You might be concerned about affording an education through an accredited online college or University. engineering online universities online degrees from accredited universities online college universities bilkent university online academic . Even the basic college experience has been changed dramatically, favoring more elements of an accredited online university than ever before. True Any four year college or university that is accredited to grant an online bachelors degree may do so. Each accredited college and university listed provide a variety of online master’s degree and online MBA programs in many specialized areas. Rather than investigating “accreditted online college degrees,” look into the opportunities available through the nation’s largest accredited university. WGU is the only online accredited university and online college in the U.S.

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Admission into an Ivy League school, or equally competitive college, is a lofty goal. It requires years of dedication from both parents and students. These high-powered, historic institutions receive thousands of applications each year yet reject more than 85 percent of candidates. While there is no formula for gaining one of the coveted places, there are a number of strategies, techniques, and hints that give applicants an edge.

Students determined to get into a competitive college must begin their preparation well before their senior year of high school. For example, high powered schools look for students that have completed four years of math, science, and language courses. They expect applicants to maintain straight A’s while taking the most difficult course load their school has to offer. Students who go above and beyond academically by acing end-of-year Advanced Placement (AP) tests not only gain college credits but favor with admission boards as well.

All college-bound students are required to take the SAT I and II and submit the results to their selected schools. However, those applying to Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Brown, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Dartmouth, Yale, and the like should aim for higher than 1400 on the SATs to stay competitive. There are a variety of test preparation classes and materials available in bookstores and on the Web to streamline the studying process &ndash a process that should take place well before the end of a student’s senior year.

Because top-flight universities strive to create an atmosphere of diversity on their campuses, they are interested in students that are academically gifted but mature, confident, and motivated as well. They review applicants’ extra-curricular pursuits, particularly those that showcase a unique ability or leadership position. These activities set applicants apart from the crowd and are not necessarily limited to school sponsored sports. Initiating a food drive, becoming class president, or getting a part-time job can go a long way in illustrating strong ethics, enthusiasm, and perseverance.

The formal application process takes place during senior year and requires a great deal of planning and forethought. Applications must be filled out completely and define the applicant as a whole person, not just as an athlete or a star student. Remember, top-tier colleges want the most well rounded individuals. Students should provide letters of recommendation and write a personal essay that illustrates their ability to handle the strenuous pace of Ivy League life while augmenting campus variety.

If a student is really counting on their first choice school, they are encouraged to apply through early action or early decision programs. These programs require the application to be sent in months in advance and result in a much higher percentage of acceptance. Some programs stipulate that students may only apply to one school through the program and require a deposit, while others are not as binding. Research is crucial, as each school has a different policy.

Whatever you do, don’t assume that an Ivy League education is out of reach. Often, high school seniors are discouraged by the overwhelming number of students that don’t get the opportunity to walk the hallowed halls of Harvard; but, admissions committee members are quick to remind students that they stand no chance of admittance unless they try. You never know what an Ivy League school is looking for. It may just be you.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica (1999 edition) defines empathy as:

“The ability to imagine oneself in anther’s place and understand the other’s feelings, desires, ideas, and actions. It is a term coined in the early 20th century, equivalent to the German Einf

Burn fat build muscle are the twin goals that keep dedicated bodybuilders focused. The major purpose of doing strenuous gym work in the first place is to improve the condition of the body, and reducing the amount of fat you are carrying, and improving your muscle bulk and tone are important parts of this. You still need to understand the theories behind this to effectively burn fat and build muscle.

Tip 1

Don’t overlook cardio. It is a vital part of the twin goal of burn fat build muscle. When you develop a regular lifting routine, you will probably end up with an increased food intake. This is helpful in maintaining a strong and muscular body, but if your goals are to achieve health and definition as well, you need to do cardio to get rid of excess carbs and fat. You can do this by simple running or skipping.

Tip 2

One often overlooked method to help you burn fat/build muscle is to occasionally lift different amounts of weight. The fundamental principle is still to lift the largest weight possible without inducing strain, but an occasional lessening of the weight can have a different kind of benefit. If you lift lighter weights weekly you will be exercising different parts of the muscle. Doing a lot of reps with less weight will burn off a lot of fat, and give your muscles a better tone and appearance.

Tip 3

One of the most effective ways to burn fat - build muscle simultaneously is to make use of circuit training. You won’t find this at every health and fitness establishment, but take advantage of it if you do have access. If you have a running track, and weight lifting equipment in the center, you can keep switching from one to the other. Start by running, and then move in to the center and lift weights, and keep repeating the routine. You will find this extremely exhausting, but it will help you burn fat/build muscle together, and if used properly, will get you into the best condition possible.

Tip 4

It is incredible how often this last tip is overlooked even by people who are deadly serious about bodybuilding. Take care over the make up of your daily food intake, and you will see a dramatic improvement in your results. Taking in less fat will give you less to burn off, and increased protein will help muscles repair and build following work. Burn fat + Build muscle = less work, and I’m sure you would like faster progress with less strain!

Working out effectively will always produce better results than blindly lifting weights, so take on board the advice in this article and burn fat and build muscle. Check out the links below for some more great tips, and good luck!

The Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV includes practically every channel offered in the United States for a great price. You get all the sports channels, movie channels, news channels, shopping channels and tons of specialty and informational programming like “The Learning Channel” and “The Food Network.” You even get your local channels so you can see local news and local programming. Not only do you get great television shows and movies, you also get the full spectrum of music - more of a variety then you get on your conventional radio. The best thing is that it is affordable and easy to have set up in your home.

One of the best things about the Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV is all the movie channels you get. With all these channels, you will never have to rent another movie again. The package includes 8 HBO channels, 11 Starz channels, and 6 Showtime channels, FLIX, two Disney Channels and three channels showing Cinemax. Some of these channels feature specific types of movies. For example, one of the Starz channels exclusively shows movies based on real events, while another only broadcasts love stories. Similarly, there are two HBO channels dedicated to programming that can be enjoyed by the entire family. If your taste in movies is a little more eclectic, the Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV also features The Independent Film Channel and the Sundance Channel. Many other channels that are part of the Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV also broadcast movies. For example, WE: Women’s Entertainment and the Sci-FI Channel. If you are into older, classic movies, check out Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and American Movie Classics, both of which are part of the Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV.

Another great reason to choose the Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV is all of the sports events, news and commentary. You not only get the four ESPN channels (ESPN, ESPN Classic, ESPN2, and ESPN News), you also get all the FSN networks. If you have had to move away from your favorite team or if you are just having a hard time finding the games that feature your favorite teams, then the FSN channels are what you are looking for. You get 17 FSN channels to help you keep up with your favorite teams from all over the country. You also get the Empire Sports Network, 3 Comcast SportsNet Channels, New England Sports Net, Madison Square Gardens Channel, the Yes Network, the Sunshine Network, Altitude Sports and Entertainment, the Golf Channel and the Outdoor Life Network to help you keep up with all those outdoor sports you love.

Perhaps you like your television to be more educational. If that is the case, then the Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV is definitely right for you. Not only do you get The Learning Channel, you also get channels like the Biography Channel, the History Channel, The Science Channel, and the National Geographic Channel. With the Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV, you even get the NASA Channel. Perhaps you want to learn a new skill or brush up on some technique you learned long ago. You can check out the Do-It Yourself Network for programming that covers, you guessed it, do-it yourself activities. You can learn the recipes for delicious new dishes on The Food Network, and programming featuring Home and Garden Television can give you helpful redecorating and improvement ideas no matter what kind of space you have. You also get 5 Discovery Channels, including one specially devoted to programming for children.

Speaking of programming for children, the Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV has lots of channels especially for children. The movie and learning channels aimed at children have already been listed, but Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV also includes Nicktoons, PBS Kids, the Cartoon Network, Noggin, Nickelodeon, and Boomerang. Other channels offered by Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV often show programming with the family in mind. These channels include the Hallmark Channel, Lifetime, and PAX.

The Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV also features all of the news channels from around the country. Not only do you get CNN and Fox News, you also get Bloomberg TV, CNBC, Newsworld International, the Weather Channel, MSNBC, Headline News, and C-Span. If you are more interested in the latest celebrity news than in political news, the Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV also features E! Entertainment Television as well as A&E, 2 VHI channels, Fuse, 2 MTV channels, and Country Music Television. If you are looking for a different spin on the news, you can check out BBC America and Link TV, both of which are offered as part of the Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV.

Last but certainly not least, there is a whole world of music broadcast over the satellite dish available to you when you buy the Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV. There are 36 stations, each devoted to a different genre of music. These stations include everything from 70’s music to Reggae to solid gold oldies and on to arena rock to show tunes as well as recent hits. There is even a channel devoted solely to Christmas music. For the kids, Radio Disney is also a part of the package. The music stations offered by DIRECTV as part of your channel package offer a much greater variety of music than what can be found on most local stations, even if you live in a large metropolitan area with lots of radio stations. Furthermore, the signal is digital, so the music will sound crisp and clear, just like the artist intended it to sound.

Total Choice Premier Channel Package from DIRECTV has everything you could possibly want in a channel package, and is also possibly one of the most complete channel packages in the country. Movies, sports, and news - anything you want to watch is available on these channels.

Susan’s a math whiz and Caleb’s an artist extraordinaire. That’s, great but wouldn’t it be better if Caleb could improve in math and Susan could develop some artistic skills? They can and it’s easy.

Researchers have recently discovered that whole-brain learning or brain-based learning is an efficient and effective learning strategy that helps kids (parents and teachers, too) learn anything easily without struggling.

One feature of brain-based learning involves using both the right side and the left side of the brain. Although nobody is just left brain or just right brain, most of us have a dominance.

Susan’s math aptitude means she is probably left-brain dominant, and Caleb, the artist, has a right-brain dominance.

Learning to read and write requires using both sides of the brain. So does learning math and even doing art. In fact, doing just about anything well, including thinking clearly, and even problem solving, involves using the right and left hemispheres of the front part of the brain.

How do you accomplish this? Easy. Just move across the center mid-line of your body. Every time you move your right arm to your left side or your left arm to your right side, you’re crossing the mid-line and improving learning, thinking, and problem solving. Now you’re using brain-based learning.

Works for kids. Works for you. Try these parenting tips and teacher resources today.

1. Give yourself a big hug.

2. Tell kids the only rule is to cross the mid-line of the body, right hand to left side, left hand to right side. Now let them invent ways of doing this.

3. Dance the hula. Or twirl a hula hoop.

4. Take a Brain Boosters TeleClass. Sign up at .brainboostersforyourkids.com Or a Brain Gym class. Sign up at .BrainGymClasses.com

5. Do the twist. (So you weren’t dancing in the 50s and 60s? Ask somebody to show you how to twist or get a dance video.) Twist with the kids while you listen to some old Chubby Checker songs.

6. Rake some leaves with your kids, making sure you’re raking off to the side instead of straight in front of you.

7. Play a board game. (Use your right hand to move your piece when it’s in the left corner and vice versa.)

8. Practice using your non-dominant hand to reach for things on the opposite side of your body. Even writing and drawing with your non-dominant hand helps. (You’ll get better with practice.)

9. Do Yoga and Tai Chi. Lots of moves cross the mid-line.

10. Cross your ankles and arms in front or in back when you’re doing jumping jacks. Kids can usually do this. If you can’t, try it in a swimming pool.

This brain-based learning strategy really isn’t all that complicated. Lots of everyday kinds of activities get the whole brain active. Sitting around watching TV, however, isn’t one of them! You and your kids have to move around and cross your mid- line. It’s fun.

Before anyone experiences hypnosis and starts using it to make wonderful, beneficial changes in their life, this article is designed to perhaps to answer a few questions you may have and also to dispel a few myths and misconceptions about hypnosis.

You know, I still meet people that believe that experiencing hypnosis is like being unconscious. I always reply, “What would be the point of that? Spending money and time to be unconscious in someone else’s company?? If I wanted you to be unconscious we would simply bash you over the head!” So it is important that you also know that hypnosis is not about being unconscious and that you have the correct expectations about the hypnotic experience that you are going to have, should you choose to invest in one of our products or experience hypnosis for yourself with a hypnotist.

In order to understand hypnosis, it is important to understand and differentiate between our minds. By that I am referring to our conscious mind, where we are now and just below that level of awareness is our unconscious mind (also known as the subconscious mind, for the purpose of easy understanding they are the same thing).

The conscious mind is where we usually spend most of our waking time, you know that internal dialogue we have that thinks “hmmm, what shoes shall I wear today” that is your conscious mind. Your conscious mind basically does four things;

Firstly, your conscious mind analyses. What is that? Well that is the part of us that looks at problems, analyses them and tries to create solutions to those problems. It is that part of us that makes decisions all day every day “shall I open the door?”, “Shall I have something to eat”, even though they are automatic behaviours, we make a conscious decision about whether or not to do these things.

The second part of our conscious mind is our rationale, the part of us that, especially in western cultures, always has to know “Why” things happen and “Why” we behave in particular ways. This can cause us so many problems as we give any problems more and more credence and power. More conventional and traditional methods of counselling or psychotherapy are often very much concerned with looking at causes of our problems and it is my opinion that all this does is teaches us “why” they happen as opposed to giving us the skills required to changing unwanted habits and behaviours. The more we think about “why” we do things the more we seem to embed the unwanted behaviour into our psyches!

The third part of our conscious mind is will power, that teeth-gritted determination that so many of us are proud to demonstrate. How many times have we used our will power alone to make changes and found that our will power weakens and that change is temporary or non-existent.

The final part of our conscious mind is your short-term memory. By that I am referring to the things that you need to remember to function on a day-to-day basis, so that when your phone rings you know to answer it rather than stare at it wondering it is, or ensuring that you cross the road without being run over.

That is the conscious part of your mind, it is logical, rational and analytical, a bit like Mr Spock from the Start Trek series and as much as it pains me to say it, our conscious mind is frequently wrong about things.

Your conscious mind is wherever you happen to be pointing it at any given time. I am sure you have been in a busy, noisy environment, such as a restaurant or a bar and have been engaged in a conversation with another individual, and all the sounds going on around you just seem to blend into the background. Then someone else ten metres away can punctuate their sentence with your name and you pick it out as if it was being spoken to you. This illustrates that unconsciously, you are aware of many, many pieces of information every second of your life, sounds, colours, thoughts etc, yet your conscious mind allows you to focus upon what is pertinent or relevant to you at that moment.

If you take that conscious awareness and point it inside of yourself instead of outside into the world, you begin to become aware of your inner self, your unconscious self, which is the part of you that we work with in hypnosis.

Your unconscious mind is tremendously powerful and automates as much behaviour as it possibly can so that we do not have to think about it. For example, there was a time in your life when you had to be shown how to tie your shoelaces, and you concentrated on doing this. I suspect that by this stage in your life you know how tie your shoelaces very well and you don’t even think about doing it, you just do it. I have a lonely Auntie who as a boy, my mother would ask me to phone on a weekly basis as she thought this would make her happy and I vividly remember hearing her lighting up a cigarette and heavily exhaling the smoke while on the phone, she didn’t even think about what she was doing, she just associated smoking with being on the phone.

We are amazing learning machines and we learn behaviours and habits and then our unconscious mind automates them and does them on auto pilot so that we do not have to think about doing them.

Your unconscious mind has within it all your long-term memory. Just about every blade of grass that you have seen in your entire lifetime is stored away in your long-term memory that serves as an amazing storage centre. These memories affect us in varying ways, some more than others. Sometimes our ability to remember them is not as fluid as we need, as it is often not necessary to have all our memory in the forefront of our minds. For example, right now you are unlikely to be thinking about everything that happened to you on your last birthday, however, me just mentioning it, you can dig into your unconscious, long-term memory and remember.

Another example is if you have ever seen a live stand up comedy show. You watch the comedian and laugh (or not as the case may be!) heartily as you listen to lots and lots of jokes. Then when you leave the venue, you can remember none of them, or one or two at best! Then, a week later, a friend that you were with can say to you “do you remember such and such a joke from last weeks comedian” and you think “oh yeeeaaah!” as you bring that information out from your long-term memory. You know that you know the joke, it was just not at the forefront of your conscious mind, it was tucked away in the deeper unconscious.

Your unconscious mind knows more about you than you consciously that you know. Sound confusing? Well, just think, you are currently breathing, your heart is beating (I do hope!) you are digesting, your body is regulating its body temperature, it is doing a range of wonderful things without you having to consciously think about it. You are not sat around thinking “I really must remember to breathe”. We are not machines, there is an intelligence within us that knows how to do these things, and it is that intelligence that we tap into with hypnosis.

Your unconscious mind is where you get your gut feelings, your instincts and intuition that communicates with you sporadically from time to time. Like when sometimes, someone can be saying all the right words to you, but you get a different feeling about them.

Your unconscious mind is a bit like a computer. Throughout your entire lifetime it has been programmed with all your experiences, relationships, interpretations of the world, influences and all this has culminated in your computer functioning with that programming. Hypnosis is simply a way of accessing that computer and updating that programming so that it becomes instinctive and intuitive for you to make the changes that please you.

Your unconscious mind is the seat of your emotions and where your behaviours exist and it is the part of you that we work with in hypnosis. Hypnosis is a way of us stepping over your conscious mind and accessing the unconscious mind to make powerful and profound changes.

Now, I am sure that you have experienced natural trance states many times before, in fact I know it. For example, when you have been driving in a car and thought to yourself “ooh, how did I get here?” or when you have been reading a book and you’ve turned the page and thought “I have no idea what I have just read, I am going to have to read it all again”. I can remember being at school watching my history teacher teach me, yet my mind was a million miles away wishing I was doing something else. All common experiences, daydream like states that we all experience, many times a day. The only difference between these naturally occurring states and those that we use in therapeutic hypnosis, is that with the hypnosis, you intend to enter the state, you are in control of it and it is just like a slightly amplified, deeper version of the state. That is it. Sometimes it is simply like sitting in a chair with your eyes closed, not the magical mystical or unusual experience that some people are led to believe it is.

It is important here to know that you cannot be made to do anything that you don’t want to do. Very important. I had a guy that a doctor referred to me, came to see me and said to me “my doctor told me come and see you as I have emphysema and am going to die of it unless I stop smoking”. I said to him, well I presume you want to stop, he said “oh, no, I love smoking, it is one of few remaining pleasures.” I had to send him away as I cannot make him do something that he does not want to. Can you imagine if I could do that!! Wow. I could go and see my bank manager and make him give me million pounds without returning it! You never read about “Baddy hypnotists” making people rob banks or anything else absurd, because it cannot be done.

People usually then say to me “ok Adam, I hear and understand what you are saying and it all makes sense”. However, I have seen stage hypnosis and seen people dancing like chickens, are you telling me that they want to do that?” I am saying that these people are not being made to do things that they don’t want to do.

When someone buys tickets to a stage hypnosis show, they are being permissive to the notion that they are going to see hypnosis for entertainment; they expect certain things to happen. Secondly, when the stage hypnotist asks the audience “who wants to come on stage” the people that agree to do so or put their hands up are saying “yes, I want to be hypnotised”, they are not being made to do anything they don’t want to do. The stage hypnotist ensures that the individuals on the show are receptive and follow a large number of compliance exercises and it begins to create the illusion that these people are doing things that they don’t want to do, when they are not. The hypnosis can step over the inhibitions of the conscious mind, so that the individuals behave with more openness, they just cannot be made to do things they don’t want to do.

Anyone can be hypnotised. I work with insomniacs, heroin addicts, schizophrenics, people experiencing chemotherapy, these are all people that are often convinced that they cannot relax or cannot be hypnotised, and as long as they want to, they all can and they all do.

All that is required is that you have an open mind, that you expect it to work and have progressive, motivated thoughts about the processes, follow the sessions and allow them to help you help yourself to make the changes you want and deserve.

Finally, at the beginning of the recorded hypnosis sessions and/or individual NLP or hypnosis sessions with me (I cannot speak for other therapists, we all do things differently) individually, you may be asked to do a number of different things with your mind and you can be forgiven for thinking, “well, he asked me to do this, and now something else, and now another thing, what exactly am I supposed to be listening to?” The simple answer is that you listen and follow as much or as little as you want to, remember that is your conscious mind thinking those thoughts and that is not the part of you that we are working with and making the change with. I am sure that there will also be times when you’ll be thinking “hmmm… am I in hypnosis, what am I supposed to be thinking or feeling.” Again that is your conscious mind thinking that thought and does not matter what it is thinking. It can be attempting to follow everything that I am saying or just wandering off and thinking about whatever you like, just trust that your unconscious mind is absorbing all that you want it to.

There will be times in the sessions when you may be asked to imagine things. Imagining things does not have to mean visualising. If I ask you to think of a favourite place, you can imagine what it would be like, you don’t have to be seeing a picture perfect cinema version of it in your mind. You can imagine, sense, think, or just know it without seeing it or picturing it in every detail. If I asked you to imagine the sound your feet make when you walk across gravel, you know the sound I am talking about and you can imagine it, but you are not necessarily hearing it in your ears, you can imagine it. That is all you’ll need.

So, hypnosis is not like being unconscious, it is almost like having heightened awareness, it requires you to want the change, have an open, positive mind, as best as you can, and allow whatever happens to happen, without trying to grasp at what you think should happen, just letting it happen.

I wish you all the very best with whichever hypnosis product, or with any consultative sessions you are considering having with any qualified therapist or any training you plan to attend and I just know that having come this far, you really can do it, and make the changes that you want to make with hypnosis.

Americans spend more on gambling than all other recreation combined. For most, it’s a fun diversion but for a few, gambling can become a serious, life-altering problem.

Problem gambling is behavior that causes disruptions in any major area of a person’s life. It affects as many as six to nine million Americans.

Would you recognize a gambling problem in someone you know? It may be easier if you know the signs. Here are some questions from the National Council on Problem Gambling. If you or someone you know answers yes to any of the following questions, it is likely that gambling has become problematic.

1) Have you gambled until your last dollar is gone?

2) Have you often gambled longer than you had planned?

3) Have you lied about your gambling to friends or family?

4) Have you used your income or savings to gamble while letting bills go unpaid?

5) Have you made repeated attempts to stop gambling?

6) Have you broken the law or considered breaking the law to get money to gamble?

7) Have you borrowed money to finance your gambling?

Have you felt depressed or suicidal because of your gambling losses?

9) Have you been remorseful after gambling?

10) Have you gambled to try to get money to meet your financial obligations?

“Problem gambling is not a bad habit or a moral weakness. It’s a serious condition that responds well to treatment,” explains Keith Whyte, executive director at the National Council on Problem Gambling. Whyte says that anyone can develop a problem with gambling. It can affect men or women of any age, race or religion, regardless of their social status. Some risk factors, individually or in combination, might make a person more vulnerable:

• A stressful life event such as the death of a loved one, divorce, job loss, injury/disability

• An early big win

• Pre-existing mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, alcoholism

• Family history of addictions such as alcoholism, compulsive gambling and drug addiction.

There is hope and help for problem gamblers and their loved ones-and many people who seek help do recover. For more information, call (800) 522-4700.

A problem gambler doesn’t need to wait to “hit bottom” before asking for help.

Note to Editor: This article would be appropriate to use during National Problem Gambling Awareness Week, March 6 - 12, 2006, or anytime throughout the year.

Ever wonder if your insecurities about math will be passed down to your children? You’re not alone. Many parents who struggled with math in the past believe that their children may have similar problems in the future. Relax. Remedial and even advanced math skills are not genetic.

You can help your child acquire a love of math by turning everyday activities into learning opportunities.

According to Dr. Andrea Pastorok, education psychologist for Kumon Math and Reading Centers, fostering a child’s love of math should be fun and stress-free. “Children have a natural ability to reason and problem solve. Parents who show enthusiasm for math will help build these important skills needed for life,” says Pastorok.

Here are some simple activities that can make learning seem more like child’s play:

• Draw a large number on a piece of paper and encourage your child to transform the number into his favorite animal, food, person or imaginary character.

•Involve your child in measuring ingredients when you cook or in figuring out if a container is big enough to hold her toy cars and blocks.

•Ask your child to count each apple slice or pretzel while dividing snacks onto two plates to share with a sibling or friend.

• When you ask for something, ask for a certain number. (”Can I please have five crayons?”)

• Count together daily; count cars, trees, homes, stoplights. Each day, add a few numbers to your child’s vocabulary.

• Teach fractions by cutting a whole sandwich in half and then in fourths, showing the relationship between “whole, half and fourths” -and then have your child put the sandwich together as a whole.

• Hands should be washed for a minimum of 10 seconds. Have your child count to 10 or 15 each time he washes his hands.

• Teach the logic of adding numbers. As she progresses, teach your child to count by twos, fives and tens.

• Talk about the shapes on a tiled floor. If you look at them one way, they’re squares; if you look from a different angle, they’re diamonds.

• Help him to see counting as a pattern and predict what comes next by asking such questions as, “We’re reading page six in our book now. What will the next page be? What was the page we just read?”

These easy activities can build the foundation for an appreciation of numbers. In addition, you’ll be delighted to see your child demonstrate creative reasoning, knowing you have stimulated it.

Most people are familiar with the term hypnosis, and for many it elicits negative feelings because of how Hollywood projects it through B-rated films. The hypnotist portrayed as a pocket watch waving practitioner assuming complete control over their subject has been a common portrayal that’s still ingrained in the minds of many.

With movies showing people being ‘put under’ and often doing questionable things outside their control, it’s no wonder that many are skeptical, or fearful, of its power to change their lives for the better.

The term hypnosis comes from the Greek word ‘ypnos’, meaning sleep, and this has caused a misconception that when you are hypnotized you are asleep and unconscious. This is simply not the case. When you are under hypnosis, you enter a deeply relaxed state, but you are in fact awake and aware of everything around you.

It is true that when you are in a hypnotic state that you become more susceptible to suggestions, and this where autosuggestion comes to work. Autosuggestion, also known as autogenic training, is a means by which you can train your subconscious mind to focus on and be open to what is being heard. When trying to improve one’s self, this is a good way to get past the mental barriers and doubts that can hold us back from accomplishing our goals.

Those concerned about being hypnotized and made to do something they don’t want to do need not worry, while you may be more susceptible to suggestions being made while in a hypnotic state, you won’t lose the critical defenses and standards you normally have.

If you choose to utilize self hypnosis techniques, here are some things to bear in mind to help you get optimal results from your efforts:

Determine your objectives first.

It’s usually better if you concentrate on one main objective at a time, since this helps you put more focus on it, and thereby increases the probability of success. Do you want to lose a bad habit? Or do you want to excel in a particular field of your academics?

Discipline yourself.

Any self help development program calls for your time and attention. Create a regular schedule for your sessions and find a place where you can be relaxed without disruptions.

The present is what counts.

You should always use the present tense when verbally or mentally affirming your desired goals. Affirmations should start with ‘I am’ and not ‘I will’. Positive affirmations are aimed at making positive changes in your life right now, as in today and right at this moment; therefore they should speak of and in the present.

Practice makes perfect.

While every individual session helps, most self hypnosis techniques take repeated sessions before the affirmations fully ingrain themselves in the listeners subconscious. Depending on your particular program, you may need to continue with a self hypnosis program as long as 30 days in order for the autogenic training to be fully accepted.

Hypnotherapy sessions are powerful ways to train your mind to help you achieve your goals, and despite what the movies might have you believe, are not something that need to be feared.