Most people don't think about what foods are good for keeping their liver strong. But, if you have been discovering and using a diet that is good for your overall health, then, most likely you are helping your liver.

So here again is a list of healthy eating that will result in a strong useful liver.

Oils - use mostly olive oil for your food preparation. This oil can be heated to a relative medium level without causing free radicals. Use flax seed oil or fish oil every day. 

Avoid margarine or any other artificial butter since their processing creates chemicals the liver cannot recognize as food. Use Ghee, which doesn't require refrigeration, or raw butter,

Sunflower, safflower, and other seed oils should be kept in the refrigerator to keep them from becoming rancid.

When you eat too much fat, the fat accumulates in the liver. The liver is responsible for breaking down the fat and using it for energy. Accumulated fat in the liver can become rancid producing free radicals that damage liver cells.

Food - try to buy and eat good organic food. Food that has been sprayed with pesticides is difficult to clean and these chemicals will get into your body as free radicals.

Protein - Cut down on the amount of protein that you eat. Most of us only need about 2-3 ounces of protein, but if you do physical labor you need plenty more. The problem with more is some of this protein may not completely digest in our stomach and move into the colon. There this undigested protein is decomposed by bad bacteria creating toxic matter. These toxins can be absorbed into the blood and cause the liver extra work in detoxifying them.

Sulfur Foods - Since the liver produces enzymes, which are used in every body chemical reaction, you can support this activity by eating foods such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli cabbage, seeds and nuts.

Vitamins - minerals - nutrients - The liver, just like all parts of the body, needs vitamins and minerals. Get these from fruits and vegetables or even fruit and vegetable juices. Ionic minerals, easily absorbed, can be purchased in bottles from WaterOZ and other brands. These ionic minerals can then be easily added to your juices without adding any unusual taste.

Sugar - Limit, reduce or eliminate the use of sugar since it interferes with enzyme activity throughout your body. Use fruits, whole grains, barley malt, rice syrup, dates, dried fruit, and honey

Lecithin - use lecithin every day for the Phosphatidyl choline, PC that it provides. PC helps build the liver cell membranes creating a healthier liver. Use lecithin in granules by adding them to salads and other liquid food preparations including smoothies.

There you have it, a small list of foods to eat to help your liver give you long life. Most likely you are already eating some of these foods and if so, then, it will be easy to add just one more good healthy eating habit.

Did you know that the word "college", as in one definition supplied by Webster's Ninth New Collegiate dictionary, is "a group of persons considered by law to be a unit."

That's easy enough to take in. I doubt that anyone would find much disagreement with that statement. However, there are differences in colleges -- often very pronounced differences -- in curriculum, based on traditional approaches to learning vs. more unconventional, or unstructured styles.

Ever since the times of the philosopher and educator, Rousseau, questioned the theory that education is not the imparting of knowledge but the drawing out of what is already in the student,
there have been both types of higher institutions of learning.

While a number of educational theorists have stressed the benefits of an unstructured or "open" educational environment, others assert that a highly structured learning experience is most likely to produce better educational success.

So, the question becomes, can student interest alone supply a structure for higher education, or must it be imposed by an educator?

Welcome to the debate that continues today, and, if current trends are any indication, they will continue. The good thing is that this is not an official "argument" among educators by any means; there are simply differently recognized ways of learning while also enjoying the college social environment.

Some research has suggested that students learn more if they are actively engaged with the material they are studying. This self-paced kind of curriculum conconsists of website learning, independent study, and mock "on-the-job" scenarios, which include students actively participating in the given material.

By contrast, much can be said of the traditional side of higher learning, in which students, though always encouraged to participate in classroom discussions or events, are largely listening, absorbing, and taking notes on what the instructor is teaching.

The styles are so widely varied, even in subcategories of each module, because educators have learned this for certain: To help college students learn, they must be prepared to offer courses that are more "personality-driven" than the old one-room-schoolhouse plan. In effect, teachers and professors are also engaged in learning -- learning more about how to best teach and prepare programs of study for individual students; a relatively fresh approach that considers not only SAT scores and entrance exams, but personality tests administered prior to entry.

The world of education, even on the higher learning level, is indeed changing, and if administrators want to bump up the dropout rate, they realize they must structure this "group of persons considered by law to be a unit" into a plethora of opportunities for learning.

And the great thing about this ongoing process is that students are far more involved in the "style" of education they receive; it has become a world of "student centered learning," as opposed to "teacher-centered."

In either case, you can certainly rest assured there will always be a need for teachers -- those who have studied extremely hard to then take upon themselves a position of great virtue, courage, and hard work. 

How does the Xbox differ from the Xbox 360? This is probably one of the biggest questions for people who either own the late model and are curious about the new one. Also, this question would be plaguing the minds of those who do not have either, but are thinking of purchasing one.

We can definitely cite quite a number of differences between the Xbox and its later model. But whether these differences would count at all, would really matter mostly on the individual characteristics of the consumers. It really depends on whether the person asking this question is somebody who simply wants to be able to play a video game at home during his past time. Or, whether this person is a total technological fan who is always out to get the latest model of gizmos.

First of all, the Xbox 360 is the latest model of Microsoft's gaming console. One might naturally expect that some of the features found inside the latest model would not be found in its predecessor. They would definitely not want to release something supposedly new that is basically the same as the older model, would they? That's the fact for every new edition of something that has been created before, especially regarding technological equipments and devices. There is always something added to it.

Improvement is always something that comes along in a new innovation. If you are a person who is quite meticulous about details, you would surely be able to notice slight differences between the computer graphics offered by the Xbox and its newer version.

The design of the new Xbox 360 is supposed to be able to work better with HDTVs. These matters are really to be able to go along with the other technological marvels in this day. They would naturally want to keep up and become as compatible as possible with the current state-of-the-art.

However, tests have been conducted using the Xbox 360. What they found was that, without the proper equipment to match the specifications of the game console, all the new innovations in its features would simply go to waste. If for example you connect it to a television set that only has an RF connection, you would basically get a quality of graphics that is probably 10 years behind what is being offered by the modern day.

Some of the other features that you would want to take into consideration are the wireless controllers available for the Xbox 360, its network gaming capability via a broadband connection, hard disc storage, and USB compatibility. It's basically a home entertainment system on its own. You would be able to view pictures and video from a digital camera, play music, etc.

Backwards compatibility is also an added feature that would allow you to play old Xbox games using the new game console. If you have the older one, then you would not be able to play the latest games that are to come.

As for me, I think that both of the units would be able to perform just as well. If you are satisfied with the conventional features of the old model, then go for it. It isn't really that out-of-date you know. But if you think that the difference between the Xbox 360 and the older version Xbox is that big, then go for it! You would definitely be getting some more great features out of the newer version. That is, of course, worth some extra money. Or you could simply wait for about a year and extend your patience until the prices go down. But by then there would probably be a 720 version of it. 

You have a bright idea hidden somewhere in the back of your mind that you just can't wait to test out. The question is, do you really want to bring it out into the light? What could motivate you to churn your creative, inspiring juices to their utmost flavor?

Did you know that it always helps to set a time limit to your personal goals? Set yourself up so you can accomplish the most tasks in record time. For example, mowing the lawn in an hour before the big game on TV. A correct and positive attitude in whatever you do will make things easier, and even enjoyable.

It's simple. If you begin to allow yourself a bit of positive thinking then you will begin to realize things that you never thought possible. Thinking big is indeed the American Way and that what made our country prosperous. You can follow other great Americans who tapped into their creative mind and began to thing big..

Discover some tips to make it through your first week of possibility thinking even if you're just sitting in your favorite couch. Your mind is constantly at work for you. Tap into it's great resource while doing everyday activities.

1. Act. You must take passionate action towards living your life by design. Talk is cheap. Action = deposits in the bank of a passionately authentic future. My mother (probably quoting someone else) always said, "Action speaks louder than words". Without action, passion is void.

Dreams become reality when you simply start by tinkering with your mind, then with your hands. And if the idea weakens or falters you can always go back to it later until you finish it. Thomas Edison and his Dream Team had to go back to the idea of a light bulb and recalculate it over 1,000 times before the first working light bulb begin to light the world.

2. Love. Commit to yourself. Then commit to those you love to powerfully create a life you can love. Instead of reacting, commit to creating from your heart and soul, out of love rather than fear. The American Dream will always be there, but a dream will still be a dream without motion. Be amazed as the transformation begins.

3. Live. Embrace moments and opportunities. Recognize and embrace the thought that each moment is perfect regardless of its outcome. Every time you hit on something that may appear too extreme why not give it a shot anyway. See if it will work. You may be surprised with the results. If you are not then decide to use that moment to learn from it and make the appropriate shift. Learning and growing from mistakes and failures is a part of living. 

4. Be grateful. Dwell completely in a place of gratitude. Learn to utilize what you have in your hands and make use of it in the most constructive way. Necessity is the mother of invention. Have you ever been stuck without something you needed and had to make do with something else? (MacGyver,from the famous tv show, was famous for that!) How grateful were you that you had the means to solve your situation? Slipping into neediness will become less of a habit when you repeatedly shift towards gratitude and away from poverty consciousness.

5. Be Passionate. Use a Passion Formula of Recognize/Reevaluate/Restore in place of the Shoulda/Woulda/Coulda whirlwind. The former is based on increased knowledge and abundance while the latter focuses on scarcity and lack. As you face people or tasks that may seem harder than scaling the summit of the Himalayas, allow yourself to realize that the task is just as important as giving out orders to your subordinates. You would rather be richly passionate!

6. Laugh. Keep humor at the forefront of thought, laughing at and with yourself whenever possible. You may find yourself quite entertaining when you loosen up! I have yet to see a comedian ever go hungry even though his jokes are as 'old as great-grandma'. Life has too much to offer to allow yourself to mope around in self pity. Humor is very attractive, very passionate: life-giving. 

7. Discover Your Purpose. Believe that you are the architect of your destiny. Realizing how you wish to be remembered when you pass from this life is a truly driving force. Your purpose for being can be a seemingly simple as being a great parent to as elaborate as discovering miraculous cures.

When you have a strong purpose no one can take your passionate future from you except for you! Truly, as long as there's still breath in your body, there is no end to how much you can accomplish in a lifetime. Discovering and following your purpose will enable you to enjoy your work. Celebrate in the discovery that acting on your creative mind's thoughts is fulfilling your purpose. Watch everything flow into place with perfect, passionate precision. 

Activate your positive thinking. Stretch your imagination. Think bigger than you feel comfortable. Act on your thoughts. The number one tip here is action. You want to start practicing these steps.

Think about this: It is unfortunate that so many people still do not use a computer because it appears too complicated to begin using. Or maybe they just keep putting it off till a more convenient time. These are just a couple of limitations one can set up for themselves. Limitations and failure to act on ideas and opportunities leave many as a dim bulb in a dark corner. 

Alert! You are not doomed to darkness. You are interested in living a life of purpose and love. The wonderful, creative idea in you is about to be released. You are interested in doing this because you are reading this article. Fortunately if you truly desire something, the will to attain it will open your creative mind to find a way.

Now you need only to begin to act on your desire to create. Act now! Make your path to creativity and follow your purpose. Take your first step today with a positive attitude. 

Think of buying a car as a game of poker, the seller is your opponent he may be bluffing he may not, but just as you would at a poker room in a casino you have to try to read the seller like you would in a poker room in a casino. 

Always remember to keep your eyes and ears open, when talking to someone about a used car. Make sure to ask lots of questions. 

In a casino you are risking your money, in hopes of getting a big return, but when buying a car you just want to get your moneys worth, you want a car that will be reliable and dependable. You do not want a car that wont start on cold days or that stalls until its been running for a half hour. 

Make sure to check the undercarriage and under the hood for rust. To a car rust is like cancer. Once rust is found it will spread unless it is cut off and replaced. Under the car and in the engine compartment you will find some rust it is only natural, but you want it to only be surface rust. This means if you take a wire brush to the rusted area you will brush off the rust and get to clean metal. 

Next make sure to check the body of the car, for waves and any bubbling in the paint, this would indicate that the car was in an accident or some rust was incorrectly repaired. It is not uncommon for someone selling a car to have rust spots sanded down and painted over to give the car a fresh look, but what will happen is after a month or two the paint will start to bubble as the metal begins to rust again. 

Next, look at the motor and mechanical parts under the hood of the car. The engine should be relatively clean from motor oil. If you see large buildups of oil in an area then chances are a head gasket will need to be replaces because of an oil leak. 

All electrical and rubber parts should be checked for cracks. Cracks in rubber parts means that the rubber is old and dried out and will probably need to be replaced eventually. 

Make sure to ask the owner if he has all the receipts for any work that has been done to the vehicle. 

Another important piece of advice is to make sure to take the car for a good test drive. Do not be afraid to drive the car a little hard with the owner with you in the car, chances are they will understand, if they object then maybe there is something with the car they are trying to hide and you should move on to another car. 

Many people will tell you that buying a used car is a gamble but if you take a good hard look at each car, and not get impulsive to buy, you can remove any gamble and guarantee yourself a jackpot of a car. 

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As a result of The Secret, many people know who Bob Doyle is. His ability to clearly explain the Law of Attraction sets him apart. I recently had the opportunity to listen to Bob Doyle in an interview with Anthony Treas. What follows is what I learned from that interview. 

Most of the people who are interested in the Law of Attraction are interested in attracting wealth into their lives. Bob points out that it is imperative to define what wealth means to you. Let's review a few synonyms – abundance, affluence, fortune, prosperity, accomplishment, achievement. Do any of those apply to you? Bob Doyle's definition is "Your true vision for your life" That's it! Few of us have the exact same vision for our lives but what an unambiguous idea. This is not to be taken lightly… if you can gain clarity in your mind of what is your "true vision for your life" you will be miles ahead of others. 

The Law of Attraction is the reason for everything that is occurring, has occurred, and will occur in our lives. If you're living a life that is not what you'd like it to be it's because of your thoughts. Do you really at a core level believe in yourself and your right to live the life of your dreams? If you're not currently living that life the answer is no. 

Have you ever met a person who is living the life of their dreams? It may have been a server in a restaurant, perhaps a tour guide, or an accountant – you will know immediately when you meet them because they radiate joy, they're an absolute pleasure to be around. Do you see the answer here? They're living their "true vision for their life". They are in vibrational resonance with what they are attracting. What they are putting out is what they are getting in return. Why would anyone not choose to live their life like this? 

In 1989 Marsha Sinetar wrote a book entitled "Do What You Love, the Money Will Follow – Discovering Your Right Livelihood" which I definitely recommend to you, can it possibly be that easy? ABSOLUTELY!!! 

Once you are living your true vision for your life it's like floating on a raft downstream. You will attract from the Universe all you need effortlessly. Your positive emotions are the key ingredient in this recipe for life. If you will listen to your heart and focus on how you are feeling emotionally you will be allowing the Law of Attraction to do its thing. If you find yourself in a situation where you're experiencing anxiety, anger, or stress you are not supposed to be doing it – stop! Are there times when we need to do something we don't want to do? Of course but that is not what I'm talking about here I'm asking you to focus on identifying your "true vison for your life" it may not come to you in an instant but I promise you if you make the effort, it will become apparent to you. 

You can listen to this interview between Bob Doyle and Anthony Treas by following the link below: http://applying-the-law-of-attraction.com/12week.html 

It's a sickening feeling, the moment you realise that some important document, or irreplaceable photos have vanished from your computer. But that is no reason to despair. The chances are that the data is still present, even if you know you deleted it. Your computer operating system just does not know how to find it any more.

The four most common reasons for data loss are:

* Deletion. You deleted the file by accident during a disk cleanup, or because you thought it was no longer required. It is not in the Recycle Bin. However, the data will still exist until the space it occupied on the disk is are-used by another file. 
* Overwriting. You saved a new file over the top of the old one. However, the old data may still exist, and be recoverable.
* File system corruption. The disk suddenly appears empty, or the file and folder names contain gibberish. The files probably still exist, but the pointers to them have been lost or corrupted and the operating system cannot find them.
* Physical damage or hardware failure. You receive error messages when you try to read the disk, or it is not recognised by the computer at all. The data is still likely to be present on the disk itself, but the drive is incapable of accessing it. 

In each case, there is a good chance that the data still exists. The computer operating system isn't able to see it, but data recovery software may be able to. If the problem is a hardware failure then a data recovery service may be able to get back the data using special equipment.

Prepare for data recovery

There is one cardinal rule of data recovery: for the best chance of recovering the files you must not write any new data to the disk they were stored on. The old data will only remain on the disk until the space it occupied is used by another file. If the disk is your computer's main drive, then the drive is being written to all the time. You should turn off the computer immediately, and use another computer to search for a solution to recover your data. You should put your computer's hard disk in another computer to do the data recovery, or use data recovery that runs from a CD or floppy disk, because installing the data recovery software on the drive could overwrite the very data you want to recover.

Choosing the data recovery method

Data recovery tools use different methods to try to recover data. Some tools are designed for recovering deleted files, others are better at restoring overwritten files, or recovering files from disks that are physically damaged. Some data recovery software products have been developed specifically for recovering photo images, or Microsoft Word or Excel document files. Such products may succeed where others fail because they understand what these files look like, and can recognise their data when other clues to its existence have vanished.

It can be difficult to choose the most appropriate data recovery method. Tech-Pro has created a website called Get Data Back. It has a Data Recovery Wizard that asks questions about the data you have lost and how it was lost, and then recommends the product that is most likely to be successful. It will also advise you if it would be better to use a professional data recovery service. Give the Get Data Back data recovery site (http://www.get-data-back.com) a try if you need to recover lost files. 

The Temptation To Live An Undisciplined Life 

In today's society we live in a world where temptations are everywhere. We have TV, video games and sports to ensure we never get bored. So is it any wonder that people struggle to focus on their school work, their jobs or their relationships? After all, why should you do something which is boring or hard, when you can do something that's easy and fun instead? 

Well the reality is you don't have to do boring stuff and work hard, no one is forcing you to do that. Although if you choose not to do these things it is very likely that your school grades, job or relationships will suffer as a result. 

Why? Because the things that are worth having in life, the things that have real long term value and meaning, are often the things that require time, effort and hard work. 

But if we live in a society that makes having fun so easy, how can we focus on obtaining the things that really matter in life, when temptations make it so easy to do otherwise? 

Self Discipline In Life 

The answer to this question is self discipline. Discipline is the ability to force yourself to do something that you know you must do, even if you don't feel like it. In other words, discipline allows a person to resist the temptation of TV, video games and sports. Thereby allowing them to concentrate on their school work, jobs and relationships. The things that really matter and add value to your life. 

At the risk of sounding like a bore, I don't mean to say that discipline means you can't have fun in life. No, that would be silly. We all need time for fun and entertainment, but there must be a balance, otherwise you will most likely fail to succeed in life. This is the reason self discipline is so important in life, especially in today's society which is constantly tempting us to choose the easy way out. 

Developing Self Discipline 

Whilst practicing self discipline may require lots of hard work and a strong will to master, eventually the more you discipline yourself to resist succumbing to the temptations of life, the more your self discipline will strengthen. In turn this makes it easier to apply discipline in the future. 

So developing self discipline is just like any other skill in life. At first it will be hard, but the more you practice the stronger and easier it will become. In a world that is made up of largely undisciplined and lazy people (especially those living in developed countries) having strong self discipline will give you an enormous advantage in life. 

To increase creativity, you need to do two things. First, you need to encourage it. Second, you need to train your brain. Start on both of these right now, and you can experience greater creativity today.

Encourage creativity and you'll increase creativity. This is true of most things you want to see more of in your life. Encouragement can work wonders. How do you encourage creativity, though?

First, by paying attention to it. Your subconscious mind tends to give you more of what you pay attention to. If you ignore the creative aspects of your life, you are telling your subconscious that they are unimportant. If you consciously note when you are creative, and you look for opportunities to be creative, your subconscious mind will start feeding you more creative ideas. Look for it and you'll find more of it.

Another way to encourage and increase creativity, is to write your ideas down. Keep an "idea journal." If you do this regularly, you'll notice that you often start having more ideas the moment you start to write. A so-so idea may normally be forgotten, but by writing it down, you may remember it, your subconscious works on it, and it can transform into something very creative.

You can also encourage greater creativity in yourself by putting creative ideas into practice. If you paint or write, for example, try anything new. Even just driving a different route to work to see if it is quicker can help. The point is to get you mind working outside of its regular patterns.

Just changing your surroundings can encourage creativity. If you want more creativity in your love life, go hike up a mountain with your partner. If you write, try sitting on a roof to write. If you need new ideas for your business, take a notebook to the park and sit by the duck pond. A change of enviroment can get your brain out of it's ruts.

Creativity Training

If you want to dramatically increase creativity, develop creative habits of mind. Watch a good comedian and you'll see that she has trained her mind to look for the "different angle" on everyday things. You can train your mind to do the same.

Challenge assumptions, for example, until it becomes habit. Looking for ways to get customers into your store? Stop and say, "Do I really need more customers?" The question suggests other creative solutions, like finding ways to make more money off existing customers, or ways to cut expenses. These may lead to more profitable ideas. Challenge assumptions to increase the creativity of your solutions.

As you drive to work, randomly choose anything around you and ask how it may be connected to whatever problem you are working on. A helicopter overhead might make you think about a way to track where the car goes when you loan it to your kids. A palm tree may lead to a new design for patio umbrellas.

The above techniques are called "Assumption Challenging" and "Random Presentation," and are two classic creative problem solving techniques. There are dozens more. Train your brain to habitually use these, and provide it with a little encouragement, and you really can increase your creativity.

What is it that makes you get out of bed in the morning, stumble to the shower and get dressed for work? The answer is motivation. This is what keeps us going through life, coping with all the daily stresses, pain and suffering. We are constantly motivated to make our lives better by doing whatever we can to make improvements.

That's fine for adults, but what motivates children, you might ask. Just think back to the days when you were in elementary school. What was it that made you go to school each day, besides your parents waking you up and making you go? The motivation of meeting your friends and socializing was one of the reasons. The other is that even then you knew that you needed an education to get you through life. The promise of a new bike or the teacher's praise kept you working at your studies and passing the tests.

The type of motivation we have depends on what you want to do in life. This is the reason we have so many different occupations. It accounts for the people who do the mundane tasks that make our lives better and for those who aspire to greatness by inventing new technologies and medicines to improve the world as a whole. Every person works together to make the world a better place and each one is motivated in different ways. Even if you are working at a job you don't like, the fact that you receive a paycheck at the end of the month to help pay your bills keeps you going.

The pay off for motivation comes when you reap the benefits of hard work. If you have extra pounds, the sight of a new suit in the department store may spur you to action. You want to fit into this suit for a special occasion and therefore you start a regimen of diet and exercise as a method of self-improvement. When you do achieve a goal, you enjoy an immense feeling of satisfaction. In the end however, the only true motivation comes from inside. 

The Alchemist is one of those "esoteric" feeling books that makes you feel like life is vivid again.

It certainly plays on the feeling that "there is something more" that you've forgotten and the thought that you are part of a bigger plan.

As you follow Santiago, the shepherd boy on his adventure, you will automatically question your own adventure in life; are you living up to your higher purpose? Why have you forgotten your way? What else is out there that you should be doing? Have you betrayed what you were meant to do with your life?

Asking questions like this...feeling the feelings that go along with such questions...it really is a wonderful way to live. For the short time that you read this book, you will feel more alive. You will feel more in tune with "the universe". You will feel that wonderful 1-in-the-morning-stare-out-the-window-and-listen-to-the-wind feeling...that is…unless you don't know what that feels like.

Santiago follows his dreams, which take him from Spain to Morocco and then Egypt, all in search of a special treasure. During his travels he learns lessons from messengers that seem placed in his path at the right moment, just when he needs them.

The author, Paulo Coelho, is a Brazilian writer who is very well-liked. I heard that Madonna loves him. I have read several of his books, but I think this is the best one. He has churned out quite a few more books in the last few years that I have not read yet, so it is certainly possible that he has outdone The Alchemist. I'll check it out.

A few of his books have been non-fiction and about his own life. From what I can piece together, Paulo is a member of a little-known Mystic Catholic sect which seeks after spiritual growth. They assign previously unknown international mentors to their members...older men who have attained a high degree of spiritual power (and worldly success?). I won't even go into some of the weird stuff they do, but if you want to an idea, pick up "The Pilgrimage", also by Coelho. 

But do read The Alchemist; it is just such a good book. It will definitely give you a wisdom-buzz...or an "esoteric-buzz".

Today I was reading an interview with Paulo, in which he talked about watching for "Omens" in your life that only you will recognize. It's a language the "Universe" speaks to you through...like coincidences, songs, feelings, synchronicities. This is a theme he definitely speaks a lot about in The Alchemist. 

Some people complain that the book is too simplistic, that you would be stupid to believe that there is some "plan" for your life that you should have followed; that you should wake up, take your head out of the "touchy-feely" clouds and get back to work. 

If you are prone to such thoughts, perhaps this book is not for you. However, if you enjoy waking up your soul from time to time, there is no better place to do it than in the clouds. 

Both the worst and the best of the great achievers had the belief in themselves and the resilience to overcome early failures. One of these was none other than Genghis Khan. There are powerful lessons we can learn from him.

In 1162 a child, called Temujin, was born in Mongolia clutching a blood clot - a sign that he was destined to be a great warrior. Signs like these encouraged Temujin to believe in his own ability despite early defeats. We, too, need to believe in our own ability, power and destiny.

Temujin came to rule the largest land empire ever known. It was four times the size of the empire of Alexander the Great and twice the size of the Roman Empire. But success only came after failure.

Temujin, who later became known as Genghis Khan, was the son of a tribal warrior chief in Mongolia. When he was nine his father was poisoned by a rival tribe. Temujin commented: "From that day I would never be a child again."

His tribe was little more than an extended family They were at risk unless they forged links with other tribes. Temujin wisely enlarged his tribe through marriage with Borte.

However, even an alliance with Borte's clan did not make him safe. The tribes of Mongolia were locked in a spiral of vendettas. There was only one law on the steppes: "Take what you want."

The Merkit tribe had once feuded with Temujin's father. Now Temujin was in danger and his new wife was especially vulnerable. The scene was set for his first failure.

The Merkit's stole Temujin's wife on a raid. Temujin failed to defend his wife and prevent her capture. He was faced with accepting defeat and escaping or staying and dying. Temujin escaped:

"They had taken my wife. I knew what I had to do. Only a fool fights a battle he knows he cannot win."

His wife too had to submit to her captor or die. She submitted. Temujin may have been beaten in a skirmish by the Merkit but he was not defeated. He made plans to get his wife back and take his revenge.

He could rely on his blood brother, Jamuka: "I had just one friend I could trust." But he needed even more support. He and Jamuka sought the help of a khan who was once the blood brother of Temujin's father: "I told him he was as a father to me. A man who seeks power needs friends who have power."

He was accepted by the khan. Temujin was delighted: "My power had been increased by heaven and earth." The man who later conquered the world knew the importance of support from the powerful.

He now went looking for his wife at the Merkit camp, rescued her and took his revenge: "We made the Merkits pay for their deed. We destroyed their families and emptied their breasts."

Temujin was barely 20 and he had already eliminated one of Mongolia's great tribes, rescued his wife and had turned his first failure into victory. He had also begun to build his power base.

Nine months later Borta gave birth to his son. There was some doubt as to who was the father but Temujin again turned defeat into victory by treating him as his own son. His pragmatic, practical approach helped him throughout his life.

However, there was tension between Temujin and Jamuka who in the early days shared the leadership of the tribe. They disagreed over how you value a man's worth. Both were sons of aristocrats. But only only Temujin had really suffered adversity.

After his father was murdered Temujin experienced betrayal by his own people: "Our tribe deserted us. Men are loyal only to a strong leader. They left us with nothing. We had no friends but our own shadows. Like the wolf, we endured and from hardship I grew strong. Now I cared only for the strength in a man's heart. A warrior does not win a battle by virtue of his birth."

Temujin rewarded ability and loyalty alone. One of his most promising warriors, Subuday, was the son of humble herdsman. Jamuka, however, believed high rank should only be reserved for aristocrats His blood brother was throwing out the old ways. The gulf widened between them.

A shaman said that Temujin and his sons would rule the whole surface of the world This was a decisive moment for Jamuka who now wished to move away from their homeland. Temujin realised that disunity would follow.It did.

Two years later Jamuka's men ambushed Temujin's tribe. It was a huge defeat. Again the future world conqueror had failed.

"My army was unprepared, outnumbered and outwitted; the earth was soaked with the blood of my warriors." Temujin knew how to face reality and admit his own responsibility but the worst was to come.

Jamuka lined up the generals of his blood brother and had them thrown alive into a cauldron of boiling water.

When Temujin heard of the atrocity he swore a vow: "By the power of heaven, I swore to gain my vengeance. Never again would I be defeated nor my loyal warriors so dishonoured."

He told his warriors: "They say the Mongols are descended from the wolf. Like the wolf we are famous for our ferocity and courage but to win a battle we have to fight fiercely not as individual warriors but as parts of a whole."

Temujin trained his warriors to a high standard and in 1204 rode west in search of his blood brother and his army.

Jamuka was the first to face an army that eventually conquered much of the surface of the earth. Temujin's men advanced in silence saving their battle cries till the last. He used discipline, teamwork and controlled tactics to defeat Jamuka.

Arrows were released and then "my cavalry attacked without mercy." Each tactic was meticulously planned. One squadron fled luring Jamuka's men into a trap.

Jamuka saw his army destroyed and ran. His men lay like "felled logs in the forest." He hid through winter of 1204. In spring, he reappeared escorted by two of his generals who expected a reward.

Temujin rewarded the two generals with death for their disloyalty to their khan and gave Jamuka the chance to rejoin him. But Jamuka knew there could only be one ruler so he simply asked for a noble death in which none of his blood would be shed. Temujin granted his blood brother's final wish. Two warriors bent him backwards over some logs breaking his back. Both early failures had been revenged. Defeat had been turned into victory.

Temujin was declared universal ruler In 1206 at the age of 44. A new title was created to honour him which meant "Ruler of all men" i.e. Genghis Khan. It was declared that: "All who hear him shall obey him."