Choicemaking: Self-Help Secrets Revealed. Espresso Makers: Depending on Your Need, There's an Espresso Maker for You.
But what if it were not that simple? Because, let's face it, people make the wrong choices everyday. The wrong girlfriend! The wrong boyfriend! The wrong destination! The wrong colors, and so on.
Choicemaking is not as simple as it may seem. Smokers continue to smoke. Drinkers continue to drink. Drug users continue to abuse. If making choices was so simple, then none of the above problems would exist, would they?
Look at your own life for a few moments.
See if all your choices have been wise ones. Is there a repeating choice occurring that still produces the same negative result? Why are you still making it?
When it comes to Life Choices, then we see that this process is not as simple as choosing the right candy, or movie, or other form of entertainment.
Truly FREE choicemaking is based on Personal Characteristics, Prehistory and Personal Awareness.
How aware are you of your Prehistory to determine why you may be making the same faulty choices over and over again? Why does a woman continue to choose the same type of abusive man? Why does a man continually succomb to the definitions and desires of others? There's no choice in such examples, only repeating patterns!
But the fact is: "There is choice!"
Choicemaking still goes on, even if it's outside our conscious awareness. A part of us is making choices based on - prehistory, old patterns or a familiar expectation like "I never get what I want" or, something similar.
These are some of the common denominators of Prehistory.
As a child you React to your environment. You adopt the Status Quo, that is, how things work in your family of origin. You make unconscious choices based on Survival Value. "If my dad always yells at me when I need something, then I won't "need" and won't ask anymore."
And you give up trying to get that Need Met! Repeat this a few dozen times and see how many things you have given up. And worse, you start convincing yourself "you don't really need it!"
The more dysfunctional your Family of Origin is, the more Reactive and Unconscious your choices tend to be. And this is the root of all negative choices.
Very few people would Consciously choose a situation or pattern with a guaranteed negative outcome. So called "common sense" is about hindsight and stating the obvious. The fact that so many choices are made at a subconscious level, cancels out any so-called fruitful effects of "common sense." Common Sense isn't so common after all.
Patterns return. Familiarity seems safer. Only because these are known.
Making a choice for a better Life is tatamount to a Crisis. It certainly is a Crisis for the Part of You that makes your unconscious choices! Some call this part your "survival side" or your "inner tyrant."
He, she, or It, has a big investment in maintaining Control. So you "doze off" or "go numb" when an important Critical Choice has to be made. You are still making a choice, only you are "choosing not to choose." And the necessary choice is relegated to your Unconscious Self.
You "allow" this unconscious "protector/controller" self to make the choice for you. And then, you see the Same Old Negative Result. Once again confirming "You Are the Victim of Forces Beyond Your Control!"
What has to happen on a conscious level for this pattern to change?
"Know Thyself" is the key phrase here. And this is no small order. Even well trained Psychologists can have a tyrannical unconscious self to deal with.
It is critical to get to the bottom of this though. One has to see that those unconscious choices: a) exist and; b) no longer work. What once had survival value, during childhood, has now become a detriment to your healthy development as an adult.
We've all had occasion to say: "he's acting like a child again." Or, "I felt like a child who needed her mother." These are common enough experiences for all of us to relate to.
The Primary Sign of True Adult Development is Emotional Maturity.
This includes the ability to make choices based on the evidence at hand, and not the "programs" from one's prehistory. True Freedom comes when one's childhood, hurtful past is laid to rest.
Freedom comes when we take hold of ourselves and declare: "
I'm making the decisions from now on - not my old Childhood Self - not my Abused and Frightened Self - not my Victim Self, or any part of me that came into being before I could make conscious choices.
In a safe environment we grow up capable of making informed choices. We are allowed to be ourselves.
In Dysfunctional Environments, Conscious Choicemaking is Absent.
We react. We resist. We counterattack. And we become passive- aggressive. We identify ourselves as victims, because we feel victimized. And we make limited, uninformed choices based on these stressful circumstances.
There's no such thing as a Free Choice here. Survival takes precendence. "What do I need do to survive this stress?" replaces "What choice would I like to make at this time?"
We come to believe that: "we are what is happening to us" - The Victim - The Abused One - The Abandonned One, and so on. Name your Poisonous Identity.
These are factual results of various types of domestic tyranny. There are hundreds of self-help books addressing each one of these results.
How do You Change a Reactive Choice to a Free Choice?
You become aware of who you are. Of what happened to you as a child, and what you need now to correct this.
You make Conscious Choices to better your life. You seek out resources that will help you untie all these psychological and emotional knots. You Choose to open yourself up to the Inner You, the person you are, or could be, had none of the above happened.
You choose to get in touch with your full potential, and to clean out all the garbage that no longer belongs. You are choosing Your Freedom!
This Could Be A Long Process Indeed.
What's your alternative? To live out your life as a pattern of prepackaged reactions that were triggered by others? Or, to live your life as it could be, given what you now know about cleaning up messes?
I made my commitment 40 years ago, and I still work at it. But it's not so hard anymore, and I have had some fun along the way. I actually enjoyed untangling those knots.
As I needed certain things, they came along in one form or another, a good Counselor, a Friend, many Great Books, an Inspiring Movie, and so on. As I learned to take responsibility and own my feelings, things improved. I improved. I got stronger. I benefitted from these conscious choices.
As I learned to overcome defeat and curtail negative self- references, I gained self-esteem.
As I realized that a part of me ( the tyrant) seemed programmed to harm me, I took away its power and claimed it for myself.
This Is The Hero's Journey From Mythology.
Into the Heart of Darkness we go, past the Guard Dog "Cerebus" (inner tyrant) to recover our Essential Self (innocent inner child), and become what we can be.
It is a long and difficult journey at times, but well worth it in the end. I wouldn't trade my journey for any other experience. That's the level of my commitment and the rewards that come with it.
Whatever it takes. Wherever I need to go. I'll do it. Because, I am worth it. AND SO ARE YOU!!!
Are you ready to commit to the Full Expression of your Being? Then Let's Get Moving!
Maurice Turmel has a PHD in Counseling Psychology and was a practicing therapist for nearly 25 years. Self-Help issues are dealt with regularly in his monthly Ezine "The Self-Help Advisor." Dr. Turmel likes to use parable stories to illustrate important points. He has authored 3 books and is also a performing songwriter. He can be reached through his Website at: http://www.mauriceturmel.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
Since Starbucks first went International in the early 1990s, espresso has been the number-one item on the minds of those who need a quick pick-me-up to get their day started. It started out as a fad, but with the onslaught of Friends on NBC in 1994 and Starbucks reproducing like rabbits throughout the last decade of the 20th Century, it has morphed into a worldwide phenomenon.
But what is espresso exactly. To put it in the simplest terms, espresso is coffee's more aggressive and strong willed little brother. Espresso is caffeine's answer to a shot of whisky. Just as addictive in some cases, but will not get you thrown in jail.
Espresso is made by filtering 1.5 to 2 ounces of water through tightly ground, espresso coffee, roughly the caffeine equivalent of four cups of coffee. If everything goes according to plan, what you get is 2 ounces of compressed caffeine with a small layer of foam on the top. The resulting concoction looks like a dark German beer with a head...only a lot smaller.
But how do you make espresso? Is it as easy as Starbucks would have you believe? In a word...yes. So where do you start? Again, the answer is simple...right here. There are five basic types of espresso machines. Let's take a quick look:
- Stovetop espresso makers are popular with hikers and tourists because they do not require electricity. But since the stovetop espresso maker is usually the "one-cup" variety, you won't get the creamy foam layer top. What you will get though is a very concentrated shot of espresso.
- Steam powered espresso makers work a lot like the stovetop variety but is fashioned more like the standard pump driven espresso makers. Still convenient for tourists and hikers, the steam powered espresso maker is not as popular with this crowd because of its bulky size.
- The piston driven espresso maker is the grandfather of all espresso makers and the reason most espresso comes with a foamy top. Invented in 1938 by Achille Gaggia, the piston driven maker is still a good way to make espresso, though not often used. This kind of of espresso maker is sold as an antique as often as it is the caffeine junkie's primary maker.
- Pump driven espresso makers are the offshoot of the piston driven variety and the most popular maker in commercial settings. Usually hooked up directly to the building's plumbing, pump driven makers heat the water as it is filtered through the coffee and uses a built in shot timer to help insure every shot of espresso is exactly the same.
- Automatic espresso makers are becoming increasingly popular because the machine does almost everything for you. Automatic machines consistently produce the same espresso shot every time and require less fine-tuning than commercial makers. In addition, this expensive but consistent alternative to your daily trek to the corner coffe house does everything from grinding the beans to disposing of the spent grounds. The only thing the user has to do is turn on the machine.
Now that you know how to make espresso, how do you decide what your favorite concoction is? After all Starbucks has more varieties of espresso than Baskin Robbins does ice cream. You do not want to make a fool of yourself when you when you are late for work and don't have time to make your morning wake-me-up at home. Yo need to feel confident and proud when you walk up to the conter and ask for:
- ESPRESSO - For those who prefer the simple things in life, a single shot of espresso, no foam, is probably best.
- ESRESSO DOPIO - Or a double espresso is for those days when you just cannot wake up.
- If you are feeling a need for some balance in your life, try an ESPRESSO MACCHIATO (a single or double shot of espresso with a whipped cream top).
- For those sweet and sour days, try an ESPRESSO ROMANO, a single shot of espresso topped with a sliced lemon peel.
- For amateur espresso drinkers who prefer a foamier, creamier, more chocolaty taste than a straight shot of espresso, CAPPUCCINO, CAF�½ LATTE and MOCHA CAPPUCCINO is probably the safest bet.
So now that you know everything there is to know about espresso and why there seems to be a Starbucks on every corner of every city in every state in every country in the world, you can decide whether you want to join in on this worldwide phenomenon. But beware...if you decide not to join the crowd on this one, you will likely be left behind. A caffeine-powered work force is what made the world what it is today.
Allen Shaw is a successful author who provides information on espresso makers for A1 Coffee Makers. "I am the news director at USA News Network and have been working as freelance writer for 2 years.
I've been published in a few magazines, newspapers and websites and my specialty up to this point has been movie and music reviews."
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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