How to Diet Down NOW

There’s a psychological technique called gaslighting which is incredibly potent especially in persuasive situations.

A few nights ago I was watching TV, just flipping around aimlessly, and came upon an old episode of M*A*S*H. In this episode, BJ is bored and to entertain himself he cooks up a plan for amusement at Winchester’s expense.

BJ takes a pair of Winchester’s pants and in their place replaces them with a pair two sizes too large. When Winchester eventually puts the pants on, BJ asks if Winchester is okay. He mentions that he’s noticed him looking a little under the weather and suggests that he maybe has a virus because he’s looking too thin.

Later, BJ replaces the pants that are too large, with a pair that are way too small. When Winchester changes again, BJ casually notices how heavy Winchester has become, which has a dramatic effect on Winchester, prompting him to go on a crash Diet.

Hawkeye, having observed the interactions, asks BJ, “What’s next?”

“Tomorrow he gets taller,” BJ responds.

This illustrates the very essence of gaslighting. In this instance, gaslighting is a harmless prank. Gaslighting also has the potential to be quite dangerous and cruel when used with malice. So why am I writing about it? So that you might protect yourself from it should someone try to use it against you.

With all of the persuasion techniques I teach, know that they are incredibly powerful tools and when used without integrity will get you nowhere fast. They should always be used ethically and with integrity.

The term gaslighting came from the 1944 film of the same name and came to be defined as the ruthless manipulation of a person into believing something that isn’t true.

In ‘Gaslighting’ the husband tries to convince his wife that she’s insane so that she’ll have to be institutionalized, thus getting her out of his way. His subtle manipulations cause her to doubt her own grasp on reality.

Using gaslighting in a way that is not unethical could include understanding how your affluent prospect interprets their own reality.

The technique of gaslighting has five main strategies.

The first strategy involves repeatedly questioning a person thus planting doubt.

If you watch game shows, you’ll notice that they use this to raise the level of tension and oftentimes this results in the contestant doubting their decision. “Are you sure? Is this really your final answer?”

This can be accomplished without even speaking. Picture someone cocking their head, raising their eyebrow. This can install in the receiver that doubt putting them off guard.

It works all the better if you come off as having their best interest in mind.

The second strategy is to point out things that simply aren’t there.

This is useful in undermining their feeling of reality. It can also be used in pointing out assets and qualities in a person who has no idea that they have these assets and qualities (whether or not they actually do).

For example, appealing to your boss’, client’s, prospect’s or authority figure’s sense of vanity or ego can work tremendously.

If the ego massage is completely without merit and the compliments are baseless, then you’ll most likely be discovered. Use subtlety with tiny portions of reality.

Strategy number three is primarily for the use of experts–someone who has specialized knowledge or divine access to information which you haven’t the ‘connections’ to learn. . .i.e. think therapist, minister, psychics. They have very esoteric, mysterious or specialized knowledge that will give you the answer you seek. Rather, the answer that they wish for you to believe you seek.

This will cause lowered defenses and a more trusting feeling from the client.

Strategy number four is to reveal the secret thoughts of others.

This is also known as gossip. It’s a special kind of gossip which maneuvers in an attempt to give insight. It’s just between ‘us’, it’s from me, someone who cares enough to tell you what other people are saying. . .

This can be used with ‘nice gossip’ i.e. compliments about that person that you weren’t supposed to share. It can install positive behavior.

And last, but not least, the final strategy is to use the power of the many against the tiny power of one.

You’ll see this used by children, politicians, in religion, through the media, by the military, and throughout society.

Orwell called it ‘group think’ and as the corporations gain more and more control over the distribution of information, it becomes harder and harder to find accurate information, and even harder to stand away from the crowd, especially when you’re right.

It’s powerful to have ‘the many’ on your side, and very difficult to maintain your position when you’re up against the many.

Gaslighting isn’t nice. It’s designed to trick people into self-doubt. And yet, there are positive ways it can be used.

Kenrick Cleveland
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/a-lesson-in-gaslighting-226555.html

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There are many times in a person’s life when they really want to look their best. Perhaps it is for a high school reunion or for a wedding, and probably the most popular time for wanting to look good is during swimsuit season. For all of these times, and many more times, most people’s focus turns to their stomach and they start thinking about excuses to flatten stomachs.

People tend to think that a flatter stomach means better looks and most people want to look their best. A flat stomach does go beyond looks however; there are medical reasons why people should concentrate on exercises to flatten the stomach. Medical evidence suggests that people that carry extra weight around the stomach tend to be more likely to develop serious medical conditions, including diabetes. The stomach is also the core of the body, this means that the stronger and healthier the core is, the more likely the rest of the body will be as well. Consider a person with back problems, which is a common problem with many people. These people benefit greatly from doing exercises to flatten their stomachs. This will help improve posture and relieve tension in the back as access weight is removed from the center of the body. When a stomach is flat, it also helps the person to walk taller and straighter, giving the person more confidence and improves their overall looks compared to a person that walks hunched over.

Besides looks and health, another reason why exercises to flatten stomach muscles are popular is because they are easy to do. They can be done practically anywhere, in a gym, at home in front of the television or anywhere else. They also do not take equipment to do. While there are plenty of machines and smaller pieces of equipment all geared for flattening a stomach, they are not necessarily needed to get the same results. All a person needs is some room to lie down and the desire to improve their stomach. There are a wide variety of exercises that target this area of the body, so a person can choose which moves will work best for him or her.

Because this type of exercise is so popular, most workout programs, whether on a video watched at home, a health club or any other program a person follows, will include exercises to flatten stomach muscles, because it is so important to keep them strong and also because of the popularity of this type of exercise. Most people are not interested in simply working on their legs or arms or other parts of their bodies unless they are exercising their stomach as well.

Obviously there are many reasons why people want to flatten their stomach and spend a lot of time doing exercises to flatten the stomach. Whether the reason is vanity or health, it is important to remember that like with all things, it will take time to get the desired results and a person must stick to whatever program they are comfortable with until they have the stomach they want. The good news is that stomach muscles respond very well to even a little exercise, with some exercise and a good healthy Diet, most people can see results, provided there is no medical reason why they probably won’t succeed.

Nicholas Tan
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/stomach-exercises-why-exercises-to-flatten-stomach-muscles-are-popular-683774.html

If you have squirrel problems, a squirrel-proof bird feeder may be your best solution. There are several species of ground squirrels and tree squirrels in North America that can create problems for bird enthusiasts. The Fox Squirrel and the Eastern and Western Gray Squirrels are species of tree squirrels that are most commonly involved with causing problems for home owners and bird watchers.

Squirrel-proof bird feeders come in a variety of shapes, sizes and styles. They range from the simple baffle-topped feeders, to the weight activated hopper feeders like the Homestead Super Stop-A-Squirrel. For the serious backyard birder there is the Droll Yankees’ Yankee Flipper that uses a battery operated device, activated by the squirrel’s weight, to (harmlessly) propel the squirrel off of the feeder.

One of the major problems bird watchers have with squirrels is that the squirrels take over the feeders and scare the birds away. But that’s not the only problem. Depending on the season and what’s available locally, the squirrel’s Diet is made up mostly of nuts, fruits, plant buds, seeds and flowers. However, squirrels are not vegetarian. They also eat bird eggs and nestlings that they will snatch right out of birdhouses. They may pounce on unsuspecting birds at feeders also.

There are two clear strategies for solving the problem of keeping squirrels away from your feeders and birdhouses. You can prevent the (cute) pesky rodents from gaining access to your treasures, or you can give them a better, alternate place to dine.

Let’s tackle the preventative strategy first. There are some very simple ways to keep your birdhouses and feeders safe from squirrel damage. And let me add here that it is imperative to keep your birdhouses safe from possible predation. You can build your own predator guard from my plans or you can purchase squirrel baffles, which come in a variety of styles, sizes, shapes and colors.

What you want to do is to keep squirrels away from your feeders and birdhouses right from the start. Squirrels are very persistent and once they find an easy source of food, they will try to overcome any obstacle you may put in their way.

Squirrels are extremely agile and can leap eight feet or more and climb almost anything. For this reason alone, if you have squirrel problems in your yard, keep your bird feeders and birdhouses at least eight feet away from any tree limbs or man-made structures and install baffles on the supporting posts.

If you must hang your bird feeders in trees, you will want to keep them away from the main trunk and equip them with a dome baffle or simply use a squirrel-proof bird feeder that is designed with a dome-type top.

Another popular style of squirrel-proof bird feeders is the caged feeder. The caged feeders consist of an inner feeder that contains the seed, surrounded by a wire cage that prevents squirrels from getting to that seed. They simply put the food out of reach for the hungry squirrel.

Even the most persistent squirrels should be thwarted by any of these squirrel-proof bird feeders or baffle feeder combinations. So let’s consider the second strategy of giving the squirrels a better alternative than your bird feeders or birdhouses for their banquets.

This strategy involves setting up a squirrel feeding station somewhere away from your bird feeders with the food stuffs that squirrels really like. There are several different squirrel feeders that not only let the squirrels enjoy the nuts, sunflower seeds and fruit they like the most, there are some that let you watch their antics as they feed on one of their favorite foods, corn on the cob.

So whether you love squirrels or hate ‘em, these are some solutions to the “squirrel dilemma” that many birders face. You may even have some new thoughts on how you can live with squirrels and keep your bird feeders and birdhouses off limits to these cute, furry critters.

Larry Jordan
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/win-the-squirrel-war-with-squirrelproof-bird-feeders-686794.html

Acne is a very disturbing problem and can cause many negative side effects. These can include the physical pain of acne and the scars and also the lowering of self esteem associated with getting acne. The good news is that there are many ways to stop acne permanently however finding a solution that can work for you can be tough. Here are a few tips and ideas to help you get rid of acne using all natural methods:

Tip 1: Lower stress

Prolonged stress can definitely contribute to making your acne condition worse. There are many ways to lower stress including taking part in regular exercise, learning meditation and even getting a pet like a dog. Exercise has many benefits and reducing tension and stress is one of them. There are many ways to do a good exercise program, there are two main types of exercises and they are aerobics and strength training.

Joining a local gym is often a good idea and can give you access to an array of exercise equipment so you do not get bored. You can also purchase a home gym so that you can workout in the comfort of your own home. Another benefit of exercise is that it has a detoxification effect on your body which is great for helping to reduce acne also.

Do aerobic exercise around three to five times a week and do strength training about once a week. The more weight you lift in your weight training workouts the more rest you will need so do not overdo it.

Tip 2: Sleep properly

Not getting enough sleep can put a lot of additional stress to your body so try to get deep sleep as often as you can. Many times we have trouble sleeping because we do not develop a proper sleep routine or you go to bed too early when you are not really tired. It is important to sleep once you are really tired so that you fall asleep much faster. Usually 5 to 8 hours is enough for most people.

Tip 3: Eat natural foods

We live in a society where the food is mostly processed and filled with all kinds of chemicals and preservatives. Unfortunately these chemicals can be harmful to your body and may make your acne situation worse. Thus look for the most natural, ideally organic foods you can find and eat them as often as possible. There is no need to eliminate normal foods but lower the quantities of processed foods as much as you can.

Juicing can also be a great way to give your body a lot of nutrition very quickly. Simply buy a good quality juicer and juice fresh fruits and vegetables like carrots, apples, celery, pears and add some lemon juice and oranges for taste. Most people’s Diet do not contain enough nutrients so this is a great and natural way to add a lot of nutrition to your diet easily and quickly. Try to follow some of these tips to help you stop acne naturally.

Alexis Kelvingtons
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/how-to-stop-acne-using-all-natural-methods-672572.html