Archive for the 'Power Boost: February 2010' Category
Professional
Kim Jacobs is the Telly® Award Winning Talk Show Host of Daily Balance with Kim Jacobs . Kim interviews fascinating celebrities, entrepreneurs, athletes, and viewers just like YOU! She records her show in front of a live studio audience and features a live band on the show. Kim is an international seminar speaker and has 14 years of professional experience teaching life balancing methods to corporations and their employees, churches and other organizations. Her goal is to empower individuals to take control of their lives and to live with balance and purpose. She came up with the concept of Daily Balance, because she is a mother of 5 children 12 years old and younger, a Pastor’s wife (The Rock Worship Center), and the founder of a non-profit organization. Kim believes that you should “Live Full and Die Empty.”
Kim is a member of the Cabarrus County Chamber of Commerce, the Les Brown’s Speakers’ Network, The National Speakers Association, the E-Women Network and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Daily Balance with Kim Jacobs was the winner of the 2009 Telly® Award. Kim has also been named Cambridge Who’s Who Professional of the Year in the field of Life Coaching.
A vivacious self-starter, Kim is the founder and CEO of Kim Jacobs Unlimited, Inc., a seminar and production company. She also co-founded a 501c3 non-profit organization in 1995 (Young Inspiration, Inc.), which focuses on helping disadvantaged teenagers reach their maximum potential. For more than 10 years, she was a top performer in the pharmaceutical industry. Kim is a graduate of James Madison University where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Communication. In 1997, Kim received her Master of Business Administration in Business Management from Southeastern University.
Kim is a paradigm for today’s woman.
Personal
Kim is the wife of Frank Jacobs, who is a Vice President for a Pharmaceutical Company. She is also the mother of 5 Children: Frankie, Ivan, Gabriel, Jeremiah and Jayla. She enjoys serving as the field trip mom, going to the movies and spending quality time with her family.
January 31 2010 | Cover Story Interviews and Other Useful Articles and Power Boost: February 2010 | No Comments »
By Lady Diannia Baty
A few years ago I had an opportunity to meet a young woman who owned a bull named “Tiny.” Trust me when I tell you there wasn’t a thing tiny about him. He was massive. He was also spoiled and was her mode of transportation instead of a horse. Talk about thinking out of the box. She also owned a car but when everyone said lets go riding, she would saddle up Tiny and off she would go. The horses gave this bull a wide berth and it was okay for all concerned even though she took a lot of ribbing for it.
Before the ride started this particular day I asked her what I am sure many people have asked her before and that was why a bull instead of a horse? She told me that when she was young on their farm her father and her brothers rode bulls and would not let her because she was a girl. She told herself that one day she would have one of her own and that she hated being told that she couldn’t do certain things because she was female. She raised Tiny since he was born and loved him fiercely. I admired her for moving past the conditioning that her family tried to give her. They had been taught that women and girls did not do certain things and so they in turn taught the same thing. That is how so many of us grow up with certain beliefs because of what others are telling us is true and so we go forward and tell others the same thing.
Our conditioning and our beliefs determine how difficult or smooth our spiritual path may be. It is vital that we examine what we think is true and why? Our beliefs can take us way off track spiritually, physically and emotionally if we do not examine the validity of what we think.
For this young woman who never lost track of the desire to own and ride her own bull. it became a reality. She never had the thought that it would not come true. If she had taken on the belief that girls just did not ride bills she would have never realized her dream.
Few people are aware of the thoughts that pass through their minds. Thinking is performed like a habit, in an automatic manner. If the thoughts are positive, it is good, but if they are negative it can lead to trouble in your life.
The mind is like a small child, who accepts and takes for granted whatever it sees or hears, without judgment and without considering the consequences. If you let your mind behave as it likes and give it total rein and freedom, you lose your freedom. We are constantly flooded with thoughts, ideas and information coming through the five senses and even through the sixth sense of intuition. In fact it has been told to us that on average we have about sixty thousand thoughts a day. We also get information through other people and the media. These thoughts, ideas and information penetrate the mind whether we are aware if it or not.
This outside flow of information messes with our behavior and reactions. It influences the way we think, our preferences, likes and dislikes. It creates prejudice and judgment. It creates fear, worry and doubt. This means that we let outside powers shape our very life.
Where is the freedom in that?
Most people think and believe their thoughts originate from them but have you ever stopped to consider if your thoughts, desires, beliefs and likes or dislikes are really yours? Are they completely original? If there is no filter to process the thoughts that come from the mind, there is no freedom. All your actions become like a puppet on a string, though few will admit it, thus becoming carbon copies of an organization, of outmoded beliefs and ideas or of someone else and how they act and think and believe.
You may object to this and say that the thoughts that pass through your mind are yours, but are they?
Have you deliberately created every thought that entered your mind? Why let outside influences control your mind and life. Why be a slave to other people’s thoughts? Do you want to make your mind free with the gift of free will that was encoded into your very being by your creator or do you prefer to enslave it to others peoples opinions and ideas?
If you leave your mind open to every thought that passes by, you put your life in other people’s hands and without realizing it you accept their thoughts and act in accordance with them. Where is your original thought?
Everybody is susceptible to certain kinds of thoughts than others. Certain thoughts and ideas we usually ignore and others spur us to immediate action. Thoughts concerning subjects we love have more power on us than other thoughts, but even thoughts and ideas we don’t care for, if we are frequently exposed to them; may eventually sink into our subconscious mind and influence us.
Everybody has desires, ambitions, and dreams that he or she may foster from childhood. They may be the thoughts of parents, teachers or friends and have lodged in our minds and are carried around throughout our lives. Are they necessary? Do you need all this excessive baggage?
Think about all the negative stuff that other people pile on us. Maybe it is a dad who bitterly tells his young son that women are bad due to a divorce. His son may grow up thinking that all women are bad and have horrible relationships because of it. It could be the obsessive mother who tells her young daughter that a house has to be spotless and this young girl grows up thinking an unmade bed is sinful. I could go on and on with the list. My mother told me that no matter what your husband may do you should always bow to his wishes right or wrong. I can’t begin to tell you how much grief that caused me in my earlier life until I finally knew that this was the way she thought and was not my truth at all.
In order to reduce the power of outside influences and thoughts in your life, you need to be aware of what is coming into your mind and ask yourself if it is true, if you like it or not, does it feel good to you and are you willing to accept it as a fact? In illness not being aware of your thoughts will make you sicker if you are listening to everyone out there and their ideas about your illness. Newly pregnant mothers are scared half to death when they listen without qualifying the information what other women who have given birth tell them.
You do not have to accept each and every thought, idea or information. Think and find out if you entertain certain thoughts because you decided to do so, or because they popped into your head due to outside influences.
It is not easy to be fully aware and with your thoughts. It takes practice and a desire to live an authentic life and to be unique. You mind may revolt over the control as it is not used to it. If you want to be the master of your own life, you should not let other people’s thoughts, desires and motives rule your life…unless you choose to. It is about choice,your choice. When you were created you were so incredible and unique. Are you still unique?
Are you blossoming into your full potential and using your mind all on your own? Do you trust your own thoughts or is it just more comfortable to go with popular thought?
When you put your spiritual practices fully into your life of gratitude and staying in the now, It becomes easier until pretty soon you are the driver of your mind not just a passenger. This is just something to think about.
www.makeachoicenow.com website
ladydiannia@carolina.rr.com e-mail
January 31 2010 | P3 Circles of Life and Power Boost: February 2010 and Spiritual / Metaphysical and Your Spiritual Self | No Comments »
By Victor Medina
As the popularity of video games increases, the debate over their effect on children rages. Some child psychologists and family groups argue violent and mature video games negatively affect children. Parents who complain that video games are harmful may now have proof. A number of studies have linked video game usage to negative behavior in children and adolescents. Video game supporters cite studies that show benefits, and encourage better parental supervision.
The truth may lie somewhere between; like most things, video games should be enjoyed in moderation. Proper supervision over content could avoid many of the negative side effects, while taking advantage of the positive benefits.
NEGATIVE EFFECTS
Studies and reports suggest a correlation between extended video game use (especially violent games) and negative psychological and behavioral effects. Among those cited are aggressive tendencies, violent outbursts, and drug and alcohol abuse.
A 2008 report in the American Academy of Pediatrics combined studies on children in the United States and Japan, and found violence behavior increased with video game usage. The studies showed "conclusive evidence that playing violent video games has harmful effects on children and adolescents."
A 2006 study by Indiana University reported violent video games could cause aggression in children and teens. MRIs performed on adolescents playing violent video games found the emotional centers of the brain become more active while the centers of the brain that regulate self control stopped functioning.
Some studies suggest extensive video game use could negatively affect social development in young children. A 2007 Journal of the American Medical Association report found adolescents who played video games spent significantly less time doing homework than those who did not. Authors of the study fear video games "interfere with the development of skills needed to make a successful transition to adulthood."
A 2009 Brigham Young University study found that as video game usage increased, the quality of relationships with others, including family, friends, and other peers, decreased. The BYU Study found that daily video game users were twice as likely to use drugs. They were three times as likely to use drugs over those who never played games.
POSITIVE EFFECTS
The news isn’t all bad for gamers. Studies of puzzle-based video games found they improve problem solving skills and raised intelligence levels in children. Other studies cite video games as stress reducers in children and adults. In addition, video games appear to improve hand coordination. A hospital-based study found doctors who practiced on a modified Wii video game controller improved their skills on tools used in minimally invasive surgery up to 50%.
LIMITING VIDEO GAME USE
While direct parental oversight is ideal in limiting video game use by children, parents do have additional tools. Devices like the "PlayLimit" attach to televisions and limit viewing, as well as game play, in 15 minute increments.
Child psychologists recommend that parents both limit the time their children spend playing games and take heed of ratings on games. Many parents are unaware that popular games rated as "MA" (Mature Audiences) often contain graphic content, like profanity, excessive violence, sexual content, and nudity.
Victor has served as a Community Voices columnist for THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS and editor of the NORTH TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS REPORT. He has been featured in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL & several national magazines.
January 31 2010 | Motherhood & Family Life and Power Boost: February 2010 | No Comments »
By Liz Gamble
Since women are now holding jobs in the marketplace as CEOs’ and presidents, it is necessary to equip women with the tools of dealing with their money with confidence and pride. Men have been always done that. Of course there is no gender in the money itself, but who is holding it makes a big difference. Men and women are different in their lives, their money and just about everything else in life.
Women are multi-taskers at their core, who are still getting underpaid for the work both in the corporate setting and at home. One big reason for this is because a woman finds it hard to say NO when someone either asks her to do something, or asks her for money. A boss will take advantage of this fact and have her working 60 hours a week on a 40 hour a week salary. And she won’t ask for a raise for added work she is doing. Both of these compromises come from the fact that men have not offered her full authority and women have not asked for it. This is even true in the home where the wife/mother works 24/7 yet is getting a small allowance from the husband. She is an equal partner, the house finances and what they are designated for, and the amount for spending, should all be shared knowledge between the two partners.
Women owe it to themselves and their families to take control of their money and to quit undervaluing their worth. It is time for women to understand who they are and their value, and to know that they are equal workers in life. There are some certain characteristics that are prevalent in people who have money. If you are a woman reading this and are serious about getting control over your funds and in your money in general, then take a few minutes to evaluate your lifestyle and see where you stand.
They most important key in establishing yourself is living in a sense of balance and harmony. Harmony is a musical word and it means that all the parts are working together to form the melody. This is the way your life should be - balanced in all areas so that your everyday life is harmonious and without stress or strain. To achieve this you will need to look into all the roles you play - wife, mother, employee, friend, family member, etc. Check and see that the areas are in balance and with each other. Most will find that one or two areas are demanding more of your attention and energy. This kind of overload needs to be adjusted and put back on the level with the rest.
If you are deficient in one area, see what is available for you to correct that - a class, more time alone, maybe something as simple as having a cleaning lady come in once a week to reduce that stress. Adjust your life because when your life is in balance you will make the good decisions that you need to in order to keep your world working well. You’ll find it’s not difficult to stay in that good place, making good decisions, if you are satisfied and settled in all areas of your life.
Another important key is to walk with courage, or at least fake it till you make it. There is no reason to live in fear. You have the world at your finger tips nowadays, and if you investigate anything that you don’t know about, that will keep your fear level down. The old adage is, "What’s the worst that could happen if I ask? They’ll say No." So get rid of that fear of not asking for what you really want and need for your life. Many of you women are single and raising a family, so your confidence level is what will carry you AND your children, so don’t hold back!
The last characteristic to check is your generosity level. This is so important because it keeps the flow of giving and receiving going in YOUR life. It doesn’t matter if you’re a stay-at-home Mom or a corporate executive, give what you have. If you make the paycheck, give out of that. If you know that your next door neighbor really likes chocolate chip cookies and you know how to make them - Do it! If you can drive the kids to soccer practice while you let the other moms have an hour to themselves - Do it! Whatever well you can give out of to keep the flow going - Do it! A great idea is to have a Garage Sale. You can either give the proceeds or some of the items to someone who needs them, and you’ll get a clean house. The kids can get involved in the action and you can have refreshments out for your neighbors and make it a fun time for everyone! Lots of people get in the flow of this one.
Incorporating generosity into your daily routine is fun and it keeps you thinking creatively, not to mention lets you feel good inside while you are doing something for someone else.
These are the most important keys in finding your confidence and gaining your equilibrium to allow harmony into your life. Once harmony is back, it will only be a matter of consulting or fact-finding when you need to make the right decisions for yourself. Remember that if you are making the right decisions for yourself, they will be the right decisions for all those around you.
The most important thing to remember is, IT IS OK TO SAY NO! Just because you have the money doesn’t mean that you have to give it away, or cosign, even if they are family. Yes that’s right, even if they are family! ‘No’ is a sentence all by itself and sometimes it is exactly what that person needs to hear. Don’t be afraid, taking care of yourself is the best idea you’ve ever had.
January 31 2010 | Other Useful Articles and Power Boost: February 2010 and Women and Money! | No Comments »
Stuck in the Middle
By Annika Murray
Sometimes I feel sorry for my son, Alston. At 4 years old, he is smack in the middle of his siblings. We have the two oldest, Ariana and Alana, and of course the two babies, Ayden and Avary. Ariana and Alana are just 16 months apart in age. Ayden and Avary are just shy of 18 months apart. Then there is Alston, almost exactly 3 years younger than Alana. I try not to assign labels to the kids, but I think Alston may be suffering from a case of "middle child syndrome". He is too little to be "big" and too big to be "little".
Alston’s syndrome is most apparent on Saturday mornings. Alston wakes up to find that Ayden is still asleep. Since he has been conditioned to not wake up sleeping babies, he quietly exits the bedroom. Alston’s first stop is to visit his older sisters.
"Get out of here!"
Alston turns toward the door with sad puppy dog eyes. It is much too early to fuss. So he goes with his next best defense.
Knock, knock.
"Mommy, the girls don’t want me in their room."
"Well, go back to your own room!" I exclaim from behind the door.
The doorknob turns.
"But Ayden is asleep. I can’t play in my room."
"Alston, it is too early. Try to go back to sleep."
"But the girls are up."
"Tell them I said to let you in." I say sleepily, knowing that this temporary solution will be problematic.
He walks back down to the girl’s room with a mission.
Alana screams, "What do you want?"
"Mommy said I could come in here."
I hear an additional set of footsteps coming down the hallway. "Mommy, we don’t want Alston in our room this morning. We want to be by ourselves." She says in typical Alana fashion.
This goes on for about 10 minutes, which seems much longer. Then I hear a door slam, and another. So I kick my husband out of the bed to go police the mishaps. By now it is late at 7:30 in the morning.
Alston comes back to my bedside. "Is it time for breakfast?" Oh well, so much for my sleeping in. Off to make breakfast I go.
The good thing about Alston being in the middle is that he rules the little people during the day. While the girls are at school, he makes it his business to let the little ones know who is in charge.
"Stop, Ayden!" "Mommy, Ayden has something in his mouth! Mommy, Avary is crawling on the hard floor!" And so on and so on.
Alston is so anxious to get "big". Everyday he jumps on my scale to ask, "how big am I?" He is 38 pounds, but I say "almost 40 pounds". Alston raises his arms in the air and says, "am I this big?" I say "yes you are." He likes that. For some reason, kids are cutest when they ask how big they are. I smile every time that I respond, "you are almost 40 pounds!" It just sounds so big to him.
One meaning of Alston’s name is "ruler of the elves". I was a little skeptical about naming him Alston for that very reason. However, when I think about it, "ruler of the ‘little people’" is most appropriate. It certainly gives him a sense of belonging. Everyone needs to find their place in the world. Come to think of it, some of the best things in life are in the middle, like oreo cookie creme! That’s my sweet little middle child.
Annika shares the chaos, the challenge and some of the cherished memories of raising a family of five.
January 31 2010 | Motherhood & Family Life and Power Boost: February 2010 | No Comments »
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