As someone who was born painfully shy, with little self-esteem, I made friends with the “act as if” method (also known as “fake it ‘till you make it”) in high school. I went from a quiet sophomore to a confident, wildly-dressed junior, all thanks to my drama club and one very empowering exercise.

See, my drama teacher didn’t call it “acting as if.” But for a variety of circumstances, we had to write our own play that year, and it was based on characters that we all created one day. She had simply said, “Choose a character that’s a complete stretch for you — someone so far removed from yourself that you’ll have a tough time playing it.”

What she didn’t tell us was that we would be playing that character in the school play, not just for that day’s club meeting.

I chose a punk rocker, and they brought in a real punker to make sure my makeup and hair was authentic. She put me in extensive black eye makeup, black lip liner around bright red lips, and a pink faux-hawk. When I saw the girl in the mirror — the one that looked nothing like me — I was almost instantly transformed.

While in costume I met a guy who would become a good friend, and he showed me that I could access that confidence anytime. Suddenly I was spiking and bleaching my hair, wearing tight jeans and spiked belts. I wasn’t dressing like a punk anymore, but I was a full-out new waver (this was in the ‘80s, as you might be able to tell).

So I acted as if I was a confident, trendy chick instead of a shy, awkward mouse, and became that…

>>> CONTINUE READING Act As If You Have What You Want…

Is it really possible to ditch the cardio, keep the carbs, and still lose weight… especially fat?

I had the chance to interview one of the hottest names in fat loss and fitness — Rob Poulos, the author of Fat Burning Furnace — and his answer to that question is a resounding “Yes!”

Rob specializes in helping both men and women lose fat quickly and permanently through brief and infrequent workouts and simple diet principles.

It might sound too good to be true, but Rob and his wife lost over 100 pounds of fat combined with his methods.

Read the entire interview for more insight from the man himself:

HVG: Rob Poulos struggled with his weight for years, until he finally cracked the code that allowed him to lose over 40 pounds of fat in just a few months. Today he’s going to talk to us about how you can do the same thing. Rob, thanks for joining us.

RP: Thanks for having me.

HVG: Could you let everyone know a bit of background on your health journey, and how you were able to make such a big transformation in such little time?

>>> CONTINUE READING Interview with Fat Loss Expert…

I know, I know… for fast-moving, ambitious people, meditation can seem like a waste of time.

For those grounded in reality, it can seem a bit “out there.”

But sometimes things just aren’t as they “seem”!

As I said in my latest article for Life As A Human:

“If you just pictured a monk sitting silently with hands on knees, fingers held together in loose circles, uttering “ohmmm” every few seconds, then you might have some trepidation about trying meditation. However, it really doesn’t need to be a big production, or something “woo-woo” or “weird”… basic meditation can be a simple process, but one that brings you huge benefits.”

To find out what those benefits are, read my article here:  Meditating to Quiet the Mind, Inspire the Spirit, and Rejuvenate the Body.

Keep Unwrapping the Mysteries of Life!

Do you feel any uncertainty in your life? My friend and colleague, Michelle Casto, is a Life, Career and Soul Coach who promises to be able to help you live your life with passion and power.

I interviewed Michelle about her views on manifestation and passionate living, and here’s an excerpt on what she had to say, including an exercise on how to Discover Your Soul Goals:

Heather:  What is that process of manifestation as you teach it?

Michelle:  For me it’s really just focusing your attention in the forms of thoughts, feelings, and words in the direction of your dreams or the goal that you have in mind. When you do that you have a miracle of manifesting.

There are, of course, a few stages in that. We’ll talk about that. But each of the stages has specific things that I teach; what to do. As well, within each of those stages, there is a Universal law that goes along with each of the stages.

Heather:  Okay, so let’s walk through what the different stages are…

>>> CONTINUE READING Accelerate Your Soul Purpose…

Breathing is such an important aspect of life, and yet most of us don’t do it properly.

In my latest article on Life As A Human, I explain:

“… the truth is, while we obviously breathe enough to feed our bodies, we don’t necessarily breathe properly enough to nourish it. We breathe shallowly into the chest instead of deeply into the belly, essentially hyperventilating. It’s kind of like the difference between grabbing a quick junk food snack, and enjoying a healthy nutritious meal.”

To give your body the breath of life you need, read my full article: Deep Breathing for Ultimate Health.

Keep Unwrapping the Mysteries of Life!

If you’re an internet marketer who does a lot of traveling, obviously you’re going to take your laptop with you most of the time. Hey, even if you’re going on vacation, you want to be able to check your email, and your Twitter feed, and your Facebook page, maybe send out an autoresponder message or two, and just generally make sure everything’s running smoothly while you’re gone, right?

Oh, wait… if you’re really organized, you can schedule a lot of that to happen automatically while you’re gone, and use your iPhone or BlackBerry or some other gadget to check your email, if you don’t have an assistant to do it.

But for me, I’m probably still going to want to take my laptop so I have the option of doing some work while I’m on the road.

So let’s talk about what you need to do to make that as painless and effective as possible.

>>> CONTINUE READING Travel Essentials for Marketers…

A couple of days ago, some anchors on Fox’s Good Day New York said Bret Michaels must have been faking his illnesses over the past few weeks, because nobody can recover that fast… and because Michaels has gotten some nationwide sympathy over his ordeals.

Here’s a video of the accusation:

I admit, I wanted Bret to win Celebrity Apprentice, and was glad he did. But I started calling it over a month ago when it became clear that this guy — who I, like many of his colleagues, had written off as a non-contender — was one of the most creative, ambitious people I had seen in some time.

Bottom line, he won my respect and admiration based on his actions and abilities.

So here’s the question: if somebody has a fighting spirit, and is able to overcome and conquer what life throws his way, does that make him a faker?

Only to naysayers who never like to see people pull off what they don’t believe they, personally, can do…

>>> CONTINUE READING Fighting Spirit = Fabrication or Inspiration?…

One of our favorite slogans around here is “Adapt, Overcome and Improvise.” Barry started saying it years ago, and together we’ve made it into a Goss family motto.

For what it means, and how it can help you like it’s helped the Marines, job seekers and us, read my latest article on Life As A Human: Adapt, Overcome and Improvise.

Keep Unwrapping the Mysteries of Life!

I do most of my online shopping at Amazon, because they usually have the best prices (not to mention free Prime shipping on many items); another favorite supplier for health-related items is VitaCost.

But I just purchased some supplements at iHerb.com because they had prices that beat all the others.

Even better, they offer a discount to first-time customers, which gets you an additional $5 off the already-reduced prices; you’ll also get extra discounts for meeting certain order minimums, and free shipping in the U.S. if you spend at least $40 (fast, too… 99% of orders ship the same day if you order by 1 p.m. PST/4 p.m. EST).

The other discounts are automatic, but for your $5 off you have to use the Referral Coupon Code GOS766 or click this link.

It’s good for any order, and you can choose from thousands of quality natural health supplements from dozens of top companies, like Enzymatic Therapy, Natural Factors, Source Naturals, Natrol, NOW Foods, Twin Lab, Carlson, Life Extension, New Chapter, Vibrant Health and more.

Because of their competitive pricing, great selection, reliability, 10-year reputation and excellent customer service, iHerb.com was rated the Top Online Retailer for Supplement Merchants in the 2009 ConsumerLab.com Survey of vitamin and supplement users.

Take a look around iHerb, comparison shop, and enjoy your discount(s)… don’t forget to use the coupon code GOS766 if it’s your first time, to get an EXTRA $5 off.

Keep Unwrapping Great Health!

A recent Parenting magazine article focused on how you can calm down, even amidst all the hustle and bustle of being a parent. And, well, that goes for non-parents too, whether you’re working at home, doing the daily rat race, or going to school.

The article referenced author and yoga teacher Fred L. Miller’s book, How to Calm Down.

I liked all the tips, but one of them really stuck out for me:

Pop a LifeSaver into your mouth. Focus on the fruity taste of the cherry, lime, orange, or pineapple flavor, and resist the temptation to chew. The longer you suck and concentrate on the flavor, the more calm and tranquil you’ll start to feel.

I always thought it was about the shape of the candy, but maybe there was more to it when they named the candy a LifeSaver!

Honestly, though, you can do the same thing with anything meant for oral consumption. Any candy, any food, any beverage… just focus on how wonderful and amazing it tastes, and feel grateful and appreciative for the ability to enjoy it.

Sloooow down… relax… and then come back to regular life renewed.

This will also amp up your manifesting emotions, so you’re prepared to have more things go your way.

Keep Unwrapping the Mysteries of Life!