We hear stories all the time about people who manage to retire in their 50s, 40s, or even earlier. And while some of those folks might strike it rich in the business world or come from wealthy families, a lot of them don't get to where they are by snagging a windfall or capitalizing on handouts. Rather, they work hard and establish their priorities early on in life.

If you're serious about retiring ahead of schedule, whether that means leaving the workforce at age 50 or sometime in your early 60s, you have a pretty good shot at meeting that goal if you start working toward it soon enough. Here are a few steps to take if early retirement is important to you.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

Retiring early often boils down to making smart financial decisions, at the core of which is knowing where all of your money is going. That's why it's critical to create a budget that maps out your expenses and helps you track your spending. Once you get a clear sense of how much money you have to work with at present and what you're doing with that money, you'll be better positioned to check off the next item on our list: living below your means.

When you work hard, it's natural to want to enjoy that success, whether it's in the form of a nice car, a spacious home, or a string of luxury vacations year after year. But if you're truly set on retiring early, you'll need to make a habit of living well below your means, both now and in the future.

Imagine you currently bring home $5,000 a month and spend every last cent. Unless you somehow accumulate enough savings to replace that income in its entirety, you're going to struggle once you stop working. That's because you'll have gotten used to a certain lifestyle, and the older we get, the harder it becomes to adjust. On the other hand, if you learn to live below your means, you'll be able to not only get by on much less in retirement, but get pleasure out of the lifestyle that comes with it.

You can't retire early if you don't have the savings to support yourself -- it's as simple as that. It therefore stands to reason that the sooner you begin saving, the better your chances of building a suitable nest egg by the time you're 57, as opposed to 67.

Of course, you should always aim to save as much of your income as possible, because the more money you sock away, the more wealth you'll accumulate. But if you give your nest egg ample time to grow, you'll get to benefit from compounding, which could really supercharge your savings.

The following table shows how well compounding might work to your advantage, based on how early you begin your savings efforts:

If You Start Saving $500 a Month at Age...

Here's What You'll Have by Age 57 (Assumes an 8% Average Annual Return)...

22

$1.03 million

27

$680,000

32

$438,000

37

$274,000

TABLE AND CALCULATIONS BY AUTHOR.

As you can see, thanks to the power of compounding, saving $6,000 a year consistently over a 35-year period will leave you with over $1 million, and at a cost of just $210,000 out of pocket. Of course, once you're older, you'll be eligible for Social Security, which you can use to pad your retirement income. But in the interim, retiring at age 57 with $1 million to your name is certainly feasible, especially if you live a relatively modest lifestyle.

Though saving money from an early age is crucial to retiring early, investing that cash wisely is just as important. In the above example, we saw that a $500 monthly contribution could grow to just over $1 million in 35 years if that money sees an average annual 8% return on investment. But that's the sort of return you're really only going to get with a stock-heavy strategy. Though stocks have historically delivered a roughly 9% yearly return, bonds, which are less volatile, haven't performed nearly as well. So while investing in bonds might be safer in theory, getting too conservative could actually wreck your chances of retiring ahead of schedule.

Imagine that instead of earning an average annual 8% return on investment, your $500 monthly contributions bring in just a 5% return. In that scenario, after 35 years, you'd have just $542,000 to work with, which is almost less than half of that $1 million that sounded great just minutes ago. Though it's natural to be wary of the stock market, you need to be willing to take some risks if you want a shot at retiring early. And if you give yourself several decades to ride out the market's ups and downs, you're more likely than not to come out ahead.

Retiring early often boils down to smart decisions and a few sacrifices. But if you're willing to make the effort, you stand a good chance of retiring at an age where you're young enough to enjoy that newfound freedom.

Continued here:
Here's How to Retire Early -- The Motley Fool - Motley Fool

They call me bermensch 'cause I'm so driven!

Nietzsche

Nietzsche, alongside Socrates and Voltaire, battled the Eastern Philosophers as a part of the Western Philosophersin Eastern Philosophers vs Western Philosophers. He also turned against Socrates partway through the battle. He was portrayed by Nice Peter.

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was born on October 15th, 1844, in Rcken bei Ltzen, Germany. He was a German philosopher, scholar, and cultural critic. His works are strongly associated with critical analysis of religion, philosophy, psychology, and morality, and promote atheism, psychologism, and historism. His most known key ideas are: the "bermensch" (or "Superman"), a goal for humanity to set for itself and that God is dead, killed by ourselves as a race. As a writer, he wrote several books such as The Gay Science andThe Antichrist. Nietzsche's ideology was also noted to be very nihilistic and he is believed to have created the ideals of Nazism. However, many of his ideas that formed the backbone of Nazism were actually modified from his original works by his sister, who reworked them to fit her own ideology. In 1889, he had a mental breakdown and was committed to a mental asylum where he spent the rest of his life. He diedat the age of 55 on August 25th, 1900, in Weimar, Germany.

[Note: Nietzsche is in brown, while Socrates and Voltaire are in regular text. All philosophers rapping together is in italics.]

I'm coming off the Acropolis to start some pandemonium.

Don't bring limp raps to a pimp-slap symposium!

The mad gadfly, philosophy was my invention!

Rolling with the flyest nihilist, and me, their French henchman!

We've got the wisdom and the wit that even I couldn't question!

Dropping Western medicine on these East infections!

It's evident you've never been our type of mental brethren!

We're betterthinkers, betterspeakers, betterlovers, better men!

Oh, I'll give you something you can bow and kowtow to

When I squat down and squeeze out a Tao of Pooh on Lao Tzu!

You need to take control of the life you're given!

They call me bermensch 'cause I'm so driven!

And I'm a freethinker, so confronting conformists like you? It's my job!

Got a sharp wit like a spit that'll skewer you like a Confu-shish kebab!

(Oh!) You flubbed the mission. I'm beating your submissive ass into submission!

Dishing out more disses than letters and pamphlets and plays I've been publishing!

Now that we've covered the two Yin and Yang twins, I can move onto Jackie Chan!

Sun Tzu, I'll be picking apart your Wu with my method, man!

The seminal general isn't so tough on the mic; all your men must be like, "Yo, what happened?"

You're pitiful lyrically. Lucky for history, you didn't author The Art of Rapping!

I wouldn't exactly call myself a student of this plebe.

Don't make Nietzsche come over and put a knee up in your chi!

'Cause I'm N-I-E-T-Z-S-C-H-E,

And I'll end any mother fucker like my name in a spelling bee!

Plebe, bitch? I'm toxic like a hemlock sip!

Hang a sandal on the door 'cause you can suck Soc's dick!

Sacr bleu, Socrates! You're making things a little tense!

Come, let's blind these Chinese heinies with some shiny bright enlightenment!

I'll not be taught camaraderie from a frog who rigged the lottery!

You make a mockery of ethics, so keep your fat nose in your coffee!

Let me be frank: don't start beef with the Frank,

Who hangs with B. Franks, giving ladies beef franks!

Like, how did these boring geeks from the Far East get invited?

Well, I hope they can speak their minds better than they can write it!

Oh, I'm delighted by their writing; such charming little thoughts

From such charming simple little men in charming little smocks!

What a fearsome trio! Yes, but what does it all mean?

It means the fate of these ancients is about to be seen!

We got the logical means to philosophically dominate your rhetoric

And get it boiled down to its essentials till it's evident!

But first I'll squat down and drop a Dao of Pooh on Lao Tzu!

And call me bermensch 'cause I'm so driven!

I'm Voltaire; I'm fucking fabulous, bitch!

Yo!

Motherfucking French, bitch!

I'm Voltaire; motherfucking French, bitch!

That covers the Yin and Yang twins; now it's on to Jackie Chan!

I'll Chang your Wu with my Method, Man!

You're supposed to be the tough one, dude, what happened?

History's lucky that you didn't write The Art of Rapping!

Wise guys from the East are supposed to be the best,

But we've seen more flavor in a Panda Express!

Our philosophy flourishes! Western culture has ascended!

While even your descendants seem a bit disoriented!

That's N-I-T-Z-C-H-E!

When I squat down and drop a Tao of Pooh on who?

Lao Tzu!

The rest is here:
Nietzsche | Epic Rap Battles of History Wiki | FANDOM powered ...

14 August 2017, 16:32

Friedrich Nietzsche argued that the will to power is the force that drives us as humans. He also said that without music, life would be a mistake.

Despite finding most of his influence in philosophy and philology, Nietzsche also composed several works for voice, piano and violin.Surprised? Fear not: Nietzsches compositions might come as a revelation to even the most clued-up classical music geeks.

Nietzsches involvement in music began in 1858 at the prestigious Pforta school in Naumburg, Germany, when he started to work on musical compositions.

He was also introduced to the music and writing of Richard Wagner, who introduced the philosopher to the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt after they met in 1868. Surrounded by great 19thcentury composers, it was easy to see how Nietzsches love for music could be nurtured.

Despite his love for music, the polymaths compositions were heavily criticised even by his friend Wagner. The story goes that in 1871, Nietzsche sent a birthday gift of a piano composition to Wagners wife, Cosima. When Cosima played the piece in public, Wagner left before the end, and one of the guests found him rolling around on the floor, laughing, shortly after. Imagine that: Wagner literally ROFLing at your handiwork. Although, kudos to Nietzsche, he got him back with this epic insult:

However, Wagner wasn't the only one to criticise Nietzsche's work: German conductor and pianist Hans von Blow also labelled another of his pieces the most undelightful and the most antimusical draft on musical paper that I have faced in a long time.

via GIPHY

Possibly not the *most* encouraging feedback for poor Friedrich.

Although his compositions were not always positively received, Nietzsches influence on classical composition has been widely accredited.

His philosophical novel Thus Spoke Zarathustra influenced several composers during the 1890s: Gustav Mahlers Symphony No. 3 used the leitmotif from Zarathustra, and Frederick Delius based his choral piece A Mass of Life on the novel.Richard Strauss also based his Also sprach Zarathustraon Nietzsche's novel of the same name.

What do you think of Friedrich Nietzsches compositions? Have a listen to a few more of them on Spotifyand on the Cambridge Press website.

Read more:
Who knew? Friedrich Nietzsche was also a pretty decent classical composer - Classic FM

Why did I decide to paint "based on" Zarathustra? Why was not I satisfied enough by simple book text? The fact is that when I read a book Thus Spoke Zarathustra, images appear by themselves. The text of the book is extraordinarily metaphorical. Of course, I will never have the strength and time to paint all the pictures that arise in my imagination. Therefore, it is necessary to choose the strongest from an infinite number of images. Nietzsche himself preferred music more than painting, so his works are full of music, I feel it. And since I'm an artist, it's easier for me to "grab" this musical imagery and embody it on canvas.

Some people believe that my paintings after Thus Spoke Zarathustra are a subjective perception of Nietzsche's images. In addition, most philosophers believe that philosophy can not be "depicted" at all. My biggest disappointment in life was that the overwhelming majority of people do not perceive the world at all in a figurative way. Such people look and do not see. Therefore, when one of such a majority begins to say that Nietzsches metaphorical language can not be translated into the language of images, then the point here is not in my righteousness, but in the fact language of images, then the point here is not in my righteousness, but in the fact that the eyes of the speaker are simply slightly blind. And if this is what the philosopher claims, then one thing I can say: he is not philosophical enough.

What is primary for me - a word or an image? What was in the beginning - a word or an image? I try to explain it. Everyword that comes to me easily turns into an image. Therefore, it's easy for me to write texts. As the physiologists would say, both the right and left brain hemispheres are equally well developed.

By the way, the Egyptian god Ptah, the patron of craftsmen and artists was often portrayed as a bisexual androgyne. Priests, singers and artists prayed to him and offered sacrifices. After all, the ability to embody a word is a gift from God.

The process of painting "based on Nietzsche" continues now, because Nietzsche's texts live in me, its real. I am just one of those who have already memorized them a long time ago, but not in the sense of having learned it, but inwardly absorbing the content itself. "He who writes in parables wants to be not read, but memorized". So I memorized! When one speaks of the demonic Nietzsche, citing quotes taken out of context, (for example, that everything is "allowed", "push the falling one", that "going to a woman, do not forget the whip", etc.), then Nietzsche really can seem some kind of evil demon. But when one really reads Nietzsche, he perceives Nietzsche not in quotes, but in all paradoxical completeness.

I am saddened by the fact that I am alone in this field and that other artists are not engaged in the artistic embodiment of Nietzsche's texts. Perhaps this is because artists in the mass are not enough philosophers, or as Marina Bessonova told me - "they are mostly uneducated people" (although, I think, it's not just about education). Such people do not know how to embody a word, they do not see the word. Very often artists are engaged in cheap substitution - they make the subject of art their inner world and their problems. And since the inner world is often small and unsightly, then such art is also uninteresting and boring. Nietzsche regarded the human history of the past two or three millennia as a personal story. The inner world of this kind has the right for a long life in culture, in art! Such creativity goes beyond individual psychological complexes and garbage, which nobody needs and from which it is necessary to release.

Lena Hades

Once I was asked to describe Nietzsche's ethical teaching in two words, I tried and answered with a question that I should ask myself. "Who are you?" Of whining plebs, waiting for a piece of your pie and accusing everybody else in all the sorrows and misfortunes that have fallen to you? Or are you one of those who make their own life? And themselves are the judges and executioners" for themselves, And this person honestly replied that in this sense he was a" pleb".

As Jos Ortega y Gasset said in his book The Revoltof the Masses, "The select man is not the petulant person who thinks himself superior to the rest, but the man who demands more of himself than the rest, even though he may not fulfil in his person those higher exigencies." The conclusion is simple - compete in all that you do with maximum effort and intensity. Thats what I am doing.

One artist I was acquainted with, once said, so and so, she paints a picture, writes a quote from Nietzsche, and thats all - a masterpiece is ready. Well, and what's the matter? - I replied paint a picture, put a quote on it. Go on, try! Let's see what happens! For some reason, he did not paint a picture with a quote.

I know several artistic attempts of Nietzsche's interpretation. For example, the Russian artist Pyotr Fateev, as well as Pavel Filonov, created several paintings on the themes of Nietzsche's books (Nietzsche was unusually trendy in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century!) And after that they stopped drawing on Nietzsche - Nietzsche was in trend not for long. Nietzsche tried all his life to go beyond human limits, his life was "a cognizers experiment on himself" and a brilliant artistic action at the same time, so all attempts to follow him mechanically will never succeed. To approach Nietzsche, one must be "called out by his spirit." These are very accurate words - to be called out. If we are called out by Nietzsche, we can do something interesting.

The Morning Email

Wake up to the day's most important news.

View original post here:
Thus Spoke Lena Hades: Nietzsche's Texts Live In Me - HuffPost

If youre an atheist who has talked with a Christianwho has read Christian apologists, youve probably run into the notion that atheist morality is a failure because it is bankrupt of assigned meaning from God. You have no purpose, you have no meaning, you have no value, you have no worth. This is horrifying, in the Christian scheme, and crippling to the core. You are trapped in a nihilistic nightmare, they claim.

The problem, I think, is worse than that for Christianity. And, at the same time, better than that for atheists. To illustrate why, Ill share a common text that Christian apologists love to quote, which is from the atheist philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. I know its long, but it is one of the most powerful discussions of God in history. If you are somewhere where you can do it, get the full weight of the passage by reading it aloud:

Have you not heard of that madman who lit a lantern in the bright morning hours, ran to the market place, and cried incessantly: I seek God! I seek God!As many of those who did not believe in God were standing around just then, he provoked much laughter. Has he got lost? asked one. Did he lose his way like a child? asked another. Or is he hiding? Is he afraid of us? Has he gone on a voyage? emigrated?Thus they yelled and laughed.

The madman jumped into their midst and pierced them with his eyes. Whither is God? he cried; I will tell you.We have killed himyou and I. All of us are his murderers. But how did we do this? How could we drink up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon? What were we doing when we unchained this earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving? Away from all suns? Are we not plunging continually? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there still any up or down? Are we not straying, as through an infinite nothing? Do we not feel the breath of empty space? Has it not become colder? Is not night continually closing in on us? Do we not need to light lanterns in the morning? Do we hear nothing as yet of the noise of the gravediggers who are burying God? Do we smell nothing as yet of the divine decomposition? Gods, too, decompose. God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.

So, the Christian apologist will read this and say that this is terrible. There is no purpose in the atheist scheme, no value, no worth, nada. And, therefore, theyll continue, isnt it better to be Christian? Wouldnt you prefer to have purpose and value in your life?

It has seemed to me that this argument, each of the thousands of times I have heard it in my lifetime, is not fundamentally based on a rational discussion on the existence of God. The argument is based on the assumption that I want there to be some foundation to thought, Iwantto have purpose and meaning in my life. More fundamentally, Iwantto belong in the world, and to know I have a place within it that is fully rationalized and reasonable. I want to know that I have a right to take in every breath, and to do that, the implication is, I have to have a purpose, areason why I am here.

And if God exists, the argument goes, that reason is straightforward. I can embrace and walk the world as if I have a right to be here. Let the vast universe overwhelm the miniscule dot on an infinite timeline, that infinitely small speck I call me that doesnt matter, because the God of it all said that I matter. Thats where I get my worth and value from.

And so, people become Christian because of that insecurity, and they try to force you to share that insecurity too, so they find a Nietzsche quote that seems to them the picture of that desperation, cast it onto you, and insist that you have to accept or convert.

That would be a mistake.

What Neitzsche is doing is changing up the game of morality more fundamentally than these Christian apologists imply.

Now, I dont agree with the entirety of Nietzsches philosophy, but the part I do agree with is his eloquent removal ofGod from the equation. All the way, down to the dregs. For Nietzsche to build his morality, he has to start with a God-free existence, one in which God has absolutely no authority to assign anyone purpose, to tell anyone to be humble, to create our horizons, or to give us a foundation.

He is burning the chess board we have been playing on and then yelling in our faces that it is over, it is done, the game is up, and taunting anyone who would dare try to move the pieces back in place or set up a firm external meaning. There is no God. There is no purpose from God, no foundation made up by Godat all.

All of the God-based morality, the morality that insists you have to be subservient to some type of higher master God all that is wiped away. That entire view of purpose as something that is ordained, that you are given from a Great Beyond its gone. And all we have left iswhat? What is left? God has been so integral to our morality, to the way that we think of ourselves and the world, that we have to start over.

And Nietzsche wants to start over; he wants nothing of God left. We are starting completely and totally from scratch. Hes not even just talking about the idea of God itself hes trying to rip out the roots of where the concept of God has made an impact on the way that we think about each other and the universe, including the way those roots sometimes sink into society for people after they have pruned the above-ground concept of God from their lives.

Lemme make this concrete. When I left Christianity, I had to unlearn a lot. I thought that I had left God, but the old ways of thinking still were there. I had puritanical views for the next couple years, for example, when it came to things like sex and alcohol. Today, I still find ways that the concept of God has infiltrated my thinking or the thinking of supposedly secular society in ways that I had not determined before.

Getting rid of that and starting over is an extreme project. It requires washing away the horizons we have taken for granted, deconstructing the morality we have taken for granted and re-examining the reasons we hold it, and embracing a godless universe which can (and likely should) be a jolting paradigm shift at first, as Nietzsche is articulating the above quote.

But Nietzsche did not see the problem of finding your way in a godless universe as unsolvable. After the God-concept is wiped from the slate, after he has burnt the chessboard of divine morality so that there is no game on the table, and he has forcefully articulated that there is no divine morality available and we have to start over, he has another step in mind, as is revealed when the quote continues.

Do we hear nothing as yet of the noise of the gravediggers who are burying God? Do we smell nothing as yet of the divine decomposition? Gods, too, decompose. God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.

We have killed him.

What does that mean?

Pages: 1 2

Originally posted here:
Christian Apologists, Stop Misusing Nietzsche's The Madman - Patheos (blog)

In a social-media snipe-off thats gone on an impressive six full days, a dispute between Kendall Jenner and Brooklyn nightclub Babys All Right trickleson. At the heart of the matter is the alleged absence of gratuity on behalf of Jenner, on a $24 bar tab.

Last Thursday, the evening that Babys hosted a release party for the new A$AP TWELVYY release, Jenner was atthe bar. A$AP Rocky, who Jenner has long been rumored to be dating, performed at the event. Though SPIN has reached out to the establishment for comment, were still not sure what she ordered. However, according to an Instagram post from Babys, we do know it ran $24 even. And thats where it stoppedJenner left the field for a tip completely blank, though her florid signature finds its way into that portion of the receipt.

We know this because, on Friday, Babys posted an Instagram shot of the receipt, with the caption, Dont forget to tip your bartender :). The post has since been deleted, but the image is the one above.

After a weekend of assessing the impending PR disaster, Jenner came back to Twitter on Monday to insist that she did tip. Or at least someone involved in the collective we tipped. Apparently, it was in cash. Was there a stack on the bar top associated with another customer that Kendall hoped would represent her patronage?

Tuesday evening, Babys continued to call out Jenner for the service-industry faux pas (not her first foray into allegedly treating waitstaff poorly). The bar posted a screen cap of Jenners tweet, with a quote from none other than Friedrich Nietzsche: Im not upset that you lied to me, Im upset that from now on I cant believe you, the caption read. This post was deleted by Wednesday morning.

What a world.

SPIN reached out to Babys but received no comment.

Visit link:
Baby's All Right Quotes Nietzsche Over Kendall Jenner Tip Controversy - SPIN

I was repulsed when I heard a young thug pretending to represent me, a white person in America. He further poisoned my identity by claiming he represented Christianity. He ended his diatribe by, of course, wishing the death to the Jews.

These people do realize that Jesus was not white, right? And that Jesus was born a Jew? As a Christian leader watching white nationalists, neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klan members (alt-right) call for "taking America back," I thought, "these people don't understand the idea of America, nor Christ." Their true ideological leader is Friedrich Nietzsche, not Jesus. In "The Antichrist," Nietzsche asserts that Christianity, as a religion and as the predominant moral system of the Western world, is "the religion of pity." It "elevates the weak over the strong."

"Another Christian concept ... has passed even more deeply into the tissue of modernity: the concept of the 'equality of souls before God.' This concept furnishes the prototype of all theories of equal rights."

Nietzsche really understood Christianity, he hated it, but he understood it.

White supremacist Nazi types, ironically, when they attack "liberal values," are fighting against the very values of Jesus while yelling at everyone how they are "Christians."

The spirit of Jesus' teaching is foundational for us all.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

These are the values; this is the America, we must "take back!"

Lindensmith is pastor of Seventh-day Adventist Church in Fargo.

Go here to see the original:
Letter: Members of the Alt-Right do not represent the Christian faith - INFORUM

Positive mental attitude (PMA) is a concept first developed and introduced in 1937 by Napoleon Hill in the book Think and Grow Rich. The book never actually uses the term, but develops the importance of positive thinking as a principle to success.[1] Napoleon, along with W. Clement Stone, founder of Combined Insurance, later wrote Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude which defines positive mental attitude as comprising "the 'plus' characteristics symbolized by such words as faith, integrity, hope, optimism, courage, initiative, generosity, tolerance, tact, kindliness and good common sense. [2]

Positive mental attitude is the philosophy that having an optimistic disposition in every situation in one's life attracts positive changes and increases achievement. Adherents employ a state of mind that continues to seek, find and execute ways to win, or find a desirable outcome, regardless of the circumstances. It opposes negativity, defeatism and hopelessness. Optimism and hope are vital to the development of PMA.[3]

PMA is under the umbrella of positive psychology. In positive psychology high self-efficacy can help someone to gain learned optimism which one ultimately leads to PMA. PMA is considered an internal focus of control that influences external factors. Research has shown that through emotional intelligence training and positive psychology therapy one's attitudes and perceptions can be modified to improve their personal and professional life.[4]

"The term self-help was not coined as a synonym for psychobabble. It has a long and rich tradition of usage in connection with far more reputable practices in the realm of law. Legal self-help refers to a raft of situation-specific remedies available to a complainant directlythat is, without involving lawyers or even courts. This facet of American jurisprudence, in marked contrast to the type of self-help this book mostly tackles, has always been about action, not words. Remedies of this nature are formal step-by-step procedures designed to bring about lawful satisfaction for the individual." Self-help law books have been around since at least 1687.[5]

The modern self-help industry has reached a far larger audience than just those in the legal field. "Self-improvement books now account for at least a $2.5 billion a year industry in the U.S. alone, increasing since 1972 to at least 2.5% of the total number of books in print. Approximately one-third to one-half of adults in the U.S. have purchased a self-improvement book at least once in their lifetime."[6]

The self-help industry was pioneered by Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack and made popular by Napoleon Hills books as well as Dale Carnegie and his lectures and books. Now an entire industry of self-help books and motivational speakers such as Og Mandino and Tony Robbins are available. PMA is a main theme in most of the inspirational writings which have influenced the sales industry, especially in door-to-door sales and direct marketing businesses. Self-help material along with self-talk help employers to shape their employees to be more resilient to failure and become more positive and energetic salespeople.[7]

H.R., lead vocalist of the Washington, D.C. based band Bad Brains, has stated in the past that it was Hill's book, which was given to him by his father, that prompted him to advocate and use the phrase as a way to describe the positive message has wanted to expound through his music.

A study of Major League Baseball players indicated that a key component that separates major league players from the minor leagues and all other levels is their ability to develop mental characteristics and mental skills. Among them were mental toughness, confidence, maintaining a positive attitude, dealing with failure, expectations, and positive self-talk.[8]

Many studies have been done regarding PMA and its effects on health, specifically with people of serious illnesses such as cancer and kidney disease. Cancer specifically has received a lot of attention since Lance Armstrong, along with other survivors, have given their stories. People with PMA have a significantly higher chance of survival and recovery.[9] A study comparing people with chronic kidney disease with people kidney disease free showed that there was a significant difference between the groups. The kidney disease free group rated much higher in PMA. There was no difference found in spirituality and females with chronic kidney disease were found to be significantly more superstitious.[10] A study done with HIV-positive individuals found that a high health self-efficacy, a task-oriented coping style, and a positive mental attitude were strong predictors or a health-promoting lifestyle which has a significant effect on overall health (coping and surviving).[11]

Critics of PMA argue that it is not the secret to success but a by-product of success.[12] The "self-help" industry has been criticized as a scam for authors to make money due to its simplistic writing and principles. There is little evidence, however, that self-help books, life coaching, and motivational speaking are harmful; a study of 100 psychotherapy patients found that of the 43 patients reading books (e.g. PMA, religious texts, Alcoholics Anonymous texts, etc.) 4 reported "mild harm or distress" while 34 reported "benefit without harm".[13]

Here is the original post:
Positive mental attitude - Wikipedia

The first football practice of the 2017 season at Corcoran High School started with a scolding.

Veteran coach Tyrone Fisher was fired up after nearly half of his players (14) weren't able to participate Monday because they didn't have the proper paperwork turned in.

"We talked all year about the potential in this room," he told players from last year's 5-4 playoff team that lost to Cicero-North Syracuse in the Class AA sectional semifinals. "I think you guys have been drinking the Kool-Aid ... Oh, Corcoran's going to be this, Corcoran's going to be that.

"I told you guys, we have proven nothing - nothing."

Fisher went on to talk for 10 minutes about trust, attitude, enthusiasm, hard work, competition, picking each other up, and mental toughness.

Here are the highlights from Fisher's talk.

Football practices across the state began Monday.

The Cougars open their season at home Sept. 1 against Fayetteville-Manlius.

Follow this link:
Corcoran's Tyrone Fisher preaches attitude, hard work, mental toughness as 2017 football season starts (video) - Syracuse.com

On Thursday 12 May 2016, His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge invited Attitude magazine to bring members of the LGBT+ community to Kensington Palace to hear their experiences of homophobic, bi-phobic and transphobic bullying, and discuss the mental health implications it has. Attitude editor Matthew Todd facilitated the discussion. After meeting with the nine delegates, Prince William then posed for the cover of Attitude magazine, photographed by Leigh Keily. The cover marks the first time a member of the Royal Family has been photographed for the cover of a gay publication.

Of course, most LGBT+ people do not suffer with such problems and live happy, successful lives. But, sadly, statistics show that the LGBT+ community is one that continues to suffer disproportionately from mental health issues, while bullying in schools is still an issue too many young LGBT+ people are exposed to. Prince William met with individuals who explained how bullying had led to low self-esteem, suicide attempts, eating disorders, depression and drug addiction including, in one case, the death of a young man after an unintentional overdose.

In 2015, LGBT+ mental health charity PACE (since shut down because of government cuts) produced an extensive report into the mental health issues faced by the LGBT+ community. It found that 33.9% of young LGB people had made at least one suicide attempt compared with 17.9% of young straight people, while 48.1% of trans young people had attempted suicide. The study also found that 57.1 % of LGB people had self-harmed at least once compared with 38.3% of heterosexual young people. 85.2% of trans young people had self-harmed as opposed to 47.4% of cisgender young people.After the discussion, HRH The Duke of Cambridge made the following statement: No one should be bullied for their sexuality or any other reason and no one should have to put up with the kind of hate that these young people have endured in their lives. The young gay, lesbian and transgender individuals I met through Attitude are truly brave to speak out and to give hope to people who are going through terrible bullying right now. Their sense of strength and optimism should give us all encouragement to stand up to bullying wherever we see it. What I would say to any young person reading this whos being bullied for their sexuality: dont put up with it speak to a trusted adult, a friend, a teacher, Childline, Diana Award or some other service and get the help you need. You should be proud of the person you are and you have nothing to be ashamed of.

Attitude editor Matthew Todd says: During my time as editor of Attitude I have met parents whose child has taken or lost their life after being bullied for being LGBT+ or just perceived to be LGBT. I am very happy that the future King of the United Kingdom agrees this must stop and I would urge parents in particular to raise their voices in their communities to ensure that every school protects really protects all children.

This issue of Attitude magazine went to press on Wednesday 8 June, just days before the devastating shooting in Orlando which saw 49 LGBT+ people lose their lives. Attitude sends our most heartfelt condolences to those affected by this atrocity. Around the world, LGBT+ people experience hatred and violence every day. Such violence does not exist in a vacuum but snowballs from intolerance and bullying that begins in classrooms, too often comes from politicians or religious leaders and is often not treated with respect by the media.

You can read our full feature with the Duke of Cambridgeand see his exclusive shoot in Attitudes July Issue, available to download now from pocketmags.com/attitude.

Its in shops next Wednesday (June 22), and print copiesare available to order globally fromnewsstand.co.uk/attitude.

If you have been affected by any of these issues, please ask for help from:

switchboard.lgbt samaritans.org childline.org.uk

More stories: From shootings to suicide: Why homophobia remains as deadly as ever Orlando gay club shooting: The victims

Read the original post:
Making history: Prince William appears on the cover of ...