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		<title>Young drivers attitude to advanced driving</title>
		<link>http://www.1st-4.org/2012/01/young-drivers-attitude-to-advanced-driving/</link>
		<comments>http://www.1st-4.org/2012/01/young-drivers-attitude-to-advanced-driving/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:56:34 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[Young drivers attitude to advanced driving click on the link for the free download.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.1st-4.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Young-drivers-attitude-to-advanced-driving.pdf">Young drivers attitude to advanced driving</a> click on the link for the free download.</p>
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		<title>SAFED for Vans become a Trainer</title>
		<link>http://www.1st-4.org/2011/04/safed-for-vans-become-a-trainer-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.1st-4.org/2011/04/safed-for-vans-become-a-trainer-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Apr 2011 06:35:23 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.1st-4.org/?p=1399</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The SAFED for Vans programme has been a remarkable success, with over 14,000 drivers trained since its launch in 2005. It is now considered to be very well embedded within the Van sector, and the objective of recent years to transition from a full government funding, to a stand alone commercial training product has been [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The SAFED for Vans programme has been a remarkable success, with over 14,000 drivers trained since its launch in 2005.  It is now considered to be very well embedded within the Van sector, and the objective of recent years to transition from a full government funding, to a stand alone commercial training product has been achieved.  The role of SAFED training providers in delivering high quality, effective training with considerable professionalism throughout, has been fundamental to this success.</p>
<p>The provision of government funding to support the costs of SAFED for Vans training ended in March 2010.  Since then, trainers have continued to be able to market and deliver DfT-branded SAFED for Vans training.<br />
However, from the 1st April 2011, The SAFED name and logo can be used, but only in relation to training that follows the official SAFED for Vans course guide. Information for potential SAFED for Vans customers will be posted on the Business Link Website explaining that courses sold as ‘SAFED for Vans’ should follow the outline given in the SAFED for Vans guide.<br />
A revised SAFED for Vans ‘Trainer Manual’ is also available which outlines the standard to which those who were trained to deliver the course during the SAFED programmes, were expected to adhere to. <strong> Anyone wishing to become a provider of SAFED for Vans training from now on will make arrangements directly with a commercial training provider to receive Instructor training.</strong>  The DfT nor AEA will play any role in verifying the credentials of SAFED trainers, and so responsibility for determining quality and content of SAFED driver or instructor training will lie with the customer.<br />
The online training database is also now closed – trainers will produce their own certificate numbers and will not be required to provide/store training results for the use by the DfT or AEA.  The SAFED helpline number/email account is closed.<br />
For those who are interested in becoming trainers, this allows Graham Hooper who was director of training for The Big Red Fleet Company when they became SAFED training providers of the year in 2009 to significantly reduce the cost of this course and can now offer training as a one day course either two to one or one to one.<br />
Please ring Graham on 07889194011 or e-mail direct to grahamhooperadi@hotmail.com for further details.</p>
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		<title>You have to be in it to WIN it!</title>
		<link>http://www.1st-4.org/2011/02/you-have-to-be-in-it-to-win-it/</link>
		<comments>http://www.1st-4.org/2011/02/you-have-to-be-in-it-to-win-it/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:30:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.1st-4.org/?p=1261</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Click to Download Factsheet 110202011  Hi,   It&#8217;s John here from Tri-Coaching and I have a question for you&#8230; What do you really want? OK – A lottery win would be nice but let’s face it – the likelihood of it being you is extremely small…  But whatever you want ‘you&#8217;ve got to be in [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><span style="color: #000000;">Click to Download <a href="http://www.1st-4.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/factsheet-110202011.pdf">Factsheet 110202011</a> </span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #000000;">Hi,</span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #000000;"> </span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #000000;">It&#8217;s John here from Tri-Coaching and I have a question for you&#8230; What do you really want?</span></strong></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">OK – A lottery win would be nice but let’s face it – the likelihood of it being you is extremely small…  But whatever you want ‘you&#8217;ve got to be in it to win it!’ And this is as important for job satisfaction and earning power as it is for anything else.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Modern businesses can no longer get by on ‘second class service’ – but a real problem is that many driving instructors don&#8217;t recognise that their service is second class – they work hard and do a good, honest job with what they know but it’s what they don&#8217;t know that is holding them back. – <em>they’re not in it and they won&#8217;t win it.</em></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">In order to get what you want, regardless of what that is, you need to give outstanding customer service – and in our business the heart of that service is ‘training excellence’.  The ability to give compelling lessons that always leave your pupils with a positive sense of achievement and wanting more.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">So how will you compete in a market place where instructors are starting to realise the link between CPD and their ability to succeed? A worthwhile qualification can gain you the respect of your peers &#8211; but it can do much more than that. It can give you the inner confidence to know that you are ‘in it’,  that you have the skills to deliver lessons that are compelling and that leave your pupils with a sense of achievement that they will want to tell people about – and the people they tell will be your future clients.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">I often hear instructors say that they are already coaching and have been doing so for years… But in many, if not most cases I discover that this is simply ‘unconscious incompetence’. Graham Hooper, one of the Tri-Coaching partners told me that he used to believe that he was coaching during lessons &#8211; until he spent two-years at university studying coaching psychology. Coaching is far more than a few techniques for asking questions, it’s a powerful approach that can help discover, facilitate and develop the intrinsic motivation that leads to success – both in yourself and your pupils.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">In this month’s DSA Despatch ezine Trevor Wedge (Chief Examiner) talked about the DSA’s recognition of ‘client centred learning’ saying that it added a valuable addition to the instructor’s toolkit. Those who have learned about coaching and who are constantly developing their skills recognise just how valuable a coaching approach can be.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">If I&#8217;m absolutely honest, I don&#8217;t know which bit of the BTEC for Coaching in Driver Development will be the most valuable for you – for some it will be the qualification in itself, for others it will be a single nugget of wisdom gained during the course. But I give you a guarantee that when you spend four days with three of the UK’s top trainers and 30 or so like minded instructors you will discover something that will make a significant change to your business, your life or both.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Sue McCormack told me a story about a course she attended with a National Organisation where she met someone who shared some information that has since earned her thousands of £’s. Ironically it wasn&#8217;t the course that was valuable on that occasion (Sue described it as ‘awful’!) but a chance conversation with a fellow delegate. We have no plans to deliver an awful course! But we might just help you to discover an awful lot of opportunities.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">This course that will flow with positive energy motivating you to achieve and opening up possibilities that  will show you  the way towards  more freedom with your work and more (or even more!) enjoyment not only for you but for your clients. Positive recipes that will help you GROW your business.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"> </span></p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #000000;">The attached factsheet has been updated with the dates of our second 2011 programme following the rapid sell out of our first dates – the second course is already over 50% booked and so contact us now to guarantee your place.</span></strong></p>
<p><strong></strong><span style="color: #000000;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">You can be in it – and you can definitely win it!</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">For more info or to book your place mail: </span><a href="mailto:info@tri-coachingpartnership.co.uk"><span style="color: #0000ff;">info@tri-coachingpartnership.co.uk</span></a> - call Graham Hooper on: 07889 194011, Sue McCormack on: 07817 64 69 70 or leave a message at: 0800 048 1808</p>
<p>Best wishes</p>
<p>John Farlam for Tri-Coaching</p>
<p><em>PS. Remember that if you don&#8217;t feel that you have learned something on the first day we will refund your fee.</em></p>
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		<title>Learning to Drive the Evidence</title>
		<link>http://www.1st-4.org/2011/02/learning-to-drive-the-evidence/</link>
		<comments>http://www.1st-4.org/2011/02/learning-to-drive-the-evidence/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:01:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.1st-4.org/?p=1258</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hi If you have not read this and your an ADI or interested in learning to drive you should. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/research/rsrr/theme2/rsrr87.pdf]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi</p>
<p>If you have not read this and your an ADI or interested in learning to drive you should.<br />
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/research/rsrr/theme2/rsrr87.pdf" target="_blank">http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/research/rsrr/theme2/rsrr87.pdf</a></p>
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		<title>Groundhog Day</title>
		<link>http://www.1st-4.org/2011/02/groundhog-day/</link>
		<comments>http://www.1st-4.org/2011/02/groundhog-day/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:58:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.1st-4.org/?p=1228</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Thursday, 3 February 2011 Groundhog Day Groundhog Day, was yesterday February 2nd, it is a corny but popular tradition in the United States. It is the day that Punxsutawney Phil (The Groundhog) comes out of his hole after a long winter sleep to look for his shadow. If he sees it, he regards it as [...]]]></description>
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<div>Thursday, 3 February 2011</p>
<div><a name="4557408422201517983"></a></p>
<h3>Groundhog Day</h3>
</div>
</div>
<div>Groundhog Day, was yesterday February 2nd, it is a corny but popular<br />
tradition in the United States.</p>
<p>It is the day that Punxsutawney Phil (The Groundhog)<br />
comes out of his hole after a long winter sleep to<br />
look for his shadow.</p>
<p>If he sees it, he regards it as an omen of six more<br />
weeks of bad weather and returns to his hole.</p>
<p>If the day is cloudy and, hence, shadow less, he takes<br />
it as a sign of spring and stays above ground.</p>
<p>Regardless of what happens with our good friend<br />
Punxsutawney Phil, I wanted to use this day as an<br />
opportunity to provide you with a second chance, an<br />
opportunity to make this the best year of your life.</p>
<p>If you did not have a great year in 2010, if you have<br />
already broken your New Year Resolutions, and if you<br />
are not as prosperous and fulfilled as you would like,<br />
you need to do something differently, and you need to<br />
do it now.</p>
<p>Why? Because all change, all progress begins with a<br />
single decision, a single action, a single YES!</p>
<p>SO, is 2011 going to be the year you accomplish all<br />
you&#8217;ve dreamed of&#8230;forever?</p></div>
</div>
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		<title>Self Esteem</title>
		<link>http://www.1st-4.org/2011/01/self-esteem/</link>
		<comments>http://www.1st-4.org/2011/01/self-esteem/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:35:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.1st-4.org/?p=1223</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Self Esteem &#8211; The Problem Behind All Problems &#8211; By Asoka Selvarajah Self esteem is THE major challenge of our era. It lies at the heart of many of the diverse issues and challenges we face in life. In fact, it is precisely because low self esteem does not seem to be the problem, that [...]]]></description>
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<td><span><strong>Self Esteem &#8211; The Problem Behind All Problems</strong> &#8211; By Asoka Selvarajah</span></td>
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<td width="610" valign="top">Self esteem is THE major challenge of our era. It lies at the heart of many of the diverse issues and challenges we face in life.</p>
<p>In fact, it is precisely because low self esteem does not seem to be the problem, that it is so very insidious. Many people who suffer from low self esteem attribute their life challenges to wholly different causes. It does not even occur to them to relate their problems to how they regard themselves at the deepest level. Instead, they blame their problems on a mean boss, racial or sexual prejudice, a talent for choosing abusive love partners and so on.</p>
<p>In this way, the problem is externalized. However, doing this merely moves a person further away from the real problem, and consequently from the solution. Thus by disguising itself as some other more immediately visible issue, low self esteem is never tackled and overcome. It remains to rear its ugly head again.</p>
<p>Whatever challenge you face, you can rest assured that someone else has had it even worse, and yet gone on to triumph. If so, what prevents you back from doing the same? The answer must inevitably be &#8211; yourself. YOU are the primary force shaping you life. If others faced similar external challenges and triumphed, then external circumstances are NOT the primary determiners of your life. Your attitude of mind is.</p>
<p><strong>How Low Self Esteem Arises </strong></p>
<p>People with NO apparent self esteem problems may still be susceptible at a subtle level. For example, failing to shoot for your dreams when you were young, and settling for a safe route to an unchallenging existence, can damage how well you regard yourself. In later life, it could manifest in short temper, cynicism when others DO try to better themselves, and even physical illness. However, it seems hard to pinpoint the exact problem.</p>
<p>At the heart of compromises such as these is the fact that you did not believe in yourself sufficiently. In other words, self esteem issues, often inherited from your parents, appeared at this early stage.</p>
<p>There are many causes of low self esteem. We gain our predominant world-view by the age of five. In other words, whether you consider the world to be a safe or dangerous place, and whether you will react to events in a primarily positive or negative manner, is determined by this age. Parents are the prime shapers of our young psyches at this time. However, schools, society, and our peers also play an important role. Our later experiences in life merely reinforce the core impressions we gained at this very early age.</p>
<p>As the role of parents is so vital, they need to be FAR more conscious of the consequences for their child of EVERYTHING they do, say, or even think. Moreover, this care must begin whilst the child is still in the womb! Parents are too often far too casual about how they bring up their children. They unconsciously pass on their own limitations to them as a result.</p>
<p><strong>Facing The Challenge Of Ourselves </strong></p>
<p>What can you do to improve your self esteem? The first thing is to understand the difference between self-esteem and self-image. Self-image forms as a result of comparisons you make between yourself and those around you. It is the judgment you make of yourself &#8211; the image you have of yourself. Sadly, it is often negative as you can usually find someone better than you at almost everything. Self-image in turn affects self-esteem. An easy way to understand this difference is to look at young children. They have perfect self-esteem BECAUSE they have no self-image. They are not continually judging themselves against externals and falling short.</p>
<p>The key is NOT to work upon self-image. This is what many people try to do. However, working on self-esteem is the heart of creating radical change. When you work from the inside out, how you feel about yourself in comparison with externals must eventually improve as well.</p>
<p>The key to improving your self-esteem is to take conscious control of your self-talk. Negative self-talk is the prime cause for creating and maintaining negative self esteem. The things you say to yourself in your mind, as well as the meaning you attribute to events in your life, combine to create the reality you end up live. Most people&#8217;s self-talk is roughly 95% negative. They see the worst in themselves and in everything that happens. Putting a stop to such self-destructive thinking is vital. It is our thoughts and expectations that shape and produce what we become. The quality of our lives is a direct result of them.</p>
<p>One excellent way to combat and overcome negative self-talk is through using positive affirmations. The principle behind them is that the brain cannot entertain two contradictory notions at the same time. Eventually one of the two contradictory notions must win out and cause the other to collapse completely. The belief that finally wins out is the one that you invest with the most emotional energy and constancy of thought.</p>
<p>Affirmations such as:<br />
&#8220;I like myself&#8221;<br />
&#8220;I am a positive person and I create a positive life&#8221;<br />
&#8220;I am a wonderful person of immense value who deserves to be loved&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8230;and others like these will do absolute wonders. Note how all good affirmations are framed in the positive. Never frame an affirmation in the negative, e.g. &#8220;I am NOT a negative person&#8221;. The subconscious literally cannot see the word &#8220;not&#8221; and will therefore interpret and act upon the affirmation as if you said &#8220;I AM a negative person&#8221;!</p>
<p>Create a series of affirmations like this and resolve to use them throughout the day. You can write one or more of them out ten, twenty or more times a day. You should also take every opportunity to say them out loud to yourself. Always do so with enthusiasm and gusto; really feeling the positive emotions surging through your body. This is the true key to making affirmations work in improving self esteem. Putting all your emotional energy behind them gives the affirmations the power to destroy negative self-talk and low self esteem.</p>
<p>An extremely powerful way to use affirmations is to record yourself speaking them quietly onto a tape, perhaps with some soothing background music that you like. Then you can play this tape quietly in the background at every opportunity. You have effectively created your own subliminal tape! Try playing this to yourself when you sleep at night, using an auto-reverse walkman. The results in your life will be truly tremendous.</p>
<p><strong>Recognition Of The Problem Is Halfway To The Solution </strong></p>
<p>There are many effective ways to remedy low self esteem. However, the key to success in life is to recognize the existence of the problem in the first place! Therefore, consider where self esteem issues may be lurking in your life, but manifesting as apparently external problems. The key attitude for success in life is to take total responsibility for what happens to us. We must work upon ourselves continually in order to manifest what we want. Creating high self esteem is one of the best things you can ever do to totally transform every aspect of your life.</td>
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		<title>You can WIN</title>
		<link>http://www.1st-4.org/2011/01/you-can-win/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:09:51 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[Get yourself motivated watch this. http://www.youcanwinmovie.com]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Get yourself motivated watch this.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.youcanwinmovie.com">http://www.youcanwinmovie.com</a></p>
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		<title>Life is tough, do you have the courage?</title>
		<link>http://www.1st-4.org/2011/01/life-is-tough-do-you-have-the-courage/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:21:39 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.1st-4.org/?p=1215</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Courage does not always Roar Introduction from Courage Does Not Always Roar&#8230;Ordinary Women with Extraordinary Courage by Bobi Seredich Foreword by Mary Anne Radmacher Just the Two of Us, by BJ Gallagher I&#8217;ll never forget that first night in our new apartment. I had spent the previous week getting the place ready for us to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>Courage does not always Roar</h3>
<div>Introduction from<br />
Courage Does Not Always Roar&#8230;Ordinary Women with Extraordinary Courage<br />
by Bobi Seredich<br />
Foreword by Mary Anne Radmacher<br />
Just the Two of Us, by BJ Gallagher</p>
<p>I&#8217;ll never forget that first night in our new apartment. I had spent the previous week getting the place ready for us to move in as I prepared for the next chapter in my life: a single mom going back to college with my four-year-old son, Michael, in tow.</p>
<p>We had lived with my parents in Dover, Delaware, for a year after my marriage broke up. They were so patient and generous as they gave me space and time to figure out what I was going to do with the rest of my life. I was just 23 years old &#8211; disappointed in love and confused about my future. I finally decided I needed to go to college and get an education.</p>
<p>I had very little money to start my new life &#8211; $100 a month child support and $100 a month from my parents. I rented a basement apartment in Newark, where the University of Delaware was located, a hundred miles north of Dover. I furnished it with a $10 army cot for Michael, a $40 used bed for myself, a $10 table on which to study, and two empty beer kegs with pillows on top for stools. My coffee table was two cinderblock bricks with a board across the top. There was no sofa, just a small Greek flokati rug to sit on the floor. A bookcase held my radio/receiver, turntable, and a pair of small stereo speakers. The apartment looked like a typical college student apartment, except that in our case, the student was a young single mother with a toddler.</p>
<p>Michael and I spent our first day unpacking and putting our clothes and personal things away in the closets and cabinets. His toys filled a plastic laundry basket. We went to the market to stock up on food and got the kitchen all ready to use. It had been a busy day.</p>
<p>Bedtime came and after his bath, I knelt to tuck Michael into his army cot. Tears welled up in his eyes as I leaned over to kiss him goodnight. &#8220;I&#8217;m scared,&#8221; he started to cry. &#8220;I want to go back to Grandma&#8217;s house.&#8221;</p>
<p>I wrapped my arms around him. &#8220;I know, sweetheart. I want to go back to Grandma&#8217;s house too,&#8221; I said as I started to cry, too. &#8220;But we can&#8217;t &#8211; we have to stay here and start our new life. From now on it&#8217;s just you and me.&#8221;</p>
<p>We clung to each other and sobbed. We felt like a couple of orphans, suddenly finding ourselves alone that night, knowing we had to make our own way in the world.</p>
<p>There were no reassuring bedtime stories or fairy tales to make us feel better. We just hugged each other. Michael finally fell asleep in my arms and I went off to sleep in my own room.</p>
<p>That was many years ago and needless to say, we survived that night. We rose to the challenges of the following days, weeks, months and years. It wasn&#8217;t easy for either of us. I often say that Michael and I took turns raising each other.</p>
<p>And we still like to go to Grandma&#8217;s house &#8211; but we&#8217;re not afraid to sleep in our own beds, in our own homes, anymore.</p></div>
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		<title>Letting Go and Moving Forward</title>
		<link>http://www.1st-4.org/2011/01/letting-go-and-moving-forward-by-karim-hajee/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:22:10 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.1st-4.org/?p=1123</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Let&#8217;s face it. Many of us choose to hang on to things that at some point have hurt us, angered us, made us feel sad, or depressed us. If we choose to hang on to them, we will never move forward and we could even create physical or medical damage to our bodies. To prevent [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>Let&#8217;s face it. Many of us choose to hang on to things that at some point have hurt us, angered us, made us feel sad, or depressed us. If we choose to hang on to them, we will never move forward and we could even create physical or medical damage to our bodies. To prevent this from happening we need to let go&#8230;but no one really tells you how to let go and move forward. Sure it&#8217;s easy to say: &#8220;Just let go, move forward, forget about it, just let go.&#8221; But that really doesn&#8217;t work. I&#8217;m about to show you how to let go and start moving forward.</div>
<p>Why You Need to Let Go and Move Forward</p>
<p>Throughout our lives we go through different experiences, some are positive and some we see as negative and unpleasant. When you hang on to a negative or unpleasant experience you are constantly thinking about it. And when you constantly think about that negative event you prevent yourself from healing. How many pleasant memories do you recall every day? Chances are you&#8217;re like most people and you have a number of unpleasant experiences that you&#8217;re holding on to, which is preventing you from moving forward.</p>
<p>The more you carry the worse life gets. Why? Because you&#8217;ve filled your mind up with negative experiences, because you continually hang on to something that doesn&#8217;t allow you to move forward, in short, you&#8217;re carrying useless baggage that&#8217;s really slowing you down.</p>
<p>Think of it this way: you&#8217;re on a hiking trip and along the way you keep picking up heavy objects, things that really don&#8217;t serve you. After a while, these objects begin to slow you down and unless you get rid of them, you&#8217;ll never complete your trip.</p>
<p>To let go you have to get your mind to focus on different goals and different objectives. It&#8217;s not about saying: I let go of the pain from my fight with &#8212; and move on. That will help, but if you really want to start moving on, then you have to get your mind to focus on new things, in the process you automatically let go of the things that have been slowing you down.</p>
<p>How to Let Go and Move Forward</p>
<p>Researchers believe that that if you hold on to negative feelings, sad emotions or depressing memories there is a possibility that you could reshape the human cell to the point where your thoughts of the past have a negative effect on your cells and your physical health.</p>
<p>Hanging on to negative past events is a process that can destroy your life in ways you&#8217;re not even aware of. Ask yourself these questions: Do the negative things you hang on to serve you any purpose? Do they help you move forward? Do they work in your favor in any way? If you said no to any or all of the above then tell yourself this: This emotion/feeling doesn&#8217;t help me so I&#8217;m letting it go and focusing on what is important. Then begin focusing on what you want next, focus on what is important and what can improve your life. This is a simple process that gets the mind moving in a new direction and you stop building negative energy created from the negative events/emotions, which only attracts more negative situations. When you begin focusing on more positive things you begin attracting positive situations.</p>
<p>The next step is to create an action plan; the past is over. Where do you want to go now and how do you plan to get there? You may not have the answers but merely thinking about the options forces your mind to go in a new direction and you automatically let go of unwanted feelings and emotions.</p>
<p>The key to your success is to train your mind to move in a new direction so you send new messages to your subconscious mind, which then brings you the opportunities to move forward.</p>
<p>The final step is to live in the present moment, to start living in the now. Living in the now is different than living for the moment. Living in the now is the process of enjoying everything that is going on at this present moment. Take a look around you and appreciate those things that you once thought were trivial. When you are here now you can be nowhere else. You are not hanging on to something, you are here now. I know some of you may say the following: &#8220;But Karim, where I am right now really sucks, I don&#8217;t want to think about it.&#8221; It only sucks because you&#8217;re looking at all the negative things going on. Focus on a few of the positive things anything from nature to the wonderful family you may have. This forces your mind to look at things differently and tells your subconscious mind that you&#8217;re ready for new possibilities, then you&#8217;ll begin to let go and move forward.</p>
<p>By Karim Hajee</p>
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		<title>Change</title>
		<link>http://www.1st-4.org/2011/01/change/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jan 2011 16:57:13 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.1st-4.org/?p=1065</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Are You Motivated to Change? &#8211; By Julie Fuimano You talk about how you want something different in your life &#8212; a new house, a better relationship with your spouse (or to find a spouse), get out of debt, or lose weight &#8212; but nothing changes. You find that you spend (waste) a lot of [...]]]></description>
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<td><span><strong>Are You Motivated to Change?</strong> &#8211; By Julie Fuimano</span></td>
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<td width="610" valign="top">You talk about how you want something different in your life &#8212; a new house, a better relationship with your spouse (or to find a spouse), get out of debt, or lose weight &#8212; but nothing changes. You find that you spend (waste) a lot of time talking about it, but not doing anything about it.How do you motivate yourself to change?</p>
<p>There are two ways people will change, either by choice or by force. Neither one is very pretty.</p>
<p><strong>Change by Force</strong></p>
<p>&#8216;By force&#8217; means that you have no choice. For example, you lose your job so you have to find a new one. Your doctor gives you bad news about your health so now you have to lose weight&#8230;or else suffer the consequences. Your husband is having an affair; this forces you to divorce.</p>
<p>There are times when you know you need to change and you think about it, but instead of being proactive like seeking new employment before your workplace lays you off or talking to financial planner before you go into foreclosure, you sabotage things. You wait until things get so bad you are forced into action.</p>
<p>Force is not pretty because you cannot choose to move forward and create something new; you HAVE to or else suffer the consequences.</p>
<p><strong>Change by Choice</strong></p>
<p>The other option is to CHOOSE change. Choosing to change means that you have become willing to do whatever it takes to make a change in your life. You sacrifice your &#8216;comforts&#8217; of the way things are in exchange for the hopes of something better.</p>
<p>Choosing change is great in that it allows you to be proactive. Instead of waiting for the forces of fate to push you into moving and making a change, you take the actions needed to move forward.</p>
<p>This isn&#8217;t pretty either because any way you look at it, change is hard. There are forces at work that are meant to keep you right where you are. For instance, fear is a big obstacle to change. So are habits.</p>
<p>But fear of the consequences is also a motivator for change. If you are scared to die, and most people are, then you might be more willing to give up greasy foods as recommended by your doctor so you can continue to live and enjoy yourself, your relationships, and your work.</p>
<p>Overwhelm is another big hurdle to change. You see all that needs to be accomplished in order to change and you become overwhelmed. This DE-motivates you, or, rather, motivates you to continue along your current path no matter how unhappy you may be.</p>
<p>So how does one break through the barriers and choose change?</p>
<p><strong>Two Motivators for Change</strong></p>
<p>We humans will move toward pleasure and away from pain. It&#8217;s that simple. But not so easy.</p>
<p>People endure a lot of pain without realizing it. You put up with so much stuff that you do not like, that causes you pain and frustration and aggravation. You hold tight to old wounds and repeat damaging behaviors. Day after day, you are bombarded by life&#8217;s negative forces and you do battle, often without realizing just how much of a fight you withstand. Until, of course, at the end of the day when you crash from exhaustion!</p>
<p>You might also have much difficulty being happy and enjoying pleasurable experiences. It may sound funny, but true happiness comes from within; in a world where most people are so busy and full of worry, happiness and joy is left on a wish list somewhere.</p>
<p>Change is possible.</p>
<p>You can learn to sensitize yourself to your pain. You can also learn how to be happy and enjoy yourself. But you cannot do either if you are running on a treadmill. You have to slow down enough to assess your life and learn about yourself &#8212; your likes, your dislikes, what makes you unhappy or uncomfortable, where you are frustrated or angry &#8212; before you can begin to change anything.</p>
<p>So here is your coaching challenge; it is twofold.</p>
<p>1) Pay attention to your emotions and identify what frustrates you or annoys you in your life. Where are you angry, disappointed, or uncomfortable? List these things in a notebook. Identifying them and writing them out is cathartic in that it raises your awareness and you become sensitive to where you are hurting. Many of these items you can eliminate quite easily. Others will take some time. Go slow &#8212; there is no rush.</p>
<p>We start with identifying what hurts because this way we can create space for what feels good. Many people have so much pain that they don&#8217;t know what they want; they just know they cannot take it anymore!</p>
<p>If you know you want something better in your life that&#8217;s great! But don&#8217;t skip doing the exercise above. You are still living with annoyances and old hurts that will hold you back and interfere with happiness and success if you continue to allow it. You first have to unearth these things so you can deal with them.</p>
<p>2) What do you envision for yourself? What do you want? What would make you happy? A vision is a compelling force that will solidify your commitment and pull you toward it. It provides direction for your thoughts and actions. Without vision, how will you know where you are going? You will continue to be buffeted by the circumstances of the day, throwing your power to the wind.</p>
<p>Identify your pain; envision your pleasure. Start saying no to what feels bad and start thinking about and considering what feels good. That&#8217;s your work for now. Let me know how I can support your success.</td>
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