Copywriters and Article Marketing: What Should You Write?

So you've decided to market your home-based copywriting business through article writing. Fantastic! Now comes the hard part: narrowing it down to a topic. What the heck are you going to say in your article?

A friend of mine recently suggested that I write more articles about copywriting. Not such a bad idea, being a copywriter and all. But here's a thought: if all you ever write about is writing, where is the proof that you can actually write? At some point, your prospects WILL ask for samples of work for their specific niches; that is, if you plan to serve clients, and I'm sure you do as that's what a "freelance copywriter" does for a living!

To the copywriter especially, article marketing is a beautiful thing. Why? It allows you to target any audience in any category that YOU choose.

Let's say someone out there in the great beyond is perusing a vegetable garden website... and this person also has some vague plans to create a gardening website of his own. YOU want to be a gardening writer. Now, if your gardening article is placed the aforementioned garden website, along with a bio that describes you as a gardening writer, guess what? Good old Broccoli Rob is probably checking out your work. If he likes what he sees, you've got yourself one paid garden writing project! Brilliant.

Another example. You're a pet person. You'd love to write web copy about dogs, cats, gerbils... any and all of God's creatures. But, uh-oh, you have no *official* experience! So what? Start writing, my friend. The assignment: one web article about How to Paper Train Your Puppy. In your bio, give a brief summary of your copywriting experience and throw in a line about how you're a pet writer. Pretty soon, what do you know... the Westminster Dog Show people are knocking on your door asking for an E-book about dogs. Way to go, pet writer!

Don't forget the context in which your web articles appear. YOU see the articles as they exist on a submission website. But the reader has an entirely different perspective! Imagine your article in all its shining glory on the delivery page. What's that bio say? Who are you and why would these people want to call you for a paid assignment? You must tell them in your article!

Still convinced you want to write about copywriting and copywriting alone? Okay, but keep this in mind: nine times out of ten, the folks who are interested in reading articles about copywriting are looking to become copywriters themselves.

You can offer them some free advice if you think it will help just to get your name out there. But, don't expect huge contracted jobs to come from "writing about writing." As the Copywriting Guru, you darn well better have some revenue-generating product to pitch on your own website. Think copywriting tips, templates and tools that would-be writers might want to purchase from YOU, the expert!

Article marketing is every writer's dream come true. It's the chance to mold yourself into something hugely successful on the web... and that something can be whatever you want. Just think of the hundreds of different markets out there waiting for you to bestow your expert copywriting talents upon them. Okay, now stop thinking... and start WRITING!

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.

Find out how crisp, targeted copywriting can make a world of difference for your business. Dina Giolitto is a Copywriting Consultant with ten years of experience. Visit http://Wordfeeder.com for free tips on branding, copywriting, marketing, and more.

Put a Couple of Elephants on Your Plate

How do you eat two elephants? The same way you would eat one; one bite at a time. Monstrous tasks often appear to be complex and overwhelming. That's why it's so very important to isolate the parts from the whole. Break your elephant-sized project into several smaller tasks. Identify one area and cut it down to size. Lather, rinse, and eat. The key is to begin! It doesn't matter if you have or elephants on your agenda. Put one of them on your plate today. Target one part, and start!

Every one on us-including the most seasoned trainer-can benefit from a review of the basic principles for effectively conquering even the most monstrous task on our agenda. However, doing so requires following specific steps. The first step is to commit to the completion of your project. Two, identify and secure the tools and resources you will need. And three, write down the time and day you expect to have your project completed. Many people know what they need to achieve, but they fail to take these preliminary steps. Simply taking these steps will increase your efficiency, accelerate your success and get it all done, sooner.

Create Your Own Systems for Success

A great time to go to work on your task is?during your peak period of productivity. Critical is identifying or creating new systems for your success. For example, when approaching piles of paper, separate and shred on Tuesday, file and process on Wednesday, and repeat until you're finished. Give yourself permission to ask for help when tackling large tasks. Have a "dinner party" with the perfect ambiance and double your efficiency. Make sure your environment is climate-controlled and the appropriate amount of light. Remember, your life is full of distractions, don't allow the phone, doorbell, uninvited guests or disempowering thoughts to interrupt your "meal."

Challenge Yourself

Challenge yourself to take 20 "bites" or more every day until you complete your task. Competing against yourself can actually make your project fun. Feeling a bit full after just a few bites? Take a 10 - 15 minute break to digest. Go for a walk, check in with a loved one or read a magazine. Then, pull up your sleeves and go right back to the table.

Begin Today

Take the thirty or more minutes you would normally spend watching TV, and put an elephant or two on your plate, today. Dig in! You'll not only produce greater personal and professional results, you'll take a bite out of wasted time.

Fran Briggs is President of the Fran Briggs Companies, an organization that helps people maximize their human potential. For time management and innovative success tools. Visit http://www.franbriggs.com and sign up for your free successzine. It's loaded with innovative tips and strategies for success.

Introducing GRML

Creating a new markup language.

Introduction.

General Reuse Markup Langauge, or GRML, is a markup language for web browsers. It has the data definition features of character-delimited files and XML, with the hyperlinking and form support of HTML.

The purpose of this article is to show why GRML exists and how it complements HTML, XML, RSS, and character-delimited formats.

Background.

GRML is not the result of a specific plan. It was developed as a solution to another problem, namely reusing data from a web service. It began with the development of a web front-end to request content from a few web services. A data format was needed to handle responses. Having data in some arbitrary format was too limiting. Something formal was needed.

HTML and XML were considered, but they did not quite fit the front-end being developed. There needed to be another choice, one with...

support for multiple views (the front-end used a List control that has 4);

a way to define multiple sets of data for multidimensional views;

content that translates to/from other formats; and

a distinction between the display of the form and view.

Since there was no format that met all the requirements, the front-end was going to need something new. Using the front-end, it was possible to develop a format and test it for these requirements. In other words, the front-end existed before the markup language!

The format that resulted was GRML. It was designed to use forms and views, supports multiple and multidimensional views, works with existing web servers, and adapts to other formats. Once the markup language was finished, the web front-end became a web browser.

Now that the objective for GRML has been explained, the next step is to understand, in detail, why existing formats were not chosen.

Understanding Markup Languages.

Before going through the process of understanding why GRML is necessary, the existing formats need to be introduced and their design goals identified. The formats are considered from a data handling perspective, so no discussion of games, movies, music, advertising, and entertainment are mentioned.

For the purposes of creating a markup language, the two major features for browsing web pages are the form and view. A form contains any input control for user requests. A view displays content, or data from the web page without the markup tags or formatting elements.

Given the requirement of the form and view, it is possible to compare each format.

HTML is the most prevalent format on the web. It is designed for data display. There is form and view support.

XML is a minor format on the web. It is designed for data definition. It lacks form and view support.

RSS is a minor format on the web. It is designed for data definition. It lacks form support but has a view.

CSV or character-delimited formats are rarely used on the web. It is designed for data definition. It lacks form support but has a view.

Now that each format has been introduced, it is possible to understand the place for GRML on the web.

Let's begin with...

HTML.

There is really only one markup language in widespread use on the web (in other words, 99% of all web pages use this language), and that is HyperText Markup Language, or HTML. HTML describes how data is displayed. It tells the web browser how the web page looks in the web browser view. With HTML, all content is displayed in the view, including forms, text, and images. HTML decides how to display the web page.

Web page content, using HTML, is defined only for images and hyperlinks. Text content is not defined, making it incompatible to use in other formats. Therefore, adapting HTML content to other formats is the most limited of all formats considered.

The single view approach of HTML prevents dynamically switching the content in the view. There is no way to present related sets of HTML content (e.g. 2 different pages from a message board, or 4 different pages of news headlines, or 8 different pages of auction results, etc.) in the view without loading different pages and navigating between them. Hence, HTML does not support multidimensional views.

Because HTML decides the web page display, it prevents multiple views of content. HTML does not support multidimensional views and is not easy to adapt to other formats. Also, it combines the form and view in one display. For these reasons, it proved to be an inadequate choice.

Next is...

XML.

XML, or eXtensible Markup Language, is designed for adaptability. Databases, spreadsheets, CSV, or character-delimited files are all potentially able to format their data using XML. It defines what data is, rather than how it is displayed. This makes XML adaptable to other file formats.

There is no one XML document format. It is a standard for defining how to structure data. This lack of a specific data format prevents XML from defining any view of its content. It also does not define input controls for use in a form.

A lack of view support in XML prevents multiple AND multidimensional views. Without form support, a user is not able to send requests. While XML is adaptable to other formats, it is not an adequate choice.

So far, HTML and XML have proven insufficient. The next to consider is...

RSS.

RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a specific data format of a XML data structure. Therefore, RSS is able to support a view of its data. Also, since it is based on XML, it defines its data rather than how it is displayed. View support with data definition means that RSS supports multiple views of its content.

As an XML format, RSS lacks any form support. Input controls do not exist using XML, hence are missing from RSS. For this reason, it is not sufficient.

Only one format remains, and it is...

CSV or character-delimited.

CSV (comma separated values) or character-delimited formats are used by databases, spreadsheets, and many other data-oriented applications to store information to file. It is a format that is adaptable to other formats because it does not use any display tags. The format consists almost entirely of content, except for the character used for the delimiter.

This format has a view because it is almost entirely content and lacks markup tags. Its focus on content means that it is the most reusable of any format considered. No display tags are used, so it supports multiple views.

The lack of data definition tags means there is no way to distinguish between sets of data. Hence, CSV or character-delimited files do not support multidimensional views. In addition, it is not possible to define input controls for a form. This means no form support.

Therefore, this format is an insufficient choice. This is why it was necessary to create...

GRML.

GRML defines the form and view separately. Input controls for a form are defined separately from content used in the view. Also, content is defined explicitly in GRML, with text defined separately from hyperlinks and images. Display tags do not exist in GRML. The web browser decides how to display the web page. This means support for multiple views.

Using data definition tags allows GRML to be adaptable to other formats (HTML, XML, RSS, CSV or character-delimited). It also enables different sets of content to be named, which means support for multidimensional views.

Conclusion.

After considering all the available formats for a markup language, each lacked at least one of the listed requirements. None met the design goals of the web front-end. Therefore, it was necessary to create a new format, GRML.

Quick Reference.

HTML is used with multi-form, single-view, one dimensional, display-oriented web browsers.

GRML is used with single-form, multi-view, multidimensional, data-oriented web browsers.

RSS is used with no form, single-view, one dimensional, data-oriented web browsers.

About The Author

Developing with MFC for a couple of years now. Working at getting my new web browsers just right. Take a look at GRMLBrowser.com.

Living in Memphis, TN and it is great coz there are absolutely no major sports teams (well, except for the Grizzlies).

Priesthood is Not a Profession - Does this Attest for Unprofessionalism?

1 INTRODUCTION

AS IN THE ABSTRACT

2 WHY PRIESTHOOD IS NOT A PROFESSION?

There is a valid reasoning behind the view that priesthood is not a profession. Because, the primary motivating factor in choosing a profession is the 'remuneration' received or monetary benefits involved. The secondary factors are job satisfaction, fulfillment, sense of achievement, success and so on. It should be noted here that reversal of primary and secondary motivating factors is not an unconceivable and uncommon possibility.

As a minister of God, one cannot be driven by the 'remuneration' factor or afford to have a 9 to 5 work schedule after which the priest is not available or may not be disturbed. Neither can a priest's ministry be entirely counted on job satisfaction or achievement. Nor is the call to priesthood just a call to be successful. Similar sentiments were made evident in the 1983 Code of Canon law. Reinforcing the above sentiments the 1983 Code of Canon Law, changed the term 'stipend' of the 1917 Code to 'offering' for the money given to a priest to celebrate Eucharist. The 1983 Code saw the term 'offering' more fitting because the word 'stipend' would have connotations of payment in return for a job performed. But the word 'offering' brings out the aspect of something that is given freely 'for the honor of God or for the poor'. These are the considerations that are involved in the argument that priesthood is not a profession. This paper would now go on to discuss the differences between choosing one's profession and realizing one's call to priesthood.

2.1 PROFESSION VS VOCATION TO PRIESTHOOD

As a member of any society, everyone is expected to contribute to that society in a productive way. This has twofold benefits. First, in terms of the individual, it enables one to earn one's living, and it gives the individual the purpose for one's existence and meaning and fulfillment in one's life. The second benefit is to the society. The individual's talents and abilities are utilized by the society to meet the diverse needs of its members including the basic needs. It would take only common sense to realize that it is impossible for everyone to do everything. Imagine for instance that if every individual has to meet all his or her needs by himself or herself ? a situation where one has to grow his or her own food, raise his or her own livestock for milk, meat, and wool and hide, grow his or her own cotton and make one's own clothes, treat oneself of ailments, make one's own bricks and produce cement and cast iron and build one's own house out of these material and manufacture one's own vehicles and find one's own fuel boring the earth ? how complicated life in this planet would be? Societal living simplifies life. It pools together various talents and abilities and workforce and human-power and makes it available to the individuals in the form of finished products and necessary commodities. So everyone need not have to do everything, but only contribute their part. Thus it can be either the need in or of a particular society or time or one's interest which determines one's profession. The individual is free to choose one's profession basing on monetary benefits or based on one's aptitude irrespective of proportional monetary gain.

In today's competitive world, in any profession one has to be highly competent to be successful and to stay in the game or else one would be put out of use. It means one has to equip oneself and undergo appropriate training. One's personal worth is measured against one's position in the ladder of success. The pressure of competition is so incredible that no one has any time for anything else or anybody else, not even for themselves. Everybody is busy trying to keep him or herself in the game lest the world would label them as 'losers'.

Thus, the factors that control the entire cybernetics of 'profession' are to be seen in the following: Profit, Power, Success, Staying in the game, Esteem, Self-Worth, Individualism, Wealth and Prosperity. These are both motivating and control factors of the whole gamut of 'professions'. However, it should be acknowledged here that these are the general trends. There are exceptions. There are people who choose and stay in a profession not necessarily because of the above factors but because of personal convictions. This paper's interest is to be seen in the general trend and not in the exceptions.

In contrast, Priesthood is perceived as a special call from God to dedicate oneself in a special way different from those who have been called to serve Him through married life. The individual feels the divine call in his heart in a way chosen by God to inspire the individual. For some, the call is realized during one's moments of success or achievement. For some others, it is realized during the sense of emptiness that follows one's moment of glory and success or achievement. Others realize it during their moments of failure or depression. For some their wealth and riches become instrumental in realizing this call and it is in their poverty some others become aware of this call. One can go on listing a number of occasions, through which God chooses to inspire one to priestly life. But in all these forms God is the author of one's priestly vocation as the traditional paradigms of 'call to priesthood' teach us: God takes the first step and the individual either responds or negatively positively to the call.- [Jn 15:16]

Thus, the call to priesthood asks of the individual, not success but service, not power but sacrifice and self giving, not status and achievements but a willing heart and its end is not material profit but realization of God's will through that call. With a striking variation between the dynamics as noted above 'priesthood' may not be possibly be considered as just another 'profession'. Priesthood is not something one does to earn one's living rather it is ruled by the spirit of responding to God's call and serving God. The following words of Pope Paul IV summarizes what has been said above and spells out clearly what is asked of priesthood: "Let me, as the representative of Christ, give you two basic principles to guide your priestly life?- Pope Paul VI, to newly-ordained priests 10-12-68."

3 WHY THEN PROFESSIONALISM?

If priesthood cannot be treated as one of the professions then what makes for the argument of this paper that a priest cannot afford to be unprofessional in his ministry irrespective of what ever his ministry demands from him? The following discussion will try to answer this question.

3.1 DEMAND ON TODAY'S PRIESTHOOD

In contrast to the Old Testament priesthood, New Testament priesthood was never confined to sacrificial sphere alone. A priest performs and is expected to perform a lot more than his duties of the altar. Vatican II declares that, "Priests by sacred ordination and mission which they receive from the bishops are promoted to the service of Christ the Teacher, Priest and King." This threefold mission of Christ can be and is realized in a variety of ways. In this call is to be realized the roles of a servant, leader, manager, counselor, missionary, minister of the word, dispenser of the sacraments, teacher of faith, a social activist, a reformer, conscience of the society and much more. Besides all these, he is the Vicar of Christ and ordained representative of the world's largest institution - 'The One Holy Apostolic Catholic Church'. All these indicate that a priest unlike a lone tree that swings and sways to make no observable difference in its surroundings, is a crucial figure in the society. He has a specific and tremendous responsibility to fulfill in the society he lives in. His thoughts, words and deeds have very serious global effects.

Having received such an important role and responsibility the priest in his ministry is always dealing with the lives of people in a number of ways listed above. The effects of the mistakes he makes in his ministry does not reflect back in his life alone but it is suffered at an exponential magnitude in the lives of the people he is ministering to. This should explain the crucial role of a priest in a given society and the reason why his actions may not be marked by arbitrariness but by a touch of professionalism.

3.2 THE ILLUSION OF OMNISCIENCE AND OMNIPOTENCE

At the same breath, this paper is at pains to demonstrate that though a priest is an important figure in a given society, Ordination unfortunately does not endow omniscience or omnipotence to the one ordained to carry out his mission that is crucial. Given the diversity of functions performed by the priest he has to learn like everyone else to perform his duties. He had to be taught. He should allow himself appropriate training to fulfill his responsibilities. He is in the same dire need like anybody else to equip himself with qualifications proper to his office. As the Constitutions of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer prescribes as one of the guidelines for the formation of its members both Priests and brothers, "As far as possible, ? each must acquire the professional and ministerial competence that is needed." [n.89].

When this paper emphasizes about equipping oneself or receiving specialized training, it does not advocate that the priest should be all knowing or he should specialize in exotic sciences. He is not expected to be a specialist in Plate-Tectonics or a specialist in Nano-Technology or a wizard in Polymer designing. All that this paper encourages is that, given the fact that through 'laying on of hands' one does not gain skills and knowledge necessary to fulfill all those offices or responsibilities a priest might take up through out his life. He should be able to acknowledge his limitations in terms of competence and shun the illusion that once ordained, one becomes competent in all the fields. Though one may not make explicit verbal claims of such competence but it manifests itself in manifold ways which result in unprofessionalism. The following section would go on to discuss a variety of ways through which unprofessionalism displays its ugly face in the ministry of priests.

3.3 MANIFESTATIONS OF UNPROFESSIONALISM

Every individual in any civilised society is ruled by a code of conduct proper to that society in general and by a code of conduct proper to one's role in that society in particular. For instance, doctors and those in the field of medicine have their own code of conduct that stipulates the do's and don'ts of the field of medicine and so we have 'Medical Ethics'. People involved in commercial trade and business have their own code of conduct to be observed and so we have 'Business Ethics'. Every such profession is governed by a code of conduct proper to the profession what in general is understood as 'Professional Ethics'. This applies to priesthood as well. The code of conduct pertinent to priesthood is to be found in 'The Code of Canon Law', in the Official Teachings of the Church, in the deliberations of the Bishops Conference and in the Diocesan stipulations. All these are to ensure that the duties and responsibilities are conscientiously fulfilled by the clergy and the rights and privileges of both the clergy and the faithful safeguarded. Refusal to abide by the stipulations would result in confusion of roles, diminishing law and order, and ultimately failure of the mission of Christ's mission and undermining of the purpose of Church's very existence. As succinctly put by Avery Dulles, the Church,

"could not unite men of many nations into a well-knit community of conviction, commitment, and hope and could not minister effectively to the needs of mankind, unless it had responsible officers and properly approved procedures [stress added]. Throughout its history, from the very earliest years, Christianity has always had an institutional side."

This institutional aspect of the Church demands from its ministers that the code of conduct and the rules of the Church be observed for the reasons discussed above. This paper wishes to relate here a first hand experience to illustrate how this code of conduct can be recklessly ignored. A religious priest seasoned with experience and knowledge who has acquired a Masters degree in Spirituality, and in the process of acquiring a Masters degree in Canon Law, hale and hearty has the habit of asking a religious brother assisting the Sunday Eucharist in the parish to join in the concelebrant's part of the Eucharistic Prayer. Whereas the Canon Law states that, "In the celebration of the Eucharist, deacons and lay persons are not permitted to say the prayers, especially the eucharistic prayer, nor to perform the actions which are proper to the celebrating priest." [Can.907]

This priest knows beyond doubt that the Eucharistic prayer is strictly restricted to validly ordained priests and he was not acting out of ignorance. The same priest on another occasion gave, a newly ordained religious priest belonging to his congregation who has not yet acquired his faculty to hear confessions from the bishop after ordination, the faculty to hear the confession of a particular faithful in his parish. This particular priest from above, evidently exhibits least respect to the Eucharist and to the norms of the divine institute he belongs to. His attitude and behaviour declare just not recklessness but also unprofessionalism. The Church cannot have a surveillance squad on every priest or bishop she ordains to ensure that the clergy be the instruments of Christ's salvation in a manner stipulated by the Church. She trusts her clergy and leaves it to them to conduct themselves worthy of their call.

Another common area in which unprofessionalism manifests itself is the area of relationships. In his relationship, the priest is to treat the people he is ministering to with great respect and dignity. But it is a painful truth see the shepherds themselves plundering their flock. No better demonstration than the recent exposure of pedophile scandals is needed to prove this. Regular featuring of sex scandals by the Catholic clergy as headlines in the Dailies and Magazines render themselves as proofs. Webpages to expose the sexual abuse of women and youth and children by the clergy is strewn all over the Internet. To use the language of John's gospel, 'there are many things that the clergy did and do; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written!' If the clergy were to maintain their professional boundaries in their relationships the Church would have been saved of all this scandals and shame. This paper by no means is suggesting that the clergy should see the people whom they minister to as sources of sin and create a hindering wall. Rather suggests just the opposite, the clergy should genuinely get close to the people to serve them and not pretend to get closer in order to use them. Jesus the model priest did not shun women and children rather he attracted them close to him. But in him was genuine concern for them.

Unprofessionalism in relationships need not necessarily be in the area of sexual weaknesses of the clergy. It covers a much wider area. For instance, the priest as manager and administrator may have to work with wide range of personality types. There may arise occasions whereby one has to work side by side with somebody one does not like or with somebody who has wronged him in the past. In such situations, the temptation is to utilize one's authority and power that comes through one's office to fix the other or to seek revenge. If one has to give in to such temptations, which is at once both unchristian and unprofessional. The priest as an administrator is expected to see that the needs of the institute are met may it be a boarding school, a college or a seminary. The administrator is expected to be available to its staff and to the members of the institute and that he is approachable. If the administrator is to drain his energy in seeking revenge and in fixing others, ultimately it is the Institute that is managed by these individuals who seek revenge that suffers. Because here the decisions are not made based on the growth and for the good of the institute but on the basis of how much discomfort and if possible suffering that it would possibly bring to the other.

Another clear manifestation of unprofessionalism is to be seen in the role of a priest as a lecturer or teacher. As noted already elsewhere in this paper that the individual does not gain omniscience through ordination, a priest who is called into teaching ministry in institutions such as colleges, schools and seminaries should equip oneself with proper qualification. Just because one is a priest does not mean that one can teach any subject under the sky. If one is qualified as a scripture scholar then he should do with best of his abilities to impart his scriptural knowledge. It would be unprofessional for him to accept requests to teach Dogmatic Theology at a professional level in a seminary. He might be knowledgeable in Dogmatic Theology after his wide reading in the field but it does not make him a scholar in that field. And the blunt fact is that he is not competent to teach Dogmatic Theology at tertiary level in a seminary, may be he can give a talks on Dogmatic Theology to interested guilds in his or other parishes. No one opts to go to a stonemason to attend to their dental problems just because both work with cement, neither a dentist is employed as a rocket propellant scientist for the simple reason that they are not competent in those fields though they are specialists in their own fields of stonemasonry and dentistry respectively. Perceive the chaos and damage they would create if the above mentioned swapped roles. The same applies to the teaching ministry as well. Therefore, it would be inappropriate and unprofessional on the part of the institutions to approach unqualified lecturers. And it would be inappropriate for the individual priest to accept such requests. The offence becomes even more grave when the institution happens to be a seminary, which trains future priests. Hundreds of students pass through the seminaries and they become the future leaders of the Church. And if that seminary happens to be the only seminary that trains priests for the whole nation as in the case of Zimbabwe, it is scary even to speculate the repercussions it would have on the Church in that country.

Another area of interest would be the managerial skills of priests. Whether they like it or not priests end up at one stage or the other as Managers in one form or the other. As Managers, their role entails Planning, Organizing, Motivating, Decision-Making and Animating. Flaws in any of the above would proclaim the inefficiency of the priest. Many of the Manager-priests' unprofessionalism betray itself when it comes to the question of Planning and Decision-Making. Be it in a parish as a parish priest or in an institute as an administrator of the institute. One may not always come out with award winning plans or make the best of decisions all the time, which means there is room for making mistakes. But at the same time mistakes should not become the order of the day. The priest should seek recourse to all available tools and techniques in his planning and decision-making. The decisions made should be 'well informed decisions'. As the Gospel according to Luke reads, "For which of you, desiring to build a tower?.." [Lk 14:28:32]

Other areas where unprofessionalism manifests itself that are worth noting are preaching the word of God, handling of money, celebration of the sacraments. A priest is expected to be conscientious in fulfilling the above duties in a noble manner.

From the above discussion it is evident that a priest cannot afford to say "I am a spiritual leader I will concentrate only on spiritual affairs, I do not want to waste my time in mundane endeavors. I trust in divine providence and God will take care of his Church." It would be as foolish as the man who had complete trust in divine providence and went to a restaurant with out a cent in his pocket and started ordering for oysters one after the other hoping to find a pearl in one of the oysters to pay his bill! Divine providence is to be realized through utilizing the faculty of reason and talents and abilities God has endowed on human beings. So one need not have to despise reason in order to be spiritual in his approach. After all 'remaining spiritual' and 'being professional' are not mutually exclusive. -not complete-

Analytical Thinker!

Believe It Or Not

I am often astounded at what and why people believe what they do. I am sure that you too have noticed that some people believe in the oddest things.

I am more than astounded at how seldom people actually think about their beliefs and how those beliefs impact on the quality of their lives.

Believe it or not, your beliefs can actually determine the results you end up with in life; results like happiness, health and wealth-important things like that.

Believe it or not, most people (probably including you) have adopted several core beliefs that literally cripple their ability to achieve the levels of success they aspire to. And, believe it or not, many of these same folks will likely claim that those very same crippling beliefs are not only of value, but are even more than a simple adopted belief?they will claim them to be THE truth.

Believe it or not, beliefs can be consciously chosen instead of unconsciously adopted.

Believe it or not, there is no particularly good reason to believe most of what people do. What is even more astounding is that most people hold a great number of beliefs that they have not actually given any thought to and, it is likely, never actually chose to hold or take on as a primary determining factor in how their lives turns out.

Believe it or not, you probably believe many things simply because you have been told to; and, you have likely never questioned the validity of these beliefs. You may even believe that it is WRONG to question the validity of some beliefs. You may even be too frightened to question some of your core beliefs; scared to question the sacred.

Believe it or not, the sad likelihood is that you have been and are being brainwashed to believe certain things. The worst part of this brainwashing is that you have also been convinced to believe that it is wrong to even question these beliefs.

That is not to say that all of this brainwashing is done with malevolent intent; it is very possible that some of those people who were (and are) your major influencers (causing you to adopt these beliefs) acted or are acting with good intent. But, as the old saw goes?the highway to hell is paved with good intentions.

OK; you have some beliefs that you did not actually consciously choose to hold and you have some beliefs that do NOT actually serve you and your self-actualization. Now what?

In order to become a fully functioning human being and in order to achieve any measure of enlightenment, it is necessary to NOT ONLY critically examine all of one's beliefs, especially those most deeply held, fundamental core beliefs, it is also necessary to consciously choose to either discard or re-adopt those beliefs.

Until you develop the willingness to critically examine all your beliefs and then the courage to discard all those that do not serve you and the wisdom to adopt only those that do serve you and your aspirations, you will forever be held back, imprisoned by your very same beliefs that you think you hold but actually hold you.

Freedom and abundance await those who take control of their beliefs and stop being controlled by them.

"In religion and politics people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing." -Mark Twain

"Man's most valuable trait is a judicious sense of what not to believe." -Euripides

"Man is what he believes." -Anton Chekhov

"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact than a drunken man is happier than a sober one. The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality." -George Bernard Shaw

"A man has to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer." -Anonymous

"I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong." -Bertrand Russell

"They were so strong in their beliefs that there came a time when it hardly mattered what exactly those beliefs were; they all fused into a single stubbornness." -Louise Erdrich

"Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." -Lewis Carroll

"I believe in a sentient earth-Gaia. Some tell me that is a bit odd. People I know believe in various quite odd other things like: a flat earth, a hollow earth (filled with nasty sentient reptiles), cloned earth (hiding on other side of sun), alien infested earth (Martians hiding in caves in Arizona), earth as savior of universe (as soon as we get it, the whole universe will get it), earth as prison of universe (like Australia was for UK), earth as testing station for entry into higher ground (graduate from here to a really good place-like heaven), earth as resource to be plundered and raped quick before Armageddon gets here, earth as just another rock in space, et cetera. What people believe is most often either inanity or insanity. I choose to believe in life itself as a form of consciousness." -Leslie Fieger

"The outer conditions of a person's life will always be found to reflect their inner beliefs." -James Allen

? Leslie Fieger. All rights reserved worldwide.

Leslie is the author of The DELFIN Knowledge System Trilogy: The Initiation, The Journey and The Quest plus many more success publications. He also the co-author of The End of the World with Hugh Jeffries and Alexandra's DragonFire with his daughter Ashley. Subscribe to his free and ad-free eZine at http://www.ProsperityParadigm.com or http://www.LeslieFieger.com.

Reprinting and republishing of this article is granted only with the above credit included. Permission to reprint or republish does not waive any copyright.

Eat and Lose Weight - Its All in those MCTs

Can You Lose Weight Through Eating?

You get fat when you consume more calories than you burn during exercise and rest. So, it doesn't seem reasonable to assume that eating and thus taking in calories will help you lose weight. However, recent studies show that foods such as olive oil, nuts, green tea and dairy products can help control weight. These foods contain a lot of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs)

There is much support for the notion that MCTs in these foods stop hunger. After a relatively low portion, because you feel saturated, you lessen your craving for food.

Yes, I know it sounds strange. Nuts have been on the weight loss blacklist for years, but peanuts suppress the hunger feeling and are also an excellent source of protein. So, yes, in a way, eating can help you lose weight, but of course, it's not a replacement for a healthy diet.

In fact, these foods can only help you get your energy balance back to normal. By energy balance, I mean the balance between taking in calories and burning them. It should come as no surprise that when you intake more calories than you can burn you become fat.

Eating too much and exercising too little are the main reasons for upsetting the energy balance. Food that is rich in MCTs helps you to stop eating too much. Still, exercising is something that you have to do yourself. In my opinion, you can enjoy great food without growing fat. Eating well means being conscious about what you eat. Enjoy food consciously instead of unconsciously devouring, for instance, a bag of potato chips on the couch while watching TV.

On our website, we feature a lot of low-carb and low-fat recipes that might help. We also have a section about seafood. Fish and shellfish are high in protein and low in fat!

For example, shrimp really is a giant of a food. Shrimp has a high Omega 3 fatty acids content, is very rich in protein, vitamins D, B12 and B6. Omega 3 fatty acids combat coronary disease and are even linked to positive mood change.

So, have a shrimp cocktail to fight the "winter blues"!. Studies also suggest that a protein rich diet increases your metabolic rate. So, you burn off calories faster.

Time for a closer look at seafood and shrimp recipes?

Hans is author of Low Carb, Low Fat Section at Steaks-Guide.com

For more information visit our site.

Faulty Expectations: 4 Essential Don?ts

The more realistic you are as you prepare for marriage, the more likely you are to have a successful one. Therefore, it is incumbent upon you to give serious consideration to your expectations of your fianc?. Are they realistic? Are they fair?

Far too many couples enter marriage with unrealistic expectations of the marriage and of each other. In more marriages than we would choose to believe, couples inability to meet the other's expectations resulted in the marriage's premature demise.

Here are 4 don'ts that if adhered to will avert a lot of discord and emotional turmoil in the marriage and help to make your marriage a satisfying one.

1) Don't expect your partner to be able to read your mind. It is unfair, unrealistic and nescient. Some people get an attitude and break marital harmony because they did not get the "gift" they expected or wanted, yet they did not communicate this to their spouse. Our minds are too complex and changing for anyone to know what we are thinking. TELL your partner what you want or be open to accepting whatever is given you in the spirit in which it is given. Of course, this is not only in regards to the material but to behaviors as well. Let your partner know what your expectations are. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.

2) Don't think you are going to have a "perfect" marriage. To do so is to set yourself up for an enormous let-down. There is no such thing. How can anyone expect a perfect marriage when there is no perfect person? You are as imperfect as your intended wife or husband. If a person was inane enough to try to do everything you wanted them to do and behave exactly as you dictated, you would still have an imperfect marriage and one does not have to be a rocket scientist to figure out why.

3) Don't believe your partner can make you happy. Come on now. Wake up and smell the coffee. No one has the power to make us happy. This is something we can only do for ourselves and it is a choice. For example, let's say your new husband/wife decided to cook a special meal for you with all the trimmings. You are both surprised and delighted. Now, did he/she make you happy? NO. You made yourself happy. How? In recognizing his/her thoughtfulness in going through the trouble of creating this meal, you chose to appreciate what was done for you which had a positive affect and you felt "happy." Take the same scenario only this time you are displeased. You don't like what was cooked and think your spouse should have "known" this and you choose to display an attitude of disapproval. Negative feelings are evoked and what was intended to be pleasant turns ugly. Did your spouse make you unhappy? NO. You made yourself unhappy. How? By chosing to be non-appreciative and negative in your thinking which resulted in a negative affect, "unhappiness or displeasure." In other words, how each individual choose to interpret events, behaviors, communications determines how each individual will "feel". Negative feelings cannot be produced by positive thoughts.

4) Don't be on police stake-out patrol. No human wants to feel they are being watched 24/7 or need to give an account for every place they go or justify for everything they do. Nor do they want you following them like a shadow. No couple want their partner with them all the time. We all need space to grow, space to share with others, space to be alone. Don't expect your partner to want to do everything with you. If you have trust issues, deal with it BEFORE you say "I Do."

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, will be available in July.