How To Get UnStuck - Easy, Simple, Effective Tools To Finding A New Path

By Camille Strate

It's a bold new world out there. More people are looking for options to make money, live simpler lives, explore new paths, etc. What's the reason for all this unrest? Maybe it's because the globe is smaller; with the ever-growing use of technology we are now able to communicate with people on the other side of the planet with ease and speed. Maybe it's about a paradigm shift. Folks are getting hip to the "New Age" movement and want more from life in general. Or perhaps it's simply something about the way the planets are aligned! Who knows?

Bottom line is, if you're feeling restless and itching to make some changes, but still haven't DONE anything about it, then you're "stuck". While there are a great many things you can do to get "unstuck"., here are just a couple that are simple, easy, and effective.

First off, get yourself outdoors. I mean it. Go out and sit on a beach or walk in the woods or hike up a mountain. Turn off your cell phone, leave your watch on your dresser and just go. Take in the sounds of nature and let your mind go. For some folks, this exercise can be a bit unnerving at first, but if you stick with it, it's your ticket to getting "unstuck". The more remote your location, the better. Best of all would be to be in a spot that's completely void of other humans (and the noises they make like car alarms and cell phones and screaming children). Once there you will be absolutely amazed at what you might hear. We all have an inner "guidance system" and the best way to access that guidance system is to get away from all the noise and all the people and all the distractions.

Listen to the sounds of your surroundings. Birds or waves or rain on the leaves or whatever it might be. Allow these sounds to massage your ears. Allow yourself to just BE. Listen to you gut. Trust that you're safe. Leave the rest of your brain clutter behind and just soak it all in. The more you s-t-r-e-t-c-h, the better off you are. Go on....turn off the computer and get your Self outdoors. Come on! Just try it.

Another little "exercise" is one of my faves and I use it with many of my clients when I hear dialog like "I can't..." or "I don't know how..." or "But what if....?" These are phrases that KEEP us stuck and they need to be eliminated NOW. So, here's what I suggest:

If you have a camera, no matter where you live (city, country, condo, ranch, whatever), take your camera and go for a walk. I usually suggest folks commit to an hour, but it can certainly be more if you like. Point is to take a LEISURELY walk and snap some pics of things that stand out.
It could be a flower growing out of the sidewalk or a candy wrapper on an otherwise pristine lawn or a bright red maple leaf sitting alone on a car hood. Doesn't matter. Just something that catches your eye because it IS out of place. Don't judge. Don't presume. Just walk and keep your eyes open . Snap a picture of whatever catches your glance.

Once you've taken 10 or so pictures, go home, load them onto your computer and then write something about how you felt when you took the pic OR how you feel while you now look at it on your screen. The idea is to step outside (literally and figuratively) and see what else your eyes see. Sort of the difference between sight and vision. This exercise has proven to be one of the most effective (with my clients) tools for finding a new way of THINKING. It also seems to light some fires of creativity on many levels. People are always surprised at the end results once they've tried this for the first time, and often it becomes a habit for them when they ARE feeling stuck. Give it a try. It's fun!

The last suggestion I'll share is one that takes a bit more time and requires transportation, but is also a very liberating exercise. First, pack a cooler with some sandwiches, drinks, fruit, etc. Throw a blanket and warm jacket in the car. TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE (you may like to take it with you in case of 'emergency', but turn that sucker off!). Now, put the cooler in the car, go fill up the gas tank and just DRIVE. Drive out of town away from traffic and familiar scenery.
Drive up to the mountains or down to the river or out to the country. Just drive. Leave the tunes turned off, open the window and JUST DRIVE. When you get to a spot that looks too pretty to pass, pull over, break out the cooler and have yourself a little picnic. Just you and nature. Sit for an hour or so and take it all in. (if you remembered your camera, take some pictures). When you've had your fill, get in your car and go home. Simple? You betcha. But when was the last time you did it? When was the last time you drove just to drive, with no destination or schedule or task to accomplish? As silly as this may sound, it is a wonderful thing to do and it will provide lots of insight, if you ALLOW it.

I realize that none of these little exercises are deeply profound or even new ideas. But more often than not it's the simplest things that have the most life-altering affect. And I'm willing to bet that the majority of folks have forgotten what it's like to do any of these things. Simple, easy, and effective. IF you will give them a try.

Camille Strate is an author, critter-keeper and entrepeneur who has spent her life in search of the perfect pasture. She is a staunch believer in the "Pay It Forward" philosophy, and her business is a reflection of this belief. Marketing Personal Development products is one of her passions; she loves seeing other people empower themselves and find their true paths. Her latest book, "Whispers" will be released sometime in Spring of 2008.
http://www.genuineintentions.com or visit my blog at http://joyizachoice.blogspot.com/

Keys To An Effective In School Suspension Program

By James H Burns

I was introduced to the in-school suspension process when I became an administrator in a school for students with severe behavior problems. It was used as I expected to keep students in school when they would have otherwise been suspended. The one thing that set this (ISS) In-School Suspension program apart from other programs was the amount of time that a student spent in ISS, and the level of student accountability. Students who were assigned ISS were not put in there for hours but, for days. Students also had to produce a voluminous amount of work in order to be released. If the student’s behavior was out of line while they were in in-school suspension, they were assigned more time.

This idea of in-school suspension has been around since the 1970’s when researchers began propagating the notion that out-of-school suspensions (OSS) were ineffective, and perhaps even detrimental to students. It has been my experience that out of school suspension is only ineffective when the student is left unsupervised in the home while they are suspended, and because the parents don’t hold the child accountable for his poor behavior in school. Students would come back from out of school suspension, without any consequence imposed in the home, and had no fear of being suspended again. The school then has been handed the responsibility of holding students accountable, while the student remained in school for behaviors that they would otherwise be suspended for.

The Key Components to an Effective In-School Suspension Program:

Respect must be Present – If mutual respect is not established between the instructor and the students assigned the program will be a dismal failure. An in-school suspension program should have one, and I stress one supervising teacher. Students who have chronic behavioral problems have difficulty adjusting to different personalities and really need more of a mentor to help and encourage them to change their behavior. The supervising teacher should be a certified professional and have a background in Special Education, or counseling.

Students must be responsible and held accountable – The teachers and administration must develop a user friendly mechanism that provides assignments for the students assigned on a daily basis. All work must be completed before a student is allowed to leave. The work should be checked for completeness by the in-school suspension teacher and routed back to the teacher who provided the assignment. If students complete their assignments before the end of the day, supplemental packets should be made available. These assignments should not be busy work, but rather they should be used to address some of the specific behaviors that put the student in in-school suspension in the first place.

Non-compliance must be addressed - If a student continues to exhibit inappropriate behavior while in in-school suspension it must be addressed. Too often inappropriate behaviors are ignored; this sends the wrong message to other students in the room, and in its own way communicates by default agreement. Students who exhibit inappropriate behavior, should be given instruction regarding the rules and regulations of the room, given a firm warning, and then if the inappropriate behavior continues support needs to be summoned to the room. Counselors are not disciplinarians, but they should be called first to help manage the student’s behavior. A clear line needs to be drawn between the counselor and the administrator. Counselors deal with behavior from a therapeutic standpoint and provide compassion and understanding;
administrators enforce the rules and regulations of the school. Both are needed for the discipline process to be effective.

Room location, size, and student teacher ratio – The In-School Suspension room should be far enough away from the general population of the school, but close enough to allow for administrative visits. The room should not be so far away that the disciplinarian by-passes the room during building tours. The size of the room should be large enough to keep plenty of space between each student to avoid the possibility of any student confrontations. Students in an in-school suspension program can be chronic behavior problems. Large numbers of these students in one room can become unmanageable. The student teacher ratio should be no more than 8-1.

Amount of time assigned - It has been my experience that periods, or hours do nothing to change a student’s behavior. Students should be assigned 2 days of In-School Suspension for every day that the student would otherwise be suspended for. Too often ISS is used as a holding area and can become a place where students want to go. Students should not be allowed to assign themselves ISS because of problems with a particular teacher, or because they refuse to do work. The disciplinarian of the school has the responsibility of assigning the day and time a student should report to ISS. Administration and only administration should assign students to the ISS room.

Jim Burns is one of America’s most inspirational educational speakers. His humorous and insightful presentations touch and influence his audiences in an unforgettable way. Best known for his presentations on Bullying, Motivating Disaffected Students, Diffusing Power Struggles, Character Education, and Leadership, Jim has worked as a teacher and administrator since 1977. He is also an accomplished college instructor who teaches graduate level courses in the areas of Cooperative Discipline, Disability Awareness, Brain Compatible Methods in the Classroom, and Teaching and Learning through Multiple Intelligences. Jim connects with participants in his audience in such a unique way that they are able to practically apply his information in both their personal and professional lives.

For more about Jim Burns: http://behavioral-management.com/

New Stop Smoking Medication - Which One Is The Most Effective

By Peter Finch

Several therapies have entered the market to help smokers curb the smoking habit. No sooner is one treatment method entrenched in the market than another new stop smoking medication makes its debut on the shelves. This inundation of treatment methods has actually flummoxed the person who wants to give up smoking. If you are a smoker thinking to give up, then it is necessary to make a comparison of the various kinds of new stop smoking medication so that you know what will work the best for you.

Nicotine replacement methods are not that new actually - they have spent some years on the shelves. But still they are so popularly used nowadays that people think they are new entrants in the market. These come in various forms like patches, gums, lozenges, etc. All of them contain nicotine as the main ingredient. When a person uses a nicotine replacement product, then he or she is getting a fix of nicotine, which helps to keep away the urge for the real cigarette. This works because pure nicotine is not as harmful as the other ingredients in the cigarette, especially tar.

But even with nicotine replacement methods, depression is common. In fact, the depression could lead to the person becoming demoralized and return back to active smoking. For this reason, different antidepressants have been developed. In fact, popular new stop smoking medication is in the form of antidepressants such as varenicline (brand name Chantix) and buproprion (Wellbutrin). Both of these help the body's nervous system to cope with the depletion of active nicotine from the receptor cells, which controls the depression.

These drugs are also helpful to a great extent in cold turkey situations. Doctors prescribe both Chantix and Wellbutrin to a large extent, but suggest the quitting smokers to keep the medications supplemented with a healthy diet and lifestyle.

However, antidepressant drugs have one great failing - they cannot be used in all kinds of people. There are several contraindications for them, and people with serious disease conditions like diabetes mellitus and liver and kidney problems must strictly avoid their use. In some people - especially young teens - both varenicline and buproprion can stimulate suicidal tendencies.

That is the reason why the very new stop smoking medication - the herbal remedies - have become so hugely popular. These contain a very judicious blend of herbs that can work in several ways to heal a person from smoking addiction. Herbs like Saint John's Wort and chamomile have been used for their antidepressant properties for centuries, while herbs like lobelia and cinnamon can actually make the taste of nicotine unbearable to a smoker. For this reason, a proper formulation of these herbs can cure the smoking addiction like nothing else can.

Apart from acting as antidepressants, these herbal remedies can flush out the toxic buildup in the smoker's body. This is a very advantageous edge over other new stop smoking medications that are thronging the market.

Among the recent popular brands that have infiltrated the market, remedies like SmokeRX stand apart simply because they have the right blend of herbs and not just fillers. For this reason, these remedies work very effectively and also show quick results. In fact, their acting time is oftentimes so short that the person can completely quit smoking, without having to go through the excruciating cold turkey phase.

Also, it is slightly wrong to classify herbal remedies as new stop smoking medication, because they have been in use since thousands of years. It is only recently that products are being made by blending several of these effective herbs in the right proportion.

Are you serious about quitting smoking? If you are, then you must try the amazing all herbal stop smoking pill which actually helps you quit in just 7 days. Guaranteed. Yes, this time you can do it. SmokeRx is the ultimate in stop smoking aids and has helped numerous people to quit the habit. Stopping smoking has never been this easy or quick. Forget nicotine patches, gum and sprays. Why fill your body with nicotine when you want to get rid of it? All herbal SmokeRx works. We guarantee it.