The Gift of Failure
November 30, 2007
During this Thanksgiving holiday, we are reminded to reflect on the bounty in our lives. Most of us have jobs, family, a place we call home and food on the table, and for these things and our ability to obtain them we should be grateful.
But what about those who are struggling with financial difficulties, bad relationships, or employment problems? Do they owe any thanks for their circumstances? Can failure really be a gift in disguise?
FAILURES TEACH US ABOUT PROCESS
Thomas Edison tried over 9,000 designs before he created a working light bulb. A young reporter asked him how he felt after having failed 9,000 times. Edison replied, “I didn’t fail - I just learned 9,000 ways not to make a light bulb.”
Failure is often a clue to redirect our efforts in a different direction, and to follow a different set of plans. How many times have we learned how not to sell a product, how not to get a new job, or how not to judge a future mate? If a series of failures leads us to open our minds to new knowledge or information, or gives us the willingness to try different behaviors, then we haven’t failed, we’ve learned how to create different results.
Guide for Selecting a Villa Near Disney in Orlando Florida
November 29, 2007
This article is meant to be a guide for those who wish to enjoy their holidays in an ideal spot - a villa in or near Orlando. But where does one find something close to the theme parks, in close proximity to fine dining and luxury shopping and around all of your other amenities that your family might need on a vacation? Is there any hard and fast answer to the best price and if so, what about renting a villa for the lowest price?
The Villa rental dilemma is not a new puzzle. Since the early days of Central Florida tourism (pre-dating Walt Disney, if you can imagine Orlando without the presence of Mickey and the sprawling complex of Walt Disney World itself),the early tourists seemed to favor the areas away from Central Florida. Near to the oceans and their cooling breezes- but also away from the threat of hurricanes, and after the slate of hot hotels were built on Miami Beach, the seashores were never the same. Congestion and high prices eventually led the family vacation crowd to question the idea of spending their hard earned vacation dollars strictly at the shore with every other family. The idea of spending time in scenic central Florida grew in popularity after such theme parks and attractions as Cypress Gardens and Gator World (amongst other cheap vacation thrills) started springing up in Kissimmee, Florida, and the outlying areas in and around the Orlando area. Walt Disney certainly changed the face of real estate and villa rentals in Florida. The properties in and around Kissimmee, Florida began to swell in price, ruling out the idea of Kissimmee as Mickey’s lowest price, most close neighbor.
What Causes Holiday Stress?
November 28, 2007
The holidays are supposed to be a time of celebration when friends and families get together to share food, fun, gifts, and love. They are supposed to be a time of giving, caring and connection when we celebrate important and meaningful events.
Why, then, are they often so stressful and what can we do to make them more fun and peaceful?
Changing the holiday season from stressful to peaceful depends upon one thing: INTENT. Your intent is whatever is most important to you in any particular moment or situation.
At any given moment, we are always in one of two intents. Put in simple terms, it is either more important to you in any given moment to:
1) Be loving to yourself and others, or
2) Get love and approval
Your intent determines your behavior and your feelings. Let’s take an example.
Unique Mothers Day Gift - No More Flowers and Chocolate
November 27, 2007
With Mother’s Day approaching fast, it’s time to begin thinking about how best to express how much Mommy Dearest means to us. If you’re like most, Mother’s Day has become a routine that consists of a greeting card, a bouquet of flowers, and a phone call to say “I love you”. And though mom surely loves the sentiment, perhaps 2005 should be a year when you put a bit more creativity into your gift idea.
How about giving the gift of art? Several businesses across the country create one-of-a-kind, stylish, and sentimental works of art from customers’ photographs, often for a price less than what you’d pay for a mass-produced department store print.
Italy with Kids ? Seven Ways to Get the Most from Your Family Travel in Italy
November 26, 2007
Italy is a popular vacation destination for families because it offers something of interest for everyone. The land of gelato welcomes children in general and, more specifically, has sights and foods that most kids love. Whether your family is visiting monuments or relaxing in the Italian sun, here are some ideas on how to organize your vacation for fun and savings, too.
1. Rent an Apartment or Villa
For less than the cost of a hotel room you can rent a comparably comfortable and well-located apartment or villa in Italy. You will get more room for people to spread out and keep out of each other’s way. You won’t have adjust your schedule to hotel restaurant hours and maid service, either. You will have to make your own beds and settle for a weekly change of towels.
You can save on restaurant costs by eating ‘at home’ in your villa or apartment. We suggest having breakfast and dinner at home and dine in a nice restaurant for lunch. For your home meals, elaborate preparation isn’t necessary, you will find excellent pre-prepared selections in supermarkets, small grocery stores, snack bars, pizzerias and "tavola caldas," cafeteria-style restaurants. Shopping for your food in Italian grocery stores and open air markets is a super cultural experience for the whole family, too.
EASTER: The Bunny and The Egg
November 26, 2007
Ever wonder why there’s an “Easter Bunny”? Ever wonder why he brings eggs? And dyed ones at that!
The Rabbit and the Hare, because of their frequent multiple births, are long time symbols of fertility. According to pre-Christian fertility lore, long before Jesus Christ was born, the Easter Bunny, aka the Easter Hare, represented the new life during the Spring season.
Children of that era believed that the “Magic Hare” would bring them presents during the Spring festivals. Often, these presents were painted eggs, symbolizing a resurrection or rebirth.
In fact, the Egyptians buried eggs in tombs while Greeks placed eggs on top of graves. The Persians and the Chinese considered the egg to be a special gift at their Spring celebrations.
As part of a gift wrapping tradition, different cultures decorated eggs by either dying them or wrapping them in different types of leaves.
In 1880’s Germany, Easter eggs were substituted for birth certificates. The egg, dyed a solid color, had the recipient’s name and birth date etched into the shell.
Later, during the Christian period, many eggs were dyed red. It’s believed that this was done to honor the blood that Christ shed.
St. Patricks Day Quotations
November 25, 2007
European Car Rental - Top Ten Tips for Europe Travel - Tip #2: The Price is Right
November 24, 2007
When it comes to shopping for something on-line, we tend to become naturally more focused on a singular aspect of the product or service we desire. There is so much information to be absorbed while browsing sites that it is nearly impossible to factor everything in. This is very true of the travel industry, which happens to be the second largest on-line market (I’m sure you can guess what the first is) and the one thing most customers tend to zero in on is that magical of all numbers: price.
This is of course to be expected. We can, after all, only afford what is in our budget. However, the first order of business should always be to understand the requirements of our vacation, in this case, the car rental. Before you look at prices, you should have a solid idea of how many people you need to accommodate, the amount of days you are staying, whether or not you can drive a manual shift, and the locations you are picking up and dropping off at. Provided you have those things locked down, you can safely move on to comparison shopping.
Samanthas Bay Leaf Ritual for the New Year
November 23, 2007
HI would like to share with you a ritual I do every New Year’s that is quite involved and requires a lot of thought and meditation time. It is derived from an ancient Greek ritual for prosperity and fertility. As you may recall, ancient Mediterranean Kings and Queens used to wear garlands of bay leaves (as well as olive leaves) as crowns. Bay leaves, and often bayberry leaves, are often used in Alexandrian magic as well, as well to draw success in business and finances. I like this ritual because first of all it is very “white” and it also involves the writing down of your wishes. The writing down of your wishes on 108 bay leaves works in the same way as a positive affirmation. The stating of your goals and desires allows you to properly manifest them in real life. Every year I pull out my old bay leaves and sort through them and I am always astounded by how many of my wishes have actually been granted.
For this you will need:
a blank check
a gold or silver pen (but a green will do if you can’t get those colours)
Cinnamon incense
Color Easter Eggs Naturally With Dyes From Your Kitchen
November 22, 2007
The most beautiful dyes for Easter eggs come from foodstuff you probably already have in your kitchen.
I have been delighted with the results of the colors I have tried and my friends have been thrilled to receive them as springtime gifts. The colors are very unusual — gentle, earthy, soft, and very vibrant, without being harsh like the artificial dyes — and when I tell people the colors come from plant dyes, they always want to know the origin of each color.
To color these eggs, you boil the eggs with the dyestuff, rather than boiling the eggs separately and they dying them.
Here are the general directions:
1. Put raw, white-shelled, organically-raised eggs in a single layer in a pan. Cover with cold water.
2. Add a little more than a teaspoon of white vinegar.
3. Add the natural dyestuff for the color you want your eggs to be. (The more eggs you are dying at a time, the more dye you will need to use, and the more dye you use, the darker the color will be.)
4. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
