Jerry Sandusky, Pedophilia, and Bad Consequences

Jerry Sandusky was a talented assistant football coach of Pennsylvania State University. In 1986 and 1999, Jerry Sandusky received the Assistant Coach of the Year award. Nevertheless, on 5 November 2011, Jerry Sandusky was arrested and had a variety of charges leveled against him regarding acts of pedophilia.

Why would a successful assistant football coach ruin his reputation and legacy, not to mention his family life by committing acts of pedophilia? Is pedophilia due to a malfunctioning brain? If so, can urges of pedophilia be controlled?

First off, let's define pedophilia. Psychiatrists define pedophilia as having recurrent and intense sexual urges toward children by an adult. The adult either acts on these urges and fantasies, or suffers great emotional distress by not acting on them.

Why do some people become pedophiles while others don't? Researchers have found that pedophiles tend to have less white brain matter and lower IQs compared to normal people. These findings suggest that the brains of pedophiles may not be functioning optimally.

This makes sense. Most normal people understand that bad behaviors have bad consequences and are able to process the bad consequences in their brains, thus avoiding bad behaviors. But if pedophiles have significantly less white brain matter and lower IQs compared to normal people, pedophiles may not be able to clearly imagine the consequences of their actions, thus leading them to engage in bad behaviors.

If this is true, what can be done? How can pedophilia be cured? I believe that pedophilia can be cured. Why I say this is because acts of pedophilia come from thoughts of pedophilia. Yes, pedophilia has its origin in thoughts. If you don't think it, you won't do it.

If a person has a tendency toward pedophilia, they can cure themselves by doing the following:

1) Do not watch any pornography involving adults having sex with children. I believe that the habitual viewing of child pornography is the single most cause of pedophilia. This is probably where it all begins.

2) If you have urges or fantasies regarding pedophilia, each and every time, you must begin praying to your Higher Power, acknowledging that these thoughts are evil, and asking your Higher Power to take these thoughts away. If you do this each and every time you have an urge or fantasy, your thoughts of pedophilia will grow weaker and weaker, eventually fading away. This is called mental conditioning.

3) Meditate at least once a day on the horrible consequences of engaging in acts of pedophilia. Meditate on the shame and humiliation this will cause you and your family, once society finds out and they inevitably will. Meditate on the legal consequences such as going to prison for a very long time and being abused by the other prisoners. Meditate on the psychological damage that you're inflicting on children. Though your brain may be damaged, you can acutely make it aware of the consequences of pedophilia, if you meditate in this manner once daily.

Any pedophile who does the above mental exercises can cure himself of pedophilia. Besides the mental exercises, pedophiles need to seek professional help (e.g., psychologists, psychiatrists, pastors, etc.).

Years of playing football may have damaged the brain of Jerry Sandusky, rendering him unable to mentally process the bad consequences that are inevitably connected to bad behaviors. But Jerry Sandusky could have sought professional help to stave off his urges of pedophilia. Since he chose not to seek help, Jerry Sandusky will probably spend the rest of his life in prison.

Prayer Thoughts, The Placebo Effect, and The Law Of Attraction

What exactly is prayer? How does it work? Does it work at all?

There have been studies done on prayer to determine its effectiveness. But the problem with testing prayer lies in defining the parameters of it clearly enough to provide consistency. Given the lack of defined prayer parameters, the results of prayer have been mixed when tested in the laboratory.

What exactly is prayer? I think prayer is simply the communication of a person to a Higher Power. And this communication is usually in the form of praise, petition, or gratitude. In conducting studies, researchers should focus on examining the petition prayers, since these prayers are more goal-directed than the other prayers, allowing these prayers to be easier to test.

How does prayer work? The workings of prayer can be explained psychologically (e.g., the relationship among thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and environments), biologically (e.g., the placebo effect), or metaphysically (e.g., the law of attraction).

In the area of psychology, researchers have proven that there is a strong relationship among thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and environments. Modern psychotherapy is based on this premise.

Modern psychotherapy attempts to change a person's thoughts about a problem, thereby changing the person's feelings about the problem, thereby changing the person's behaviors regarding the problem, finally causing the person's situation to change.

Since prayer changes the thoughts of the person praying, this psychological explanation can explain how prayer works.

In the area of biology, researchers have observed the phenomenon called the placebo effect. The placebo effect tends to occur if a person receives a drug or some other treatment, and believes that this drug or treatment is going to have a positive effect, even though the drug or treatment is actually useless.

The reason why the person feels better after taking the useless drug is due to chemical/hormonal changes that occur within his body from merely believing that he's better. Therefore, a so-called "pain-relieving" pill will actually relieve his headache, a so-called "anti-anxiety" pill will actually calm him down, and a so-called "stimulant" pill will actually give him more energy.

Since people who pray tend to believe that prayers produce positive results, this biological explanation can explain how prayer works.

In the area of metaphysics, practitioners have spoken much about the law of attraction. The law of attraction states that like attracts like. In other words, if you consistently think positive thoughts, positive events will be attracted to you like a magnet. And if you consistently think negative thoughts, negative events will be attracted to you like a magnet.

What causes this sort of magnetism? According to the law of attraction, every thought vibrates on a particular frequency. And if you think a particular thought long enough, it's going to attract outside events that vibrate on the same frequency as the thought that you're thinking.

Since prayer involves consistently thinking particular thoughts, this metaphysical explanation can explain how prayer works.

So you see, prayer can be explained scientifically and theoretically. This article explained what prayer is and how it may work scientifically and theoretically. Since prayer has strong scientific and theoretical backing, it most likely works and it most likely works well.

In this article, I'm not denying the intervention of God or angelic beings. I do believe in God. And I believe that He does intervene in this reality. Nevertheless, discussions of God and angelic beings go beyond science and theory.

"Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy versus Prayer, Results versus Process, Scientific Studies

In cognitive behavioral therapy, the trainers of this method will oftentimes remind their apprentices to focus on the process of the method rather than the results. The reason is that the results of cognitive behavioral therapy are almost never immediate and are almost always delayed.

A practitioner of cognitive behavioral therapy can sometimes be working with a patient for months without seeing any significant improvement in the patient's depression, anxiety, anger, or whatever else the patient is being treated for. This can be frustrating for the practitioner, sometimes causing the practitioner to quit and declare that cognitive behavioral therapy doesn't work.

In fact, cognitive behavioral therapy has been proven to be one of the most effective forms of psychotherapy. There have been many scientific studies done to prove this.

Prayer is very similar to cognitive behavioral therapy, in that it induces a change in thinking, inducing a change in emotion, inducing a change in behavior, finally inducing a change in environment. Since cognitive behavioral therapy has been validated by scientific studies, prayer likewise is validated, because prayer and cognitive behavioral therapy are almost one and the same.

There have been studies that seemingly proved that prayer doesn't work. But these studies have been seriously flawed, in that they wrongly assumed that prayer is strictly a mental activity, and didn't allow for the behavioral expression of prayer in the studies.

Prayer without its corresponding behavioral expression isn't prayer at all, just as cognitive behavioral therapy without its corresponding behavioral expression isn't therapy at all.

Just like cognitive behavioral therapy, prayer tends to have delayed rather than immediate results. This has caused many practitioners of prayer to give up in frustration and declare it doesn't work.

Like the practitioners of cognitive behavioral therapy, the practitioners of prayer must focus on the process rather than the results. In focusing on the process, the results will eventually come.

This is a scientific fact!

Rock and Hip Hop Music versus the Life Manual

In my younger years, I made some bad decisions, causing me much pain. During these times, I thought to myself: "Wouldn't it be nice if there was a manual on how to live your life. A manual that can ensure that you make the right decisions at the right time, saving you much heartache."

In my later years, I found that such a manual exists. It's called Proverbs.

I love popular music, particularly rock and hip hop. As a young adult, I began listening to rock and hip hop, because of the rebellious nature of the music. I guess that's the appeal of the music, that's what makes rock and hip hop so popular. But at what cost?

Rock music developed during and after the 1960s. It sparked the sexual revolution that encouraged everyone to explore their sexuality. Thus, there was a social movement toward promiscuity.

Also, rock music encouraged everyone to get "high as a kite." This sparked a social movement toward the use of illegal recreational drugs. Furthermore, rock music promoted Marxism as the ideal economy, ranting against the evils of capitalism. This sparked a left-wing Marxist movement.

Hip hop music was developed during and after the 1970s. Not only did it promote sexual promiscuity, illegal drug use, and Marxism, it also promoted misogyny and racism. But the worst effect of hip hop is its promotion of crime. Modern hip hop glamorizes the gangster lifestyle.

Since many young people listen to rock and hip hop music, their thinking is affected by it, causing them to make very bad decisions in life. They think that it's possible to get ahead in life by bad behavior. They think that there are no consequences for behaving badly.

They're sadly mistaken. They really should read the life manual called Proverbs.

"How useless to spread a net where every bird can see it! These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves! Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it" (Proverbs 1:17-19).

Knowledge, Respect, and Behavior

The world's wisest man King Solomon stated, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7).

What does this mean to you? How can you use this concept to improve your life?

Hmmm.

The word "fear" can mean "respect" in this context. So this sentence can be rephrased, "Respect for the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

I agree with this statement. Respect for God is the beginning of knowledge - the knowledge of proper behavior. Proper behavior is encapsulated in one of God's most ultimate rules - the Golden Rule.

If you're a good observer of human behavior, you'll notice that those who follow the Golden Rule tend to succeed in life; while those that don't, don't.

Poverty doesn't necessarily cause crime, but crime definitely causes poverty. So watch you behavior.

How can Aikido help you with Life Adversity?

Aikido is a Japanese fighting style where an opponent's movements are redirected rather than stopped head-on. Given this, Aikido masters can defeat their opponents using little energy. Having their movements redirected, opponents are thrown to the ground or placed in joint locks.

How can the Aikido concept help you with your life? Very simply. The next time you're faced with an adversity, instead of resisting the adversity head-on, redirect the momentum of the adversity to your advantage.

For example, if an adversity causes anger or fear, use the anger or fear as fuel to achieve a goal. This is a lot easier than trying to motivate yourself from scratch.

If you're planning on leaving an adverse job, apply for a new job within the same company. This is a lot easier than trying to get a new job from scratch.

If you have a lot of adverse paperwork to do, use paperwork already saved in your computer word processor and tweak it to your needs. This is a lot easier than trying to create paperwork from scratch.

You get the point? Simply take what currently exists and redirect it into something that you want.

Become an Aikido master of life. Dance with life rather than fight it. The easy way is the best way.

Use this Trick, when you feel Tired and Tense

Today, I had a lot of unpleasant work to do and found it difficult to motivate myself to stay on task. Though I had enough sleep last night, I felt tired and tense. My scalp and face muscles were tense to the point of hurting.

Even after taking a nap, I still felt tired and tense, and found it difficult to stay on task.

Then I remembered a trick that I used to do whenever I felt tired, tense, and overwhelmed. I used to say to myself "Lord, let Thy will be done, not my will." Besides saying this, I used to alternately tighten and relax my tensed muscles to loosen them up.

This trick would relax me and enable me to get much work done in a short amount of time. I would feel "in the zone," "on the ball," "a sense of flow," "in the groove," etc. In other words, I would be working optimally.

After using this trick, my muscles loosened up, I felt more energized, and I got much work done. Yep, this trick still works.

My Car, a Canada Goose, and Life Lessons

Yesterday morning, I was driving my car in the morning rush hour. Suddenly, I saw a flock of Canada Geese crossing the road. I attempted to detour around the geese to avoid hitting them, but there was a Canada Goose following farther behind the flock that I couldn't avoid hitting.

I heard a thump on my car bumper, and the Canada Goose was knocked to the left shoulder of the road. I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw the goose lying there weakly flapping one of its wings.

I felt terrible, since I thought that I may have killed the Canada Goose. I never killed an animal before while driving my car. I can usually spot an animal at a safe distance and avoid hitting it.

Then I started pondering that life is often unpredictable and short. Anyone or anything can die at anytime. Not too long ago, I lost a good friend to stomach cancer. She was young, didn't smoke, only drank socially, and jogged everyday. Everyone that knew her was shocked, since she was always a picture of good health.

Indeed, life can be unpredictable and short. We can go at anytime. Therefore, we shouldn't waste our life on foolishness. Instead, we should spend our life on things that matter most.

Any one of us at anytime can be that Canada Goose.

Bill Cosby, Hip Hop Culture, and Parents

Entertainer Bill Cosby did several public lectures regarding the effects of the hip hop culture on the youth.

Bill Cosby spoke out against the effects of the hip hop culture such as illegal drug dealing, teenage pregnancy, high school dropouts, anti-intellectualism, vulgarity, thievery, offensive clothing, vanity, parental alienation, and single-parenting.

Is Bill Cosby correct in doing this? The answer is yes.

The hip hop culture is a culture that embraces criminal behavior and shuns education. It's a culture that glamorizes drive-by shootings, drug dealing, pimping, gangs, degrading women, and other irresponsible behavior. It's a culture that considers anyone going to college or following the Ten Commandments as "acting white."

So what's the solution? The solution is that parents need to start acting like parents.

Many "parents" allow their children to run loose in the neighborhood, without any moral training, supervision, or expectation of them becoming productive members of society. These "parents" allow their children to listen to hip hop music, dress hip hop, and act hip hop.

Parents need to teach their children moral behavior. Failure to do this is one of the worst things that a parent can do to a child. Parents should not allow their children to listen to hip hop music, watch pornography, smoke dope, or involve themselves in other corrupting activities.

Instead, parents should make their children do their homework and study hard in school, make them go to church every Sunday, make them attend bible study classes, and make them work part-time after school.

Indeed, parents should make their children behave responsibly when they're children, so that they can one day become responsible adults.

Bill Cosby was right.

Can Faith, Hope, and Love help you attain Success?

If you're a Christian, you've probably heard of the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and love.

These virtues are not only important to Christians, they're also important to everyone who desires success.

Faith can mean trusting in God. But it could also mean trusting in yourself. Having faith leads to confidence. Having confidence is important for success.

Hope simply means optimism. A hopeful person is an optimistic person. An optimistic person will try to see the bright side of every situation that he faces. Optimism is very important to success, in that it fosters persistence when faced with obstacles.

There are different types of love. But here, we'll focus on ecumenical love: treating other people the way you would like to be treated. If you treat people with respect, they'll be more apt to help you achieve your goals than if you disrespect them. Thus, love leads to success.

The three theological virtues, faith, hope, and love, can help you attain success if you practice and develop them.

Get a Job now - Turn a Prospective Employer into an Employer

Though we are in the middle of a fierce recession, it's still possible to find a job. But keep in mind that some techniques are better than others.

From my experience using the old-fashion way of finding a job is much better than the so called sophisticated ways. In other words, buying the local Sunday newspaper and looking through the help wanted adds is much better than using internet job searching programs.

It's also a good idea to drive to your prospective employer and pick up an application, fill it out, then turn it in. Making personal contact will give you an advantage over others. Face-to-face is much better than phone or mail.

Make sure that your resume is professionally done, stresses and amplifies your positive traits, and is tailored to the job that you're going after.

Of course, when you go on the job interview, dress as sharp as you can. Appearance matters. Good-looking people tend to get hired more readily than ugly people.

When being interviewed, display confidence without acting cocky. Nobody wants to work with a cocky person. But people enjoy working with a confident person with a pleasant personality.

Lastly, don't give up. It's almost guaranteed that you'll be rejected by some prospective employers, while job hunting. With each rejection, try to think what you could have done differently to increase your chances of getting hired.

P.S. It's much easier to get hired by a prospective employer, if you're already employed by someone else. So if you're currently working, but feel a sense of impending doom (e.g., boss is out to get you), try to transition to another job before you get fired.

And if you suspect that your boss will "bad mouth" you as a reference, use your human resource person in your company as your reference or supervisor on your resume and job application.

What's Wrong with Socialism?

What's wrong with socialism? The answer is that it doesn't work.

Socialism is an economic system that has been tried by countries across the world, and has always led to poverty of the masses. In socialism, everyone is poor except the rulers.

Why does socialism lead to poverty? The answer is that socialism punishes the ambitious and rewards the lazy by taking away private property and making it public. Given this, more and more people become lazy. And soon enough, the entire country becomes less productive, bringing less money into the country, thus leading to poverty within the country.

In socialism, the government owns the property rather than the citizens. Government-owned businesses are often run poorly, since there are no direct consequences for running a business poorly within socialist countries.

For example, if a business produces shoddy products or runs out of a product, this is no big deal in a socialist country, since the government owns all the businesses and has captive customers within the country. Since the government doesn't have to worry about losing customers, there is no direct pressure to produce better products or make them available in a timely manner.

It amazes me that there are currently people who actually believe that socialism is a better economic system than capitalism.

What's wrong with socialism? Look around. Look at the other socialist countries. Look at how poorly they're doing economically compared to capitalistic countries.

How to Motivate yourself with Anger, Fear, or Lust

When I was in Army basic training, my drill sergeant used to say that he was going to get me so angry that I would become an officer someday. Though I never became an officer, I learned volumes on motivation.

The three most powerful emotions connected to motivation are anger, fear, and lust. These emotions powerfully stimulate and energize the body via hormones. These emotions are located in a primitive part of the brain called the amygdala.

Anger, fear, and lust are the most primitive and powerful of all the emotions. They are also the most destructive, if used wrongly. But if used rightly, anger, fear, or lust can powerfully motivate you to pursue your goals.

Here is an example of how to use anger to motivate yourself to pursue a particular goal.

1) Start by thinking of an injustice that was done to you. The more painful, the better. The more anger it arouses in you, the better.

2) Picture the person who had done you wrong laughing at you, saying that you'll never amount to anything, that you're a loser for life.

3) By now, I'm sure you're very angry. Use this anger to motivate yourself to pursue one of your goals.

If you don't want to use anger, you can instead use fear. Here is an example of how to use fear to motivate yourself to pursue a goal.

1) Start by thinking about the consequences that can happen to you if you don't accomplish a particular goal. The more painful, the better. The more fear they arouse in you, the better.

2) Picture yourself suffering immensely because you didn't accomplish the goal. Picture the incredible loss. Picture the disappointment of you friends, family, and loved ones.

3) By now, I'm sure you're very scared. Use this fear to motivate yourself to pursue your goal.

If you don't want to use anger or fear, you can always use lust. Here is an example of how you can use lust to motivate yourself to pursue your goal.

1) If you're a heterosexual man, you can think about a woman that turns you on the most. The more vivid, the better. The more lust she arouses in you, the better.

2) Picture yourself attaining the lusted after woman only after you attain your goal. Because, after all, she doesn't want to sleep with a loser.

3) By now, I'm sure you're feeling very lustful. Use this lust to motivate yourself to pursue your goal.

If used properly, anger, fear, or lust is a powerful tidal wave that can help you surf to your goals. If used wrongly, it's a tidal wave that can destroy everything in your life.

The key is that you must learn to control and direct your anger, fear, or lust.

The Book of Genesis: Create versus Manipulate

According to the Book of Genesis 1:3-2:4, God created the universe in six days and rested on the seventh day. But if you read the Book of Genesis carefully, you'll see that during those six days, God mostly manipulated matter rather than create things from scratch.

Check out these examples.

God separated the light from the darkness, and called the light "day" and the darkness "night."

God made the sky by separating water below from water above; God made the sea and land by gathering the water below into large pools.

God brought forth vegetation (plants and trees) from the land.

God brought forth living creatures from the water and land.

You may be wondering why God would mostly manipulate matter than create everything from scratch. The reason is obvious. It's more efficient to do so, in that it requires less energy and time.

How would you like to be more efficient in your work and personal life? Yes? Then take a page out of the Book of Genesis, and simply improve upon what already exists rather than create everything from scratch.

Success is Circular

The universe is circular. Planets orbit stars in a circular manner. Stars orbit black holes in a circular manner. Life and death are circular.

In addition, behavior and consequences are circular. Behavior causes consequences to happen, and consequences cause behavior to happen.

Given this, success is circular. Success guru Zig Ziglar said it best when he said, "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want."

I agree with Zig Ziglar's premise that if you help other people attain success, you will, in turn, attain success. Because every time you help someone attain success, that person becomes your friend or ally.

What are your chances of attaining success, if you have an army of people on your side helping you?

Indeed, success is circular. Help is circular.

The funky connection among Thoughts, Behavior, and Reality

According to the Book of Genesis 1:3, "God said, Let there be light: and there was light." If this is true, then it has very deep implications.

What this basically means is that thoughts equal reality, that all causes spring from thoughts.

"Poppycock," you say, "All things spring from behavior, from doing, from getting off your butt." I agree. But where do you think behavior, doing, or getting off your butt comes from? That's right, it comes from your thoughts.

If you don't believe me, try driving your car, doing your job, or conversing with a friend without having any thoughts. Utterly impossible! Behavior is merely an extension of your most dominant thoughts.

Given this, if you change your thoughts, you change your behavior, thereby changing your reality. So choose your thoughts wisely. They affect your reality more significantly than you'll ever know.

Thoughts = reality.

Cure Depression Naturally with Sleep Deprivation

Some time ago, I read a research study where getting less sleep contributed to being less clinically depressed. According to the study, getting less sleep somehow causes an increase of serotonin, a brain chemical that reduces depression.

This, I thought, was great news. A clinically depressed person can naturally cure himself of depression by getting less sleep. In addition, sleep deprivation can cure anxiety, since serotonin also reduces anxiety.

I never would have imagined that sleep deprivation could have such psychiatric implications. If this is true, would excessive sleep contribute to depression and anxiety?

Before we get too excited about the positive effects of sleep deprivation, there is also a downside to it. The downside is that sleep deprivation can lead to bad time management and driving. Nodding off on the job will cause you to work slower, and nodding off while driving can cause you to get into car accidents.

So if you're clinically depressed, but don't have any work deadlines or any need to drive, sleep deprivation may be for you.

Great Psychiatrists versus Bad Psychiatrists

Years ago, I used to counsel mental health clients. The clients I worked with had hardcore mental health issues, in that they needed both psychiatric and psychological treatment.

It was the psychiatrist's job to mentally stabilize the client enough, so that counseling can be productive. It's virtually impossible to productively counsel a client who is hallucinating all over the place.

How does one convince a psychotic client that unicorns, Santa Claus, and the Easter Bunny don't exist, if the client "sees," "hears," "smells," and "feels" them on a daily basis?

You can be the best psychologist in the world, but if a client is hallucinating all over the place, your counseling isn't going to amount to anything at all. It'll be a complete waste of your time and the client's time.

I've worked with great psychiatrists and very bad ones. The very bad psychiatrists had the tendency of not being open to advice and not furthering their education in modern psychiatry. It's almost as if they think that what they learned many years ago in school is all they need to know forevermore.

They forget that psychiatry is experimental, is driven by research, and is always evolving and changing.

For example, research studies have shown that combination therapy is much more effective in treating refractory schizophrenia than monotherapy. In other words, two low-dose antipsychotic drugs used together are better than one high-dose antipsychotic drug used alone in treating refractory schizophrenia.

The great psychiatrists know this. But the bad ones continue using one high-dose antipsychotic drug in treating refractory schizophrenia. And when they get no positive results at all, they tell themselves, "Oh well, that's the way it is."

Don't be a bad psychiatrist. Instead, keep current in your field, be open to new ideas, and most important of all, believe that you can get positive results and then do what it takes to get them.

Your clients are depending on you.

Knowledge determines what's Possible, and the lack thereof what's Impossible

In ancient times, people flying above the clouds, driving machines 55 miles per hour to and from work, and communicating miles away through invisible waves in the air were impossible. They were impossible, because the knowledge we have today didn't exist back then.

What's possible and impossible is fully dependent on knowledge. The more knowledge we have, the more possible things become for us. The less knowledge we have, the more impossible things become for us.

Let me give you a personal example of how knowledge relates to what's possible and what's impossible.

I had eczema for over 20 years, and went to many dermatologists for treatment during those years. Each dermatologist explained to me that eczema is incurable and can only be controlled, not cured, with steroid creams. For me, the steroid creams didn't work well, and the long-term side effects of the creams concerned me.

Even though dermatologists told me that there is no cure for eczema, I kept searching for a cure and eventually found it.

The cure is simple and cheap. If you have eczema, all you have to do is go to the supermarket, purchase a container of antibacterial hand and face wipes, and then apply the wipes to the itchy rash areas. This only needs to be done on an as needed basis.

"Wet Ones" is a popular brand of antibacterial hand and face wipes, is affordable, and easy to use.

I prefer using "Wet Ones" over dabbing a paper towel into an antibacterial agent such as hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol, because using "Wet Ones" is much more convenient. All you have to do is take out a wipe from the container of "Wet Ones" and begin wiping the itchy rash areas with the wipe.

Why does "Wet Ones" work so well on eczema? The reason is that it kills the staph bacteria concentrated in certain areas of the skin. The staph is what causes the flare ups or intensely itchy rashes.

New research on eczema indicates that the staph bacteria colonize in certain areas of the skin, causing itchy rashes in those areas. A healthy skin's immune system is able to ward off the staph bacteria. But an eczematous skin's immune system is too weak to do so. Thus, it needs help.

So you see, it's impossible for dermatologists to cure eczema, but it's possible for me. Knowledge determines what's possible, and the lack thereof what's impossible!

What do Gladiator, Self-Efficacy, and Ability have in common?

Gladiator is one of many fictional characters of Marvel Comics. But what makes him stand out from the rest is his ability to instantly become stronger and stronger the more confident he becomes.

Gladiator is capable of becoming so strong that he can shatter a planet with a single blow, be invulnerable to a supernova explosion at close distances, fly a hundred times faster than the speed of light, shoot lasers out of his eyes hotter than a star, and freeze things by blowing on them.

Though not to the extent of Gladiator, humans display more ability the more confident they become. Researcher Albert Bandura coined this phenomenon self-efficacy.

Self-efficacy is the extent that you believe you can do something, directly affecting your ability to do it. Like Gladiator, the more you believe you can do something, the more ability you have to do it.

Be like Gladiator. Say "I can do it" (self-efficacy), thereby heightening your confidence that you can do it, thereby heightening your actual ability to do it!

Be a Taskmaster, not a Task Disaster

When I was an adolescent, I used to enjoy reading Marvel comic books. My favorite villain was the Taskmaster. The Taskmaster had the ability to learn and duplicate someone's fighting skills by observing it only once.

But is it really possible to learn things by merely observing someone's performance?

According to researcher Albert Bandura, it is and he coined this phenomenon observational learning. Albert Bandura and other researchers have done numerous studies on observational learning, and found this phenomenon to be valid.

Observational learning can especially be important in learning tasks where it is not practical to physically practice them.

For example, it is not practical to physically practice public speaking. It is very difficult to get a group of people together and have them listen to your speeches over and over again. I think that the lack and impossibility of practice is why most people are bad at public speaking.

So if you find yourself in college or are at a workplace where you are required to do public speaking, don't despair. You can simply do an internet search on great public speeches and watch these speeches over and over again until you can do it.

To an extent, you have the ability of the Taskmaster. You can learn anything, including public speaking, merely by watching someone perform it.

Be a Taskmaster, not a task disaster!

The Purpose of Evil

Many philosophers have tried to explain the purpose of evil. I have read their explanations and disagree with most of them.

I believe that the purpose of evil is to motivate us to become good. And without evil there is no motivation to do good.

For example, take the story of the Garden of Eden in the Old Testament. Before evil arrived in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve lounged around naked all day long accomplishing nothing.

But after evil arrived as a talking snake, causing Adam and Eve to be thrown out of the Garden of Eden, Adam started working hard toiling in the fields and Eve started working hard rearing her children.

Another example, though based on a comic book, is the story of Batman. Batman was an almost supernatural force of good. He was a crime-fighting genius who had the physical strength of ten men, and the fighting skills of Bruce Lee.

But what motivated him to become Batman was the brutal murder of both his parents. Without the brutal murder of his parents, he would have never became Batman.

So for good to exist, evil must exist. The purpose of evil is to create good.

Money Management

In high school, most of us are taught how to read, write, and do some math. But money management is never taught.

Though money management is one of the most important things to learn, not only is it not taught in high school, it is also not taught in colleges unless you are a business major.

This explains why millions of people are in debt, leading to divorce, depression, and crime.

Don't be one of these people. The rules of money management are easy.

Rule #1 - Don't spend money that you don't have. In fact, you should spend as little money as possible, and save as much as possible.

Rule #2 - Invest your money in stocks, real estate, or a business. This may seem unrealistic to you, especially if you are not making a lot of money. But if you read up on these things and get knowledgeable, you'll see that it is easier than you think.

Rule #3 - Only take out a loan if it is necessary (e.g., loans for college). And if you do take out a loan, make sure that you shop around and get the lowest interest rate possible.

There you have it. The three rules of money management. Now get out there and get rich!

Karma is a Bitch and Payback is a Monster

The universe is a vast place, but despite what many may think, it is very organized.

For example, like clockwork, the sun sets and rises, living things are born and then die, the ecosystem balances itself out, the strong survive and the weak perish, the planets orbit the sun, stars are created and then stars burn out or explode.

Indeed, the universe follows laws, and one of these laws is for every action there is an equal reaction. For people, this law is known as the law of karma, phrased as "what comes around goes around" or "karma is a bitch and payback is a monster."

How this law works is that your life rewards and punishments are linked directly to how you treat others. If you are good to others, others will be good to you and the universe will bless you with good things. If you are evil to others, others will be evil to you and the universe will curse you with evil things.

So the next time you become angry with someone, hold it in, walk away, and remember "what comes around goes around" and "karma is a bitch and payback is a monster."

Time Management

In many workplaces, it's commonplace to hear talk about improving your time management. But what exactly is time management? It's simply this: the ability to work fast.

Think about how much free time you would have if you were able to get your work done in half the time, one third of the time, or even one fourth of the time it normally takes you.

You would have much free time, right?

So if you want to be an expert in time management, shake your ass and work fast!

Adversity Motivates

The purpose of adversity is to motivate you to do better. If you are going through adversity right now, stop, listen, figure out what it means, then do the right thing.

Get motivated.

If you are having money problems, then you must learn more about how to make and manage money. If you are having relationship problems, then you must learn how to become a better friend, parent, or lover. If you are having problems at work, you must learn how to become a better employee.

Get motivated.

Stop blaming others for your problems. Use adversity as fuel to do your best.

Get motivated.

The Laws of Attracting Someone

Spring is in the air, you are single, and want to attract the opposite sex. What do you do? You can either experiment and try different things or you can use the laws of attracting someone.

What are these laws? Here they are.

1) Physical Attractiveness: To increase your chances of attracting someone, you want to make yourself as physically attractive as possible. The means dressing your best and getting into good physical shape, not to mention maintaining good hygiene.

2) Exposure: Get out of your home as much as possible. You're never going to meet someone by being a hermit. Besides, exposure makes you sexy. The more others see you here and there, the more attracted they will be to you.

3) Similarity: You heard the saying "Birds of a feather flock together." This is very true. It helps to be in places where others dress like you, look like you, and have similar interests as you. If you are religious, go to church. If you love art, go to art shows. If you love psychology (I do), go to psychology symposiums. You get the picture.

4) Complimentary: Sometimes opposites attract. People may be attracted to you if you have something that they wish they had. For example, a shy woman may be attracted to an outgoing man, because she may wish to be more outgoing. Or a poor woman may be attracted to the thickness of a man's wallet. So try to be the best you possibly can so you may attract someone who wants to be you.

5) Exchange: Make it worthwhile for someone to hang out with you. Do interesting activities with them, have fun, joke around, be a good listener, be romantic, etc.

Now that you know the laws of attracting someone, go out there and get your mate!

Don't Be a Diva

Albert Ellis, the founder of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), proposed that mentally amplifying the awfulness of circumstances is what leads to neurosis. In other words, being a diva causes neurosis.

Symptoms of neurosis include anxiety, depression, rage, and any other excessive negative emotion.

REBT conditions the mind to deflate or minimize the magnitude of adversities. Doing so deflates or minimizes the magnitude of negative emotions, reducing neurosis, leading to better mental functioning, thereby leading to better physical functioning.

So don't be a diva!

Do You Flow?

Along with Martin Seligman, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi was also a founder of the positive psychology movement that occurred approximately a decade ago.

Mihaly proposed a phenomenon called flow. Flow is a state where you get so involved in an activity that you perform it at peak performance - peak effectiveness and efficiency.

In order to get to this state, you must get fully immersed in the activity. Another name for this is "getting in the zone" or "being on point."

So if you're going to do something, REALLY do something.

Interpreting Reality

For many years, psychology has been focused on how to get malfunctioning individuals functional. From Sigmund Freud to Aaron Beck, the focus has been, for the most part, on how do you get depressed people undepressed, anxious people unanxious, angry people unangry, etc.

But what about normal people? How about getting normal people functioning even better?

In 1998, a movement called positive psychology had started within the field of psychology. One of the founders was Martin E.P. Seligman. In his book "Learned Optimism," he proposed that you can function better if you interpreted reality slightly different than you normally do.

For example, during a setback, you may interpret the setback as permanent (never going away), pervasive (carrying over into all areas of your life), or internal (it's all your fault). Interpreting reality this way will result in negative emotions: depression, anxiety, or anger. Thus, causing you to be less functional.

On the other hand, if you interpreted your setbacks as temporary (it will go away soon), compartmental (in only one area of your life), or external (it's some other person's fault), your emotions will be that of hope, causing you to function much better.

It's all a matter of how you interpret reality.