This is a quote from The Tragedy of Julius Cæsar (Act I, Scene II), a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. Its central protagonist is Marcus Brutus and the central psychological drama of the play is his struggle between the conflicting demands of honor, patriotism, and friendship.

The play portrays the conspiracy against the Roman dictator, Julius Caesar, his assassination and its aftermath and it is the first of Shakespeare’s Roman plays.

Our thinking: “That is impossible”
The Bible: “All things are possible” ~ Lk. 18:27

Our thinking: “I’m too tired”
The Bible: “I will give you rest” ~ Mt. 11:28-30

Our thinking: “Nobody loves me”
The Bible: “I love you” ~ Jn 3:16

Our thinking: “I can’t move on”
The Bible: “My grace is sufficient” ~ II Cor. 12:19

Our thinking: “I can’t get out of this”
The Bible: “I will direct your steps” ~ Prov. 20:24

Our thinking: “I can’t do that”
The Bible: “You can do all things” ~ Phil 4:13

In life, everyone has something to say, everyone has a point that is intended to get across to other people. But how many times have you tried to render a message and instead of people understanding what you were trying to say, they understood almost the opposite? How many times have you tried to talk to someone and they simply didn’t listen to you? How many times the person you were talking to had its mind someplace else? I’m certain that it happened to you quite a few times. It’s natural. But after those unsuccessful experiences have you asked yourself why that occurred? Did you find a satisfying solution to the problem?

In order to express a certain thought the way you want it to come across, you have to keep a few things in mind.

1. Learn to listen

Talking to people, spreading ideas and rendering messages are parts of the process of communication. What is communication? Communication is the exchange of information and messages between different organisms. So you see, it is an exchange of information, a two way street. You give some, you receive some. Killing off either of them means that you’re no longer in the process of communication and as a result your point can’t get across to the other person.

Listening well leads to better relationships with employees, vendors, strategic partners and clients. Surveys show that miscommunication has high costs, including lowered productivity, increased turnover and higher stress. Most people want to be heard but rarely make the effort to listen to others.

If you don’t listen, you simply can’t be heard.

But maybe you already knew that you have to listen, and simply didn’t know how to do it. Here are a few simple guidelines to help you develop your listening skills:

• Be present;
• Resist distractions;
• Don’t do more things at once. When you’re talking to someone, do just one thing: listen to the person with whom you’re speaking;
• Lean forward slightly, focus your eyes on the speakers face and try not to fidget or glance away too frequently. Doing this will demonstrate your full attention;
• Remember and follow the golden rule of communication: every person is important and deserves your attention;
• Keep a flexible mind to others’ ideas; let go of your need to be right, if only temporarily. The need to be right is part of the human ego, and in 90% of the situations encountered in life the ego isn’t doing you any good, on the contrary;
• If you disagree, don’t tune out;
• Don’t jump to early to conclusions, listen to the whole message;

I’ve always been attracted by quotes that made me think. There is something magical about them …when you first read them, you often say “well, it makes sense,” and when you read them a second time you notice that there is something new in yourself, something that wasn’t there before. It’s a bit of wisdom that you gained.

As a result of my passion for thought provoking words, today I’m starting a series of posts in which I’ll share with you my latest findings in that matter. Some of them may be a bit difficult to understand, others a little easier, but the thing that they all have in common is their ability to make you think.

“Look to your health; and if you have it, praise God and value it next to conscience; for health is the second blessing that we mortals are capable of, a blessing money can’t buy.” – Izaak Walton (1593 – 1683)

How much do you value your health? Can you put a price tag on it? Obviously not, if anything, your health is invaluable. Long gone are the days when expensive chemical or synthetic drugs were deemed to be the best for our bodies. Apart from the forbidding cost, the side effects that the body has to deal with cannot be ignored. This realization has dawned and people today are going back to natural remedies that humankind has been using for thousands of years.

For natural remedies and cures, the kitchen is a great place to start. It has almost all the medicines you would possible need at least, to deal with common ailments. All this at no (or negligible) cost, purity, without side effects and dollops of TLC (tender, loving care). Sounds too good to be true? Well, it’s not, all you need is just a little awareness and understanding!

The best solutions are not the cheapest ones, the best solutions are always the ones that cost nothing!

Having a headache?

Curing headaches has never been easier! Eating fish and ginger will make the pain go away in no time.

Fish contains fish oil that prevents headaches. Americans consume a dangerously insufficient amount of Omega-3 fats, which are essential to good health but can only found in fish oil and a few other foods (flaxseed, walnuts). However, the most beneficial form of Omega-3 – containing two fatty acids, DHA and EPA, that are essential to fighting and preventing both physical and mental disease – can only be found in fish.

Other benefic effects of fish oil include:

• Helps fight and prevent heart disease, cancer, depression, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, diabetes, ulcers, hyperactivity and many other diseases
• Increases your energy level and ability to concentrate
• Provides greater resistance to common illnesses such as flu and cold
• Helps pregnant women avoid premature births, low birth weight and other complications

Ginger has a small amount of antihistamine and anti-inflammatory action and that may be the basis for its effectiveness in preventing headaches. The is an anecdotal information saying that a woman in Denmark took 500 to 600 milligrams of powdered ginger in water at the first sign of a migraine and relief came within 30 minutes. After a few days of taking powdered ginger, the woman changed to eating fresh, raw ginger (the amount is not given). Fewer migraines were reported and those that did break through were of less intensity.