Competition Bikes Inc. Storyline Essay Example for Free

Competition Bikes Inc. Storyline Essay To: Vice President The following is a summary report to recommend whether Competition Bikes should change its traditional costing method to activity based costing, and an analysis of the breakeven point with regards to sales units and dollars for both CarbonLite and Titanium bikes. It also discusses the impacts to the breakeven point. The cost-volume-profit evaluation and the traditional vs activity based costing method overhead analysis were used for the review and analysis. Traditional Based Costing vs Activity Based Costing Traditional Based Costing Method (TBC). TBC uses one rate, the overall cost of production, to estimate costs based on the revenue production created. Unlike ABC, manufacturing costs in TBC are only assigned to sold merchandises and do not account for nonmanufacturing costs such as administrative costs. This method is general not as accurate as ABC as it does not account for costs specifics to the level of products. For Competition Bikes, the company can see its manufacturing overhead is $239,020 for the Titanium bikes, and $232,380 for the CarbonLite bikes for a total of $471,400 in overhead costs. This means the unit cost for each is $713 for Titanium bikes, and $1359 for the CarbonLite bikes. Activity Based Costing Method (ABC). ABC determines and allocates cost by activities a company executes. This generally happens in four steps: identify each activity and its associated costs, both total and indirect; estimated cost driver and quantity; allocation computation; and cost allocation to the respective activity. ABC refines the way indirect costs are allocated to production and focuses on the costs of each individual activity. Costs are also further assigned to each product within the activities and each activity has its own cost driver. Because of the  specificity, active based costing provides a more accurate picture of the true costs. Direct material (DM), and direct labor (DL) are the same for each bike in using TBC or ABC. However, in using ABC, the company can break out the manufacturing overhead into factory setups, quality control, engineering services, product movements, utilities and services, and depreciation. The total for each bike using the ABC method is $590,715 for Titanium bikes, and $729,985 for CarbonLite bikes. Although the total is still the same $471,400 in overhead costs, the ABC method allows Competition Bikes to see that the Titanium bikes depreciate much faster than the CarbonLite and that it takes more utilities and services to make those bikes. Factory setups and quality control are much higher for CarbonLite bikes than those for Titanium ones. Per unit, the Titanium Bikes cost $656 each and the CarbonLite bikes cost $1460. Recommendation. It is recommended to use ABC to determine true costs associated with activities and products. This will give the company more knowledge of its finances and spending and in return by seeing a clearer picture of costs, make better decisions on funding and budget, and gain cost savings. Activity based management in Competition Bikes can use ABC to make decisions that increase profits while still meeting customer needs. Understanding where costs are going will help Competition Bikes to remove unnecessary costs and set fair price for the products. Overpricing products causes a lost in market sharing while underpricing products diminishes revenue. Better prices for consumers means more business for the company. With activity based costing, Competition Bikes will be able to determine the optimum sales units required with the sales mix of 9 Titanium bicycles produced for every 5 CarbonLite bicycles that will produce the bikes at San Diego at breakeven. The company will also be able to reevaluate activities on a regular basis to reduce future costs as well. Evaluating activities and setting sales prices are part of value engineering. Currently the company thinks it costs $1359 to make a CarbonLite bike and have set the selling price accordingly. In reality, the bikes cost $1460 to make. With a $101 difference, the company may want to adjust their selling price in future months. Using ABC also allows the company to use the Just in Time (JIT) system. This system allows ensures materials are purchased just in time to produce the products, and products are completed just in time for delivery. JIT uses the demand-pull system to receive the order, schedule production, delivered materials, and finished product delivered to the customer. This lessens the amount of excess parts and inventory saving the company money as well. Breakeven Point This analysis will evaluate the breakeven point for Competition Bikes Inc. Sales units and sales dollars will be identified for the breakeven point. These sales units and dollars will be broken down between CarbonLite and Titanium bikes. The breakeven point is used my companies to prevent loss. The Cost Volume Profit (CVP) is the tool in which to capture the breakeven point. Sometimes it is referred to as the breakeven analysis. The CVP assists the company in identifying future operation need, production costs, and expansion possibilities based on estimating costs, prices, and volumes. This profit response can help Competition Bikes determine the amount of needed sales, what products to manufacture, pricing policies, marketing strategies, and how much profit is actually needed. In this analysis we will assume that the fixed and variable costs remain constant, and that the number of units produced equals the number of units the company sells. CVP is defined by the equation Total Revenues – Total Costs = Profit. The breakeven point is the point in which the CVP equals zero or, Revenues – Expenses = 0. Meaning, the revenues cover all the costs, fixed and variable. Therefore, the CVP can be further broken down into Total Revenue – Total Fixed Costs – Total Variable Costs = Total Profit. The contribution margin is then identified by Total Revenue – Total Variable Costs (leaving out the fixed costs). Contribution Margin is important to identify the differences in each product’s profits. For Competition Bikes, the contribution margin for the Titanium bikes is $900-$679=$221. The  CarbonLite Bikes yield $1495-$1384=$111 each. Using the 450 Titanium bikes and 250 CarbonLite bikes sold, the total combined contribution margin for Competition Bikes is $127,000. That’s broken down like this: Titanium Bikes contribution margin of $221 per unit, 450 units equals $221*450, or $99,450. CarbonLite bikes contribution margin of $111 per unit, 250 units equals $27,750. Contribution margins $99,450 + $27,750 = $127,200 Total Contribution Margin. To determine the profits in more detail, we use the equation (Selling Price (per unit) * Quantity Sold) – (Variable Costs (per unit) * Quantity Sold) – Fixed Expenses = Breakeven Point (Zero). The fixed costs are the units sold * the weighted average contribution margin. The weighted average contribution margin is used to find the breakeven point and is essentially the average of contribution margin amounts per unit. The equation is Total Contribution Margin / Total Quantity Sold. For Competition Bikes, our combined weighted average contribution is $181.71. That’s $127,200/ 700 units sold (450 Titanium and 250 CarbonLite bikes) = $181.71. To establish the breakeven point, we also need to know the combined revenue and costs as well. So we calculate total revenue as the following. Titanium bikes are $900 each and 400 units sold, equals $405,000. The CarbonLite bikes are $1495 each and 250 sold which equals $373,750. Combine the $405,000 + $373,750 = $778,750 Total Combined Revenue. The variable costs for each are Titanium bikes: $679 in costs, 450 sold, which equals $305,550 or $679*450 = $305,550. CarbonLite bikes: $1384 in costs, 250 sold, which equals $346,000, or $1384*250= $346,000. The two together, $305,550 + $346,000 = $651,550 Total Combined Variable Costs. The total combined margin can also be calculated by taking $778,750 subtracting the $651,550 and it equals the same $127,200 Total Combined Margin we calculated earlier. We use this as a check and balance system here. To determine the breakeven units, we look at the fixed costs and weighted average contribution margin discussed earlier. The fixed cost for the company is $400,000. Divided by the weighted average contribution margin  181.71, we get the breakeven units for the product sales mix of 2201. The contribution margin ratio is the percentage of contribution margin to revenue. To find the contribution margin ratio, we divide the total combined margin by the total revenue. This tells us by how much the price per unit exceeds the variable cost per unit. In this scenario, Total Combined Margin $127,000 divided by Total Revenue $778,750 which is .163, or $127,000 / $778,750 = .163 Contribution Margin Ratio. Since the bikes are not equal, we must calculate a product mix in addition to the weighted average. Using the weighted average, we can calculate the breakeven point in a proportionate way using sales units and sales dollars. For sales units, we take the breakeven units for the product sales mix and multiply it by the ratio of units sold divided by the total number of unit sold. So for Titanium, the sales units at the breakeven point is [450 / 700] * 2201, or 1415 units. For CarbonLite, [250 / 700] * 2201 = 786 units. To calculate the sales dollars, we multiply the sales units by the sales price. In this instance, Titanium is 1415 units multiplied by $900 cost for each unit or, 1415 * $900 = $1,276,500. CarbonLite is 786 units multiplied by $1495 price for each unit, or 786 * $1495 = $1,175,070. The combined total sales dollars is $2,451,570 To break even, the profit must be zero. Gains and losses are equal. For Competition Bikes, the breakeven point is 1415, or $1,276,500 in Titanium bikes, and 786 CarbonLite bikes, or $1,175,070. Impacts of the Breakeven Point A2b. Based on an evaluation of cost-volume-profit, Prepare a summary report that describes the impacts to the breakeven point if company management needed to increase the cost of direct materials by 10% cost increase and needed to add $50,000 in fixed costs to the production facility. Company management has asked for a report on the impacts of increasing the  cost of direct materials by 10% and fixed costs by $50,000 in relation to the breakeven point. The contribution margin and weighted average are based in part on direct materials, or variable costs. Raising the costs by 10% is significant and will have a great impact on the company. Total Revenue is $778,750 and variable costs now $681,800. This increase is broken down by variable cost per unit to $709 for Titanium bikes, and $1551 for CarbonLite. The Contribution Margin per unit is now 191 and 44 respectively lowering the total combined contribution margin to $96,950. CarbonLite bikes contribution margin decreased from $111 to $44 per unit, over a 60% decrease. Calculated by dividing the Total Combined Contribution Margin $96,950 by the Total Units of 700, the 138.50 weighted average contribution margin per unit also dropped by 24% from 181.71. This shows how significant a 10% can be to the contribution margin. Ten percent in one area can mean much larger impact in other areas. With an increase in fixed costs to $450,000 that now brings the breakeven units for the product sales mix to 3249. We calculate this by $450,000 fixed costs divided by the lower weighed average contribution margin 138.50. This continues to affect numbers as we calculate sales units and sales dollars. Titanium bikes sales units are 450 units divided by 700 total units, multiplied by the weighted average 3249 for 2089 units. CarbonLite bike sales units are 250 units divided by the 700 total units, multiplied by the weighted average 3249, totaling 1160 sales. Sales dollars are calculated as Titanium bikes 2089 units * $900 = $1,880,100 and CarbonLite bikes as 1160 units * $1495 = $1,734,200 for a total $3,614,300. The breakeven point is now increased. Sales for Titanium bikes is now up to 2089 units, or $1,880,100 and CarbonLite bikes up to 1160 units, or $1,734,200. By raising direct costs 10% and fixed costs 13%, Competition Bikes now has to sell 674 more Titanium bikes, and 374 CarbonLite bikes to break even. That’s a 48% increase. Based on this analysis, it would be in Competition Bikes best interest to try to keep costs low. Variable and fixed costs show that a small increase can significantly impact the company’s breakeven point. Variable costs have a higher impact than fixed costs. Direct costs per unit should be specifically addressed in reducing costs as well as increasing sales.

Psycho Cultural Conflict Theory

Psycho Cultural Conflict Theory According to the psycho-cultural conflict theory, identity is the most important need in the hierarchy of human needs and, when denied, results in violent conflict. The satisfaction of ones basic needs is intricately related to his/her identity. The Psycho-cultural Conflict Theory is similar to the Primordial approach to ethnicity which emphasizes the fact that peoples ethnicity (identity) is deeply rooted in their past. Irobi (2005) argues that memories of past traumas magnify peoples anxieties. This is as a result of ethnic identity which produces fear, hatred and, consequently, ethnic conflict among two ethnic groups which have a history of ethnic discrimination and stratification. Irobi posits that when an ethnic group has a history of being stereotyped and discriminated based on their ethnic identity from another group, it results in violent conflict since ethnic identity remains part and parcel of the entirety of an individual. Ethnic groups which have been discriminated against and stratified into lower class citizens always habour a feeling of marginalization of their identity and this produces strong feelings of hatred and resentment towards the other group which did the discrimination. This is what Richardson Jr. Sen (1996) call victim mentality. Irobi (2005) criticizes the inadequacy of modernization theory which holds that modernity will result in the dissolution of ethnic affiliation. H e observes that ethnicity is fixed and part of the identity of individuals and groups. Therefore, any marginalization of an ethnic group or discrimination against it based on ethnicity will receive strong resistance (conflict). This is particularly seen in the mobilizing role of ethnic identity. Psycho-cultural conflict theorists like Ross (1997) and Horowitz (1998) believe that conflicts which are caused by identity are usually dangerous, violent, intractable and highly protracted, and often very difficult to resolve. This is because identity which is at the centre of the conflict, is an unshakable sense of worth, which makes life meaningful and includes the feeling that one is physically, socially, psychologically and spiritually safe (Faleti, 2006, p. 51). When this feeling of safety (identity) is threatened, there is a defensive reaction aiming at protecting this at all costs and the result is violent conflict which becomes a matter of life and death. This tends to affect development since violence is perpetually continued affecting productive sectors of local economies. The psycho-cultural theory of conflict argues, therefore, that resolving this type of conflict is usually very difficult and tends to defy any resolution mechanism. There is always constant outbreak of violence with such conflicts despite attempts at resolving the conflict. Their resolution takes long and sometimes, it is not possible to talk of resolution, but management. This is because the issue of ethnic identity is uncompromising and its denial is a complete affront to the groups very existence. The outbreak of consistent violence as a result of this type of conflict makes life and security fragile, thereby affecting human well-being and development. Thus, the link between ethnic conflicts, their resolution and development is clearly seen. Due to the deep-seated, protracted and intractable nature of conflicts based on identity (ethnic conflict), their resolution remains very difficult and takes very long, and this produces strings of violence thereby affecting meaningful develop ment. Seymour (2003) therefore emphasized that identity influences the process of conflict and must not be overlooked when attempting to understand the origins of conflict and when planning its resolution. The psycho-cultural conflict theory has been heavily criticized by many scholars. The theory has been criticized for attributing the main basis of conflict and violence to identity based on ethnicity. Critics are quick to point out that there is a tendency for many people to label any conflict as ethnic identity based when that conflict exceedingly has a different cause (Tonah, 2007). Bowen (1996) contends that those conflicts which are said to be based on ethnic identity are products of modern politics. He argues that although people have had many identities for long, which are based on their culture (ethnicity), these people only began to see themselves as members of vast groups, opposed to each other only during the modern period of colonization. Bowen (1996) mentioned that the Rwandan, Burundian and Bosnian conflicts are politically based conflicts rather than ethnic identity conflicts, but these conflicts later assumed ethnic identity dimensions. Osaghae (2005) also argues that what is seen as ethnic conflict is not so, but elite manipulation of people to gain advantage of their political and personal ambitions. Ethnic identity, to him, is elitist manipulation of ethnicity to gain control over political power and what is seen as conflicts emanating from ethnic identity are not at all, but politically based conflicts. It is possible for elites to manipulate a group of people against each other. It is even possible for conflicts in some parts of Africa and other places to take ethnic dimensions even if the initial cause of the conflict is political, resource, religious or any other cause (Tonah, 2007). Ernest Penan (cited in Bowen, 1996) believes that ethnic identity is constructed by intellectuals for their personal interests and that ethnic identity is a set of ideas rather than peoples values in conflict. Chandra (2006) believes that ethnic identity does not matter or has not been shown to matter in explaining most outcomes of violence. Fearon Laitin (2000) also argue after an enquiry into the relationship between ethnic identity and violence that the mere observation that ethnic identities are socially constructed is not so. In conclusion, the Psycho-cultural Theory simply argues that identity based on ethnicity explains the main reason for conflicts in society. The weakness of the theory makes it imperative for this study to be able to properly identify the sources of ethnic conflict in the Bawku Traditional Area in order to devise appropriate resolution mechanisms to them. Conceptual framework It remains evident that development is meaningfully achieved through the existence of peace. Peace here refers to the absence of violent conflict and effective conflict resolution which both border on security. Ethnic conflicts, very often, are intractable conflicts which involve values, claim to status, identity, deprivation of needs and external factors such as political infiltrations (Coleman, 2000). Thus, ethnic conflicts are often protracted and remain very difficult to resolve and their continuous existence poses danger to local level development and they tend to seriously hinder security which is needed to ensure peace for development. Ethnic conflicts as shown in Figure 1 primarily result from past historical and colonial experiences which are further exacerbated by factors like lack of access to power, resources and ethnic marginalization/stereotypes which are magnified by peoples struggle for their ethnic identity. The continuous ethnic polarization through these factors leads to violence (conflict) which results in low investments in local economic activities/commerce, decreasing agricultural, educational and health standards, insecurity, high dependency ratio, loss of lives and low incomes for individuals and families. The end result of all these, as seen in Figure 1, is decreasing levels of socio-economic development. The effective resolution of ethnic conflicts can have positive implications for development. Schoeman (1998) argues that a society in which people are secure (when violent conflict is properly resolved or is absent), will: Enable people to develop their communities; Enable people to be architects of their own lives; Enable people to come together to pursue economic and other development; and Enable people to participate in the development of the society. In resolving ethnic conflicts , one needs to focus on satisfying the basic needs which have been deprived (UN DESA, 2001) and also creating a proportional equality in deep-rooted cultural and identity issues (Richardson Jr. Wang, 1993) using third party intervention and inter-group cooperation (Horowitz, 2000; Lipchitz Crawford, 1995). All of these can be done by effectively engaging the conflicting parties in mediation, inter-group dialogue and third party intervention using indigenous methods. Issues which are mostly root causes of conflict when tackled properly results in effective conflict resolution thereby trickling down to sustainable peace which has implications for local development. Effects Core Problem Low Investment due to insecurity Destruction of Property and infrastructure General Insecurity Low Agricultural Production Low commerce Refusal to accept posting Low Income Decreasing Educational and Health Standards Retarded Development Ethnic Conflict High Dependency Ratio Low Income Loss of Lives Low Income Poverty Struggle for Ethnic Identity Lack of Access to Power. e.g. Chieftaincy and Political Connections Past Historical and Colonial Experiences Ethnic Marginalization Causes Lack of Access to Natural Resources. e.g. Land Decreasing Levels of Social/Economic Development

Factors Causing Substance Abuse Relapse

Factors Causing Substance Abuse Relapse Relapse among substance abusers after treatment is an old phenomenon that has always been the nemesis of nations all around the world (Golestan, Abdullah, Ahmad Anjomshoa, 2010). For long, studies have found that through several generations, relapse to substance abuse after treatment remains one of the greatest challenges in the treatment of all forms of substance abuse including alcohol, marijuana, heroin and cocaine (Marlatt George, 1984; Polivy Herman, 2002; Witkiewitz Marlatt, 2004). Many a study posits that when people attempt to change an undesired or problematic behavior, there is a high possibility of an initial lapse (Golestan et al., 2010; Marlatt George, 1984; Witkiewitz Marlatt, 2004). Drug dependency has been typified as a persistent relapsing disorder (McLellan, Lewis, O’Brien Kleber, 2000). In clinical terms, relapse is defined as a return to a maladaptive use of substance, such as marijuana, alcohol, tobacco, heroin, cocaine or other illicit psychoactive drugs after having been previously treated for the same substance abuse disorder (Witkiewitz Marlatt, 2004). Researches on the substance abuse phenomenon posit that on the average, within a year of receiving treatment, most patients revert to previous levels of substance use (Hall, Havassy Wasserman, 1990; Witkiewitz Marlatt, 2004). Substance abuse clients and counselors both consider relapse as a major challenge militating against substance abuse prevention strategies (Golestan et al., 2010). Global statistics on the rate of relapse to substance use is disturbing. Both counselors and clients admit that whereas it is tough for a client to quit the use of drugs, it is even tougher to stay off the drug after intensive treatment (Ducray, Darker, Smyth, 2012; Moeller et al., 2001). Notwithstanding the client-focused and intensive treatment modules available for substance abuse, most treated clients return to the use of the abused substance after a period of abstinence (Polivy Herman, 2002). Substance abuse is shrouded with personal and social problems including the health of society regarding its political, social, economic and cultural issues in various degree (Hendershot, Witkiewitz, George, Marlatt, 2011). The price for using and abusing illicit drugs are weighty and incontestable. The attendant health complications, poor psychosocial functioning and adverse economic implications such as government’s expenditure on treatments and rehabilitation of substance abusers have all been well documented (Burger, 2008; Parrott et al., 2004; Pressley McCormick, 2007; United Nations Office on Drug and Crime’s report, 2013). Piggot, Carson, Saha, Torbeyns, Stock and Ingenito (2003) have stated that relapse to substance abuse could lead to such consequences as cognitive impairment, non-adherence to medication, personal distress, imprisonment and hospitalization. Decades of research on substance abuse have implicated psychosocial factors such as mental health, significant life events and social functioning as playing critical roles in influencing the relapse rates and the abuse of drugs among clients who have previously been treated for substance abuse disorders (Hammerbacher Lyvers, 2006; Melberg, Lauritzen, Ravndal, 2003). Contextual factors such as living and working environments have been considered as relevant when accounting for relapse precipitants in substance abusers (Reece, 2007). Consistently, researchers have identified psychosocial factors including self-efficacy, negative affects, ineffective coping responses and a host of high-risk situations as precipitating the relapse to substance use (Connors, Maisto Zywiak, 1996; Larimer, Palmer Marlatt, 1999; Marhe, Waters, Van de Wetering Franken, 2013; Mattoo, Chakrabarti Anjaiah, 2009; Reece, 2007). Several other psychosocial factors including fights and interpersonal conflicts, peer pressure, divorce, strained relationship with friends, family and co-workers (Broome, Simpson Joe, 2001; McLellan, Lewis, O’Brien Kleber, 2000) have been found to increase the risk of relapse to substance abuse. Community supports (Ibrahim Kumar, 2009), support from family and friends (Broome et al., 2001) and stressful life events (Wills, Vaccaro McNamara, 1992) have also been found to determine clients relapse state after rehabilitation. Information about psychological and social (contextual) factors relating to relapse and substance abuse may both be critical and important for planning clinical intervention strategies as well as contribute to aftercare and community-based interventions. Literature is replete with studies correlating cultural and religious variables to relapse to substance abuse. Ethno-cultural identity and religiosity have been found to moderate substance use among particular groups of people (Chen, Dormitzer, Bejaro Anthony, 2004). In particular, there has been a significant negative correlation found among people with higher levels of religious practice (religious devotion) and substance abuse (Chen et al., 2004; Kliewer Murrelle, 2007). Since four decades ago when scientific approach into the study of relapse has started (Marlatt Gordon, 1984), there has been ample evidence that suggest various relapse rates for various substances. In one earlier study, about 90% of alcoholics who received treatment experienced at least one relapse over a 4-year period (Polich, Armor, Braiker, 1981). In another study, Cornelius et al. (2003) found that 66% of the respondents had resumed their drug use within six months after treatment. There exist various relapse rates for the various substances of abuse. Differences in these rates could be attributed to several factors including the definition of relapse, individual’s variables, characteristics of the addiction and the effectiveness and success of treatment (Connors, G.J., Maisto Zwiak, 1996). Substance abuse and relapse phenomenon have been conceptualized and explained through a number of theories. In particular, the Cognitive-Behavioral Model of Relapse Process (Marlatt Gordon 1984, 1985; Witkiezie Marlatt, 2004) and the Relapse Syndrome Model (Gorski Miller, 1982; Gorski, 1990) have expansively explained the process and indicators involved in relapse to substance abuse. Other theories that explicate relapse to substance abuse include the Stress-diathesis Model (Gatchel, 1993), the Self-medication Hypothesis (Duncan, 1974; Khantzian, Mack, Schatzberg, 1974), the Bidirectional Model (Biafora Jr. et al., 1994), the Psychological Distress Model (Mercier et al., 1992) and the Behavioral Choice Model (Bickel Vuchinich, 2000). The Cognitive-Behavioral Model of Relapse Process and the Relapse Syndrome Model – the foundations of this study are discussed comprehensively in the next chapter. In general, substance use is attributed to a number of factors, including, psychosocial, biological and contextual variables (Nordfjà ¦rn, 2011). In particular, psychosocial factors have been known to be critical determinants of relapse to substance abuse. Significant life events, psychosocial distress and self-efficacy have all been identified as significant predictors of relapse to substance abuse (Hendershot, Witkiewitz, George, Marlatt, 2011; Nordfjà ¦rn, 2011). Studies have found major positive and negative events, similar to those found in the general population, have significant influence in the lives of substance abusers (Melberg et al., 2003; Witkiewitz Marlatt, 2004). Periods such as the loss of a loved one, or social occasions and events such as funerals, wedding celebrations, and birthday parties have been found to have influenced the return to alcohol and drug abuse (Melberg et al., 2003; Saunders Kershaw, 2006). For instance, a client discharged from a substance abuse rehabilitation facility after treatment could remain sober for a long period only to lapse during a funeral or wedding celebrations. Unquestionably, the role of psychological distresses, including depression, interpersonal conflicts, and anxiety in substance abuse and relapse have long been noted (Grant et al., 2004). Continuous interpersonal conflicts with a spouse or a co-worker, for example, could lead to depression, or outburst of anger and frustrations. The individual could revert to alcohol and drugs to either help take cope the situation or to empower him or her to face the perpetrator. Empirical supports linking psychological distress to substance use and abuse exist. In one study, clients with psychological distress were found to abused alcohol and drugs than those without any psychological distresses (Grella, Hser, Joshi, Rounds-Bryant, 2001). Self-efficacy, defined as one’s belief that a task can be carried out successfully to achieve a desired outcome (Bandura, 1997), has been associated with substance abuse and relapse (Nordfjà ¦rn, 2011). Clients who show low levels of self-efficacy, for instance, have been found to have shown high levels of alcohol and substance abuse (Hendershot, Witkiewitz, George, Marlatt, 2011). Individuals who lose confidence in themselves and in their efforts to succeed, no matter the venture, could for long remain depressed and frustrated. The individual may then resort to substance use, amid the frustration, to enflame some happiness. Gradually from a lapse, the substance abuse behavior may continue and become a full blown relapse. 1.1 Statement of the problem Unquestionably, the abuse of alcohol and drugs remains problematic in most countries of the world. The 2013 World Drug Report by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) revealed that over 35 million people, representing 0.8% of the adult population worldwide use heroin, cocaine or a combination of both. Of this population, it is estimated that 10-13% will become drug dependent and will forfeit their sobriety (UNODC Report, 2013). The UNODC’s statistics for 2013 on the worldwide estimate of substance abuse is even more frightening. The report revealed that in 2012, between 167 and 315 million people aged 15–64 were estimated to have used an illicit substance in the preceding year. West Africa is not excluded from the problem of drug trafficking and abuse. About a decade ago the region was declared as a transit route for hard drugs (Drug News Africa, 2012). According to the Ghana Demographic Health Survey Report (GDHS) for 2009, the sub-region had become not only a transitory route, but more disturbingly, a consumer market of these illicit psychoactive drugs (GDHS Report, 2009). The report concluded that the abuse of hard drugs was on the increase and had attracted the attention of most health professionals in Ghana (GDHS Report, 2009). The Out-patient Monthly Morbidity Returns (OMMR) records for 2012 from the Department of Psychiatric of the Regional Hospital, Sunyani, showed that of the 2,284 patients who accessed the facility for the year, about 596(26%) were alcohol and drug abuse related cases. In the same year, out of the 1,047 new cases seen, 413 were substance abuse related disorders, with 138 having been either re-admitted or treated on at least one other occasion for the same diagnosis. This statistics showed a 12% increase in substance abuse and relapse cases as compared to that of the preceding year (OMMR for Psychiatric Unit: Regional Hospital, Sunyani, 2012). The Drug News Africa states that about 1.25 million Ghanaians in 2012 had drug addiction problems, mostly marijuana (Drug News Africa, 2012). Studies on substance abuse in Ghana (Affinnih, 1999a Lamptey, 2005; Redvers et al., 2006) estimate more worrisome statistics. In no doubt, more people may be abusing drugs in Ghana than is estimated. This is very disturbing since the rates of relapse to substance abuse after treatment remain high. For instance, Brandon, Vidrine and Litvin (2007) noted that the relapse rates for most individuals after the cessation of alcohol or tobacco for a year ranges from 80 – 95%. Notwithstanding the type and frequency of the drug in use, the penalties are always grave. Witkiewitz and Marlatt (2004) noted that violence, legal problems, depression and suicide attempts are some of the adverse consequences of substance use. The availability and the increasing use of these illicit psychoactive drugs results in its dependence with its attendant psychosoci al adverse effects. Undoubtedly, substance abuse has profound health, economic and psychosocial consequences to the individual, family, community and nation. Studies (Berk, 2007; Large, Sharma, Compton, Slade, Olav, 2011; Witkiewitz Marlatt, 2004) have shown a number of physical, psychological and health-related consequences following the continuous use and abuse of substances. At the personal level, substance abuse has been associated with adverse biopsychosocial consequences, including heart failure, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, cancer, stroke and capillary haemorrhages, irritability and restlessness, mild paranoia, physical exhaustion, mental confusion, loss of weight; fatigue or depression and unemployment (Davison, Neale, Kring, 2004; Kring, Davison, Neale, Johnson, 2007). Similarly, the families of substance abusers also share in the consequences. In particular, the loss of productive hours in care of the substance abuser and the cost of treatment have been documented (Moos, 2007; Redve rs et al., 2006). A number of social and economic implications have also been noted at the community and national levels. Increase in crime rates, unemployment, poor academic or job performance, school dropout, divorce and the diversion of scarce national resources for treatment and rehabilitation of substance abusers have been associated with substance abuse (Burger, 2008; Parrott et al., 2004; Pressley McCormick, 2007). 1.2 Aim and objectives of the study Willig (2008) argues from a pragmatic viewpoint that the aim of research is not about generating abstract truth free from the experience of people but rather to provide insight that will inure to the benefit of humanity. Hence the aim of this study is to explore the psychosocial precipitants of relapse and the rate of relapse among substance abusers in the Sunyani Metropolis. More specifically, the objectives of this study are: To explore the various psychosocial factors that contribute to relapse of substance abusers in the Sunyani Metropolis To estimate how often respondents return to pre-treatment levels of substance abuse after treatment To explore the role of the family, culture and religion in relapse or abstinence among respondents. To explore the preventive/coping strategies clients use to prevent relapse. To explore the psycho-socioeconomic consequences of relapse to the respondents, their families and society. 1.3 Relevance of the study In 2005, a total of 86,003 outpatient attendances were recorded by the three psychiatric hospitals in Ghana (Ofori-Atta et al., 2010). Substance abuse disorders were among the top psychiatric diagnoses for the attendance, accounting for about 22.8%. Even more frightening was the number of substance abusers projected to develop psychological disorders in the course of time. The passage of the Ghana Psychological Bill and the Ghana Mental Health Law in 2012 mandates the Ghana Health Service to employ Clinical Psychologists to all regional and district hospitals in the country to treat and manage the myriad psychological problems faced by clients. In no doubt, substance abuse and relapse would be one of the major clinical diagnoses these clinicians would encounter. Reece (2007) has postulated that contextual and environmental factors are critical determinants of relapse among substance abusers. Certainly the environmental conditions of Europe and elsewhere are significantly different from those in Ghana and the rest of Africa. Consequently, one cannot readily attribute the factors found to have precipitated substance abuse and the resultant relapse of a different context to that in Ghana. More widely, findings from this research would aid Clinical Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Psychiatric Nurses, policymakers and relatives of clients to better understand the psychosocial factors that precipitate the relapse phenomenon and the rates at which relapse to substance abuse occur when deciding how best to offer treatment options to develop effective relapse preventive strategies which are contextual in the management of the relapse phenomenon. Furthermore, although there are studies on substance abuse in Ghana (Affinnih, 1999a Lamptey, 2005; Redvers et al., 2006), there is a paucity of data regarding the psychosocial factors that influence relapse to substance abuse. The rates of relapse to substance abuse among substance abusers have also not been well documented. Of equal importance, the findings from this study would add to the literature on the relapse

Civil War Essay -- American History Civil War

The election of Lincoln, secession of the southern states and the Confederate States of America Constitution set the stage for the bloodiest and saddest war in American history. Before the Civil War even began the nation was divided into four very distinct regions; Northeast, Northwest, Upper south and the Southwest. With two fundamentally different labor systems, slavery in the south and wage labor in the North, the political, economic and social changes across the nation would show the views of the North and the South. The civil war was based on the abolitionists' ideas of emancipation and liberation of slavery the North wanted the war in order to create a society without slavery. The North's aggression to control the south lead to the where were it was no longer tolerable for the South. With the election of the anti-slavery Republican Abraham Lincoln, the southern states decided they had to take drastic action in order to protect their own interests. The south had been waiting fo r an excuse to secede form the union, the election of Lincoln by the North was their chance. The Northern abolitionists' states were mainly responsible for the Civil war in many political, social and economic aspects. Politically, the Northerners contributed immensely to the opening of the Civil War. John Brown's Raid at Harpers Ferry made the south believe the Northerners had a whole scheme to ban slavery. The South wondered how or why they would remain in the Union when a "murderous gang of abolitionists" were running around. Southerners also believed that this violent abolitionist's view was a common one shared by the entire North. This act of the North made the South resent the North's pushy ways and begin to think of leaving the Union. The Dred... ...nt to the south to free the slaves from their masters and the Underground Railroad that secretly moved slaves from safe house to safe house until they were in Canada, tremendously angered the South. They realized that they needed to fight in order to get the independence they wished for, so then there could therefore do what they wished. Politically, the North further split the views on issues and developed more laws against slavery in the South. Socially the North strengthened their own cause in the because of things like Uncle Tom's cabin; that lead to Northerners forming the Underground Railroad. Economically, the South was crushed with protection tariffs that emptied out southern pockets. The North most definitely contributed to the Political, Social and Economic issues that divided and angered the country in the time before 1861; eventually leading to Civil War.

Caregivers Behavior Contributes to Offspring Behavior Essay example --

Caregivers' Behavior Contributes to Offspring Behavior The field of violence prediction research has advanced to the point where predictions about serious criminal violence by men who have already committed one violent offense can be made with a considerable degree of accuracy (Rice, 414). This group, although a small proportion of the population, is a group whose violence is the focus of much societal concern. Research on the nature of psychotherapy is yielding new insights into a group of offenders who are highly prone to violence. There is every reason to believe that applying the results of violence research to make policy changes in the criminal justice system would make society safer. Research conducted on treatment of psychopaths suggests that there may be little "wrong" with psychopaths for therapy to "fix". However, their research does suggest that certain treatments, such as the therapeutic community, may actually increase psychopath's future violence. This idea is supported by other research stating that programs that help increase self-esteem can increase aggression (Baumeister et al., 1996). Their theory about psychotherapy is that it is an adaption rather than a disorder. Violence by psychopaths might be reduced through careful monitoring and supervision therefore increasing the likelihood of detection. The researcher's theory begins to take a close look into a psychopath's childhood. The theorists determine that by means of close monitoring of the subject's aggressive and antisocial behavior by caretakers early in life it might shape the later behavior of persons with a genetic disposition to psychotherapy (Rice, 1997). The research demonstrated the importance of evaluating any interventions that are d... ...co; American Psychology Association, Incorporated. vol. 64 pgs. 5-7. February 1996. Lewis, M., Feiring, C., McGuffog, C., and Jaskir, J. (1984). Predicting psychopathology in six-year-olds from early social relations. Child Development, 55, 123-136. Main, M. (1991). Metacognitive knowledge, Metacognitive monitoring, and singular (coherent) versus multiple (incoherent) models of attachment. Findings and directions for future research. In C.M. Parker, J. Stevenson-Hinde, and P. Marris (Eds.) Attachment Across the Life Cycle. pgs. 127159 London: Routledge-Kigan Paul. Rice, Marine. American Psychologists. vol. 52. pgs. 414-423. April 1997. Rosenstein, Diana S., Horowitz, Harvey A. Adolescent Attachment and Psychopathology. Journal of Consulting and_ Clinical Psychology. co; American Psychology Association, Incorporated. vol. 64 pgs. 244-253. April 1996.

Law of Attraction

Law of Attraction The law of attraction is a powerful tool that you can use to manifest the life of your dreams. However, before you begin to use it, you need to learn how to set clear intentions, use energy to fuel those intentions, release your limiting beliefs and allow your desires to manifest in ways that you cannot yet imagine. The Secret to Making the Law of Attraction Work Intention Set a clear intention, and be specific. If you want to make more money, specify exactly how much more money you want and what time period you will give yourself to make it.If you want a better relationship, write down the qualities you are looking for in your future partner. Keep the details in mind and state your intention using those details. Energy Put as much energy as you can into stating your intention. Use creative visualization to imagine yourself as if you have already obtained your goal. Imagine what you will be wearing, smelling, hearing, tasting and saying when you have achieved your g oal. These visuals will motivate you to take action in the areas of your life that need improvement, and things will begin to fall into place once you begin to take those actions.Release If you have trouble using visualization techniques, you may have some limiting beliefs that are preventing you from letting go. For example, you may feel deep down that you do not deserve to make more money or be in a healthy relationship. These internal blocks will actually repel what you want instead of attract what you want. You can release these beliefs using the very simple but effective methods of EFT, or Emotional Freedom Techniques, or the Sedona Method. Look at the websites Emofree. com, Mygenie. tv, Tapping. com and Sedona. com to learn how to release your limiting beliefs easily and quickly.Allow You may find that the hardest part of using the law of attraction is to stay calm and confident in your belief that you will eventually receive what you have asked for. It is easy to grow impatie nt and wonder when and how your intentions will manifest in your life. However, if you do this, you will open the door for more limiting beliefs to sabotage your progress and you will have to start all over again. You can remain relaxed and focused by allowing yourself to be open to the possibility that your intentions will come to you in ways that you never dreamed possible.You can do this by telling yourself everyday that you can't wait to see how this is all going to come together for you and it eventually will. Facts about â€Å"Laws of Attraction† At its core, the laws of attraction are a restatement of the principle of the power of positive thinking and the belief that like attracts like. Serendipity, coincidence, karma, luck and fate are just a few of the words that describe the laws of attraction, according to author Michael J. Losier. The principle includes several basic beliefs and rituals. Law of Attraction BasicsThe law of attraction is based upon the belief that a person can influence his environment by his thoughts, actions, emotions and beliefs, both conscious and unconscious. This is based upon the assertion that a person's thoughts create energy that is released into the universe. In response to this energy, the universe creates an equal reaction. This principle applies to both positive and negative thoughts and, under the laws of attraction, a person who thinks positive will attract positive whereas a negative-thinking person will attract negative results.Accordingly, the law of attraction instructs practitioners to learn to focus the mind and thoughts in order to bring about the desired outcome. The Steps The law of attraction is based upon three steps. First, you must know what you want and ask the universe to deliver. Second, you must feel and act as if you have already received your desired result. Finally, you must be open to receiving the result you desire. According to proponents, performing each of these steps is necessary in o rder to receive what you desire from the universe and a person who does not see results should evaluate whether they have properly completed each step.Tools of Laws of Attraction Proponents of the laws of attraction encourage practitioners to use several tools in order to encourage positive thinking and desired results. Participants are encouraged to make lists of the goals they wish to accomplish and refer to these lists to focus their thoughts. Participants are also encouraged to write down positive affirmations and repeat these statements to themselves or out loud in order to focus the mind on creating these positive results. Vision boards are another tool used by practitioners of laws of attractions.Creating a vision board consists of gathering visual representations of your goals, such as pictures, words or phrases. These pictures are then placed on a board and displayed in a visible area. The practitioner then refers to the vision board throughout the day in order to visualize her goals and focus her thoughts on achieving those goals. Critics While many support the principles of the law of attraction, there are those who criticize the belief and related teachings. Criticisms of the practice include claims that it is a fad and encourages materialism.Additionally, medical professional suggest the principle leads to a mentality that blames the victim as it encourages the belief that negative conditions are the result of your own thoughts. These professionals claim that this way of thought can prove dangerous to those suffering from mental illness. Other critics claim the laws of attraction do not place enough emphasis on action. It instead encourages followers to simply think about what they want without any discussion of the actual work needed to achieve the results. How to Use the Law of AttractionThe law of attraction states that every positive or negative event that happened with you was attracted by you. Say that special friend loaned you money when yo u didn't have any. You attracted that, even without your awareness of using the law. Say that teacher, classmate, client, or co-worker gave you a hard time during the day. You attracted that, too. Again, we are using the law every second of every day. You've even attracted reading this article! There are really only three basic steps: ask, believe, and receive. However, the point of this article is to break those three steps down into simpler, more concise ones. . Relax your mind. Meditate  for 5 to 10 minutes. Doing this will increase brain power and have your mind at that relaxed state. This step is optional but recommended. 2. Be sure about what you want and when you do decide don't doubt yourself. Remember that you're sending a request to the Universe which is created by thoughts and therefore responds to thoughts. Know exactly what it is that you want. If you're not clear/sure, the Universe will get an unclear frequency and will send you unwanted results. So be sure it is som ething you have strong enthusiasm for. 3. Ask the Universe for it.Make your request. You don't have to actually speak or use words because it doesn't hear words. Send a picture of what you want to the Universe. The Universe will answer. See this thing as already yours. See  How to Visualize. The more detailed your vision, the better. If you're wanting that Nintendo Wii, see yourself sitting down playing a game on it. See yourself feeling the controller, playing your favorite game(s), touching the console. If there's that person you have a crush on, see yourself walking with her/him, touching or caressing the person, or even kissing the person.You get the idea. 4. Write your wish down. Start with â€Å"I am so happy and grateful now that†¦ † and finish the sentence (or paragraph) telling the Universe what it is that you want. Write it in the present tense as if you have it right now. Avoid negation terms (see Warnings for more on this). Every day until your wish comes t rue, close your eyes and imagine your desire as if it's happening right now. 5. Feel it. Feel the way you will now after receiving your wish. You must act, speak, and think as if you are receiving it now.This is actually the most important, powerful step in using the Law of Attraction because this is where it starts working, and sometimes if you do this you don't feel like you need it anymore because you FEEL like you already have it! and then the universe will manifest this thought and feeling and you will receive it. 6. Show gratitude. Write down all the things the Universe has given you. Be thankful for what you already have and be thankful for all the things the Universe has given you. The Universe has done a lot of things for us.Paying the Universe back with some gratitude will motivate the Universe to do even more things and will draw more things into your life. If you were once bullied and that person stopped, that's one thing to be thankful for. If the person you're crushing on likes you back, or doesn't but she/he didn't send their lover out to hurt you, that's another thing to thank the Universe for. You should also thank the Universe for this process too. Showing gratitude will turbo boost the Universe to manifest your request faster. 7. Trust the Universe.Imagine an alternate dimension that is almost exactly like the real world but whatever you truly desire comes true in an instant. See yourself in that dimension, where whatever you ask the Universe for comes to you in an instant. Don't  look for  what you asked for; this is where people tend to mess up. If you have to keep an eye out for an event that manifests your wish, it's only telling the Universe you don't have it and you will attract†¦ not having it. Be patient. Don't get upset if these things don't happen immediately. Don't stress the â€Å"how† of things. Let the Universe do it for you.When you take the Universe's job of worrying about the â€Å"how†, this says you' re lacking faith and that you're telling the Universe what to do when the Universe has far greater knowledge and power than human mankind. Tips * Try this†¦ if you experience an event that makes you so happy and overjoyed that you want to attract more into your life then try and remember your inner emotion you had (your heart beating faster/ stomach jumping) whatever it was try and replicate that by remembering the event and then if your vibrational energy is the same as you felt in that joyous moment then the it will manifest and you will attract it into your life. Have a  vision board  or a picture from a magazine to help you see and feel what you want, look at that picture everyday (better to do this in the morning since this will help you to feel better throughout the day), and focus on emitting happy feelings to the Universe. * Focus as often as you can on what you DO want rather than on what you don't want. For example, if you are angry or upset about a war/conflict t hat has been going on, do your best to be ‘pro-peace' rather than ‘anti-war' – focus on the peace, and the kinds of solutions that you would like to see, instead of whatever it is that you do not like about the situation. Good feelings = good reality. Feel GOOD. Put on your favorite song, paint a picture, have fun with your pet, or think of someone or something that you love, something that makes you happy, and just shut your eyes and dwell on this. These can be called Frequency Shifters, so have a few up your sleeve. Different thoughts work for different situations, so think of a few now you can use later. Warnings * You can't use the Law of Attraction to control people. However, if you have a friend who you haven't seen in a long time and you want her to come to you.Instead of saying â€Å"I want my friend to show up at my door,† just say, â€Å"I want to walk down the street and see her pass by,† or something like that. * Avoid using those negatio n terms. For example, if you want to get out of debt and you say â€Å"I want to get out of debt,† the Universe only see the word ‘debt' and will send more along your way. It pays no attention to negation terms like, ‘no', ‘not', ‘none', ‘out' and so fourth. Instead say â€Å"I am in rich/wealthy/ have lots of money. * â€Å"Be careful what you wish for because you just may get it,† is not a statement to joke around with.This law is so powerful your request could manifest instantly and powerfully without warning. Remember, this Law could be used to create or destroy. * If you are constantly worried about bad things happening, or negative outcomes, then you are using the law of attraction AGAINST yourself. To worry is really to apply most of the above steps, towards a NEGATIVE outcome. You are visualizing the negative outcome and asking the universe for it with pictures of the negative outcome, you are feeling the feelings of the negative outcome †¦ Stop Worrying and follow step seven above. You can't have any resistance in your mind for example  : if you have just tried using the law of attraction and you say â€Å"this stuff isn't working† then the universe will give you more of ‘this isn't working'. The Law of Attraction  simply says that you attract into your life whatever you think about. Your dominant thoughts will find a way to manifest. But  the Law of Attraction gives rise to some tough questions that don’t seem to have good answers. I would say, however, that these problems aren’t caused by the Law of Attraction itself but rather by the Law of Attraction as applied to objective reality.Here are some of those problematic questions (all are generalizations of ones I received via email): * What happens when people put out conflicting intentions, like two people intending to get the same promotion when only one position is available? * Do children, babies, and/or animals pu t out intentions? * If a child is abused, does that mean the child intended it in some way? * If I intend for my relationship to improve, but my spouse doesn’t seem to care, what will happen? These questions seem  to weaken the plausibility of the Law of Attraction. Sometimes people  answer them by going pretty far out.For example, it’s been said by LoAers that a young child experiences abuse because s/he intended it or earned it  during a past life. Well, sure†¦ we can explain just about anything if we bring past lives into the equation, but IMO that’s a cop-out. On the other hand, objective reality without the Law of Attraction  doesn’t provide satisfactory answers  either — supposedly some  kids are just born unlucky. That’s a cop-out too. I’ve never been satisfied by others’ answers to these questions, and they’re pretty important questions if the Law of Attraction is to be believed.Some books hint a t the solution but never really  nail it. That nail, however, can be found in the concept of subjective reality. Subjective reality  is a belief system in which (1)  there is only one consciousness, (2) you are that singular consciousness, and (3) everything and everyone  in your reality is a projection of your thoughts. You may not see it yet, but subjective reality  neatly answers all these tricky Law of Attraction questions. Let me ‘splain†¦. In subjective reality there’s only one consciousness, and it’s yours. Consequently, there’s only one source of intentions in your universe — YOU.While you may observe lots of walking, talking bodies in your reality, they all exist inside your consciousness. You know this is how your dreams work, but you haven’t yet realized your  waking reality  is just another type of dream. It only seems solid because you believe (intend)  it is. Since none of the other characters you encounterà ‚  are conscious in a way that’s separate from you, nobody else can have  intentions. The only intentions are yours. You’re the only thinker in this universe. It’s important to correctly define the  YOU in subjective reality. YOU are not your physical body. This is not the egoic you at all.I’m not suggesting you’re a conscious body walking around in a world full of unconscious automatons. That would be a total misunderstanding of subjective reality. The correct viewpoint is that you’re the single consciousness in which this entire reality  takes place. Imagine you’re having a  dream. In that dream what exactly are YOU? Are YOU the physical dream character you identify with? No, of course not — that’s just your dream avatar. YOU are the dreamer. The entire dream  occurs within your consciousness. All dream characters are projections of your dream  thoughts, including your avatar.In fact, if you learn  lucid dreaming, you can even  switch avatars in your dream by possessing another character. In a lucid dream, you can do anything you believe you can. Physical reality works the same way. This is a denser universe than what you experience in your  sleeping dreams, so changes occur a bit more gradually here. But this reality still  conforms to your thoughts just like a sleeping dream. YOU are the dreamer in which all of this is taking place. The idea that other people have intentions is an illusion because other people are just projections.Of course, if you strongly believe other people have intentions, then that’s the dream you’ll create for yourself. But ultimately it’s still an illusion. Here’s how subjective reality answers these challenging Law of Attraction questions: What happens when people put out conflicting intentions, like two people intending to get the same promotion when only one position is available? Since you’re the only intender, this is entirely an internal conflict — within YOU. You’re holding the thought (the intention) for both people to want the same position. But you’re also thinking (intending) that only one can get it. So you’re intending competition.This whole situation is your creation. You  believe in competition, so that’s what you manifest. Maybe you have some beliefs (thoughts and intentions) about who will get the promotion, in which case your expectations will manifest. But you may have a higher order belief that life is random, unfair, uncertain, etc. , so in that case you may manifest a surprise because that’s what you’re intending. Being the only intender in your reality places a huge  responsibility  on your shoulders. You can give up control of your reality  by thinking (intending) randomness and uncertainty, but you can never give up responsibility.You’re the sole creator in this universe. If you think about war, poverty, d isease, etc. , that’s exactly what you’ll manifest. If you think about peace, love, and joy, you’ll manifest that too. Your reality is exactly what you think it is. Whenever you think about anything, you summon its manifestation. Do children, babies, and/or animals put out intentions? No. Your own body doesn’t even put out intentions — only your consciousness does. You’re the only one who has intentions, so what takes precedence is what  YOU intend for the children, babies, and animals in your reality.Every thought is an intention, so however you think about the other beings in your reality is what you’ll eventually manifest for them. Keep in mind that beliefs are hierarchical, so if you have a high order belief that reality is random and unpredictable and out of your control, then that intention will trump other intentions of which you’re less certain. It’s your entire collection of thoughts that dictates how your rea lity manifests. If a child is abused, does that mean the child intended it in some way? No. It means YOU intended it. You intend child abuse to manifest simply by thinking about it.The more you think about child abuse (or any other subject), the more you’ll see it expand in your reality. Whatever you think about expands, and not just in the narrow space of your avatar but in all of physical reality. If I intend for my relationship to improve, but my spouse doesn’t seem to care, what will happen? This is another example of intending conflict. You’re projecting  one intention  for your avatar and one for your spouse, so the actual unified intention is that of conflict. Hence the result you experience, subject to the influence of your higher order beliefs, will be to experience conflict with your spouse.If your thoughts are conflicted, your reality is conflicted. This is why assuming responsibility for your thoughts is so important. If you want to see peace in the world, then intend peace for EVERYTHING in your reality. If you want to see abundance in the world, then intend it for EVERYONE. If you want to enjoy loving relationships, then intend loving relationships  for ALL. If you intend these only for your own avatar  but not for others, then you’re intending conflict, division, and separation; consequently, that’s what you’ll experience. If you stop thinking about something entirely, does that mean it disappears?Yes, technically it does. But in practice it’s next to impossible to  uncreate what you’ve already manifested. You’ll continue creating  the same problems  just by noticing them. But when you assume 100% responsibility for everything you’re experiencing in your  reality right now — absolutely everything — then you assume the power to  alter your reality by rechanneling your thoughts. This entire reality is your creation. Feel good about that. Feel grat eful for the richness of your world. And then begin creating the reality you truly want by making decisions and holding intentions.Think about what you desire, and withdraw your thoughts  from what you don’t want. The  most natural, easiest way to  do this is to  pay attention to your emotions. Thinking about your desires feels good, and thinking about what you don’t want makes you feel bad. When you notice yourself feeling bad,  you’ve caught yourself  thinking about  something you don’t want. Turn your  focus back towards what you do want, and your emotional state will improve rapidly. As you do this repeatedly, you’ll begin to see your physical reality shift too, first in subtle ways and then in bigger leaps. I too am just a manifestation of your consciousness.I play the role you expect me to play. If you expect me to be a helpful guide, I will be. If you expect me to be profound and insightful, I will be. If you expect me to be confused or deluded, I will be. But of course there’s no distinct ME that is separate from YOU. I’m just one of your many creations. I am what you intend me to be. But deep down you already knew that, didn’t you? The Fundamentals of the Law of Attraction The  Law of Attraction is the most fundamental of all universal laws. Out-pacing the laws of gravity and velocity, well-beyond the measurements of science, The Law of Attraction is the basis for who YOU are.For those who are new to conscious thinking, this idea that your thoughts create your reality might be as whimsical as a spotted leopard running free through the city streets. As a crazy notion, a â€Å"New Age† scam, even an â€Å"airy-fairy† mind twister, the Law of Attraction is not a new idea. This rather  fundamental concept has been around for ages, often hidden from the masses by those who wish to keep people â€Å"unconscious†. For those who have had some experience with this concept, they might find these words refreshing and fulfilling. This idea is not new to them but is a reminder of what they already know.Astrophysicist  Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson  was asked by a reader of TIME magazine, â€Å"What is  the most astounding fact  you can share with us  about the Universe? † This is his answer: â€Å"When I look up at the night sky, and I know that, yes, we are part of this Universe,  we are in this Universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts is that the Universe is in us. When I reflect on that fact, I look up — many people feel small, ’cause they’re small and  the Universe is big, but I feel big, because my atoms came from those stars. † -Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson Your thoughts do ndeed create your reality. Thoughts are forms of energy that are sent ahead and eventually manifest as physical matter. The thoughts you think determine the outcome of your worldly experiences, from finances to h ealth, relationships to environment. In fact, there is no aspect of your life that is not affected by your thoughts. â€Å"Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions. † -Albert Einstein â€Å"The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. † -William James â€Å"Everything is energy and that's all there is to it.Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics. † -Albert Einstein/Bashar  (debatable) Most of us were taught to be sloppy thinkers. We remain frozen in worry or defeated by fear. We believe that we have become victims of our circumstances. As our thoughts remain negative or mostly unconscious, we end up attracting by default. We are stunned when we develop a horrible disease, become involved in a tragic car accident or suffer from financial failure. Without rea lizing it, the thoughts we have been thinking are all responsible for this.The ability to focus a thought becomes the driving force behind The Law of Attraction. Focusing on a single thought purely and clearly for a short duration of time becomes the starting point. Once you become adept at focusing your thoughts it will be easier and more efficient. Words do not matter much but the emotion behind the words does. The Universe works on vibration. Everything is vibration first and matter second. When you feel an affirming emotion when focusing thought you are now creating dynamic change. Pure thought with positive emotion is said to be the equivalent of 2000 action hours.The problem that many people run into is that they â€Å"pretend† to be positive on the outside but are really vibrating negativity on the inside. They might not even be aware of what it is that they are doing. The Law of Attraction is so powerful that it trumps all other laws and forces in the Universe. It nev er takes time off or breaks and it is always working. It supersedes science, viruses, bacteria, pathogens, parasites, natural disasters, bad luck, heredity, genetics, chance, random, poor diet, too much sugar, astrology, numerology, tea leaves and psychology.Under The Law of Attraction, there are no odds and statistics are meaningless. Nothing happens by mistake. The thoughts you think do indeed create your reality. There are two primary forces in the Universe — allowing and resisting. If your manifestation has not yet arrived it is only because you are resisting it. Here is how this works. Imagine driving your car with one foot on the gas pedal and one foot on the brake at the same time. Your car might be moving forward but there will be quite a bit of resistance along the way, not to mention the damage done to the brakes.Most people become frustrated and stop believing in the power of their own thoughts only because they have unconsciously placed great resistance in front o f their dreams. Frustration will pull you even more into the negative thinking mode and create more mistrust in the Law of Attraction. Let's say that you desire to have more money. This is a positive thinking manifestation. You are now in a state of creation and allowing. You then might begin to worry about how complicated it will be to have all of this money. You imagine that you won't know how to manage it.Others will want some of it and you might not know how to say â€Å"No† to them. Now you are in a state of resistance. Your foot is â€Å"sharply pressing down on the brakes† in your â€Å"vibrational† world. This is why your creation has not yet arrived. When you are in a state of judgment you are also in a state of resistance. Imagine wanting an expensive new car but you have judgments about those who are able to afford expensive new cars. You are now in a state of resistance. Imagine that you want an easy life where you did not have to work so hard to get by.You keep yourself in a state of resistance when you judge others who already have an easy life where they do not have to work so hard. You can not belong to a club where you despise the current members. If you want your manifestations to arrive you must already be a vibrational match to them. Festering in a state of judgment is just pushing your desires away. The Four Levels of Consciousness There are four levels of consciousness. Most people never make it out of level one and are condemned to suffer in this self-imposed hell of an inner world. Here are the four levels of consciousness: 1.Unconscious Unconsciousness At this stage you are not even aware that you are unconscious. You attract negative things into your life at a rapid pace, as if you have developed a negative ball of energy rolling down hill. Nothing is ever your fault and you are always looking for someone to blame. 2. Conscious Unconsciousness Here you are aware of your negative thinking and the consequences that it might bring. You might see your negative pattern and have become aware of what it is that you are attracting. You may not like what you are attracting, but you have taken responsibility for it. 3. Conscious ConsciousnessYou deliberately decide to focus pure and positive thought on something and remove all resistance to its arrival. And, sure enough, it arrives. Your creation might be something as simple as visualizing a parking space opening up for you at the mall. You deliberately intended it, allowed it to come to you and acknowledged it when it arrives. 4. Unconscious Consciousness When you get to this point, you do not have to work so hard to create things in your life. You are a believer in how the mind game is played and you spend conscious time each day making your mind important. New creations come to you easily and quickly.You have built a positive ball of energy that continues to roll forward in your favor. People call you the â€Å"lucky one†. The Mind is  NOT   the Brain The scientific and rational community have spent an inordinate amount of time and money studying the brain. The belief among these individuals is that the brain is the ultimate part of who we are. They say that the brain controls everything. The mind, according to these scientific types, is just a function of the brain. This is akin to the belief that the brain secretes hormones through the glandular system, establishes electrical impulses through the electrical system and has many more functions.We are told by our scientists that the brain is the most important organ and the mind is just an activity that the brain performs. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The reality is that scientists and rational-minded individuals have it completely backwards. The mind is much bigger than the brain. The mind does not live in the brain but passes through the brain. The mind can pass into the smallest cell in one's body or can travel into the future or across thousands of mi les of empty space. Have you ever heard of someone who was â€Å"incurably sick† and learns how to focus his mind and heal his body? This happens every day.When you take your thoughts to Aunt Alice, thousands of miles away, and the next thing you know there is a telephone call from her, the brain did not do that. The mind, traveling far outside the body, reached out to make contact. Magic will begin to happen at even a quicker pace when we stop studying the brain (just an organ) and learn how to focus our minds. Scientists and brain researchers are far away from the leading edge of discovery. You can not study the mind with a microscope, X-Ray, MRI or a CAT scan. Using your mind to attract your reality is actually a very simple technique. First, make your thoughts important.Most people randomly shrug off their thoughts as not being important. They often get stuck thinking the same old negative thoughts all day long and can not begin to see the relationship between what they a re thinking and what is happening in their life. Three Ways of Attracting 1. Direct Asking You are angry that you have a beat up old car and every day you proclaim how much you despise this car and wish someone would just come along and crash into it to get rid of it. Lo and behold, you are involved in a traffic accident and your car is destroyed. You act surprised when this event transpires and you move into blame and anger.You believe whole-heartily that it must be the other driver's fault for not paying closer attention. 2. Fear You might have heard stories of how wild animals are attracted to fear so if you are approached by one do not run or act afraid. The Law of Attraction works the very same way. If you are afraid of â€Å"catching† a horrible disease you are still attracting it to you. If you are afraid of financial failure you are still attracting it. Whatever you are afraid of has a good chance of coming closer to you. This occurs because your thoughts are like mag nets, whether those thoughts are positive ones or negative ones. 3.Vibrational Alignment Emotional alignment is important when attracting. Imagine leaving the house feeling like a victim. Why does it surprise you when you spill coffee on yourself? This incidence only matches a vibration that you were already experiencing. Like attracts more of the same. A vibration of negativity will bring more negativity your way whereas a vibrational attitude of positivity will attract positive results. Mental Obesity Imagine what life might be like if you were three-hundred pounds overweight in your body? What would it be like to travel on an airplane, to walk up and down stairs and to try to go to the bathroom?Most people are three-hundred pounds overweight in their minds. Their minds are quite out of shape and their life is filled with struggle and blame. They are in denial that there is a problem (just like many physically obese people) and they do nothing to try to change the situation. If yo u were physically obese you might start slowly to make small changes in your life (dietary adjustments, beginning a walking program etc. ). Mental shaping up is no different. Begin by imagining all the lights turning green when you are driving down the road or the perfect parking space is waiting for you at the grocery store.Small steps add up to big changes. Blame If there were two words that I could eliminate from the English language they would be†victim†Ã‚  and  Ã¢â‚¬Å"survivor. †Ã‚  You hear these powerful words over and over again, through the media, through â€Å"support† groups and from the common person. These two conditions can only exist from someone who is â€Å"unconsciously unconscious. † This is a person who is not aware of the thoughts that he is thinking and the chaos that he is attracting. There are no â€Å"victims† and there are no â€Å"survivors. † There are only â€Å"conscious choosers† or â€Å"unconsci ous choosers. When you become an unconscious chooser you often remain in a state of â€Å"blame. † This situation occurs where you believe that it is always somebody else's fault that your life is going poorly. For instance, many people continue to blame the â€Å"poor economy† for their own lack of financial success. Yet, there are many who are thriving in this â€Å"poor economy. † Most often these â€Å"thrivers† will tell you that they are not interested in listening to the scarcity-minded pundits on television, but choose their own path to prosperity. They are consciously choosing a new way to think and thus have a prosperous lifestyle.They also say that they are not interested in participating in the â€Å"down economy. † Remaining in blame is just another way of saying that you are not willing to be responsible for the thoughts that you are thinking. Sabotage Why would someone deliberately choose to develop a horrible disease or choose to ha ve bad things happen to them? This is often a challenging question for many to understand. The answer is very simple. We all have a part of ourselves that is frozen in sabotage. Not everyone wants to feel well or to be wealthy. Most people have invested a great amount of time and thought into sabotage and this is what shows up.You might have heard the expression that says, â€Å"if you go looking for trouble then trouble is likely to find you. † A parent knows all too well how sabotage works. At one time or another most children will â€Å"develop† a cold or sickness to avoid a situation like going to school or visiting a relative. The child's thoughts are powerful enough to change the physical body so the child can escape a situation that he or she does not know how to handle (i. e. a test, a conflict etc. ). As adults, our powerful thoughts continue to sabotage our lives, only the outcome is often quite stronger.From putting on weight to financial hardships, if you a re not thriving then your thoughts are actively involved in sabotaging your greatest successes. You have invested in sabotage as the primary reference point in your life. Somehow you errantly believe that you are benefiting from sabotage just like the sick child feels a benefit by not having to attend school. For instance, many people create illnesses to rest, take a break from life, to be taken care of by others or to avoid an uneasy situation. Instead of learning to find the tools to resolve these conflicts, becoming sick is the easiest way to find relief.One could make the argument that hospitals are filled with people who are choosing illness as a way of getting relief from a mental conflict that they are unable to resolve any other way. Yes, your mind is that powerful and there are no exceptions. Children and Illnesses It might be difficult to understand why a child would choose to get sick and die. What most of us do not realize is that children too are thinking and creating t heir reality. Whether it is in the womb, infancy or adolescence, a child is still focusing thoughts, either positively or negatively, and is still creating his or her reality. Here is an example of how this works.A story appeared in a local newspaper of a fourteen-year old boy who mysteriously and â€Å"accidentally† hung himself while playing on a makeshift backyard rope course that he had built. Most people assumed this to be a horrible accident and a chance of fate. What most people do not realize is the actual story being created by this young boy. Two days before his death the teenager was kicked off the freshman football team at school. He was devastated. He felt his life was over. The expulsion from the team caused him so much despair that he did not believe that he could go on. He felt trapped and helpless and wanted relief from his suffering.His mind created a situation where he would find relief and still save face (his death would look like an accident). Conclusion While this way of perceiving the world might be difficult to digest for many, when you understand our investment in sabotage things become much clearer. We are all looking for relief from conflict. If we do not believe that we can resolve the conflict externally, we frequently create a situation that resolves itself internally. This is often seen in sports. When an athlete is not performing well or has an off the field conflict, he frequently suffers an injury.While the injury might be real (a pulled hamstring or a stiff back), the mind was busily at work creating the situation. Fans would much more likely support a player if he were injured than if he were having marital problems at home. After all, an athlete is expected to leave his personal issues off the field or court. You do not have to believe in the Law of Attraction for it to be working. Just like you do not have to understand or have knowledge of gravity, it is still working. Step off a balcony of a two story building an d whether you believe in gravity or not, you will most likely still come crashing to the ground.Most people create by default, meaning that they are not aware of what their thoughts are and hence take no responsibility when their manifestations arrive—for the better or worse. â€Å"You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else. † -Albert Einstein If you do not learn how to play the game then the game will certainly play you. We are talking about the mind game going on inside of you. When you are an unconscious attractor of your reality you often become a victim and are stuck in blame. This is when the game is playing you.A mind in a state of appreciation is a mind creating positive results. A mind looking for someone or something to blame is a mind creating more sabotage and chaos in one's life. Whether you believe in the Law of Attraction or not, it does not matter. The power of the mind is still at work and the results can still be felt. Don't you think it better off to learn how to focus your thoughts and start to receive all of the dreams that you have been asking for? Law of Attraction Quotes â€Å"What You Set Is, What You Get. † â€Å"If It’s In There, It’s Out There. † â€Å"At The End, Nothing Else Matters. † If you do not attract what you want to be, you will be what you are, FOREVER† â€Å"The Secret Was Never The Secret, But Was Used Secretly, Now It’s Revealed. † â€Å"A Small Shift In Your Perception Will Bring Big Change In You. † â€Å"Our Thoughts Are Boomerang, What Goes Out There, Will Bring More Of It. † â€Å"There Are No Coincidences Or Miracles In Life; Just That You Attracted Them At Some Point Of Time. † â€Å"Life Is A Canvas, Sketch Your Reality On It. † â€Å"Take The First Step In Faith, Rest Will Unfold, As You Go Along. † â€Å"You Are In Present, Is What You Attracted In Past, You Will In Future, What You Attracting Now. â€Å"You Are, Your Attraction. † â€Å"Your Attraction Causes Your Feeling, Feelings In Return Causes You More Of What You Attracted. It’s A Never Ending Process. † â€Å"Law Of Attraction Is A Universal Law; Power Law Of Attraction Is An Approach To Apply It For Instant Manifestation. † â€Å"Every Moment We Are Choosing, Out Of Our Sub Atomic Possibilities, Which Manifests As Real Atomic Experience, When We Attract Them. † Also check these links http://www. powerlawofattraction. com/ http://www. thelawofattraction. co. uk/quotes/ Some Questions and Answers related to law of attraction What Is Law of Attraction?Simply stated, law of Attraction states that â€Å"like attracts like†! Your  thoughts  are like magnet and attract to you whatever you think about, so everything that we experience is brought about as a consequence of our thoughts. The law of Attraction teaches us to increase our, emotio nal, physicals and even financial well-being. It encourages a more positive outlook on life and helps people learn how to deliberately attract their wishes and wants from their thoughts straight into their lives. Is The Law of Attraction  Working In My Life? Yes. Your thoughts and feelings create your reality minute by minute. This never stops.We make conscious choices about how to feel and more of it is attracted into our lives. How are you feeling now? Perhaps you feel like complaining about the harsh weather, rude boss or bad traffic. You’d only be attracting more things to complain about. Instead, have you been thankful today for having a roof over your head, a job and a car? By doing this, you will be aligning yourself up for more wonderful things to be thankful for. Why do Law of Attraction strategies sometimes fail to work? Remember that the Law of Attraction doesn’t fail; it is a universal law just like the  Law of Gravity. It can’t fail!So, it must be we, who are failing the law instead. It may not be working for you because of your inner resistance. It may be conscious or subconscious, but there is a part of you that doesn’t believe that you deserve a particular thing that you desire. How Can I Attract My Ideal Life? Keep your thoughts, ideas and feelings in alignment with your desires; and you will have it. A simple exercise would be to visualize your ideal life, perhaps make a dream board and look at it a few minutes every day. This will remind you of your aspirations and soon the universe will help you achieve your ideal life. What Is Vibration?Vibration is your thoughts in an energy form working to manifest your desires. Light, heat, electricity; everything has invisible vibrations that help it manifest into something very real and tangible. Every person has similar vibrations, which are powerful thought waves. Mastery over these vibrations can also help us conquer the law of attraction. How Can I Attract More Mone y? The first step towards achieving your desires is that you should know what exactly it is that you want. If you want more money, ask yourself how much you want and why. Be it a 25% raise at work or earning a million, before the end of the year. Then take action.Not even the Law of Attraction can make you rich if your only pastime is sitting on a couch. You will have to work towards your goal, once you have decided on it. How Can I Get More Of  What I Want? By asking for it! Once you know what you want, you decide to go after your goals relentlessly. How long does it take before I start attracting what I want? You are always attracting, so The Law of Attraction is always on! But you will start attracting your desires when you believe. Do away with all doubt and self- limiting beliefs and permit your requests to manifest instantly! Does this mean that I can be anything I feel like?Yes and no. The Law of Attraction allows you to reach goals and achieve happiness but it doesnâ€℠¢t mean that you won’t have to work hard for it. It is not some spell that will automatically grant your wishes. Be more grounded and realize that you are the ultimate power here, only you can take the steps and think the thoughts that will make a difference in your life. Question:  It’s hard not to be immobilized when so much change is required, so anything that could give me a daily kick start would be helpful, so when faced with negative thoughts etc, I could cling to the words of the day to keep me focused and strong in my conviction.Answer:  You can start writing out your own thoughts of the day. Every morning take 5 minutes while still in bed and think about your day, visualize what you would want it to be like, what are the main thoughts you would want to hold in your mind, then get up and write it down. Here you have your own thought of the day. I also highly recommend signing up for notes from the Universe at  http://www. tut. com. I love getting their d aily little reminders. Question: Why is it so easy to attract negative problems and so hard even with a good outlook for long periods of time, so hard to attract positive things?Answer: Do you see that this is the belief of yours that you keep reinforcing? You believe that it is hard for you to attract positive things and easy to attract negative ones. The Universe aligns itself according to your belief. You need to change the belief. How? Start by simply repeating to yourself–I attract positive experiences in my life easily and effortlessly. I will go over in more detail how you can get rid of your negative beliefs in my future videos and emails. Question:  Should I be doing it all: affirmations, visualization, vision board? Can I just pick one or two ways to manifest my desires?Answer:  Yes, you can definitely choose just one or two that works for you. No need to do it all and stress about it. Just choose what feels right and do it consistently. I highly recommend visua lization. I am going to cover some advanced visualization techniques in my course too. Question:  Getting in alignment is difficult. Can you give some tips? Answer:  You are in alignment when you feel good. Try this exercise-find something in your environment that you feel grateful for. It might be anything-your computer for example. Think about that object, feel really grateful for having it, feel that high vibration,  Ã‚  then move on to nother object. Think of everything that you are grateful for in your life  Ã‚  throughout the day. Not only material things, but your health, your family, your friends, your experiences, for you yourself. There is so much to be grateful for I bet! The more you feel grateful for all the good things you have already in your life the more you align yourself with all the other good things yet to come. Do it often, it works! I will share many more tips and techniques of getting in alignment later. Question:  It is difficult to keep my vibrati on positive and high, because we are surrounded with negative vibration.Answer: See the previous answer. Also there are lots of other things you can do to keep your vibrations high. Do something that you love and truly enjoy every day. Find something small, that you can easily incorporate into your daily routine like listening to your favorite music for example and do it every day. That should help raise your vibrations. Also try to avoid as much of the negativity as you can. Stop watching the news, violent TV shows, etc. All of that stuff doesn’t serve you in any way but putting your vibrations down. Question:  What does it mean â€Å"ask and forget all about it†?Isn? t it a contradiction? Answer:  No it is not a contradiction. When you ask and then let go, you pretty much show the Universe that you have faith, that you know with 100% certainty that what you want is yours already. You get yourself out of the way. Letting go is very important. I will show you some exact techniques on how to do it in my course. Question: I have a lot of doubts about the Law of Attraction and The 11 Forgotten Laws. I really want to know more about these and why the Law of Attraction doesn? t work without these 11 laws.Answer:  I personally don’t think that you need all of the 11 laws to see changes for the better in your life. Even though I read Bob Proctor’s book  11 Forgotten Laws  and think that it is excellent, I don’t think you truly need all of the 11 laws. I do believe that there are a couple of laws that you need to use in addition to the Law of Attraction. Like the Law of Detachment. Learning to truly let go of your desires is a very important skill. You need to let go and get out of the way for your desires to manifest quickly and easily. (source: http://daringclarity. om/law-of-attraction-questions-and-answers) 12 Ways The ‘Law Of Attraction' Can Improve Your Life Psychologists, New Age thinkers and religious leaders have been talking about the  Law Of Attraction  for years, though it gained popularity again when the book â€Å"The Secret† made waves in 2006. The law is simply this: We attract whatever we think about, good or bad. Oprah is a fan of the law and devoted an  episode of her show  to how it could change lives. Whether or not you believe in the power of the universe, there is  scientific research that proves the effects of positive thinking.You attract good or bad experiences based on your thoughts. â€Å"The one who speaks most about illness has illness. The one who speaks about prosperity has prosperity,† Esther and Jerry Hicks write. â€Å"You attract all of it. † By focusing on something, you make it happen. Thinking about something means you invite it in, even if you don't want it. â€Å"When you think a little thought of something that you want, through the Law of Attraction, that thought grows larger and larger, and more and more powerful,† according to the book. So keep your thoughts positive.The more you focus on something, the more powerful it becomes. This allows you to create your own reality by â€Å"attracting† the experiences you want to have. You probably brought bad things upon yourself by worrying about them, according to the laws described in the book. It's better to trust your emotions than over-think a decision. In other words: Listen to your intuition. Instead of overthinking your choices, let your emotions guide you toward what is right and what is wrong. This will result in a more satisfying life. You can make good things happen more quickly by thinking about them more.. Want† and â€Å"desire† consist of wanting â€Å"to focus attention, or give thought toward a subject, while at the same time experiencing positive emotion. When you give your attention to a subject and you feel only positive emotion about it as you do so, it will come very quickly into your experience,† the Hicks write. To make a change, you've got to see things as you hope them to be, not as they are. This is something that successful people know about. It's also called visualization. Michael Phelps  spoke about  picturing himself winning every night before bed. In order to effect true positive change in your experience, you must disregard how things are — as well as how others are seeing you — and give more of your attention to the way you prefer things to be,† the book says. You can increase your magnetic power by devoting time to â€Å"powerful thinking. † each day. Spend 15 minutes every day thinking hard about your goals, dreams and what you want from life. The Hicks say this increases your chances for success. Success isn't a finite resource; everyone can have it. Others being successful doesn't limit your success.And by attracting abundance to yourself, you are not limiting another, according to the book. Don't allow yourself to wallow in disappo intment. Being disappointed only attracts more stuff to be upset about and is only a sign that you're not getting what you want in life. So think about how to get what you want instead of what you don't have. Avoid TV shows that deal with negative experiences like crime or illness. Letting this stuff in makes you think about it more and increases the odds it could happen to you. â€Å"Your attention to anything is drawing it closer to you,† they say.Know that your relationships with people are bad because you made them that way. Giving your attention to the negative can wreak havoc on personal relationships. This mentality can help free us from bad relationships with relatives or a spouse. â€Å"Nothing can come into your experience without your personal attraction to it,† they say. Don't worry about what you're dreaming; instead use your dreams as a guide. Dreams might provide some insight into the psyche, but you're not in the process of â€Å"creating† while you're asleep, the book says. Also check these links Law Of Attraction Exercises ttp://ezinearticles. com/? 3-Advanced-Law-of-Attraction-Exercises-to-Manifest-Wealth;id=961248 http://www. lawofattraction123. com/law-of-attraction-exercises. html Popular Law Of Attraction Books http://www. goodreads. com/shelf/show/law-of-attraction http://www. ehow. com/how_4906557_use-law-attraction. html Modern Teachers of the Law of Attraction Rhonda Bhyrne ~ ‘The Secret' Wayne Dyer ~ ‘Manifesting your Destiny' Jerry and Esther Hicks (Teachings of Abraham) ~ ‘The Law of Attraction' Louise L. Hay ~ ‘You Can Heal Your Life' Neale Donald Walsch ~ ‘Conversations With God'

Civil Marriage Essay

Civil marriage has lately turned into dubious issue in Lebanon. It has turned into a political issue questionable by most gatherings on both side of political divide. Media has been publicizing it seriously. The idea of civil marriage has picked up much region in this nation and right now arrived at the point of no return. As such it can never again be disregarded or overlooked. Nowadays, civil marriage is authorized in many countries. In our country, we had arguments against this issue from both religious authorities and some political parties. First of all, Lebanon’s top Sunni Muslim power issued a fatwa against moves to authorize civil relational unions inside the country, where couples of diverse religions need to venture out abroad to get married. This fatwa declares: â€Å"Every Muslim official whether a deputy or a minister, who supports legalization of civil marriage, even if it is optional, is an apostate and outside the Islamic religion, would not be washed, would not be wrapped in a burial shroud, would not have prayers for their soul in line with Islamic rules, and would not be buried in Muslim cemetery†. Moreover, as far as it matters for him, Sheikh Ghassan Halaby, consultant to Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Naim Hassan told the Daily Star that his religious group contradicts this marriage, particularly without any earlier exertion to teach people in general what a law change might mean. In addition, Ibrahim Saad, the leader of one of the country’s Greek Orthodox profound courts, said that as a submitted Christian he supports marriage in the church. Nonetheless, he unequivocally upheld a law that might take into consideration discretionary civil marriage. So these are attitudes of religions against this type of marriage.