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If you have a few square feet of outdoor space, should grow your own organic vegetables.

Nowadays, you may be surprise to know much of what we consume daily have been genetically modified. While there is no strong evidence that genetically modified foods are bad to your health, there are no long term studies to say otherwise either.

Due to ever-increasing demand for cheaper price, farmers no longer use crop rotation or natural manures to improve soil fertility. They are forced to use chemical fertilizers to improve yields and to use multiple type of pesticides to protect the weakened plants. The chemical and pesticides would penetrate deep into leaves and pesticide residues would remain no matter how much try to clean the food.

Pesticides are designed to kill pests. They pose risks to people if proper usage is not applied or control. Pesticides such as organophosphates and carbamates, are know to affect the nervous system, while others may irritate the skin or eyes. Some pesticides may be carcinogens or may be able to affect the hormone or endocrine system in the body.

Many farmers have no choice but to grow the things that give them the biggest yield. They have to sacrifice quality and taste for quantity and long shelf life. As a home gardener, you certainly do not have to do the same.

It is certainly easy to buy organic fruit and vegetables from the supermarket but you would likely have to pay a premium price. Why pay more when anybody with a modest vegetable garden can grow healthy organic vegetables cheaply and grow one hundred per cent better. Most vegetables are also tastier when picked straight from the home garden; especially those gathered fresh in the early morning sunlight hours.

It is not for the price or health alone that home gardening would be the right thing to do. It is also the cheapest, healthiest way to exercise your stiff and soft muscles.

Home vegetable garden offers with ease, better food, better health, better living.  So, turn off the internet, pull out some old clothes and find a spot to dig or a pot to grow.

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Other than, at big supermarket like Tesco, Carrefour or Cold Storage, organic vegetables may also be not that easy to find at a reasonable price in most neighborhoods in the Klang Valley.

So what is the solution? Do you want to start gardening, grow your fresh food but not sure how to start?

Whether your goal is to eat the freshest food possible or to save money, there is no better time to start to grow your own organic vegetables than now.

When you realize how easy it is to grow your own plants, you will wonder why you did not start earlier.

Well the truth is some plants may grow easier than some others may. Some plants are sensitive to the amount of sunlight, water and PH content of the soil. The plants will experience pest attack; acidic soil problem, lack of vital nutrients and problem with too much or too little sun light.

I have some plants, which grow well for more than a year, then suddenly die of one by one within a few weeks. Some of the plant grow big in one pot but refuse to grow big in another. Some plants will grow back again and again, even when you try to get rid of them.

While thinking too much is good for knowledge, you need to take action to see result. To just start gardening and growing your own fresh veggies, here are several tips to get you started:

1. Select a bright spot that where your plants can get at least eight hours of sunlight a day.

• This is ideal if you want to grow a range of vegetables.
• Try to have your plot close to the door of your house so that it would easy for you to water and take care of the plants every day.

2. Start small with may be five to ten pots.

• It is easy to get excited with a new project but you do not want to overwhelm with the required maintenance that come along with gardening.
• Consider veggies that are most expensive to buy or something that you really like to see grow.

3. Grow only vegetables that you (and hopefully the kid too) enjoy.

• There is no point in growing a vegetables and herbs that you do not like and do not eat.
• Consider Bendi, chilli, kucai, bayam and herbs such as pudina or pegaga which I found to be relatively easy to grow.

4. Consider companion planting of different plants and herbs.

• The idea is to assist each plant to deter pests, attracting beneficial insects and fixing nutrient excess as different plants consume at different rate.

Fresh vegetables are an excellent source of the vitamins and minerals essential to good health comparable to the expensive vitamin tablets that we bought from pharmacists.

A garden soil with organic matter and minerals, under the right care, conditions, will produce a good vegetable and herbs, which are assuredly high in quality and nutritious value.

For me, deciding to start organic gardening was the natural and right thing to do. It gives me a change to sweat it out over the weekend, changing soil and adding new collection of herbs.

Here was my gardening checklist over the weekend, which I hope will translate into fresh food in the months ahead:

• Add one new herbs = Bought one Roselle plant
• Bought a 2 pack each of coco peat (sabut kelapa) and rice husk (sekam bakar).
• Change soil of several pots where plants are showing sign of stress, with more or less equal part of old soil, coco-peat, risk husk and a scoop of chicken dung.
• Relocate about eight Aloe Vera plants to the balcony.
• Throw away some plants which have grown excessively for compost bin.
• Add left over food to compost bin and relocate worm compost bin to a more shaded location.

These will be topics for another time.

Can you think of a day when every single word, every single sentence, came out just right as you intended. No one misinterpreted anything you said.

If you can’t think of such perfect day, then you are a perfectly normal person. What people hear, is too often not really what you mean to say.

What you mean to say, often get mutate in mysterious way, somewhere between your thinking and the voice that came out your mouth.

This is why it is not a good idea to hold somebody to what they say, since their intentions may get mix up as well. What is really important is to understand the emotion which comes along the words.

The power of being a good listener means listening to words between the lines, interpreting what the speaker really meant to say.

What this also means is that, you must first manage your own emotion before trying to manage others. Use this strategy and you may just attract the right attention that you need while expressing your ideas and thinking to others:

Show respect.

If you enter someone’s room and they appeared to be occupied with work, show them some respect with casual words like, ‘‘I can see that you are not free right now. Would it be better for me to come back later?’’

Show patience.

Your mind may have done all the listening and thinking and you think you know exactly what the other person is going to say. Hear the other person out anyway, as you may miss the emotion behind the voice.

Show sincerity.

Pay attention to people’s feelings before you do anything else. The heart knows what the mind does not see. Be sincere with your emotional appeal and you will get people’s attention.

Show wisdom.

Do you sometimes find yourself feeling dizzy as people rambler, yammers non-stop? Try to focus on the intent of the conversation rather than the never-ending words.

Show interest.

Whenever you are presenting with the aid of a laptop and projector, try not to focus too much attention on the impressive slides that you have prepared. It is likely to be more important to watch your audience body language and their facial reaction.

Show thoughtfulness.

If people start to raise their eyebrows or move their eyes rapidly, it is a clear hint that you have touched on something very sensitive, or perhaps have said something which was best left unsaid.

Show observance.

Pay close attention to the eye, lips and tongue. Drooping or pursed lips are usually a sign of disappointment and disagreement. When you see someone stick the tip of their tongue through their closed lips, it is a signal that they disagree with you and does not like what you are saying.

Show friendliness.

It is much easier to be a friend to somebody rather than expecting them to adapt to your way of thinking. If you meet an analytical, straight to the point person, give them all the facts. If you meet a ‘drama queen’ it is probably best to pay attention to the person emotional expression.

Politicians are experts in staying in the moment with the audience. As a manager, you too need to be a leader to your team where you need to be a mindful speaker. Use the experience of your lifetime to stay flexible and friendly. Give people what they need and want to hear. Be aware of face and body languages. You will then know when to be spontaneous, when to cut your talk short, and when to just listen without saying anything too much.

A message from Robin Sharma’s in his August newsletter, which I would like to share and learn from.

• Fear can often ruins us more than we might ever imagine.
• We does not need a big tittle or high position, to accomplish great meaningful things to us.
• An inner voice of the fear often stops us from trying to make it big. 
• 4 lesson, which we may be apply to our business and to our life:

1. We don’t grow in normal.

• If we stay within our comfort zone, we will most likely not grow.
  
• Only if we stretch and face fear head on by going to our limits, we will discover and grow our limits.

2. We don’t know until you try.

• It would have been easy to refuse to try and made a thousand excuses.
  
• Leaders Without a Title recognize good opportunities.
  
• Whenever possible, add additional experience to our life that will shape all we do.

3. On the other side of our fears we’ll find our confidence.

• By doing what we’re afraid to do because it’s beyond our comfort zone, we will grow in confidence.
  
• The increased confidence will translate to increased confidence as an entrepreneur and as a human being.

4. Life’s short so get in the game.

• A rich life is one made up of many rich adventures. 
• Don’t miss out on enjoying as many as you can.

“When you see the best in others, they feel safe to give you more of their best.”
Robin Sharma

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A creative life is a continued quest, and good questions can be very useful guides.

Most useful are open-ended questions; they allow for fresh unanticipated answers to reveal themselves.”
– Source Unknown

Questions hold the power to draw out answers that surprise us.

If we are on an inner journey to greater self-knowledge, we must seek to understand unfamiliar parts of ourselves.

The most enlightening answers are released by our subconscious minds or by our intuition.

Use questions frequently to go exploring.  Try these out:

• - What qualities do you find most attractive in others?
• - How do you exhibit those same qualities?
• - What is your greatest fear? Why do you fear that?
• - What message is your body trying to get through to you?

“If we would have new knowledge, we must get a whole world of new questions.”
– Susanne K. Langer

“You don’t want a million answers as much as you want a few forever questions.”
– Richard Bach

Who are you, REALLY? To truly know yourself, you need to explore your subconscious mind.

———-

The Inner Journey is brought to you by John & Patrice Robson of HigherAwareness.com

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Admittedly, I am frequently guilty of tuning into the inner critic. A message which I receive in my inbox today:

“A critic is a legless man who teaches running.”
– Channing Pollock

• Are you aware of your inner critic?
• We all have this voice that tells us we are bad, stupid, clumsy, cowardly…. Although its intent is to help us succeed, the harsh self talk of our critic just serves to drain our energy and lower our morale and immune system.

• To defuse the inner critic, we need to recognize when the critic is speaking.
• We need to know that this voice does not necessarily speak for who we really are.
• This is an old pattern that may no longer be serving us.
• We want to open to the possibility that the words are not likely true. We can ask ourselves, “Are these words helpful?”

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

“Abilities wither under faultfinding, blossom with encouragement.”
– Donald A. Laird

• “Never react emotionally to criticism.
• Analyze yourself to determine whether it is justified.
• If it is, correct yourself. Otherwise, go on about your bus

The Inner Journey is brought to you by John & Patrice Robson of HigherAwareness.com

self awareness

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People continually assess and evaluate us

• Your ability to speak well and persuasively in small meetings can have an extraordinary impact on your life and career.
• In business, others continually assess and evaluate you.
• Consciously and subconsciously, they are upgrading or downgrading their opinions of your personality, ability, competence, and level of confidence.
• For this reason, you must think of business meetings as important events in your career.

Small-Group Meetings are Important

• Many of your presentations and speaking engagements will be with smaller groups of people, sometimes as few as one or two others.
• These meetings, just like a large talk or presentation, must be prepared for and planned with care.
• How you perform can make or break your career.

Prepare Thoroughly

• The starting point of meeting effectiveness is thorough preparation.
• Preparation is immediately obvious to everyone who attends, as is the failure to prepare.
• If you are running the meeting, plan it.
• Prepare an agenda.
• Select the people whom you are going to invite and inform them of their expected contributions.
• Organize the meeting as though it were an important part of your business life, because it is.

Consider the Importance of Seating

• Arrive early at the meeting so that you can choose your seat with care.
• If it is your meeting, sit with you back to the wall, facing the entrance so that you have visual command of the room and you can see everyone entering and leaving.
• When I hold meetings, especially if they are important, I specifically designate where each person is going to sit in the meeting.
• This ensures that I have the most important people sitting in the most important places.

How to Deliver a Winning Presentation

• “Deliver a Winning Presentation!
• Learn how to influence and persuade others to take action now!”
• Your ability to deliver a winning presentation, to influence and persuade others to take action can move you ahead more rapidly than almost any other skill you can develop.
• Would you like to learn this invaluable skill and dramatically improve your life and your career?

Be Punctual

• Start on time.
• Assume that the latecomer is not coming, and begin.
• Thank the participants for coming and give the reason for the meeting.
• Explain the structure of the meeting and how it will be conducted.
• Give the end time for the meeting so that everyone knows when it will be over.

Avoid Criticism or Negativity

• If you are leading a meeting, you have tremendous power.
• Everyone looks up to and defers to you as the leader.
• Everything you say is magnified and multiplied, either in a positive or negative way.
• When other people are contributing to the meeting, you should nod, smile, and support them.
• When you sit opposite a person–across a table or desk, for example–the furniture can act as a physical and psychological barrier to communication. It subconsciously suggests that you are on opposite sides and that your points of view are antagonistic.
• To resolve this dilemma, one of the best things you can do is ask to sit kitty-corner to the key person. When you sit next to a person rather than opposite him, unseen psychological barriers seem to drop and you communicate with greater warmth and friendliness.

Action Exercise

• The mark of a professional in every field is preparation.
• Go into any meeting knowing what you want to say and discuss with the rest of the staff.
• Take time to mentally prepare for the different points people could make and how you will handle them.

August 20, 2009, Mastering Meetings with Small Groups, By Brian Tracy

brian tracy, meetings, self improvement

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• Fear often ruins more bright lives than we might imagine.
• We does not need big tittle or high position, to achieve great things.
• An inner voice of the fear often stops us from playing big.
• Here are 4 lesson, which we can apply to business and life:

1. We don’t grow in normal.

• If we stay within our comfort zone, we will not grow.
• Only if we stretch and face fear head on by going to our limits, we will discover and grow our limits.

2. We don’t know until you try.

• It would have been easy to refuse and made a thousand excuses.
• Leaders Without a Title recognize good opportunities.
• Whenever possible, add additional experience to our life that will shape all we do.

3. On the other side of our fears we’ll find our confidence.

• By doing what we’re afraid to do because it’s beyond our comfort zone, we grow in confidence.
• The increased confidence will translate to increased confidence as an entrepreneur and as a human being.

4. Life’s short so get in the game.

• A rich life is one made up of many rich adventures.
• Don’t miss out on enjoying as many as you can.

“When you see the best in others, they feel safe to give you more of their best.”
Robin Sharma

Marcus Aurelius said, “A man’s life is what his thoughts make of it.” Think about this for a moment..Interesting, isn’t it?

As you awake in the morning, your mind races ahead of your body with all kinds of * stuff * pouring in and out. All your thoughts, ideas, chores, and worries that you might have.

No wonder you’re tired before your feet even hit the ground. Before you realize it, you’re up and running here, running there, going through your morning, unaware of how you even apply the toothpaste on your brush or what body parts you wash first. All the while, stuff is pouring into your head from everywhere, ideas, chores, appointments, commitments, relationships, conversations, past events, the future. This self-talk, we all have it. Random thoughts: worries, fears, negativity, frustration, happiness, joy, freedom, inspiration, and light bulb ideas.

Oh, and the nighttime thoughts that keep you from falling asleep; sleep you so badly need and yearn for. The tossing and turning because you can’t seem to shut off the clutter of self-talk that invades your brain, such as the got to do’s, forgot to do’s, want to do’s and could haves, and should haves. The what ifs, wishes, and dreams. Let’s not forget the recreation of past conversations and events.

What are you thinking, or are you?

Whether it’s your fears, destructive thoughts, unhappiness, or things you have no control over, dump ‘em!!

One way to STOP you brain clutter is to dump those thoughts onto paper. Get the clutter out of your head, and your heart. Stop the clutter within from building up inside you, clogging the passageways to your heart, and your spirit.

Whatever is bouncing around in your head and heart, let it flow from your pen, dumping your “brain clutter” onto paper. Don’t think about what you’re writing, don’t stop to analyze your words, to plan, to prioritize, if it can be or can’t be accomplished, undone, or changed. Just write.

Dump your anger and fear.
Dump your frustrations and impatience.
Dump your wanting and sadness.
Dump your judging and prejudices.
Dump your anxieties and boredom.

For now, dump your happiness and joy.
Dump your love and gratitude
Dump your affirmations, your prayers, and your songs.

Empty all the clutter and noise out of your head and heart.

It’s there. Look deep and let it out.

Take a deep breath, and let it out. Do this several times, concentrating only on your breathing.

Look at what you’ve written and SEE the things you have written.

Writing all your brain clutter down can help you understand and see what is going on inside of you. What are you giving your attention to?

Who or what are you angry at?
Who or what do you fear?
Who or what are you wanting?
Who or what are you judging?
Who or what are you bored with?
Who or what is taking your attention away from you, your spirit?
Look inside, let it out..

Who or what makes you laugh?
Who or what fills you with love?
Who or what are you grateful for?
Who or what brings you happiness?
Who or what beings you joy?
Who or what are you giving your attention to?
Who or what feeds your spirit?

Norman Vincent Pearle suggests “that if you fill your mind with spiritual words so that they sink from your conscious to your subconscious mind by a process of spiritual osmosis, you will so condition your personality with spiritual power and sensitivity that God’s will can operate in you.”

Find all the positive and joyfulness on your paper and bring them back into your heart and mind.

As Joan Lunden has said, “Positive thoughts are extremely powerful. They become our inspirations; negative ones become our roadblocks.”

Circle the items on your paper that you can take action on, want to take action on, and items that you have control over. All the negativity, sadness, fears, frustrations, the things you have no control over, let them go, repeating the verse, “Renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)

I love what Norman Vincent Peale once said, “Every night when you lie down to sleep, practice dropping the day into the past. It is over, finished.”

Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.
(Romans 12:2)

Janet L. Hall
If Your Current Systems Aren’t Working For You…Get an “OverHall”!
Copyright (c) 2001 by OverHall Consulting
P.O. Box 263, Port Republic, MD 20676
http://www.overhall.com
All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy, or distribute any articles by Janet L. Hall so long as article(s) is kept intact, this copyright notice,and full information about the author is attached.