Tips On Overcoming Sales Resistance When your clients and
prospects resist your sales presentation are they really saying
NO or are they asking you questions in order to make an informed
decision? Resistance can come in a variety of forms: The client
may not like you, they may not like your product or service or
they simply would prefer the status quo (change is not an
option.) If the prospect doesn’t like you, you may never be able
to recover. People buy from people they like and people who they
perceive are like them. If you don’t establish a strong
relationship with your prospect right from the beginning, no
matter how good your product or service may be, you probably
will not be able to give it away. In the first meeting with your
prospect, focus on the relationship not on selling. Work on
developing your relationship and establishing credibility with
your prospect. How do you distinguish yourself from the
competition? Remember..no one wants to be sold anything,
however, most of us love to make an informed decision to buy a
product or service. Give your prospect the respect they deserve.
Ask questions: Do you have an agenda for this meeting? How did
you get into this line of work? What strategies have you used to
create your current success? What are the problems that you see
limiting the future growth of your business? Are you always
prepared with a list of powerful, impactful questions to ask
your clients and prospects? How much time do you spend preparing
for each sales call? Do you just show up and hope everything
will turn out OK? Adequate preparation and well thought out
questions could very well make the difference in establishing
your relationship and credibility with your prospect as well as
a creating successful outcome. If your prospect is resistant to
your service or product, how do you overcome their objections?
Is your product or service an investment to your client to help
him/her solve a problem and improve bottom line profits or is it
viewed as an expense? Have you been able to determine the real
reasons why you are getting resistance? Picture an onion - your
job is to peel back each layer of the onion until you get to the
core of the onion and the real problem that the client is
facing. Then and only then will you be able to present
alternative solutions to help your prospect solve the problem.
NO PROBLEM…NO SALE!!! NO PAIN FOR THE PROSPECT…NO GAIN FOR
YOU!!! Can you show an ROI for the product or service you are
offering? If your customer would prefer the status quo
(resistant to change) vs. what you have to offer…they may not
see the value in your product or service. If your client asks
you…why should I do business with you? How do you respond?
Before you read my recommendation on how to respond to this
question…pause for a moment and write down your answer. If your
answer is all about better service, better quality, faster time
to market, more experience etc. get ready to lose the next sale
if the question comes up. A response to consider when asked …why
should I do business with you? Might be “Maybe you shouldn’t.
Although we’ve worked with many companies similar to yours, our
products/services might not make sense for you. Where do we go
from here?” Acknowledge the customer’s resistance. It will help
to defuse a tense moment. Take your time, work on the
relationship, STOP selling and focus on finding the real
problems and concerns of your prospects. Then show them how you
can make their problem go away.

The author, Ken Levine, is an executive sales coach who works
with business owners and their sales organization to help them
be more effective at sales and leads generation. Visit
www.impactbussolutions.com or write ken@impactbussolutions.com.

Phone:508-845-8849 Toll Free:866-277-0100

Consumers today are getting wiser by the day. They are educated and enlightened. They know what they want. A change in their needs and demands has led to a complete reworking of the market today. This changing trend has led to some innovations in the loan market itself. One of them is the online process of loan borrowing. This has made loan market extremely competitive and customer oriented.

One of the biggest financial drain - credit cards - led to huge debt problems for consumers. Average Credit card debt rose from £1879 to £2748 in the last two years. With such an increase in the debt - the only logical subsequent step will be online debt consolidation.

Debt consolidation consolidates all your pending bills like credit card bills, utility bills, medical bills, student loans or any other outstanding debt. This is the most reconstructive step towards getting debt free. Paying each month the interest rates on various loan types is an obvious stress on your budget. Online debt consolidation allows you to make one lower monthly payment for all the bills.

Debt consolidation loans available online are meant to be beneficial but a wrong debt consolidation decision pose great risk to your already precarious financial situation. It will neutralize the reason for which you opted for online debt consolidation. Subsequently, a correct debt consolidation decision can not only get you out of debt but save a fortune. Look beyond the lower interest rate if you want to know that you are actually making profit through online debt consolidation. The interest rates are definitely lower but add the total interest rates that you are currently paying with total interest rates you will be paying after debt consolidation.

A smaller loan term for online debt consolidation will fetch you more profits. Don’t go by the loans lender who encourages you with long term loans. The lower the monthly payments the longer the loan will last. They might have lower monthly payments but in the long run it will cost more. There is only one way that your online debt consolidation loans fetch you benefits - pay the loans fast. Do not let your online debt consolidation loan term go beyond 3-5 years. You can extend it maximum up to 10 years. Beyond that it won’t be that cost effective. Try taking small amounts as online debt consolidation. This will prove profitable because the compound interest on small amounts will be working for you than against you.

Online debt consolidation might make your debt situation more manageable than what it used to be. Instead of various loan lenders you will have only one loan lender to deal with. The online debt consolidation lender would be henceforth dealing with your previous loan lenders. All you do is make a monthly payment and it will be distributed to pay for various loans.

Online debt consolidation is for those who have ignored their financial limitations. Online debt consolidation can offer concrete solutions to those with medical bills and also those facing long term unemployment. If you intend to manage your online debt consolidation, you can take debt management services. They study your income and expenditure and deduce a monthly payment that fits into your monthly budget. Online debt consolidation can work for those who have committed themselves to correcting their spending habits. Online debt consolidation won’t work without your thorough commitment. It is basic to success with online debt consolidation.

Debt consolidation tries to deal with a problem that is your unreliable spending habits. It is a solution but it is not a cure in itself. It depends on how you make it a foundation for good, solid financial planning. Falling back on your old ways would lead you back to the place where you are standing right now i.e. in search on another online option for debt consolidation. It is not a very promising situation. If you are looking for debt consolidation online - take it as a cue that perhaps somewhere your economic policy is faulty. If you understand this one fact then online debt consolidation will prove success - you not only will be out of debt, you will not get into it again.

Loan borrowing is like once in a life time decision and much is at stake. It is indeed not a good thing that many people are misguided into taking loans that are not appropriate to their financial situation. This leads to many allied misgivings. As a financial consultant the only driving force of Ann Gibson is to provide proper knowledge. Because knowledge in respect to loan borrowing is power and exudes financial benefits.He works for uk debt consolidation site uk debt consolidations.To find a uk debt consolidation loan,debt management that best suits your need please visit http://www.ukdebtconsolidations.co.uk

No two copywriters are the same. So how do you know you’re getting the best writer for the job? Unless you know what to look for, choosing your copywriter can be a bit of a lottery.

The truth is, copywriters range from the great to the not-so-great. Just like any other profession, there are high flyers, under-achievers, rogue traders and young pretenders. And even if you bag a top banana for your project, who’s to say they’ll gel with you? Or your product? Your style? Your chosen media?

The answer, of course, is research. Knowing what you want and sniffing it out is wiser than saying yes to the first person with a ready typing finger. But remember, a copywriter is someone who can - and should - do more than write. Their greatest asset is curiosity.

Copywriters want to know the ins and outs of every little thing. They’re fascinated by human nature, knowing how to capitalise on motivations and get inside the consumer’s head. A good copywriter will research your market inside out, then look at you critically through your customer’s eyes. It’s their curiosity - not their way with words - that finally helps them see your business in a whole new light.

Whatever your project, this is the first quality to look for in your copywriter. Curiosity is the key to persuasion. And persuasion is the only reason copywriters exist in the first place!

So, your copywriter needs a way with words - fairly obvious! And they have to tick the curiosity box. But you still need to whittle down the field and find the one you can spark off.

Try asking yourself a few of these questions when you’re weighing up a candidate:

Who’s doing the talking? Are they listening to you or talking about themselves?

How quickly have they grasped your business? Not just your products, but also your marketplace?

Can they write passionately? About anything? Even the dullest product? If they get you excited about sprocket valves, hire them on the spot!

Have they worked in your industry and chosen media? If not, does their other work show they have a grip on your marketplace?

When you’ve chosen a suitable copywriter, you’ll know you’ve made the right choice when you start offering feedback. Professional copywriters thrive on constructive criticism - it’s a surefire way of knowing they’re heading in the right direction. That doesn’t mean they’ll roll over and accept any changes you make, but they will keep an open mind and listen to every point of view.

When you offer feedback, however, you should see it as a two-way street. You may have to let go of some of your preconceptions. Great copywriters can realise why your current marketing isn’t working, and won’t shirk from telling you. They’ll be cruel to be kind.

But for now, these small measures should protect you against hiring the wrong person. Of course there’s no guarantee - creativity by its very nature demands that element of uncertainty.

But if hiring a copywriter really is a lottery, you should be pretty close to scooping five numbers plus the bonus ball…

Simon Davies is the co-founder of Wales-based copywriters EarthMonkey Media. He and partner James Daniel have 30 years experience as journalists and copywriters. Their site is at www.earthmonkey.biz

What is laser hair removal and how does it work?

It is a relatively new treatment that makes use of lasers to
remove hair from the body.

The practitioner uses a hand held device that emits a laser that
penetrates the skin and is absorbed by the hair. Once absorbed
heat energy is produces in the hair which travels down the shaft
and destroys the root.

The laser uses a beam of light which penetrates the skin and is
absorbed by the pigment colour in the hair where it is converted
to heat.

Is it safe?

Yes. The laser settings are customised depending on your skin
and hair colour. There is very little risk of any damage to your
skin.

Will the laser hair removal treatment get rid of my hair
permanently?

Tiny hair re-growth is possible but comparing laser hair removal
with other methods of hair removal it produces the best long
term results. Hair grown after the treatment is usually very
thin and weak and can be easily treated.

Does it hurt?

Laser treatment is not completely painless, usually a slight
sting can be felt but it is no where near the pain experienced
when waxing or epilating. Most patients can bare it without the
need of anaesthesia. However patients with very low pain
thresholds can ask for a cream based anaesthesia to be applied
to the skin.

Can everyone get it done?

No. I am afraid it is not possible to treat very light shades of
hair such as white, grey, light blonde etc.

In addition to hair colour people with dark skin can only be
treated with very specialised lasers available at very few laser
hair removal clinics. Tanned people with light hair cannot be
treated.

The treatment works best on light skinned people with dark hair.

How long does the treatment take?

That depends solely on the size of the area being operated on.
It can take anywhere between 10 minutes, for parts such as the
chin to about 35 minutes for the back.

What areas can be treated?

Apart from parts very close to the eye all other areas such as
legs, back, arms, bikini line, chest etc can be treated.

How much does it cost?

Laser hair removal treatment is not cheap. That depends on the
size of the area being treated. Usually it costs about 200
dollars per session of small areas such as the upper lip/chin
rising to 500 for large areas such as the back and the legs.

How many sessions are required?

Many factors come into play and it varies from patient to
patient but usually anywhere between three and six are needed
for the best results.

What should I expect after the laser hair removal treatment?

The laser treatment area goes pink after the treatment, like
sunburn, and stays that way for about one to two days. Minor
discomfort will be felt during this period. The laser treated
hair falls off by itself within a few days.

Whether you’re looking to create an infoproduct or you’re
looking to learn about a topic for your personal enrichment -
anything from scrapbooking to buying a home - using ‘discovery
keywords’ can be one of the best ways of finding tons of
quality content on the Web.

Using them is easy, and they work on almost any search engine
you like to use.

This is such a simple trick, one you’re going to be so thankful
for learning about.

So, what is a ‘discovery keyword’?

It’s nothing more than a special keyword that, when used in
conjunction with most general keywords, can help you quickly
find extremely useful search results related to your topic.

Here are some ‘discovery keyword’ examples:

tutorials

secrets

tips

articles

guide

checklist

FAQs

resources

So, instead of searching for ‘paris travel’(which will return
over 100,000,000 results), search for ‘paris travel tips’,
‘paris travel articles’, ‘paris travel guide’, and so on.

Instead of searching for ‘buying a home’, search for ‘buying a
home tips’, ‘buying a home secrets’, or ‘buying a home guide’.

Here are a few more examples:

scrapbooking

scrapbooking tutorials

scrapbooking secrets

scrapbooking tips

scrapbooking articles

scrapbooking guide

scrapbooking checklist

scrapbooking FAQs

scrapbooking resources

dog training

dog training tutorials

dog training secrets

dog training tips

dog training articles

dog training guide

dog training checklist

dog training FAQs

dog training resources

Hopefully with these few examples you can begin to see how the
quality in your search results will begin to improve as soon as
you begin using discovery keywords

Silym
arin is a flavonoid found in the herb milk thistle. Milk
thistle is commonly found growing wild in a variety of settings,
including roadsides. Silym
arin is a powerful antioxidant said to protect liver cells
from toxins. Silym
arin may potentially be beneficial in a number of diseases
involving liver disease. Silym
arin help keep liver cells from swelling in response to
injury and may also keep certain harmful chemicals from getting
into liver cells. Silym
arin and other chemicals from milk thistle have also been
tested by Homeherb involving various types of human cancer
cells. A buyer’s guide to the best Silym
arin safe, effective, rapid-acting, non-sedating supplement
from Homeherb.com

Silym
arin Plus by Futurebiotics: >

Silym
arin Plus contains the flavonoid Silym
arin with other antioxidant co-factors. This liver-support
formulation contains Silym
arin standardized at 80%, derived from the milk thistle herb.

Silym
arin 80% by Jarrow Formulas: Milk Thistle in Latin is
Silybum marianum. This 30:1 concentrate is standardized to
contain 80% Silym
arin from Milk Thistle seeds. Silym
arin is composed of three flavonoids: primarily Silybin and
minor amounts of Silydianin and Silychristin, which support
liver function by raising protective glutathione levels.

Silym
arin Plus by Source Naturals:

Silym
arin, a flavonoid complex extracted from milk thistle seeds,
is an important contributor to the support of healthy liver
function. The liver plays an important role in digestion,
detoxification, blood sugar regulation and fat metabolism. In
vitro studies with Silym
arin demonstrated antioxidant activity and the ability to
inhibit lipid peroxidation of cell membranes. Silym
arin also helps regulate the balance of prostaglandins in
the liver. Prostaglandins are hormonelike molecules that
regulate a variety of bodily functions.

Mistakes have gotten a really bad rap. Whether you call it
an error, a blunder, a screw-up, a faux pas, a gaffe or a
boo-boo, no one wants to be guilty of committing one.

The fear of not performing “up to snuff” leads many people
to procrastinate or even worse, never to act at all. For
many, this has become a major debilitating problem.

Besides the obvious lack of productivity and the numerous
aborted projects, this pathological postponement of duties
leads to:

-a guilty conscience
-inability to enjoy our free time
-harsh internal criticism
-severe mental conflict
-rationalization (that even we ourselves don’t believe)
-lowered self-esteem

Our list is hardly complete but it’s already hideous enough.

SO WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL ALREADY?

Why does making a mistake seem like such a life and death
situation for so many of us?

I believe it has to do with the fact that for many of us,
doing things right, learning quickly, being a smart kid, was
likely one of the major sources of appreciation or approval
we ever got. It may have been the ONLY time we got noticed.

In fact, for those of us who were quick studies, the few
times that we were not able to catch on with lightning speed
caused us great discomfort, as if we were about to be robbed
of our only source of approval, our one and only avenue of
acceptance.

As children, although we may have been praised when we did
something right, we were probably ignored, admonished or
even ridiculed when we weren’t able to perform so flawlessly.
As young children, this type of reaction provided us a
mirror or reflection of who we were based solely on our
performance. It defined our value.

As adults, although we might realize intellectually that
making a mistake is not a big deal, that it is a simply part
of a learning process, we still have a tendency to respond
from a deep emotional level that is no longer relevant.

WOULD EVERYONE WHO IS NOT HERE PLEASE LEAVE?

We need to tell these invisible critics to shut up, please
leave the room, take a flying leap, or whatever else occurs
to us at the moment. We’ve allowed them to hang around for
far too long.

Personally, I prefer the more courteous approach, but since
no one is REALLY around to get their feelings hurt, you may
wish to just tell these ghosts to get the hell out!

The crucial point is that you make your intention to banish
these disembodied voices crystal clear to yourself. In
actuality, you’re the only one you have to reckon with here.

ALLOW ME TO ILLUSTRATE…

Several years ago, I bought myself a piano. This was a
glorious treat for me. I was living in my own place, no
family, no roomies, no boyfriends, nobody but me and my
beloved piano. (And a couple of pussy cats but they didn’t
care how I played as long as I kept the food coming!)

Now I could play to my heart’s content without any unwanted
listeners lurking about. However, every time I sat down at
the keyboard, the room “filled up” with this invisible
audience, ghostly faces ready to wince at any sour note or
fumbled chord.

I was playing for my ego, trying to win the approval of
these phantom ears floating about my music room. And of
course, the true music got lost in the deal.

Is this anything like what happens to you when you try
something new? Are there invisible critics watching over
your shoulder, interfering with your concentration?

It doesn’t seem to matter what type of new activity we wish
to undertake. It could be something as simple as learning a
new software program or something as ambitious as tackling a
bold new approach to earning a fabulous living. Is it
possible that the actual goal has gotten lost in the melee
of ego and the fear of not getting it right the first time?

Does the idea of not having a completed blueprint of your
journey prevent you from taking the first step?

BRAVO FOR BLUNDERS

Here’s a technique, seemingly simple and silly, but very
effective just the same in combatting this tendency to
stay stuck in our well-worn rut.

When you become aware of any mistake or misstep you have
made, respond to it in this radically different way.

PRAISE yourself for discovering something that did not work.
That’s right, be glad! Acknowledge that you are now one step
closer to finding the solution you are after. Yessss!

Now for the really important part. Be certain to acknowledge
to yourself, preferably out loud, that by making the mistake
at hand you did NOT suddenly become stupid, puny or otherwise
diminished. Make note of the fact that you are every bit as
solid a person as you were before the mistake, and that you
are now a tad wiser besides. That’s it. But do it.

The only way you’ll ever learn to feel differently about
yourself is to start feeling differently about yourself. You
and only you control what you think. Think well of yourself.

Rosella Aranda, international marketer and writer, helps
entrepreneurs escape their limitations and get rid of self-
defeating behaviors permanently. See her newest ebook and
free mini-course at http://www.SabotageThyselfNoMore.com/
Newsletter at http://www.Calling-All-Entrepreneurs.com/

(Check out the payday advance online here.) A frequently advanced denunciation by disapprovers of the no fax fast cash advance business touches on the APR conventionally charged on a short term payday loan which can rack up a staggering 2-300%.

This annual percentage rate or “APR” can be defined as a widely accepted metrics rendering the effective interest a borrowing client would have to pay brought forward to a full year. The annual percentage rate (APR) endows us with the basis for ascertaining which financial vehicle ensures a higher versus a lower ultimate cost to the borrowing client, covering supplemental charges that might be enforced.Definitely the annual borrowing rate can be a unquestionably rich algorithm relating to financing traversing twelve months minimum .But, in respect to 2 week payday loans the borrowing rates are definitely less practical.

To illustrate this point, let us compare a payday advance to hiring a taxi home from the airport. So maybe it will cost you forty dollars to get back home. Certainly $40 qualifies for anythin but a trivial sum to have to pay for such a ride despite which plenty of people will do it since it’s practical and accommodates a demand. Now we all know that we could easily rent a car for the whole day for only $40 to drive as many miles as we want to.

So let’s just suppose we do that- specifically, hire a car and drive it for some 400 miles during the one day we’ve rented it. Now obviously the exponents of APR would probably urge that we must annualize this figure to attain to a sensible correlation! All right, so let’s take the price we’re paying for the taxi ride (i.e. $2 per mile times 400 miles) which gives us: $800.00. The “APR” equivalent of the rented car compared to that ride by taxi gives $40 against $800. Now, as everyone knows that car hiring we opted for would certainly not have constituted our best option, notwithstanding how much more expensive the annual percentage rate was in this case.

Equally, short term payday bridging loans. Let’s not forget that payday loans are restricted to two weeks only, they’re not annual loan arrangements. The seemingly high annual percentage rate doesn’t constitute a reliable indicator given that this class of loan does not apply to a full year. The interest rate charged is approximately fifteen to twentyfive percent for the entire loan.

Folding screens can add elegance and style to any décor. So just how to you build a folding screen? It really is relatively simple!

Well I found building a folding screen fairly easy and I’m certainly no handyman.

Firstly, to build a folding screen you need three interior shutters or panelled doors. Typically these will be light and not too wide. If you buy ones too heavy you’ll find it hard to move the folding screen around the house. You will also need six hinges - make sure they match your décor! And a toolkit, of course.

To build a folding screen you next need to glue or nail 1/2-inch or 3/4-inch rope molding around the front borders of each panel. Once you’ve done that stain or paint the doors in your desired shade or colour. You can even do different colors or patterns on each side if you like! Gild the molding for a fancy look.

Allow the doors to completely dry. The next step in building a folding screen is to attach the hinges. Measure one quarter, one half and three quarters of the height of each door and mark the edge. You then need to attach the hinges at these marks. The first set of three should be installed on the front side and the second set should go on the back. This allows you to fold the screen up to the size of one panel.

And viola! You now know how to build a folding screen! Time to get building!

Legal note: I’m not a handyman and if you follow my intructions and build a folding screen you are doing so at your own risk. This is meant for entertainment only and you really need to consult a qualified joiner or handyman for your folding screen advice.

About the author:

Phil Wiley is the author of the best selling book Mini Site Profits www.minisiteprofits.comand writes the free weekly Letter from Phil at www.ozemedia.com

Read About

Our hearts melted into one another’s in instant recognition during that first hug. Two bodies reunited after 36 years…two spirits that had never been separated. The gap of time was instantly filled during that one moment of reunion. The bond of mother and daughter can never be broken. Only shame, guilt and remorse fed the fire of apparent separation. Only forgiveness would dowse the flames and complete the circle of love.

Thirty-six years before, I had given birth to my first daughter and then released her for adoption. Suffering from a heart broken by the decision to honor my parents’ wishes that I not marry my first love, I emerged from being an “unwed mother” with emotional scars so great that my only defense was to bury them deeply, pick up my life as though nothing had happened, and go on. So successful was my denial of the gaping hole in my heart that, as the years passed, I could not even remember my child’s birth date.

How was it possible then, some 30 years, four children and two marriages later, that I could find myself in a class of spiritual counseling students that had six other women who shared the same closely held past that I did? We were all birth mothers. Our secret became our magnet, and we began to meet and vision a ministry at our church that could prayerfully support all people who are affected by adoption: adoptees, birthparents and adoptive parents. It was a noble idea, and one that would require that we do our own healing work in order to be available to others.

And so we began the excruciating journey of dredging up our pain. We individually faced our own demons — guilt, shame, blame, anger and self-recrimination — at whatever pace we felt capable of moving, and collectively we prayed for one another and all those whose pain we share. We created the Adoption Triad Ministry at The Agape Center of Truth in Los Angeles and invited people touched by adoption to come and tell their stories and join in prayer each month. We opened the way to allow each member of the triad — adoptee, adoptive parent and birth parent — to dialog with the other, seeking an understanding of the unique emotional issues that each carries. And some of us searched to find our child and/or parent. My decision to try to find my daughter opened up my personal Pandora’s box.

It was in that atmosphere of prayer and spiritual guidance that I felt safe enough to face my own walls of defense and denial and try to bring them down. The process was agonizing. Not only was I delving into the shame and pain I had caused my parents and siblings by becoming a pregnant teenager, I was allowing to surface the hatred I held for myself for not having fought for what I wanted…my mate and my baby. What I was inviting into conscious awareness - and ultimately acceptance - were the shame and guilt of having sinned, according to the church of my childhood as well as the mores of society in 1961. I was admitting that I was filled with rage at my parents for interrupting my fantasy to have the perfect family, and at my boyfriend for not having fought harder to save me from this torturous sentence of a banished offender. During the search for my daughter, I was required on numerous occasions to recall those difficult circumstances surrounding her birth, and it was all I could do to keep from passing out. As I unleashed one tidal wave after another of suppressed feelings, I was constantly on the verge of emotional overwhelm. What kept me going was my deep, deep desire to find my daughter, to tell her how much I loved her, to share with her that she was conceived in love, and to complete the circle that began with her birth.

And so I searched…and I prayed…and I began to forgive. As I progressed through the classes in spirituality that were preparing me to be a spiritual counselor and prayer practitioner, I came to realize that without forgiveness I would be unable to free myself from the maze of negative self-judgment which I had allowed to tarnish the beauty of the birth of my daughter. I understood that if I were to welcome her with true open arms now, I had to find the good in my being her birth mother. I knew that the healing miracle I so dearly sought was possible only when I released my guilt, shame and blame about the circumstances surrounding her coming into this world.

“Seventy times seven.” Jesus admonishes us that this is how often we need to forgive in order to be free — in other words, as often as it takes. I was well on my way to completing my forgiveness of the other actors in my drama — my parents, my first love, my church, my society. Now it was time to forgive myself. I had held myself on the cross of self-blame and shame for so long that I wasn’t sure how to let myself off.

I began by feeling great compassion for the teenager I was who was so in love and so passionate about life, and who only wanted to experience and express that love in any way she knew how. I listened to that 19-year-old’s pain of profound loss and of feeling that she did not belong. That pain had been so severe that she had essentially shut herself off from trusting her own beautiful heart. I listened to her, consoled her, told her how much I loved her and that I would not let that kind of pain happen to her again. The I AM of me (my God Self) forgave her for any belief she held about being a “bad girl,” a “sinner,” an “undesirable good-for-nothing,” and a “cause of pain to others.”

The months — and yes, years — that I have spent forgiving the layers of self-recrimination and loathing I felt for myself have truly unburdened me. Freeing myself from the shackles of that seemingly unforgivable and unforgiving past has truly given me a new life. The attitude I now hold toward myself, my family, my first love and my pregnancy is only gratitude, gratitude for one of the greatest growth experiences of my life. By coming to terms with my past, the gift of compassion was ignited in me — a gift I can and do readily share with all those I teach and counsel. The miracle experienced from my commitment to forgiveness is the profound love I share with my first-born daughter, a love activated the moment we hugged that has continued to enrich my life ever since.

Diane Harmony is in the business of personal and spiritual empowerment. She is an author, platform speaker, workshop/class teacher and facilitator, ordained Minister of Religious Science and guide on spiritual retreats. Diane has been published in Science of Mind Magazine, Awareness Magazine, Inner Visions Magazine, and Daily Guides of Prayer. She is the author of the award winning book, 5 GIFTS for an Abundant Life: Create a Consciousness of Wealth. A gifted teacher, Diane has taught over 40 prosperity classes to hundreds of students. In 2002, she succeeded in successfully creating an 8 week Prosperity Course entitled 5 GIFTS for an Abundant Life! Today, Diane is the leader of her own company, Universal Harmony Inc., whose vision is to empower the planet’s population with the spiritual insight, knowledge and tools to live life in abundance, joy and peace.You can visit her web site at: 5 Gifts