Is it an employment "opportunity" or bondage? Because what you really want is freedom, many of you equate working for other people as bondage. But if you would realize that the corporation, as an entity, is not so different from the individual, it might be easier to understand the employer's decisions. Long before the buildings or the workers, the visionary of the corporation had an idea for something that began summoning Energy. So years later maybe you are hired as a part of that team and, without realizing it, you are now the beneficiary of that continuing flowing Energy. When you step into one of those employment positions, Life Force is summoned through you because of the vision of the founder—unless you're bucking the current. Most get into that fast moving stream and paddle against the current—and then complain about it being a hard ride—where they could get into their canoe and easily paddle with the fast moving current. You can soar and thrive in any environment as long as you are not seeing things that you are using as your reason to paddle against the current. And so, it doesn't really matter what others are deciding. The questions is: "As I am choosing to stand here, it's a way for dollars to flow through me in exchange for the effort I am offering. Am I predominantly letting the Energy flow through me, or not? Am I letting it in?

--- Abraham

Excerpted from the workshop in Albuquerque, NM on Tuesday, August 1st, 2000 # 218

BBC NEWS: Students' Mental Health 'At Risk' Psychiatrists Warn

Doctors are warning that the current generation of students has a greater risk of anxiety and depression than previous ones.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists says there are now many more students from less privileged backgrounds who are less prepared for university life.


Students also face rising debt and uncertain job prospects, it warns.

It is concerned universities may see counselling and support services as an easy target for cuts.

In a report seen exclusively by the BBC, the college says the massive expansion in the numbers of young people going into higher education has had a significant impact.

Universities are now educating a different type of student from the privileged minority of 20 years ago. Changes in wider society are also being seen on campus, with an increase in students from fractured families. At the same time, the financial cost of going to university has increased.

Dr John Callender, one of the report authors, said: "Many are having to work long hours in paid work on top of full-time academic studies. Many are less well-supported by their families than was the case in years gone by.

"The reasons for this are things like increased rates of marital breakdown and students being drawn from poorer social backgrounds."

He said there are also intense social pressures for many young people, living away from home and trying to live up to the expectation that these years should be a happy and sociable time.

Dropping Out

During their years at university, it is thought about 4% of students will turn to counselling services for support. Recent research has suggested that these services are facing increasing demands for their advice.

For Liam Bore, being able to talk to someone made the difference between staying at university and dropping out.

He found himself struggling to maintain his studies after the death of two school friends was followed only a year later by the loss of his mother.

"My concentration wasn't good, I couldn't take on what was going on in the lessons, and that had a big impact on my grades."

With support from the counselling service at the University of Hertfordshire, Liam has negotiated extra time to complete his final assignments and now hopes to leave with a good degree.

Some universities are investing more in support services, in recognition that if students leave their course, it can damage their prospects and lead to the university losing their fees.

Eileen Smith, the head of counselling at the University of Hertfordshire and a joint author of the report, has been advising first-year students about the help available as part of their freshers' week.

She agrees this is a generation for whom the pressures are greater, as many are the first in their family to reach university.

"They might find it harder to negotiate with tutors, they're less sure what to expect, and less confident about asking for help.

"Sometimes there is a lot of pressure on them to succeed. They can be carrying the hopes of a whole family."

The report warns that despite the growing demands, there are concerns for the future of some welfare services, with reports of some universities in England already freezing posts as a result of the financial pressures on higher education.

The RCPsych says this is a crucial time in the lives of young people, whether for temporary support, or early diagnosis of major mental illnesses.

It wants academic staff to receive more training, and greater incentives for GPs interested in running dedicated health services for students.

By Branwen Jeffreys Health correspondent, BBC News
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15112980

MSN NEWS: UK 'Officially Bottom Of The Pile'

The UK is the worst place to live in Europe, with people getting a "raw deal" on quality of life and high cost of living, a study has revealed.

Comparison website uSwitch said that things were getting so bad that one in 10 people in this country were considering emigrating.

France and Spain came out on top of its Quality of Life Index, with the UK bottom of a 10-country league table, covering working hours, VAT, holidays, spending on health and education - and hours of sunshine.

The UK also came bottom of another table based on the cost of energy, petrol, food, alcohol, cigarettes, and life expectancy.

Households in the UK struggled with a high cost of living, with food and diesel prices the highest in Europe, while unleaded petrol, alcohol and cigarettes all cost more than the European average, said the report.

People in the UK now have the lowest holiday entitlement in Europe as well as having one of the highest retirement ages, the study found.

A survey of over 2,000 adults found their biggest concern was "broken society", as well as the cost of living, crime and violence, while some 5% said they were happy with the UK, with over one in 10 "seriously considering" emigrating.

France topped the index for the third year in a row, despite the average household annual net income being £7,000 below that of the UK.

Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at uSwitch.com, said: "Last year at least our neighbours in Ireland were worse off, now we can't even console ourselves with that. We are now officially at the bottom of the pile.

"We may still be enjoying the fourth highest household income in Europe, but the high cost of living means that we're living to work."

http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/uk-officially-bottom-of-pile

FEELING ALIVE IS ABOUT TAKING RISKS

My dictionary tells me that to risk is "to expose oneself to the chance of loss." I suppose that is true. Another piece of literature I was once given (author unknown) suggests that:

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out for another is to risk involvement.
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.
To place your ideas, your dreams, before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To hope is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure.

You may avoid suffering and sorrow if you don't risk, but you simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live. The greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, does nothing and has nothing. Only a person who risks is free.

What causes individuals to shy away from taking a risk, even if it is a low risk and will give them something they really want? Well, certainly high on most people's list would be fear of loss, failure and perceived humiliation if the loss were to occur. Why would we automatically think that we would fail at something? Why wouldn't we first try and see, and then if we did fail, learn from that experience and move on? What causes us to have these thoughts of inferiority?

Well, I believe it dates back to our little life. And, since risk-taking, to my knowledge, is not a subject that is taught in school, it would lead me to believe that a person's fear of taking risks might stem back from before they can even remember. When you were a child taking your very first steps, it wasn't uncommon to hear one of your parents or guardians say, "Be careful, you might fall." Or, "Don't do that, you'll ...." Though some of this is rhetoric and you don't really pay much attention to it, for some, it begins the pattern of playing it safe.

Think of how much better equipped we would be to face life's challenges and succeed, if we had repetitively heard, "Take a chance and don't worry about falling, because you're going to fall...probably quite often. Falling is an important part of learning." Many of the greatest lessons you'll receive in life are going to come from falling ... from your failures.

Failing will never make you a failure unless you quit. Unfortunately, very few people heard that when they were small. The vast majority of our population have been mentally programmed to play it safe.

In my seminars I have often said that a little baby is a natural born risk taker. The baby never considers the consequences of falling when it is learning to walk. Falling is acknowledged as a natural consequence to learning to walk. I guess you could call it a calculated gamble; it's a prerequisite to mastering a myriad of motor skills required to get you on your feet and moving. It's a natural progression in movement. Why then, wouldn't we stop to consider that any movement into unchartered territory should be viewed with the same consideration? What happens to us?

Why is it that we do not see the process of reaching our goals as having steps similar to the ones the baby must take in order to learn to walk? There will be some stumbling and falling in the learning process, but success can only be reached when we are prepared to take those steps, all of them, even the ones where we may fall down. The real win is the confidence and experience we acquire which translates into new opportunities for growth, enjoyment and expansion in all areas of our life.

When I was a youngster in school, I participated in track and field. Pole-vaulting was my specialty; it was the one event I seemed to excel at. I clearly remember knocking that bar flying more often than I cleared it. I also remember I was not very enthusiastic when that happened. Knocking the bar off left me with a feeling that because I had failed, I was a failure. I had failed and as I remember, no one advised me of anything different. In retrospect, it would have been an excellent opportunity for one of my teachers to help me understand one of life's greatest lessons. But, it never happened and it would be many years before I learned the truth, the hard way.

While we're still on the topic of children, I'll throw up another caution flag. There's a four letter word that most parents use around their children so frequently, that the children pick it up and before too long it is buried in the treasury of their subconscious mind. That four letter word is CAN'T. This word has done more damage than a lot of other frowned-upon four letter words put together. I know of some forward-thinking parents who have literally banned that word from their children's vocabulary!

Can't is a word that paralyzes any constructive progress. It switches your mind into a negative frequency. It is a four letter word that will open your mind to a never ending flow of logical, practical reasons which will enable you to justify why you are not able to do something you sincerely want to accomplish.

The only alternative to that four-letter word is its polar opposite - I CAN. I can is far more important than IQ. You don't necessarily have to be very smart to win ... but you must be willing. Reaching the goal is not success; success is moving toward the goal. When I was knocking down the cross bar, I was attempting to reach the goal. I was stretching, giving it everything I had. That could hardly be considered failing. Every time I tried to clear the bar, I was risking being ridiculed by the other kids. I risked having them laugh at me when I missed ... and they did laugh.

However, every time I ran down the field and lowered the pole into the box, attempting to vault myself over the bar, I was challenging myself. Taking risks is essential when you want to reach a goal and the purpose of goals is growth. When you challenge yourself, you bring more of yourself to the surface. If you knock the bar flying today, at least you will know you are challenging yourself; you're a success!

If you dream of living your life in a really big way, you must accept risk-taking as a very real part of the apprenticeship you must serve. Make a decision right now to change. Decide this very moment there will be no more playing it safe ... no more "saving it for a rainy day" type thinking in your life. When people get caught up in the habit of saving for a rainy day, that is generally what they get ... a rainy day.

I clearly remember the first time I heard Earl Nightingale. Earl was telling a story about a farmer who was out walking in a field. He looked down and saw a tiny pumpkin growing on a vine. Nearby, he spotted a small glass jar. The farmer reached down and placed the tiny pumpkin inside the small jar. The pumpkin continued to grow until it filled the inside of the jar. Beyond which it could not grow.

There are a number of people like that tiny pumpkin. They limit themselves and refuse to take a risk. They never truly test the strength of their abilities. You will never get to second base if you keep one foot on first. Too many people go through their entire lives playing their cards close to their chest. They never step out and bet on the surest thing in the world ... themselves. If you hope to accumulate great wealth or achieve high goals, history records that the first few steps have a high degree of risk. You must turn your back on safety and security. To make it big, you must take big risks. You will very likely have to put yourself in a highly vulnerable position. It is also worth remembering you cannot almost take a risk.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face." Follow her advice and liberate yourself from the crippling emotional state of fear and enter into a world of freedom.

To your success,
Bob Proctor

Abraham-Hicks: Feel Good Now, It's Important!

Focus

Focusing on the way you want your life to be when things not going your way in the present moment, is not the easiest thing to do. But if you have the determination to focus your attention in every area of your life as you want it to be, rather than as it is, your life will change dramatically.

As you begin to notice the instant, benevolent, cooperative response of the universe responding to your desires, you will in very quickly be one who is willing to let go of everything and anything that is not part of your vibration. You will let bygones be bygones, ex-partners be ex-partners, grudges and mistakes of others and your own, complaints and ill wishes, injustice and bad behavior all become non-issues.

You will purify your vibration from the stuff you don't like and will replace it with the things you do like, appreciate and want. And with far less trouble than you think and in far less time and effort than you think. You will begin to offer a vibration that will net you evidence of your thoughts. That evidence is nothing more than the indication of the improved story you are telling.

Remember, you are Source Energy that has come here to create and you are worthy of every idea that comes to you. The resources of the universe are here to assist you in your creation just as surely as they assist the earth in spinning in its orbit in
perfect proximity to other planets.

There is no greater creator than you and no greater reason to create than the things you desire in your life. Everything you create is for the purpose of the joyous satisfaction that it gives you as the Source within you expands.

It is my desire that you think enough of yourself to want to feel good and do whatever it takes to feel good. Even if that means ignoring those who lie to you, ignoring those things that you disapprove of, and turning your undivided attention to the things you desire.

With every thought you think and with every desire you give birth to the universe expands. And it is only through your joyous quest that all is possible.

The Power Of Your Mental Focus

When we were born we didn't get an owner's manual for our minds. We created reality through our focus of attention and our thoughts.

Your POINT OF FOCUS determines your POINT OF ATTRACTION. Let me put it this way - If there are 100 things surrounding you and 1 of them is good and the other 99 are rotten, if you focus on the 1, the other 99 must leave you.

If you are surrounded by 100 things and 99 of them are good and 1 of them is rotten and you focus on the one that is rotten, in your quest to quell the problem, the other 99 will become rotten too. That is the power of your focus.

So use the power of your focus and the guidance that comes from within and work every day to stand wherever you are and see the world through the eyes of Source Energy. As you do, you will attract people who will resonate with your desires and those who have been annoying you will annoy you less or go away altogether.

You cannot hold in your experience unpleasant things when you are looking for that which is pleasant. You cannot bring to your experience pleasant things when you are fixated on something unpleasant. It is as simple as that. Tune yourself in to what
you want and watch how cooperative the Law of Attraction and this universe will be for you.