ix years ago, I walked away from my stifling corporate job as an Administrative Recruiter to honor my deep desire. Knowing that it was time to live God?s purpose full-time.

I began putting together a Professional Speaking Coaching business that would one day become a world-class speaking and training institute. About three years into building my business, it was time to make the transition into speaking, my true gift, as my major income stream. In preparation for this I was doing market research on other speakers and professional coaches.

As I read website after website, it became evident that they were all saying the same things. We were using the same words to describe our work and the outcomes we delivered. I took a deep breath and realized I had gone as far as I could without having the clarity and walking in the knowing of what made me unique as a speaker and coach. I asked God, ?God, what makes me different than the others you have called to similar work??

The next voice I heard was not my own. This voice came from within my spirit and said, ?I have put all of the answers within my children and they are not being obedient. Your job is to help them be obedient to my call. If they will heed my call, the world will be transformed.? I then saw images of famine, starving children, homelessness, poverty, and inner city crime flash through my mind. Then the voice of God continued by saying, ?I have put the answers to all of the world?s problems in my children, if only they will be obedient. Your job is to help my children be obedient.? From that day on, my fear disappeared and I deeply and profoundly understood my specific calling and purpose in this world. I have been fearlessly heeding God?s call to be a catalyst to guide God?s children in full obedience with His call on their lives ever since.

About a year later, I was planning the lesson for the Teen Sunday School class I had taught for years at First AME Church in Seattle, Washington. I was preparing a lesson on fear, and as I was reading the Word about fear I noticed it was used in several different contexts. I needed a deeper understanding to be able to teach my students. I then asked The Lord, ?I have read your Word and I am not clear about fear. Please reveal to me the truth about fear.? In just moments, my reply came and said, ?Fear is the lack of surrender or submission to God.?

Wow! What!? I applied that definition and re-read the passages in the Word about fear and it fit! That was it! Fear is the lack of surrender or submission to God. I have been teaching it ever since and it has fit for everyone I have shared it with. Did you get it? This is the truth about fear. It is so important that you understand this; it is the cornerstone of this course. Here it is again?

Fear is the lack of surrender or submission to God.

There are institutes, classes, workshops, and books solely dedicated to the topic of fear. Once you understand the truth about fear, you can get on with the business of bringing forth the incredible vision that God has planted in you.

To move forward, you must also understand what fear is not - it is not False Evidence Appearing Real. This is the definition of fear I have seen over and over again and it is not fully accurate. I felt like I would scream if I saw this definition in another book or heard another speaker refer to it.

You must understand the spiritual nature of fear and use spiritual tools, or tools from God, to guide your way through fear. Fear is not something just in your mind. Fear is not just doubt or your negative thoughts. Fear is a spiritual issue and simply cannot be reckoned with in your mind, your will, or your ego.

You may have been taught that fear is your enemy and you can fight it. You may have believed until now that you can affirm or attempt to overcome your fear with positive self-talk and cute affirmations posted on your bathroom mirror. You cannot ever affirm your way out of fear. Affirmations will help for a minute, but your fear will come up again shortly and take hold of you.

Perhaps you have been trying to push or move forward in spite of your fear. Fear is the way you can monitor the spiritual doors through which darkness enters your thoughts, habits, and life. Fear illuminates the areas of your life in which you do not believe God will provide for you. The opposite of fear is faith. Fear and faith cannot co-exist. You have to choose one or the other. Once you believe God for that particular thing you feared before, it no longer has a stronghold on you and the spirit of fear will find somewhere else to reside. Removing fear from your life is the doorway to your will and God?s will for your life and business becoming one.

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Ericka D. Jackson is a Christian Speaker, Author, and Business Coach. She provides individuals, organizations, and churches with the tools to achieve God?s vision for their lives. Visit www.erickajackson.com for insights, techniques and resources to fulfill your calling.

Have you ever thought about what really creates self-esteem? Having a deep sense of inner worth is important to all of us, but many people have some false beliefs about what creates confidence in our own merit as individuals.

Some of the common false beliefs regarding what creates self-esteem are:

* I will feel good about my self when I?m making $______(fill in the amount) a year.

* I will feel worthy when I am in a relationship with a (beautiful) (handsome) (wealthy) (loving) (fill in own) person.

* I will feel worthy when I get enough approval from enough people.

* I will feel adequate when I have a baby.

* I will feel adequate when_______( fill in desired outcome that you attach to your sense of worth).

However, there are many people who have all of the above and still do not feel a deep sense of self-esteem. That?s because self-esteem has nothing to do with anything external, such as looks, approval, money, relationships with others, or having a baby.

Self-esteem, or the lack of it, is solely the result of how we treat ourselves. Those people who attend to their own feelings and needs with loving action on their own behalf feel good about themselves, while those people who ignore, invalidate, or judge their own feelings and needs feel badly about themselves.

For example, Anna grew up with parents who were hardworking and very caring about their children, but who didn?t take good care of themselves. Both of her parents smoked, drank too much, and didn?t eat well. Neither of them took responsibility for their own feelings, so both of them were anxious or depressed much of the time. Even though her parents were loving to her, Anna does not take good care of herself, having had no role modeling for personal responsibility, She doesn?t eat well or get enough exercise, doesn?t stand up for herself at home or at work, and doesn?t get enough rest or playtime. She is very attractive, makes lots of money, has a husband and children, yet often feels very insecure.

If you imagine that her feelings and needs are like a child within, you can begin to see why she doesn?t feel good about herself. Treating herself badly will always result in feeling badly. You might be tempted to think that she treats herself badly because she doesn?t feel good about herself, and that?s true, but she will not feel good about herself until she treats herself as a worthwhile person. Her good feelings will come from her loving action toward herself. The more loving action she is willing to take on her own behalf ? taking physical, emotional, financial, organizational, relationship, and spiritual responsibility ? the better she will feel about herself.

How can Anna be motivated to take loving care of herself when she doesn?t feel good about herself? It seems like a vicious circle, yet there is a way out. Anna doesn?t feel motivated to take care of herself because she thinks that who she is, is her ego, the wounded part of herself whom she doesn?t like. Yet if Anna opens to knowing who she really is - that she beautiful and perfect child of God, that her essence, her true Self is a spark of God, created in the image of God - she will want to take loving care of this wonderful soul within.

When Anna begins to take loving care of herself, her wounded self ? the part of herself that has low self-esteem ? begins to heal. The more Anna feeds herself well, gets enough exercise and rest, speaks up for herself and tells her truth, takes care of her financial situation, organizes her time and environment, treats others with kindness and compassion, and opens to her spiritual Guidance or Higher Power, the better she will feel about herself. Self-esteem is the result of taking loving action, not the cause of it. Since we all have free will, we each have the choice to take loving action on our own behalf.

It doesn?t matter how badly you were treated as a child, or how badly your parents treated themselves. Your actions need never be governed by your past. If you devote yourself, moment-by-moment, to taking loving action on our own behalf, you will discover that the result is high self-esteem.

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Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is the best-selling author and co-author of eight books, including “Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By You?” She is the co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding healing process. Learn Inner Bonding now! Visit her web site for a FREE Inner Bonding course: www.innerbonding.com or mailto:margaret@innerbonding.com. Phone sessions available.
margaret@innerbonding.com

The unitive approach to coaching is not based on any pre-conceived theory or set of beliefs. It has evolved organically over a period of years as a result of my own long experience in the field of personal and professional development.

In 1971 I began working with Dr Jay Stattman, the director of the Institute of Unitive Psychology at Utrecht, The Netherlands, where I subsequently became an associate staff member, setting up human potential courses, seminars and training facilities all over Europe.

The unitive coaching process represents a comprehensive tutorial framework within which a valid individual authenticity can be built. It provides a comprehensive introduction to the theory and practice of personal and professional self-empowerment and the development of insight, true awareness and authentic interpersonal communication.

Basic principles of Unitive coaching

The unitive approach to the process of self-discovery is not only eminently practical but also covers every aspect of the whole person.

? At the rational level, it works experientially to bring to awareness obsolete and redundant patterns of acquired behaviour

? At the emotional level it seeks to reconcile spontaneous feelings with intellectual insight

? At a psychological level, it aims to empower individuals with self-knowledge and the strength of their unique authenticity

? At the higher, integrated level of intuition, its goal is to facilitate personal development on issues of imagination, spirit and creativity

Unitive coaching in practice

The first requirement for those who intend to communicate effectively in an honest and open dialogue with other people is that they are up to speed with their own developmental homework. To act authentically as an effective resource to others on their individual pathways through life, you first need to be thoroughly conversant with your own home territory. You can?t take anyone further than you?ve travelled yourself.

There?s an old saying that goes, ?We don?t see the world as it is; we see it as we are?. You?ll never be able to see what?s really going on in the present if your attitudes and patterns of behaviour remain stuck in the past, with your eyes staring at an unchanging inner landscape. If you want to become aware of who you really are ? to start feeling comfortable in your own skin ? you?ll need to examine your own habitual outlook on life; discover its hidden and negative function, and work to bring it up to date and relevant to present reality. It?s a demanding and often difficult task, but you?ll find the rewards are enormous.

Personal authenticity is all about experiencing each event in life in the light of present reality, instead of through the distorting mirrors of the past. This will necessarily involve you in what might at first appear to be a frightening thing to do. In order to access your innate sources of personal wisdom, you?ll need first to let go of those bits of your previously acquired stuff that?s now become useless ? to cast off your old protective clothing and immerse yourself completely in whatever new experience life may come up with.

Once you?ve become part of that experience, your entire being ? mind, body and spirit ? will become an instrument for opening up receptive channels of communication between your own true responses and those of the people who share your present environment. Instead of trying to influence events from the outside, you?ll find you?ve become an integral part of them. It?s a magical process: experiencing the power of the present instead of just observing it.

Within yourself you have the potential to integrate your internalised conflicts into a unitive whole, greater than the sum of its separate parts.

Unitive coaching provides a level playing field where coach and client face each other as equals. Instead of assuming a directive role, it identifies the true nature of the personal authenticity and power habitually surrendered to ?experts? and authority figures and brings it back home where it belongs.

The ultimate goal of unitive coaching is to facilitate this liberating insight. The true purpose of human existence is to accept and to commit to present reality and the inevitable imperfections of life and all who live it.

?and in that very imperfection, each individual can experience the truth and beauty of authentic being and the possibility of spontaneous change.

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Charles Bentley PhD, founder of Life Coach UK, is recognised to be one of the most qualified and experienced life coaching tutors practising in the UK today. The Advanced Coaching Course demonstrates the enormous potential of his approach to acquiring and developing world-class coaching skills. For more information visit www.LifeCoachUK.com

Anybody who has to live life with a stammer will know just how much of a hinderance it can make what fluent people see as simple tasks. Making a phone call, ordering a drink, going out with friends and attending a job interview can be very hard for people who stammer or stutter.

My name is Steve Hill and I am one of these people who have had to endure the affects of stammering. I am now very happy to report that I have been fluent for the last ten years and life has never been so good.

I was never willing to accept my stammer despite what many other so called stammering experts said. These people wanted me to stop fighting and to realise that I would live with the stammer for the rest of my life. In their eyes if I accepted this fact it would be a lot easier for me to cope. These experts are fluent people and it is easy for them to say.

Throughout my life I have tried to improve especially in the areas that I was not happy about. For me stammering was the ultimate problem in my life and I was certain that I would continue my search for a cure for the rest of my life. There was no way I was going to ever accept it. Whenever anybody says to me that a particular thing can not be achieved, I always think of this as a very negative approach. I have now decided to try and avoid these negative type people as they are the ones who are weak and I do want them to have any influence on my life, as they can easily if I am not careful bring me down to their level.

I found stammering to be a very frustrating problem. At times I could actually speak quite well, for example after I had drank quite a lot of alcohol. I was able to talk well to one person but not to another. For many years I could not work out why this was. To find some answers I attended speech therapy at various points in my life. Unfortunately these people did not have the required information to help me. My search for a cure for stammering would have to continue in a different place.

My advice for anybody who has a stammer is to never give up or accept your stammer. This is in a way accepting second best which is exactly what I did when I had a stammer. I had to accept second best in my work, social and even love life as having a stammer made me believe that I could do no better.

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Stephen Hill helps to promote a number of websites including:
stuttering treatment
Stammering Information
Logo Design Information

Copyright 2006 www.eliasg.com

We live in a cynical age. All of us tend to look for ?the catch? and consider ?caveat emptor? a personal motto.

There is no clearer example of this cynical tendency than the popular expression, ?those who can?t do, teach.? We tend to doubt the expertise of others in order to defend ourselves against disappointment. We allow our cynicism to push us toward self-help and do-it-yourself activity instead of gaining insight from others. That perspective has reached the home business world, as many view mentoring and teaching offers with a suspicious eye.

That position is understandable. There are, after all, more than a few rotten apples in the instruction and mentoring business. However, those occasional problems do not de-justify seeking expert assistance. Having the right teacher, especially with respect to home business operation, can be the difference between success and failure.

Let us look at why having a quality teacher or mentor can make a positive difference as you seek to grow your own successful home business.

First, having instruction allows you to shorten the learning curve considerably. You are able to short-circuit the usual route of trial and error. A trustworthy advisor can point out potentially damaging pitfalls and provide you with the means by which to avoid them. You can learn tricks of the trade that were discovered through firsthand experience by a veteran home business operator instead of being forced to personally experience the hassles and headaches that inspired them.

Second, quality teaching can provide you with something every entrepreneur needs: an ear. If you have an idea or are interested in trying something different or new, having a mentor available gives you a chance to discuss the concept and to improve your technique before ?going live.? It is amazing how many potentially great ideas go unused simply because the thinker was not sure whether it was a good idea. A mentor provides one with an opportunity to discuss, modify and carefully hone new plans for maximum success.

Third, good mentoring gives you an advantage over the competition. Many people are stuck in the cynical mindset and are hell-bent on doing everything themselves. As they slowly move along the learning curve, experiencing setbacks that would have been avoidable with some quality coaching, you can shoot to the front of the line. Having a solid instructor is a good idea to begin with, but when you think of its value in terms of competitors who lack the advantage, its power becomes even clearer.

Does this mean it is time to throw all caution to the wind and embrace the first teaching offer you see? Of course not. Instead, you should redirect your cynical streak into strong critical thinking. Approach the matter smartly, do your homework, and investigate offers carefully. If you are willing to keep an open mind regarding mentorship for your home business endeavor, you can use your suspicions to help you find a great teacher–instead of leaving you to fend for yourself.

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Elias Georgi makes it easy to build your home based business and earn a substantial income. Learn how to increase your income in the comfort of you own home with minimal effort by visiting: www.eliasg.com