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Cultivating positive energy: Most of us who study Yoga have been taught that an abundance of prana (vital air or vital energy), can be found at the ocean, lakes, large open fields, and in the mountains.

Although the air is different, this same energy can be found where people assemble for a positive reason. For example: when people assemble to meditate or pray.

You can feel it in your home, at a church, mosque, temple, shrine, ashram, seminar, martial arts hall, etc. This is when people bond in a mass for the common good. The energy can be used to help humanity and our little planet for the best. You can project this energy outward by acts of kindness every moment of your life. This is not to say, you allow yourself to be abused. You can be kind to everyone who comes into your life, without becoming a doormat.

You have influence over a limited number of people who you see in a day. Why not make every contact a harmonious and positive experience?

Some examples would be:

Stop making foul gestures, becoming angry, and swearing when another driver on the road has irritated you.

Don't take advantage of respect with anyone.

Treat everyone as special no matter what their economic status.

In regard to your next question: What is the mystery behind attracting positive energy?

To be honest, there isn't one, but I will give you the formula.

Firstly, you have to realize that you have infinite potential, and it comes from within. You also have unlimited potential from the outside, when you engage in prayer, and meditation, on a daily basis. Prayer and meditation will positively charge you, and you will contribute to the benefit of others as a result of it.

In turn, all of this helping of others will result in finding people around you who are more than willing to give you a helping hand.

The following ideas will cultivate positive energy around you.

Make it a point to wake up in the morning with excitement and say hello to everyone you come into contact with. This goes for the security guard, janitor, maid, garage attendant, cashier at the store, and anyone you may overlook in the course of your day.

Stop criticizing your family members, co-workers, friends, and associates.

Be diplomatic first, before giving any advice.

Let your family know that you love them everyday.

Be sincere and treat everyone as important.

Take time to give to people. This doesn't have to be expensive. You could give a sincere compliment, a card, a letter, or flowers. Become a trustworthy partner with family, friends, co-workers and associates.

Set goals - whether they are tangible or not. It is a healthy practice to have goals at any age. The final results will be that your positive energy will attract positively charged personalities and successful people will seek you out. If this is a major change for you, it will not happen overnight.

Let me share a related Zulu saying: Patience is an egg that hatches great birds.

Why should you become an eternal optimist?

Every one of us has a choice. When you fall down, you must pick yourself up. You can't blame life's hurdles or obstacles you have to find solutions to get over, around, under, or through them.

Focus on your past achievements and learn to be happy with yourself. Everyone has failed, at some point, but we must constructively learn from our past experience.

Your individual approach, to life's daily obstacles, is the gateway to success or failure. Therefore, success is a matter of choice.

Building Positive energy

In relation to what most of us see as possible - success is unlimited. When primal man first discovered fire, could he imagine the concept of a forge? When modern man discovered the forge, could he imagine sky scrappers?

To build positive energy for pursuit of common goals and success, you need a support group. Find and seek out like-minded people.

My first taste of Yoga was over 40 years ago, at the age of 7, in a martial arts school setting. I have continued to study martial arts until this day and I have four teaching certificates in four different martial arts. now I teach both Martial Arts and Yoga. I began to seriously practice Yoga (under Laura Foster) over twenty years ago due to martial arts competition related injuries.

Laura was a skilled & knowledgeable teacher of restorative Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga, and Laya Yoga. after training with her for 3 years, she certified me as a teacher in 1987.

I became certified as a Master Teacher (Guru) on September 15, 1995, after teaching over 5,000 hours under her wing. Shortly afterward, Laura retired at age 90. Since that time, I started organizing Yoga Teacher Training camps. As time went on, we began getting requests from everywhere in the U.S. and canada for a comprehensive Yoga Teacher Training correspondence course.

Eliminating excuses is the first step on the path to physical fitness. This may be easier said than done...oops, that is also an excuse! We all have the same 24 hours in a day, and the body we were born with. Yet, people vary greatly in terms of fitness level. Why is that? Because the physically fit don't let lame excuses interfere with their commitment to their health.

Don't let the usual excuses keep you from starting, and sticking with, a reasonable exercise regimen:

1. "The gym is too far away/there isn't gas in the car/my cute workout clothes are dirty...{blah, blah, blah}"

Having your own exercise equipment, in your own domain, removes this line of reasoning. Forget commuting and work out at home. Not being willing or able to go somewhere doesn't have to get in your way.

2. "I don't have time to work out."

Working out will increase your energy, which will actually give you more time in your day, not less. And if you choose your exercises to give the most efficient workout, then 30 minutes, 3 times a week should be quite beneficial. That is possible by choosing fitness equipment that offers a variety of exercises, like the Bowflex Treadclimber, or a home gym that has multiple stations.

If you can't spare 30 minutes, 3 times a week for your own health, what on earth do you have time for?

3. "It hurts."

exercise should never hurt -- ever. Instead of giving up on exercise altogether, do low-impact activities. One way to ease stress on your knees and feet, for example, is to work out in water. Also, some exercise machines provide a similar effect. The Bowflex climber has "dual-treadles" that come up to meet your feet, which some say feels like walking in water.

It is important to always consult with a health care professional before starting any exercise routine, to ensure the activities you choose are appropriate. After all, the point is to get healthier, not injure yourself.

4. "Working out is boring."

No one said you had to do the same exercise over and over, until you're bored. Change it up a bit. Vary your routine to include your exercise machine three times a week, a brisk walk or jog twice a week, and swimming or yoga another once or twice a week. Your exercise equipment can also keep you from getting bored by enabling numerous different exercises (see #2).

5. "I'm too old to get in shape."

This might be the conclusion you draw if your exercise equipment doesn't offer you adjustable settings, to match the intensity to your current fitness level. That can lead to feelings of discouragement and keep you from wanting to continue. The Bowflex Treadclimber has adjustable settings and speeds, to customize your workout. After about six weeks, you'll probably feel younger, not older!

6. "It's not possible to look that good {as in before/after pictures or the bodies featured in commercials}."

No one can guarantee how you will look, at a higher level of fitness. But if you're getting healthier and have a good chance of looking a lot better, isn't it worth doing it anyway? Optimum health is the goal, better looks are a pleasant side effect. Think of it that way, and you won't feel so down when a six-pack doesn't appear in a week.

7. "But I don't need to lose any weight."

weight loss is only one element to getting in better shape. There's also: getting stronger, increasing energy and stamina, better posture, staving off "old age", and reducing your risk of certain illnesses. Also, your weight may be redistributed in a more attractive way. Then there's the best reason to work out: fun! If you enjoy your workout, you'll do it more often, and will get more and more fit.

Excuses can be a way of postponing things you know you need to do. So eliminate them, one at a time!

Kathy Hildebrand is a professional writer who is easily bored with her "day job" assignments. So, she researches anything and everything of interest and starts writing. Writing about an extremely wide variety of subjects keeps her skills sharp, and gives her food for thought on future paid writing assignments.

More of her research and articles can be found at www.lasertargeted.com/bowflex and other sites around the internet.

The Carnival Fantasy is a great ship for first timers. It is usually scheduled for 3 or 4 day trips out of port Canaveral or other south florida embarkation ports. It is an ideal way to get your feet wet so to speak and see if you would like cruising. (Of course my personal opinion is that if you don't like cruising you should see a doctor ASAP as there is something wrong with you-but I digress) It is easy to extend a disney or other south florida vacation by adding on the extra couple days on one of these short trips.

This ship (Carnival Fantasy) is not for cruise aficionados. I don't have to repeat that do I? Do not go on this ship if you have been on multiple cruise vacations. I have noticed that the more ships people go on the more they become "cruise snobs"-nit picking about everything.

The Carnival Fantasy is about 70,000 tons. It is a perfect size. Not so big that you have to line up for everything and not so small that you feel motion on the ocean. The Fantasy is the first in this class of ships of which there are ten.

The Good

As per usual on a cruise ship the service is excellent. There are often many trainees learning the ropes on shorter duration cruises but the standards are pretty much the same. The menus are the same across the board on all Carnival ships-yummy. There is one night for lobster and yes you can have more than one. Food always tastes better when served by tuxedo clad waiters. For that matter you can order more than one entree or any other menu item you like.

If you can stand to have more than two people in your cabin (185 sq ft for a standard cabin) you can save money. The third and fourth person rates are usually about half that of the first two people. The extra people sleep in murphy beds that pull down from the wall. During the day these are secured to the wall giving you extra space. Having said that the last time we booked a triple cabin my travelling companions called it the penalty box because of the number of times we body checked each other during the course of getting ready to go out.

The Cat's lounge is a must see on this ship. Everything is laid out as a cat would see it really really big. Cleopatra's bar features an Egyptian theme in a piano bar setting-way cool.

The bad

The Carnival Fantasy is showing her age in spite of last years refurbishment. Most notably in the teak deck boards that you can spring up and down on.

On all Carnival cruises (including the Fantasy) your tips are already added to your shipboard account when you get on. To remove them you have to stand in line behind 2500 people at the pursers deck . Since the service is worth at least what they recommend that you tip I suggest that you just leave them on. Unless you really like handed out the envelopes with the tips in person.

The Ugly

The Carnival Fantasy has a childrens program called Camp Carnival. I have sailed on this ship 3 times and have used the services of Camp Carnival all three times. Although not all three were aboard the Carnival Fantasy. The first two times all went well. My son loved it all. The last time the staff at Camp Carnival (Fantasy) were the worst I have ever seen. Suffice it to say you are better off leaving your child with a steak tied around his neck in a lions den than with the staff on the Fantasy.

On the cheap

If you want to go on the Carnival Fantasy cheaply, go in the off season ie September or october for the biggest savings. Book far ahead or if you don't have to worry about fluctuating airfare book less than a month away.

Take a taxi to the beach from the Carnival Fantasy instead of joining up with the ships excursion of "beach party" .

Eat on the ship (the Carnival Fantasy has some of the best food at sea), instead of on each island ie come back for lunch . Or just have a big breaky so you won't be hungry while you are off the ship.

Book a guarantee cabin ie you are guaranteed that category of cabin or better just not a specific cabin. YOu will often be upgraded this way and will always sail cheaper.

Note: Between my brother and I we have cruised on the Carnival Fantasy 7 times now. Its short iternerary makes it ideal for a long weekend getaway, or to accompany a disney vacation.

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John Childs is a software engineer with 30 years experience. He has seen the landscape of computing change from the days of no personal computers and mainframes which took up entire rooms to the ipod shuffle (the clip on one)...amazing stuff. He's spent the last 10 years working on the Java platform and is a strong advocate of Java technologies.