, they stand firm for themselves and the people they care about most.

Cancer doesn’t like to burden others with their problems, so they try their best to solve them internally and remain resolute and stoic. Their emotions fluctuate with the cycles of the moon, but they have an outer resolve that many of their friends admire. You can always count on a Cancer to stay strong in the face of adversity.

They’re very loyal friends.

Caring and compassionate, a Cancer will never leave your side once you’ve earned their trust. It takes a while for them to open up, but once they feel comfortable, you will gain a friend for life. No matter what time of the day or night, this zodiac sign will come to your side when you need them most. They will never leave no matter what you’re going through because they know what it feels like when people abandon them. They couldn’t live with themselves if they hurt someone close to them.

While Cancers typically enjoy flying solo or having a small group of friends, they don’t take their friendships lightly. They usually prioritize friendships as much as romantic partnerships as they prefer to have deep, lasting connections with people.

Cancers will always protect you.

This zodiac sign is very protective of their loved ones, so you don’t want to mess with their friends and family. If you get on their bad side or threaten them in any way, beware the wrath of a Cancer. They appear sweet and gentle to most people, but they won’t hesitate to show their fierceness to anyone who crosses them or their loved ones. Being in the company of a Cancer means always feeling safe and secure because you mean the world to them.

Who should you date, according to your zodiac sign?

Final thoughts about why Cancer is the best zodiac sign

Cancers make the best friends and partners because of their nurturing, compassionate demeanor. They can seem quiet and shy at first, but once you get to know them, you have a friend for life. Cancers have huge hearts and often put others before themselves. They love to love, and you will always feel safe and protected in their company.

Cancer will get to know you extensively and will listen to your every word during a conversation. They value deep relationships and have no interest in shallow or superficial connections. When they open up to you, that means they really trust you to spill their deepest secrets. They don’t let many people in because they wear their hearts on their sleeves and have a fear of getting hurt.

Cancer will give people many chances because they know that people make mistakes and don’t judge them for it. However, once you’ve lost their trust, don’t count on getting it back. They have a forgiving nature, but they don’t allow people to walk all over them. Cancers are much like cuddly, soft teddy bears on the inside despite their guarded, tough appearance.

They’re huge softies at heart even though they don’t like many people to know that about them. They will give you their all in a friendship and relationship, and will never leave your side when you really need them. If you have a Cancer in your life, consider yourself lucky, because you will never meet anyone quite like this sweet zodiac sign.

5 People Share Their Near Death Experiences (NDEs)

July 23, 2020 by Power of Positivity

Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) are as seemingly natural as they are life-changing.

For reference, NDEs are defined as “Lucid (experiences) associated with perceived consciousness apart from the body occurring at actual or threatened imminent death.”

In this article, we will discuss the nature of NDEs – including the accumulating scientific evidence regarding their validity. Read these ten incredible accounts of individuals who have “crossed over” only to return to their Earthly abode.

Let us first discuss the evidence.

The Evidence for NDEs

“There was no confusion. This was not a dream. This was the real experience of my soul outside of my body, outside of my personality, outside of my ego, and outside of my human form. Having a real experience at what I call ‘The Source.’ [original author’s emphasis].”

“It was more real than this reality. We all remember that experience better than anything else in our life.”

Two NDE testimonies from the documentary ‘Beyond Our Sight.’

Researchers estimate that around 17 percent of people who nearly die have an NDE. People who report an NDE come from various backgrounds: adults, children, religious and non-religious, physicians, scientists, ministers, and more. NDEs happen worldwide, with no particular region more or less likely to have an NDE.

Something interesting is that there seem typical for many NDE experiences. Some scientists believe that this commonality of experience also serves as proof of the validity of NDEs.

Among the most common experiences are:

Seeing and hearing apart from the physical body.
Passing into or through a tunnel
Encountering a mystical light
Intense (generally positive) emotions
Review of life experiences
Encountering deceased loved ones
The choice to return to their earthly life

Nine Lines of Evidence of a Near Death Experience

Jeffrey Long, MD, founder of the Near Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF, nderf.org), cites nine “lines of evidence” that suggest the reality of near-death experiences.

#1- Lucid, organized experiences while unconscious, comatose, or clinically dead.

From a scientific perspective, having a highly lucid experience while unconscious, comatose, or clinically dead should not be possible. Yet, 74.4 percent of near-death experiencers (NDEers) report experiencing “More consciousness and alertness than normal.”

#2 – Witnessing ongoing events from a location apart from the physical body while unconscious.

Nearly half of NDEers report seeing or hearing events from a perspective that is apart (typically above) their physical bodies.

#3 – Enhanced, “supernormal” vision.

In a survey of 1,122 NDEers, over 64 percent responded “Yes” to questions inquiring into any “supernormal” vision experiences. It is noteworthy that just 19 percent responded “No” to the question. (16 percent responded “Uncertain.”)

#4 – NDE under general anesthesia.

Having a lucid experience should not be possible under conditions of general anesthesia. However, NDEs (including some of the most extraordinary cases) occur under anesthesia.

#5 – Life reviews.

Many NDEs include at least a partial “life review.” Most NDEers describe the life review as taking place from a third-person perspective. These life reviews often contain parts of their lives that they’d long forgotten until that point.

#6 – Encountering dead loved ones.

Many NDEs include encounters with deceased relatives. In one interesting study, one-third of NDE cases of this type included encountering relatives with whom the NDE experiencer had a poor or distant relationship. Some of these cases also involved meeting a relative or loved one who had died before the NDEer was born.

#7 – NDEs of young children mirror those of adults.

NDE accounts from young children are important, as they are less likely to have established religious or spiritual beliefs and less developed vocabulary. In one study, experimenters analyzed the responses of NDEers aged six or younger (average 3.6 years) to the rest of the group. Of the 33 questions asked, there were no statistically significant differences to the responses between the young children’s age group and the older participants.

#8 – Similar NDEs across cultures.

In Western society especially, we’d think that NDE would be dependent on the spiritual or religious background of the person. However, the evidence shows NDE content as “strikingly similar” across cultures. This led one study to conclude: “All near-death experience elements appearing in Western NDEs are present in non-Western NDEs.”

#9 – After-effects of NDEs.

NDEs appear to transform the lives of those who experience them. 278 NDErs answered the question, “My experience directly resulted in…:” Here is how they responded:

Large changes in my life: 152 (54.7%)
Moderate changes in my life: 68 (24.5%)
Slight changes in my life: 28 (10.1%)
No changes in my life: 14 (5.0%)
Unknown: 16 (5.8%)

This compounding evidence seems to point toward – not away from – the reality of near-death experiences.

10 Amazing Near Death Experience Testimonies

Each of the following NDE accounts is curated from Quora and checked for validity.

Sharon Elizabeth Jensen

“Everything around me was white, cloud white, not bright, shiny, can’t-see light, [but] comfortable light. In fact, everything was comfortable as the most amazing and beautiful music I have ever and will ever hear again (no Human music will EVER compare favorably) was wafting literally in the air and surrounding everything.

I have never really understood what the meaning of ‘unconditional love’ was, cynical being that I am, but I sure do now. Wow. SO wonderful and completely inexplicable in words.”

Lori Miller

“I floated on my back along an invisible path surrounded by a speckled gray atmosphere. A white light illumined far in the distance. I kept my eyes on it without diverting my gaze as I moved towards it.

Absolute peace purified me. I shed all earthy worries, perspective, and concerns. Things that I didn’t realize I’d been carrying vanished, and in their place, complete freedom overtook me.

I felt unburdened, blissful, harmonious, and centered, but these words don’t convey how amazing the experience was for me. There are no words that can adequately describe how I felt. The only way I can try to get across what it was like is to ask you to think of the best day of your life; the day you felt utter peace, a day when abundant love filled your heart, and you had no worries or things that you needed to get done, and then multiply those feelings by a million maybe even a trillion; yes, it was that good!”

Raul Young

“I wasn’t dead, as my consciousness was still there, I wasn’t alive as I was no longer in my body. I was just simply being, I was an eternal force. An energy beyond explanation. It was like floating in the air.

I was no longer seeing the world — I wasn’t even seeing black. I was in a place bright as white. It was peaceful and perhaps heavenly.

The thing that I remembered the most was a sense of selfishness if I can truly put it into words. As I remembered my life, it really didn’t have much feeling of worth anymore. I felt like everything is perfect and just the way it should be.”

Jiri Kroc

“It is an incredible feeling, the most beautiful ‘place’ which I ever visited during this life. It is like being in the heavenly place of the immense beauty of structures observed there and sounds perceived, it is our true home where our spirits reside.

The world, which I did enter, was pure light, pure resonations, pure oscillations, pure sound that all created an unbelievable beauty. Do you remember your early childhood and how you cuddled to your mother, felt absolutely safe, warm, and comforted? This is the same with the difference that the world which we are speaking about is the world of pure energy, a world where our souls reside.”

‘Jerry’

“What GOD showed me that day, there are not enough words on earth to tell you, but I will do my best with want words I have. There was the most beautiful gate, where we saw my parents, grandparents who had died a long time ago. One person I didn’t know, but he told me he loved me too. They all said they were fine and would wait for me to come back. We went on in. It seemed like everything was in a room, but you could see forever. You would be in one place, then in a second; you were somewhere else.

There was so much to see, the clearest rivers and streams. The water was crystal clear. The sky was so blue, the grass so green, and when you walked in the grass, you didn’t leave footprints. The most beautiful music you have ever heard. The flowers were the most beautiful I had ever seen. I didn’t see any person who was sick, or cripple, or looked unhappy.”

Doctor Reveals What Happens to Your Body If You Drink a Daily Glass of Wine

July 23, 2020 by Power of Positivity

Wine drinking is as old as the hills. People have been consuming wine for approximately six to eight thousand years. Throughout history, wine (or vino) has been used during celebrations, religious ceremonies, for healing and to comfort the elderly. You may wonder about the health benefits of wine. So, what happens to your body when you drink a glass of wine?

Studies found that moderate wine drinking, one to two glasses a day, has positive health benefits for your body. The emphasis is on moderate, which means 5 ounces a glass. Doctors recommend you don’t overindulge in this favorite drink. Overindulging in alcohol leads to disease and other health problems.

Fourteen potential health benefits of drinking wine

It’s thought that drinking vino provides you with a long list of great benefits. But should you drink red wine or white wine? Red wine is the healthier of the two wines because grape skins are left in during the fermentation process of red grapes. The white variation’s fermentation process doesn’t include grape skins. Grape skins contain antioxidants that protect your cells. Here is a list of the potential health benefits you receive when you drink a glass of vino.

Remember, also, that moderation when drinking this fermented grape juice is an essential practice. Too much of a good thing can cause damages that far outweigh any possible benefits you’d receive otherwise.

1 – Heart health improvements

Drinking wine helps reduce your chances of getting any kind of cardiovascular disease or having a heart attack. Light drinkers or those who don’t drink vino at all, are more likely to die early compared to moderate wine drinkers. In part, this is due to the wine’s ability to dilate your arteries and increase your blood flow. This dilation lowers your risk of blood clots or damage to your heart.

2 – Fights cancer

Wine contains cancer-fighting properties. Some researchers suggest that drinking a moderate amount of wine will slow the progression of specific types of cancer cells. This outcome may be because this fermented juice contains phenols, to slow the growth of prostate cancer and liver cancer.

3 – Lowers cholesterol

Wine boosts your HDL, which is the good cholesterol, and it blocks the LDL, which causes damage to the lining of your arteries. It’s thought that drinking vino may boost your HDL as much as five to fifteen percent.

4 – Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis causes the thinning of your bones, making them brittle and weak. If you have osteoporosis, you are prone to frequent breaks and fractures in your hip, wrist, or even your spine. Osteoporosis happens when your bones aren’t creating new bone growth. Some studies suggest that moderate drinking of red wine encourages bone mineral thickness in both women and men.

5 – Brain health

Studies found that drinking red wine combined with a healthy diet such as a Mediterranean diet may slow down age-related neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Red varieties set off chemicals that stop stress and damage to your DNA in your brain.

6 – Better weight control

Some researchers suggest that drinking wine can help you control your weight.

However, studies are inconclusive (but worth mentioning).

It’s thought that it may help you burn extra calories. This thinking has been challenged recently. A total understanding of wine and weight control is still being discovered. Any time you drink alcohol, you are taking in extra calories. An average glass of red has approximately 125 calories per 5 ounces or one glass.

While an average glass of white has about 120 calories per 5 ounces, some people suggest you look at the sugar content of your wine. The higher the sugar content, the higher the calories.

7 – Fight off disease

Drinking one glass of wine a day is thought to help your body fight off infections, especially those in your gut. Helicobacter pylori a bacteria that causes gastritis, stomach problems, and ulcers. Wine guards your gut against this type of bacteria’s growth. It can also help protect your gut from salmonella, contamination of foods.

8 – Lowers blood sugar

It’s thought that premenopausal women who drink at least two glasses of wine a day are less prone to type2 diabetes. It also helps glycemic control and improved insulin resistance.

9 – Helps you live longer

Drinking helps you live longer, especially if you also eat a healthy Mediterranean diet with lots of vegetables, fruits and fish, nuts, and whole grains.

10 – Helps you feel happier

Moderate wine drinking improves your overall mood. Even the ancients knew this. An ancient psalm says the following about wine:

He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts. Psalm 104:14-15.

This could be because the experience is relaxing and often you’re drinking wine during a meal with friends or family. Whatever the reason, drinking a glass of wine is an enjoyable experience that can gladden your heart.

11 – Wine improves your vision

Wine contains resveratrol, which comes from the skin of grapes used in winemaking. Red wine contains more resveratrol than white wine. Resveratrol can prevent vision loss. It lowers inflammation and reduces oxidative stress, which affects the balance of free radicals and antioxidants of your body. It can help fight common vision loss especially as you age including

Glaucoma
Cataracts
Macular degeneration
Diabetic retinopathy

12 – Reduces the chance of a stroke

Drinking moderately can prevent blood clots since vino is a natural blood thinner. Thus it can break up blood clots and prevent a stroke. The phenols and resveratrol are act as the blood thinners in wine.

13 – Improves your skin

Wine contains a lot of antioxidants that can help your skin by slowing down the growth of bacteria of acne. Antioxidants have a rejuvenating effect on your skin, making it brighter, and elastic in appearance. Drinking vino also stimulates your blood flow, which can prevent wrinkles.

14 – Protects your teeth

Believe it or not, drinking fermented grape juice may help fight bacteria found in your mouth. Polyphenols in vino slow down decay-causing bacteria and plaque, which turns into cavities. Of course, drinking wine doesn’t negate the need for twice-a daily brushing, flossing, and visiting your dentist twice a year.

How to choose the healthiest wine

Drinking vino is healthy as long as you choose to drink moderately and eat wisely. So, how do you choose the healthiest wine? Here’s a list of the dos and don’ts of choosing the healthiest varieties.

Choose a red wine

Since red wine has more antioxidants, you’ll get more health benefits from choosing it. Choose wines with the most resveratrol because they contain the thick-skinned grapes. Petite Sirah or Cabernet Sauvignon are two reds high in resveratrol. An under-counter wine cooler is designed to be installed under counter space and is the best product that you can buy if you want to store wine at home.

Look for a lower alcohol level.

Wines range between nine to sixteen percent alcohol level. Interestingly enough, because the alcohol originates from grape sugar, the more alcohol, the higher the sugar content of the batch. So, drinking a lower alcohol level means the vino has a lower sugar level. Riesling and Italian Moscato are examples of lower alcohol products.

Buy a sustainable farm wine.

When you buy a sustainably farmed wine, you know you’re getting a variety that wasn’t made from grapes sprayed with pesticides or other synthetic chemicals. These products also don’t contain sulfites. Sulfides are a natural by-product of winemaking. They help persevere and stabilize the beverage. Sulfur is used in winemaking to prevent bacteria or yeast growth. The United States Department of Agriculture requires organic wines to be labeled as “no added sulfites”. When you see the label that says,” USDA Organic Seal” on the bottle label, you will know it has lower sulfites.

Final Thoughts: Moderation is key when it comes to drinking wine to improve your health

You already know that too much alcohol is detrimental to your health. Everything from blackouts to seizures to vomiting and killer headaches results from over-drinking. But drinking too much vino can also cause mental problems, heart problems, liver damage, pancreas problems, and certain kinds of cancer.

When it comes to drinking any alcoholic beverages, remember moderation is key. When you drink moderately plus eat a healthy diet, you maximize the health benefits of the vino. Wine boosts your heart, brain, and stomach health. It also helps you feel happier and live longer.

With so many great benefits, no wonder drinking wine is such a widespread habit. So, gather around your friends and family for a hearty glass of your favorite variety made from the best grapes, the lowest alcohol levels, and from an organic farm. As the ancient writer says, it’s sure to gladden your face.

They make compassionate leaders.

Cancers are the voice of reason.

Deep emotions don’t scare them.

They pay attention.

This zodiac sign is a rock for the people in their lives.

They’re very loyal friends.

Cancers will always protect you.

The Community

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Every day is a day to shine. Shine on!

15 Quotes on Success Never to Forget

1. “If you don’t value your time, neither will others. Stop giving away your time and talents. Value what you know & start charging for it.” – Kim Garst

2. “There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.” – Fred Rogers

3. “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.” – Vince Lombardi

4. “Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.” – Zig Ziglar

5. “The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself.” – Mark Caine

7. “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” – Dale Carnegie

8. “Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down.” – Charles F. Kettering

9. “A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” – David Brinkley

10. “There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed.” – Ray Goforth

11. “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.” – Jim Rohn

12. “Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life. Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism.” – David M. Burns

14. “After every difficulty, ask yourself two questions: “What did I do right?” and “What would I do differently?” – Brian Tracy

Final Thoughts on Quotes on Success Never to Forget

Researchers reveal how mindfulness can help heal your brain:

1 – Mindfulness can help reduce depression.

The study

2 – Mindfulness helps improve learning, memory, and cognitive functioning overall.

The results

The images revealed the following:

3 – Mindfulness can help reduce stress, as well.

The results

Tips on practicing mindfulness daily

Final thoughts on how mindfulness can heal your brain

Buddha’s early life

Reaching nirvana through Buddhism

Buddha’s teachings

The Eightfold Path of Buddhism

1 – Right Understanding:

2 – Right Intent:

3 – Right Speech:

4 – Right Action:

5 – Right Livelihood:

6 – Right Effort:

7 – Right Mindfulness:

8 – Right Concentration:

How Buddhism enhances your life

1 – More inner peace.

2 – Better understanding of the self.

3 – Greater compassion for others.

4 – Improved self-control.

5 – Mental clarity.

Final thoughts about the eightfold path of Buddhism

Cancer Facts

Here’s why Cancer is the best zodiac sign:

They make compassionate leaders.

Cancers are the voice of reason.

Deep emotions don’t scare them.

They pay attention.

This zodiac sign is a rock for the people in their lives.

They’re very loyal friends.

Cancers will always protect you.

Final thoughts about why Cancer is the best zodiac sign

The Evidence for NDEs

Two NDE testimonies from the documentary ‘Beyond Our Sight.’

Nine Lines of Evidence of a Near Death Experience

#1- Lucid, organized experiences while unconscious, comatose, or clinically dead.

#2 – Witnessing ongoing events from a location apart from the physical body while unconscious.

#3 – Enhanced, “supernormal” vision.

#4 – NDE under general anesthesia.

#5 – Life reviews.

#6 – Encountering dead loved ones.

#7 – NDEs of young children mirror those of adults.

#8 – Similar NDEs across cultures.

#9 – After-effects of NDEs.

10 Amazing Near Death Experience Testimonies

Sharon Elizabeth Jensen

Lori Miller

Raul Young

Jiri Kroc

‘Jerry’

Fourteen potential health benefits of drinking wine

1 – Heart health improvements

2 – Fights cancer

3 – Lowers cholesterol

4 – Osteoporosis

5 – Brain health

6 – Better weight control

7 – Fight off disease

8 – Lowers blood sugar

Rise and Shine On!
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