The Handshake That Shook the World

“Photographs released by the Venezuelan government showed Chavez, a fierce foe of former President George W. Bush, smiling and clasping hands with Obama at the start of the summit of Latin American and Caribbean leaders in Trinidad.

“I greeted Bush with this hand eight years ago; I want to be your friend,” Chavez told Obama, according to a Venezuelan presidential press office statement.”  (From Reuters)

OMG!!  WHAT was Obama THINKING?!  He shook hands with Chavez and now our country will suddenly dissolve into… into what? A puddle of Diplomacy? Read more

The Secret is That There is No Secret

The camera zoomed in on the Cowardly Lion as he despairingly sobbed into his clenched tail, unconvincingly chanting to himself, “I do believe! I do believe! I do! I do! I do!”

That was my first thought while viewing the popular New Age video (which is now, thanks to Oprah, also a best-selling book), “The Secret.” My second thought was, “What the BLEEP is so ‘secret’ about “The Secret?”

In the “Wizard of Oz,” the ruse wasn’t that there was no Wizard, but rather that the Wizard just wasn’t as powerful and fearsome as he led everyone to believe.  In “The Secret,” the ruse is that there is no powerful and mysterious secret as the author leads you to believe. The concepts of positive thinking, and the Law of Attraction (like attracts like) has never been intentionally withheld from general knowledge, or only known by the elite. Countless numbers of books, dating back thousands of years, have been written, and rewritten, about this subject matter.

The author (and cast members) of “The Secret” advocates throughout the video that we are limited only by our thoughts and beliefs about reality. To some degree, that’s true. We are, after all, mind-directed creatures and tend to act on the basis of our beliefs. Most people come to their beliefs for a variety of reasons having little to do with empirical evidence and logical reasoning. However, in my humble opinion, what’s inherently wrong with “The Secret” is that only one viewpoint is being presented, and it’s being presented to the reader as if it was some newly discovered Universal Truth guaranteed to set you free… and make you rich in the process!

The New Age viewpoint presented in “The Secret” is that EVERYTHING that happens to us is because, on some level, we WANTED it to happen… we even ASKED for it to happen. If we’re not abundantly wealthy, or we have problems in our relationships, or health, or sent off to fight in a war we may not believe in, or even experience a tragedy… regardless of the situation… it’s absolutely a reflection or our own negative thoughts and beliefs. On the other hand, we can have unlimited wealth, perfect health, perfect relationships, perfect careers, and world peace, if only we change our thinking accordingly.   The premise is; Change your thinking and you can have whatever you want, and as much as you want.  But I don’t recall anyone mentioning how you need to change your core beliefs — beliefs that are deep-seated and remain constant over time — before can you begin to change your thinking.

While I agree that the power of positive thinking can, and will, help to create abundance in our lives, I also believe that simply thinking/believing that we can have “it all” doesn’t necessarily equate to getting “it all.”  It takes more than a thought, and more than a belief. It also takes skills and abilities. And, oh yes… courage. Even the Cowardly Lion had to face his fears and put up a good fight in order to succeed, and receive his Badge of Courage. As I have often said, thoughts are energy and action is energy at work. Do something every day towards achieving your dreams – because action is the “real secret” to success.

How to Write Your Own Resume

With so many of us looking for a job these days, it helps to have a resume that will “Wow!” a prospective employer. Something that stands out from the countless numbers of resumes they receive, probably on a daily basis. The problem is, not many people know how to write that killer resume, and certainly can’t afford to hire a professional. Well, take heart in the fact that you can write a resume as good as, or even better than, a majority of the pros — Yes you can!

You can also stop searching the Net now for all of the “How To” resume sites because I’ve narrowed it down to the best of the best for you! From the Rockport Institute (who knows more than a thing or two about resume writing) comes an online guide that will step you through the process, and offer other valuable job search information for you. To give you an idea about why you should click on this link to their resume guide, here’s what’s in it:

Part 1 - WRITE A RESUME THAT GENERATES RESULTS
Part 2 - HOW TO KNOCK THE SOCKS OFF A PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYER
Part 3 - THE EVIDENCE SECTION - HOW TO PRESENT YOUR WORK HISTORY, EDUCATION, ETC.
Part 4 - A FEW GUIDELINES FOR A BETTER PRESENTATION
Part 5 - I’M NOT SURE THE JOB I’M LOOKING FOR IS THE RIGHT ONE FOR ME
Part 6 - ADD POWER TO YOUR RESUME WITH POWERWORDS

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