If you want to be happier and you also love movies, this article will teach you how to use their lessons to change your life. To achieve this, you must look for three things in every movie you watch. If the movie has all three, it can be a rich, meaningful experience that can change your life while you’re also having fun. Here’s what to look for:

1. Does this movie inspire you? Great mentors must be able to bring out the best in us. A good movie must have the power to inspire you through the characters it brings to life. If you love a movie, you can use it as your inspirational force by answering these questions:

How did this film inspire you to go after what’s important in you life?

What did the characters teach you about success and what will you do to follow their examples?

What did the characters teach you about mistakes and what harmful actions will you avoid in your life?

2. Does this movie stir in you powerful emotions? In watching a movie, it’s safe to feel emotions you usually hide in real life, from sadness and pain to joy and bliss. Life is full of emotion. If a movie can not stir powerful emotions in you, it’s not a story about real life but a lifeless illustration in motion. To make the most out of a good film’s ability to stir powerful emotions, answer these questions:

What powerful feelings did this movie stir in you?

How have you been handling those feelings in real life (such as avoiding, suppressing, or letting out of control) and what results are you getting?

Can you make any improvements in the way you are handling those feelings?

3. Does this movie show you how to handle the unknown? Like a great teacher, a good movie must have lessons that prepare you for the unknown and warn you about the dangers of the future. The characters must be honest examples of real people and their ways of dealing with life’s curveballs must teach meaningful lessons for your life. To make the most out of those lessons, answer these questions:

What did this character (or characters) do to face that unexpected challenge?

What happened as a result?

What am I learning from the example of this character (or characters) that I must use (or avoid) in my own life, when I face a similar challenge?

When a movie does not meet the three criteria, it can still influence you through other, equally important elements, such as special effects, cinematography, great action sequences, or the soundtrack. In such a case, ask yourself: “What do I like about this movie that I want to have more of in my life?” If it’s the music, then put more music in your life. If it’s the cinematography, then add in your schedule some art-related activities. If it’s the action sequences, then pick an area of your life that lacks action and do something about it.

How to Apply the 3 Criteria

Get together with two or three friends who love movies. Pick a movie from the following list and watch using the three criteria above. Keep in mind the questions listed within each criterion. Then, answer the questions that follow below. For more tips on how to change your life in 12 weeks using lessons from popular movies, visit www.reelfulfilment.com.

1. “The Aviator” is a biopic about Howard Hughes, who became a magnet following his passion for aviation as he fought the debilitating effects of mental illness.

2. “Ray” is a biopic about singer Ray Charles who achieved world fame as he fought blindness, poverty, racism, and heroin addiction.

3. “The Notebook” is the story of two people who grow old together letting nothing stand in the way of their love for each other.

4. “Million Dollar Baby” is the story of a determined female boxer who achieves her dream just before life throws her a punch that she’s not prepared to return.

Questions to answer:

- How did the film inspire you?

- What powerful feelings did it stir in you?

- What did it teach you about handling the unknown?

Now make a list of:

1. Something you have a desire to achieve.

2. An obstacle you think is blocking you from achieving it.

3. Three strengths you gained from watching the recommended movies.

Put your learning to practice with concrete actions. Enjoy the results.

Maria Grace, Ph.D., is an expert at teaching people how to learn lessons from popular movies to find the job, home, relationship, and healthy body and mind they want. She is the author of “Reel Fulfillment: A 12-Step Plan for Transforming Your Life through Movies”. For more information visit: http://www.mariagrace.com and http://www.reelfulfillment.com

Tags: achieve, change, dollar, entertainment, female, happiness, inspire, life, maria, million, movie, music, powerfulachieve, change, dollar, entertainment, female, happiness, inspire, life, maria, million, movie, music, powerful

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Working 9 - 5, raising a family, worrying about the mortgage and trying to make time for all the people, pressures and demands in your life can take its toll. You need a break from time to time and because it is so essential that you use your holiday time for completely unwinding and de-stressing it is absolutely critical that you pick out the best holiday destination each time and avoid wasting your days away, your hard earned cash and your quality time with loved ones.

This guide to choosing the best holiday destination for you covers the top ten points you should consider when planning that next getaway.

1) The Time Of The Year - when are you planning on taking your next holiday? Certain destinations are only attractive to holidaymakers at a given time of the year because of climatic conditions. Think carefully about when you’ll be travelling and then examine the rainfall and temperature charts for your shortlist of destinations and make sure it will be neither extremely too hot or cold or wet or windy when you plan to holiday.

2) Your Budget - your budget will have a major bearing on where you travel to and also when you can travel. Travelling out of season on a last minute package holiday will of course save you lots of money, but there are other ways to make your money go further. Travel agents nowadays offer early bird booking discounts for example, alternatively you could book each stage of the holiday separately and possibly save more by calling airlines, hotels and hire car companies direct and asking about any special offers or discounts they offer and maybe you could even consider a house swap to save on accommodation costs.

3) Distance - long haul flights are no fun unless you can travel business class! And what’s more, having to travel to your ideal destination over a 12 or even 24 hour period and then suffering jetlag when you arrive and upon your return will maybe eat up as much as half of your holiday in real terms. Think about the distance you would like to travel in terms of hours sat on a plane, in departures, on a bus, in the car or even on a trainand then research destinations accordingly.

4) Travelling Parents - if you have children and you’re planning a family holiday a whole load of new criteria come into the planning. If you have young pre-school children you may be able to travel out of the peak school holiday times and thus save yourself thousandsbut you will have the added hassle of having to travel with half a tonne of baby paraphernalia! Research your airline and resort in terms of the facilities they offer parents. Also, you must consider the heat, sun and humidity factors when travelling as children suffer more and also tend to vocalise more than us when uncomfortable for long periods of time!

5) Facilities - what facilities are in or around the resorts you’re considering and what facilities to you require? If you can’t be more than a day away from the internet make sure there’s access from your hotel, if you’re travelling with children is there a laundry service offered - or better still if you’re on a budget, do they have a laundry room in the hotel that you can access? Do you need to carry an iron, a hair dryer, a carry cot or even a child’s car seat with you or will your hotel and hire car company be able to supply you with all the bulky items you need? Ask, don’t assume!

6) Amenities - if you want to keep fit when away is there a hotel gym, what about a spa so that you can make the most of your time away? Is there an onsite bar and restaurant, what about gift shops and a mini market? Think about all the amenities you would like to have access to before you begin your research and then when you find an attractive destination tick off your list of desirable amenities against what it offers.

7) Entertainment - when it comes to your idea of a good time does that include wild night life or easy access to sites of historic or cultural interest? Are you after pubs, clubs, bars and restaurants for a 24 hour party or would you like to be able to drive to a stunning castle, take a boat trip out to sea, wander away from the crowds and find entertainment in tranquillity? You will have a good idea of the entertainment requirements you and travelling companions require - just make sure you pick a resort that fits in with those requirements!

Beach Flop Or Activity Holiday - are you happy to flop on the sand and soak up the sun or would you be happier hiking in the Himalayas? Think carefully about what exactly would bring you the most pleasure from your time away. Don’t go with the flow and copy the crowds if your idea of a nice time is simply relaxing in your garden at home for two weeks then do that! Your holiday time is your own so make of it what you can and what you want.

9) Health Requirements - if you or your family have any particular health issues from asthma to diabetes, from a physical handicap to even a fear of flying you should take all of these factors into the planning. Certain destinations are less sophisticated in terms of medical facilities available and even in terms of access to prescription drugs, some are more inaccessible in terms of travelling to or even getting around than others. Also, some destinations carry disease warnings and require you to have inoculations before you travel or to take malaria drugs when on the ground for example. Consider your preferred destination in terms of the health aspects for your whole family.

10) Take Recommendations - listen to family, friends and colleagues when they tell you about where they’ve been that was good and where they’ve been that was terrible; learn from their experiences and disaster stories and take any recommendations from trusted and like minded sources. Such recommendations can be a great place to begin your research and if you find that the destination likely suits you to a tee you will be able to find out about the best places to eat, the must see sights and the friendliest staff before you head out which will give you an extra confidence boost and get your holiday off to a flying start.

Have fun!

Rhiannon Williamson is a freelance writer whose articles about traveling and living abroad have appeared in many major travel and expatriate publications throughout the world.

You can find more of her articles at: http://www.AboutNorthCyprus.com/

Tags: activity, beach, break, destination, entertainment, family, holiday, leisure, travelactivity, beach, break, destination, entertainment, family, holiday, leisure, travel

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I’m a magician and also write books about magic aimed, mostly, at adult beginners. For those reasons, you’d expect that I’d be still saying that it’s going well, even if I was reduced to sharing my rabbit’s rations! It’s still extremely popular and my bunny’s biscuits are hers alone. We don’t get much magical entertainment on television here.

There’s very little live production because of the lower costs for the networks to get programs from America or England. These programs have huge budgets by our standards along with prepared promotional information and an almost guaranteed audience attracted by earlier publicity when the shows were originally sgown in the originating country. That’s reduced the potential in that area to casual spots on chat shows and similar until some clever performer focuses on the needs of that market and finds a way to break in. I’m sure that it will happen. I hope I’m still around when it does! However, the demand for magic shows for parties, conferences and special events is becoming stronger after declining in many areas after 9/11.

The heightened security requirements and inevitable minor delays when travelling won’t stop companies and other organisations attending junkets … sorry, industry information events. There’s few forms of entertainment with the broad appeal for people attending these events of a quality magic act. There’s also very strong interest in specialised magic presentations for break-out events that give conference delegates some light hearted fun between their work sessions and also programs that entertain delegates partners while those work sessions are on. The continued interest in my books, shown by the feedback from readers and distributors, tells me that there are many adults, dedicated to other activities and professions, that love to use magic tricks to break the ice at parties, promote their business activities in memorable ways or even perform occasional magic shows.

I know from the enthusiasm of children I entertain and the comments of parents at the shows or who send feedback after buying my ebooks, that children are learning to do magic tricks or to make and use puppets in greater numbers than ever. The appeal is, I think, in the human interaction that technology hasn’t simulated very successfully yet. Even when virtual hologram performances are common, costs are likely to keep them beyond the reach of most for a while. And there’s one major attraction that no machine-based system can match.

It’s great to watch a magic show, but there’s even more fun being the person that waves the wand and causes the scarves to change places or the elephant to appear. And, provided you have access to a well-trained elephant - or the necessary scarves - it’s really very easy to learn to do a few little miracles yourself.

John Williams is a part-time professional magician who writes and sells ebooks between his magic shows. The books, including his latest, ‘Ezy Magic Miracles’ are available from Ezyebook.com

Tags: amazement, conventions, entertainment, hobby, ice breaker, magic, parties, tricks, wandamazement, conventions, entertainment, hobby, ice breaker, magic, parties, tricks, wand

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