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.