Appreciation, or rather the expression of appreciation, is essential for emotional health and well-being. Appreciation is a skill that we can all learn. But it has to start at home. It has to start with appreciation for you.

Appreciation of self may not come easily. I don’t know about you but I grew up with the sense that to ‘blow my own trumpet’ was a bad thing – something I shouldn’t do because I wouldn’t be liked if I did. Being liked was important to me – so I didn’t blow my own trumpet – ever. I also rarely felt good about myself. In my seeking to understand me I discovered that a powerful connection exists here..

If you don’t already feel good about yourself, and you seek happiness, then learning the art of self-appreciation is the key to unlocking the good feelings you’d like to feel inside of you. With that in mind I have some exercises for you to complete. I would like you to make a chart of your life. Write down a list of numbers that represent ages from 0 to your current age – one line for each. Then just allow your mind to drift over each of those ages briefly and note down anything significant to you in the way of a success, or an achievement – something you felt good about at the time, or you feel good about now. Things like starting school; passing some exams; getting a job; getting a job you wanted; kissing someone you liked; first-time sex; riding a roller coaster; taking a picture; first pay check; growing a plant from seed; eating something you’d grown; fulfilling a dream; healing. It really doesn’t matter what it is, it definitely doesn’t matter if the rest of world would see it as insignificant, what matters is that it was important to you and made you feel good, or excited, or happy.

Now when you’ve been over the list and filled in all the major events, look at the gaps and see if you can possibly find something to put on every single line. That’s a bit of a challenge I admit, and there is certainly no failure if you have big gaps, but you will find that as you move your mind towards thinking in terms of achievements and successes that more and more memories will come up.

Now, buy an expensive frame, and frame this ‘certificate’ of achievement and hang it on your bedroom wall. If you have a computer and like to play around, type in all the information and turn it into an impressive and attractive certificate and print it on some quality notepaper. As you look at it every morning and every evening and see just what a wonderfully successful person you are, you may find that any gaps will soon be filled as your mind switches its focus from failure to success. Pick one item each day, fetch back the memory, and fully appreciate the importance of that event in your life.

One other activity I’d like you to engage in is another simple exercise. At night, just before you drift off to sleep, I’d like you to wander through your day in your mind and find between 1 and 5 things that happened that day that you appreciate. It doesn’t matter how small these items of appreciation are. There is always something good in a day. If the sun came up this morning then that’s a good thing. If you put food in your mouth, and water in your belly – that’s a good thing. If you enjoyed the food and drink – that’s even better. If you saw a flower, or enjoyed its scent, then make note, if you were lost in its beauty for a moment – then that’s a miracle. If your car started, or your bus turned up; if you have a job, or lots of free time… if you took a breath and were still alive to enjoy breathing it out again… the list of ordinary, mundane, incredible things that happen to us each day, and that we take so totally for granted, is endless. Start to notice them and continue this exercise until you feel that appreciation and sense of wonder at the time you are experiencing the event.

Make this conscious effort to agree to spend a moment or two each day to express sincere appreciation and thanks for the miracles that exist around you and within you. Learn to appreciate the wonder of you, for none of these experiences could exist without you the Experiencer to enjoy and appreciate them. Your experiences are unique to you. When you experience joy the planet has more joy in it. By the simple act of appreciating those simple, yet wonderful, things that you experience, you will change your world for the better.

Michael J. Hadfield MBSCH is a registered clinical hypnotherapist. You can experience his unique style on a popular range of hypnosis CD’s and tapes at http://www.hypnosisiseasy.com Here you can also obtain treatment for a variety of problems and explore his approach to health, healing, and hypnosis.

I am sure it is safe to say that each of us has had times in our lives when we had hopes, anticipation, expectations and events where we desired a certain outcome.

I am sure it is equally safe to say that when any of them did not turn out the way we had wished, we felt some measure of pain, disappointment, anger, sadness, or turmoil.

Can you relate?

The purpose of this article is to change that. Just as alchemy can turn base metal into gold, you will soon learn how to turn your suffering into golden freedom from inner anguish.

Our human minds, thoughts, and beliefs have been conditioned for eons to believe that some future event will bring us happiness. As a result, we are constantly seeking.

We are projecting our vibrant and passionately alive state on the condition that once we have whatever event, person, material thing, title, award, or circumstance, we will THEN have happiness.

Our ego tricks us to believe that we are not sufficient at the present moment. No, we don’t have such and such yet; but once we do THEN we can be happy.

Does any of this sound familiar? In any area? In any way?

When whatever we receive is not to our liking, we feel resistance. It is the resistance to our deep belief that our current state of being is not good enough which has us hinging our happiness on something we think we need to acquire in order to feel happier. It is seeking in the future.

Please let me know when you arrive at your future, I would like to meet you! Shall I check back with you in ten minutes? Will you be there then? I didn’t think so.

Where will you be? In the moment. Please do tell me when you will ever NOT be IN the moment, I would like to meet you too!

THIS moment is an extraordinarily powerful and positive place to be.

The alchemy occurs when we fully accept this moment, what we have, and the situation at hand exactly as IT IS NOW, rather than resist it. Perhaps this moment may not be your preference. That is awareness! Perhaps you would prefer this moment to look different, but it does not. It is what it is, and there is a reason for it to be so.

Why? I’ll tell you.

Every event in our life is brought to us in order to help us grow from within to BE the highest and best version of ourselves we can ever hope to create.

In order to evolve internally, in love, compassion, confidence, inner strength, gentleness, and belief in ourselves, there must be an external catalyst for our growth. That catalyst is the circumstance we RESIST, or try to GET in order to believe we are, in fact, valued, loved, lovable, whole and complete as we are NOW.

Does this mean we stop doing? No. It means we start BEING, rather than seeking or resisting and avoiding.

If you find that you are catapulted into the throws emotional turmoil, then you are NOT doing one thing: ACCEPTING.

Accepting does not mean allowing yourself to be abused, or the abuser. The acceptance I am speaking of is stepping back for one enormous moment, and WATCHING your emotional reaction to any situation where you feel resistance.

Once you stop, and look at yourself as if you were on a movie screen and say: “Look at how I am reacting. Look at what I’m feeling because of this situation. The moment you can catch yourself and “become the watcher” (as Eckhart Tolle states) you immediately disengage yourself from the emotional drama of the situation. Then, you can ACCEPT it just for what it is. As soon as you accept it, alchemy occurs; you are no longer in pain.

Your suffering has been transformed into freedom from suffering. You can then look at the situation with some measure of objectivity, and if you can’t laugh at it, you can at least come to peace with it.

Going back to an analogy to nature, suppose you have a small rose bush in your garden. You WANT it to bloom, and give you one hundred perfect roses. It blooms, and gives you two instead.

Do you stomp, scream, and rip the rose bush out of the ground by its roots? No. You ACCEPT that this is what you received. Perhaps it wasn’t yet ready this season to bloom, as you WANT it to. Perhaps it will never bloom. It has NOTHING to do with YOU!

It is the same with people. The way they are, is simply the way they are. Circumstances are the way they are. It is in THIS moment that you can make a decision based on awareness, stemming from acceptance, as to a course of action or inaction that will serve your best interest.

You cannot make a beneficial decision based on awareness when you are caught in the drama of resisting what is, now. However, once you ACCEPT what is, now, you are then free to face whatever it is you are seeking, or avoiding.

Then you will find you are evolving, rather than creating a Movie-of-the-week miniseries out of your emotional turmoil.

Your turmoil exists solely in your invested interest in keeping the status quo, (if you are resisting) or in changing the status quo – if you are seeking.

Your personal alchemy is the golden moment of acceptance, which will transform your suffering into freedom from its tyranny forever.

© Copyright Barbara Rose. All Rights Reserved.

Barbara Rose is an Internationally acclaimed public speaker, spiritual author of: “Stop Being the String Along: A Relationship Guide to Being THE ONE” “If God Was Like Man”and “Individual Power: Reclaiming Your Core, Your Truth, and Your Life”, founder of The Rose Group publishing company, inspire! Magazine, Institute of Higher Self Communication, and Rose Humanitarian Alliance.

She works in Divine Cooperation with others to uplift the spiritual consciousness of humanity. Through a Divine Spiritual gift she brings through information to create the highest vision of your life, and our world. Her internationally praised seminars, widely published articles, Higher Self Certification intensives, and Divinely Channeled private consultations have changed the lives of thousands across the globe.

For enlightening info, contacts, books, articles and resources to help you become your highest self, visit Barbara’s website: http://www.borntoinspire.com

You have finally said, “Yes.” This is the start of your life as a couple. And prior to that much-awaited big day, you, both the bride and groom have so many decisions to make and wedding-related tasks to complete.

Preparing for your wedding day need not be stressful. On the other had, it should be fun and memorable. And to do this, start off by putting together a wedding timetable.

A short list of wedding-related tasks as well as a rough estimate of when the activities should be done follows. It presents tips and guidelines to keep you organized and help you think of all the matters that you must take into consideration in the course of planning for your big day. Of course, these are mere suggestions. All activities and schedule are still up to the couple to decide on depending on their priorities.

At the Time of the Engagement
- You must tell your parents the happy news as soon as possible that is if they don’t already know. If you were having an engagement party, it would be good to keep your close friends and relatives in the know, too.

- An organizer would be best to have in handy. This will help you keep track of all the appointments, payments and other wedding-related activities that you must attend to.
- Have your engagement photo taken. This would be nice to have as a keepsake of this wonderful occasion.

6 to 12 Months In Advance Before the Big Day

- The couple should have already picked and decided on the wedding date. Do the reservation for the venue where the ceremony and reception is to be held.
- Set an appointment with the wedding officiant.
- Establish a budget for the wedding, and try as much as possible to stick to it.
- Prepare a wedding guest list. You wouldn’t want to leave somebody uninvited unintentionally.

- Look around for a photographer, florists, musicians, and a caterer. Obtain estimates for these services.

- Register at the bridal gift registry.
- Pick a wedding dress and accessories to go with it. If you are having a seamstress make you one, this is the time to have it arranged. Several fittings may be required for this.
- For the bride, select your bridesmaids. Set a date for ordering dresses for them.

4 to 6 Months In Advance Before the Big Day
- Have the invitations, stationeries, and thank you notes ordered.
- The photographer, florist, musician, and caterer should have already been chosen. Go over details with each of these services to make sure that everything is as agreed upon.
- For the groom, select attire.
- Honeymoon reservations should be made already at this point.
- Confirm the delivery of the bridal gown.

2 Months In Advance Before the Big Day
- Plan your rehearsal dinner.
- If you are having out-of-town attendants, arrange for their lodging.
- Make an appointment with your chosen photographer for the shooting of the bridal portrait.

- Order the wedding cake.

1 Month In Advance Before the Big Day
- The couple should decide on a wedding band set.
- Mail the invitations.
- Check the apparel for the wedding party.
- The couple attends showers.

2 Weeks Before the Wedding.
- It is time to apply for marriage license and attend to other legal matters, especially for the bride – name and address changes on bank accounts and other official documents.
- Plan a wedding hairstyle and make-up with your stylist.
- Check with the caterer and the reception venue for last minute changes.

1 Week Before the Wedding
- Do your honeymoon packing.
- Wrap gifts for the groom and attendants.
- Schedule the wedding rehearsal.
- Remind the wedding party of the exact time and place for the occasion.

On Wedding Day
- Take breakfast! Fainting on the aisle wouldn’t be cool.
- Have your hair and make-up done.
- Shake off all your wedding details worries and enjoy your day.

For a free course on planning discount weddings and where to find the best discount wedding invitation supplier, visit www.discountweddingguide.com/ today.