Wise Words for You

Despite looking like what happens when someone falls asleep on their keyboard, Llanfairpwll-gwyngyllgogerychwyrndrob-wllllantysiliogogogoch is actually the name of a town. Yes, it's 58 letters long, though you can also call it Llanfairpwll, or Llanfair PG for short. The tiny town on the island of Anglesey in Wales  recently made headlines  when Liam Dutton, a UK weatherman, pronounced it during a live report without skipping a beat. It is the longest town name in Europe — and second only to an 85 letter-long place in New Zealand. The Welsh village has around 3,100 inhabitants, of which around 70% speak Welsh — a language is said to be dying out, as only around  19% of Wales residents speak the language . They probably have to, just to say where they’re from. The tongue-twisting name actually only has 51 letters in Welsh, as "ch" and "ll" are are considered single letters in the language. Either way, the name is pretty descriptive — it basicall...

Some of us spend our lives watching others doing and achieving, and from these images we build such high expectations of our own life, and then sit around feeling utterly powerless in our attempts to meet these expectations. That powerlessness becomes hopelessness and hopelessness becomes depression. If we can just see this process and release these expectations. If we can at least be detached from any expectations, we will get back some of our inner power and self motivation.

Spiritual knowledge is like a sieve through which we can filter out the untrue.  Running our thoughts through it constantly ensures that we are heading in the right direction. When thoughts are brought into action, they can be seen immediately. When the mind is filled with virtues, they will be revealed in our actions. By elevating our thoughts, we can literally end up purifying the self, inspiring others to do likewise. Our life will be the inspiration for them to change. There won’t even be the need to say anything. Our vibrations of pure thought can reach out and touch the whole world. Our very life can do the work of a lighthouse.

See beyond immediate circumstances. Clear the decks of old grievances, become free from outdated thinking. Learn from past experiences and move on by tapping inner sources of self-worth and humility. Valuing honesty and commitment, softly let go and enable others to change. There are new horizons, new growth, a new lease of life.

A wise soul opens the window to the future by closing the doors to the past.

Stephen Hawking has one of the greatest minds of our time.  He is well known for his work in theoretical physics, and was born on January 8, 1942, (300 years after the death of Galileo) in Oxford, England. As a young child, he wanted to study mathematics, but once he began college, he studied Natural Sciences. Then, during his first year in Cambridge at the age of 21, Hawking began to have symptoms of  ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) . Doctors gave him two and a half years to live. Now, at the age of 74, he continues to teach, research, and provide the world with beautiful messages. He says that his expectations were reduced to zero when he was given the ALS diagnosis. Ever since then, every aspect of his life has been a bonus. One of the most brilliant minds did not allow these life challenges to stop him. He continued studying. Hawking has twelve honorary degrees. He has dedicated his life to finding answers about the  universe, the Big Bang, ...

The Definition of Legacy: The dictionary would define Legacy as a gift or a bequest, that is handed down, endowed or conveyed from one person to another. It is something descendible one comes into possession of that is transmitted, inherited or received from a predecessor. It is to cause or allow something originating from an ancestral source to spread between people or provide something freely and naturally. Legacy: Often when you think about legacy, it’s something that is left behind after a person has passed. Legacy is more about sharing what you have learned, not just what you have earned, and bequeathing values over valuables, as material wealth is only a small fraction of your legacy. A more holistic definition of legacy is when you are genuinely grounded in offering yourself and making a meaningful, lasting and energizing contribution to humanity by serving a cause greater than your own. The requirements of a legacy are that you embrace your uniqueness, passio...

We've all had those terrible moments, whether just before making a wedding speech or delivering a presentation at work, when our minds have gone completely blank.  Now scientists are one step closer to understanding why we have developed such a counterproductive (and embarrassing) response to stress. Under pressure: Scientists still don't fully understand why we experience 'brain freezes' during stressful moments It's long been known that the ancient and primitive part of the brain - called the hypothalamus - reacts to perceived danger by triggering a 'fight or flight' response. It sends a signal to release adrenalin, quickening the heart rate, speeding the breath and preparing us to confront the perceived monster or run away. However, scientists are now realising that stress can have a huge impact on the prefrontal cortex as well. This is the part of the brain that evolved most recently and doesn't fully develop until after your teenage y...

The Children Act 2002 introduced a new legal status for non-parents who are caring for or wish to care for children in a long term, secure placement whilst preserving the legal link with the child’s natural birth parents.  A Special Guardianship Order (SGO) is an order of the court under the Children Act 1989 which grants the holder(s) parental responsibility over a child until they reach the age of 18.  This enables the special guardian(s) to make day-to-day decisions on behalf of the child, for example in relation to their education. The making of a Special Guardianship Order does not extinguish the parental responsibility of the birth parents; however, the special guardian is only required to consult with them in exceptional circumstances. This enables the special guardian to make unilateral decisions in relation to issues such as medical treatment and choice of religion. There are a number of important decisions that a special guardian  cannot  make without co...

How can I control my anger long term? If you think about how to manage your anger when you're feeling calmer, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed by it in the heat of the moment. You can: learn your triggers examine your thought patterns develop your communication skills look at your lifestyle Learn your triggers Understanding what sort of situations trigger your anger means you can develop strategies to cope and think about how to react before the situation happens. You might find it helpful to keep a diary or make notes about the times you have felt angry. You could record: What were the circumstances? Did someone say or do something to trigger your anger? How did you feel? How did you behave? How did you feel afterwards? If you do this for a while, you might start to see patterns emerging. You could do this yourself using a free online mood diary, such as  Mood Panda , or you could find a professional therapist to help you. Over time I have been able to ...

What can I do to manage my anger? It can be frightening when your anger overwhelms you. But there are ways you can learn to stay in control of your anger when you find yourself in difficult situations. You can: look out for warning signs buy yourself time to think try some calming techniques Remember:  if your outbursts can be violent or abusive this can cause serious problems in your life and relationships, and can be very damaging to the people around you. In this case, it's essential to seek professional treatment and support for your anger. Look out for warning signs Anger can cause a rush of adrenaline through your body, so before you recognise the emotion you're feeling you might notice: your heart is beating faster your breathing is quicker your body is becoming tense your feet are tapping you're clenching your jaw or fists Recognising these signs gives you the chance to think about how you want to react to a situation before doing anythi...

Explains anger, giving practical suggestions for what you can do and where you can go for support. Why do I get angry? Feelings of anger arise due to how we interpret and react to certain situations. Everyone has their own triggers for what makes them angry, but some common ones include situations in which we feel: threatened or attacked frustrated or powerless like we're being treated unfairly People can interpret situations differently, so a situation that makes you feel very angry may not make someone else feel angry at all (for example, other reactions could include annoyance, hurt or amusement). But just because we can interpret things differently, it doesn't mean that you're interpreting things 'wrong' if you get angry. How you interpret and react to a situation can depend on lots of factors in your life, including: your childhood and upbringing past experiences current circumstances Whether your anger is about something that happened in ...

Compliance is a type of social influence where an individual does what someone else wants them to do, following his or her request or suggestion.  It is similar to  obedience , but there is no order – only a request. There are many techniques a person can use to ensure compliance: The Foot in the Door Technique The foot in the door technique (Freedman & Fraser, 1966) assumes agreeing to a small request increases the likelihood of agreeing to a second, larger request. So, initially you make a small request and once the person agrees to this they find it more difficult to refuse a bigger one. For example, imagine one of your friends missed the last psychology class and asked to borrow your notes. This is a small request that seems reasonable, so you lend the notes to your friend. A week later, the same friend asks to borrow all of your psychology notes. This is large request – would you agree or not? The foot-in-the-door technique works on the principle of...